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.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Old News
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.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Musicfest NW + Nike
wow. nike, you've really impressed me this time. no, it's not a new pair of super-limited edition hi-top gold-plated dunks, but rather a trio of exciting shows made possible by a partnership between the mega-corporation and willamette week.
all shows at audio cinema:
Thursday September 6th, 2007 @ 3:30
Cat Power, Bobby Bare Jr.
Friday September 7th, 2007 @ 5:30
Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter
Saturday September 8th, 2007 @ 5:30
Ghostface Killah, The Bronx
if there was any question that the pacific northwest runs this music shit, this (musicfest nw) should set things right again.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
typhoon
it's been on the internet for a while now, but if you haven't seen it yet, here's a great little video put together by none other than jimmy drunksweat.
TYPHOON
Show Review - 2mex
"this is the second show i've been to this summer that i've felt really bad for the performers"
the first was jana hunter. loud, hostile crowd members peppered her with insults as she morosely plucked and hummed her way through a half hour set. on that night, portland, you embarrassed me.
the second show was last night. clockwerk (gold and iame of sandpeople) kicked shit off to a crowd of about 15 people. c'mon berbati's pan, really? they even delayed the start time a good half hour just so more people could show up. those dudes brought it official anyway, even if people were sparse, sober, and bored. it turns out that demanding people "to throw yer mutherfuckin hands in the air" is a lot easier when they can blend anonymously into the crowd. instead of hands they just got a bunch of sore thumbs. the separation that generally exists between larger-than-life rap persona/bravado and the casual portland hip-hop show attendee was lacking.
but, as the openers came and went, the crowd grew and grew. 2mex was the main event and by the time he took the stage i didn't feel nearly as awkward or guilty. it was my first 2mex experience and he made me an instant fan. dancing and sweating as much as he was rhyming, he displayed moments of real emotion and personality. i realized that maybe it was his honest, "fuck it" attitude that made up of for the night's eariler misfortunes. word to the openers for taking the brunt of the bullshit and trying to warm up our cold northwest hearts for that underground california heat.
Metro Area - Dance Reaction
I was just snoopin around on bleep.com and found this:
Perfect for dance offs and lounging somehow.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Holy Fuck
Every now and again, I'll be minding my own business, checking my e-mail, checking the news, maybe surfin' craigslist when out of nowhere I'll find a band that makes me go... "wait just a minute!" (actually I was checking the schedule for musicfest nw but whatever...) Anyways, this band called "Holy Fuck" is really great. I am very excited to see them open for Wolf Parade on the last day of the festival.
Other highlights of the festivities include:
Spoon
Girl Talk+Clipse+Cool Kids+More
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Kickball - Everythingisamiraclenothingisamiracle
Kickball is easily one of the best bands in the northwest right now. When one is critiquing art its hard to feign objectivity but thats okay because this album doesnt want that. It wants you to get to know it. read: grower. Unlike most albums that grow on you though this one starts out good already and just keeps getting better the better you know it. read: good friend. When Jacob sings "You're a sunset sometimes pretty, oh my god" on 'sometimes' its probably the closest you can get to perfection. Everything on this album feels right, the length (songwise and albumwise) the parts in the songs everything. This far into kickballs existence they have got their un-formulaic formula down pat. On Orion they skate back and forth between breakdowns and something I guess you could call a verse covering similar ground but doing it differently every time, an aspect of kickball that makes them so loveable.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Video: Menomena - "Rotten Hell"
food fights and super slow motion. it's menomena with a new music video and there are some absolutely priceless facial expressions.
for my money, matt and kim did messy food & unrestrained childhood exuberance better in their video for "yea yeah."
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Freeway feat. Jay Z - Big Spender
HOTTT NEW TRAXXXXXX!!!!!!! (seriously, guyz!)
here's one to bump in your rides, bump it outside, Freeway feat. Jay Z - "Big Spender":
and new CARIBOU. from the forthcoming "Andorra," this track pulls no punches, makes no false claims, takes no prisoners, etc...
Caribou - Melody Day
DOWNLOAD THESE TRACKXXX, KIDSZ
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Mirah - Show Review
On Friday, Mirah was in town and she brought along some of her friends. Both openers, Lovers and Mecca Normal were complete unknowns to me, but it being a Mirah show, i made some educated guesses about their respective sounds (probably not death metal, i could safely postulate). Lo and behold, Lovers turned out to be fairly close to the Mirah mold. Guitar slung low and accompanied by only a sparingly used drummer, Carolyn Berk sang songs about love, lovers, and the like. She has a beautiful voice and a delightful way with words; i was pleasantly surprised.
Next was Mecca Normal, comprised of two unassuming, middle aged folks. The first couple songs were about the lead singer's experience with internet dating. This strange woman with an even stranger voice sang scathing, vindictive lyrics from the man's point of view: "i want cold, impersonal sex." All the while, the guitarist, who looked more dentist or shoe salesman than rock star shredded through the set with distortion on high. People laughed at her humorously jaded songwriting and cheered for the old man's rip roaring power solos.
Then, much to the damn-near packed house's delight, the diminutive, cute-as-a-button Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn took the stage. Her supporting cast was a revolving door comprised of members from Spectratone International (with whom she collaborated on her new album) and other friends. "My new album is about insects," she stated proudly. And amidst cello and accordion, she sang about ants, dung beetles, and glow worms. Mirah's always been an exceptional songwriter with an ear for both minutia and grandeur. The pounding, ominous drums of "Cold Cold Water" translated well live, lending that familiar, ominous tone to one of the night's standouts. With the full band, her songs really came alive, and the new material sounded great. Bringing the night to an end, during the encore, Mirah sang a stripped down remix backed only by her drummer's beat-boxing. A treat indeed.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Beastie Boys - Off the Grid
most alliterative moment in audiosurface history coming up in 3..2..1..
"bloggers behold! beastie boys go bizarrely beta band"
Monday, June 04, 2007
Rappers like Dance Music
kanye again. here he is all up in
daft punk's "harder, better, faster, stronger."
rich boy (i dont know who that is) and SMD
abx - i believe you should looka here
24 hour hotcakes
without any school work or even regular work to do, a man can really live a charmed, whimsical existence, free of obligation. granted, none of what i do on a day-to-day basis is useful, productive, or exciting in the slightest. in fact, i haven't felt this ineffectual in a long time. about-face aside, i have been listening to some devastatingly good tunes as of late. and "finding" such music makes me feel just a teensie bit better about myself as a human. not only because i feel as though i'm being a proactive music fan, seeking out music i wouldn't otherwise hear without hitting the streets (internet, that is -- and it IS a superhighway, so i figure the metaphor applies), but also because great music simply has that effect. it's an obsession, but a timeless and not entirely unhealthy one. thus, as someone who cannot create music, i do my best to be an observant, discerning, receptive, and ultimately loving audience.
here are some things i think you should hear.
jordaan mason - housewife part two
stunning. simple, lo-fi, barebones folk with haunting vocals.
jordaan onmyspace.
buy an album here ***even if you don't want to buy his album, click the link and you might want to, after you read what he has to say.***
mirah & spectratone international - gestation of the sacred beetle
new mirah.
buy here
Friday, June 01, 2007
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