Adrian Orange and Her Band w/ Calvin Johnson
Sunday, September 30th @ 6pm
The Metropolis
$3-5
K Recs in Walla Walla? Count me in.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Adrian Orange & Calvin Johnson
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sigur Ros - Heima
also from iceland:
"On November 5th 'Heima' will be released as a Special Edition double DVD package with a 104-page book containing stunning photos from the tour. It will also be released as a standard 2-DVD set."
Monday, September 17, 2007
Mum - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
Mum has been putting out consistantly good records for the past seven years and part of that has had to do with the fact that they are always expanding their range of sounds. Unlike their former fat-cat counterparts, Sigur Ros(now EMI), they are not afraid to try new things with their sounds. The sampling for one is so seamlessly integrated on this album that you might forget that what you are hearing are samples or field recordings. On GGSP Mum have created somewhat of a collage of themselves at various parts in their career. It feels like past, present, and future mum are all here on this album, each version chiming in its own tasteful aspect. Where this is most present is probably halfway through the album on Marmalade Fires. What starts out as a rather unassuming mess of harplike strings and other random strings and bells with a droning bass behind it soon blossoms into a full-fledged warmth spewing song about who knows what.
As they continue to release solid albums like this one in which they push their own limits but maintain a clear idea of what makes them so likable (the skittering percussion, wacked out vocals, and an amazing understanding of melody) they will undoubtedly be on of the most popular bands to ever have been labeled "experimental".
Caribou - Andorra
Dan Snaith is an extraordinary human being. This is the guy whose moniker “Caribou” was the product of an acid-induced vision quest in the wildest of Canadian backwoods. This is the same guy who earned his Ph.D. in algebraic number theory, just to belittle academics everywhere with claims of making gold records in his spare time. Snaith’s fascination with nature and foreign countries continues on the remarkably lush “Andorra”, but this time he’s thrown people into the equation; girl people, specifically. However, don’t mistake his transition from hammerhead sharks to women named Desiree as losing his edge. These are some of his fiercest songs to date.
There are some humble artists out there that never want to admit that they knew which of their songs would be the hit single. Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses thought people would really dig “Wicked Gil”, but the captivating crescendos of “The Funeral” have become their calling-card. I can’t imagine this naiveté would be possible with the lead track “Melody Day” on “Andorra”. The pulsing, infectious ditty is unmistakably a hit. It’s the aural equivalent of playing the Rainbow Road level in MarioKart64 well into the early hours of the morning. I challenge you to avoid imagining butterflies, birds, or some other cute shit when you hear the twittering flutes and jangling guitars. Snaith has really hit his stride with his vocals too; his voice gently reverberates across each sonic landscape he constructs. And he seems to be inviting the awkward concert round-of-applause-before-the-song-is-actually-over with a late-song lull only to return more ferociously than before. Suffice to say, goodness gracious.
Andorra is one of the sunniest albums you’ll hear all year. Snaith takes the best parts of every post 60’s musical era, and condenses them into roughly four and a half minute audio collages. There are elements of the Beatles (imagine ?uestlove on the drums instead of Mr. Conductor from Shining Time Station) and a heavy dose of psychedelic influences. The rampant use of heavy reverb lends an eerie, ethereal tone that can only described as a true stardust fantasy. Each meticulous arrangement is entirely his own, as Snaith notoriously maintains a death-grip on the production of each song, start to finish. Surprisingly absent are the drums on one of the album’s finest tracks “Desiree”. Barring a few clangs of a triangle, Snaith’s complex, signature drumming is replaced by strings and a hypnotic chant of the stripper-esque moniker. The percussion on “Irene” is entirely drum machine and coupled with the slightly off-kilter melody, it is enjoyably haunting.
It’s remarkable to think that the man formerly known as Manitoba has been able to produce such a consistently excellent level of music on each of his albums. It seems as if he uses any instrument he can get his hands on and seamlessly incorporates it into a distinctly Caribou song. As an album, “Andorra” does not disappoint. Each song seems to exist naturally and cohesively with the rest. My only advice is to play this record before summer’s end for maximum effect.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Gwizski
i was just over at analog giant and came across an artist by the name of Gwizski. this is portland hip-hop at its smoothest.
crack a pabst and bump this track.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Old News
there's a nice little article over on slate.com about the music scene in portland. in addition to being self-congratulatory, the writer maintains an air of indifference that i can appreciate. get too excited and people might actually start to suspect it doesn't rain as much as we claim.
click here!
Plus! A prize for whoever can identify the subjects in the photo above.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Musicfest Nw - Holy Fuck
(thanks pitchfork)
A little while ago I posted a video clip of Holy Fuck on the surface, sadly, I was missing the big picture. Their live show is nothing short of amazing. What is really incredible about their set is that it is extremely tight and loose simultaneously. Everyone in that band knows exactly whats going on and at the same time, you wonder if any of them besides the motorik-esque drummer has a clue. The raw power that spilled forth onto the crowd (that was one of the liveliest I have seen at the crystal ballroom) was fantastic. Crowd surfing, everyone jumping around n shit. I can't wait fo a full-length.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Mum - "They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded"
This video has been floating around for a little bit now but thats okay its still worth writing about even if we here at audiosurface aren't able to be the ones that "broke the story of the new mum video omigosh." Anyways, it is pretty crazy, the animation in it is very cool but our main concern is the song. This new mum stuff smells like what critics like to refer to as a "grower"... I dont have time for that these days. I need quick instant satisfaction. Like that new spoon album. oh well here's the video.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Menomena - Video for Evil Bee
So,
If you are one of the best bands currently assembling songs and albums and such for people to put in their ears, you might be asking yourself (as a band) how do we take it to that next level shit?
Have another awesome video for you. fuckin duh.
I cant directly link the player, because pf flyer wants you to buy fall season gear but whatever, just watch the video.
http://pfflyers.com/culture.html
click on the link that says "Play the Video". duh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
