The Golden Filter vocalist?

There is some mystery as to the identity of the vocalist from newest authentic disco/post-bloghouse project The Gold Filter. I think she sounds like Natasha Khan from Bat for Lashes. Some of the production flourishes and instrumentation of the two projects fit too. Go to the myspace to listen to the really solid demos.

PA MIX 1 Side B

Some of the production kinks have been worked out, so this mix sounds really smooth.

1. PA intro featuring the Ramones
2. Sally Shapiro - Time To Let Go (CFCF Remix)
3. Sébastien Tellier - Divine
4. Starfucker - German Love
5. Lake - Without Devotion
6. Mount Eerie - Wooly Mammoth's Absence
7. Generifus - Baby Drawing
8. Deerhunter - Never Stops
9. Talbot Tagora - Morning Secrets
10. Masters and Johnson - Winter Sucks

DOWNLOAD

Snow is dumb.

Because of this damn blizzard, I can't go to any fucking shows. Shit. So here's my "stuck inside, pissed off and cold" playlist.


1. Lync - "Perfect Shot" from These are not Fall Colors.
This song is amazing. Lync existed only for a super short time in the early 90's in Olympia, but profoundly influenced many future indie rock and lo-fi punk bands. This song is melodic and has a lot of soul to it, but at the same time is simply a punk song.


2. The Microphones - "Ice" from It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water.
It begins with noise and then a harmonized singing part with drums and other instruments, but ends quickly into Phil Elverum's soothing voice and quiet guitar parts. The song abruptly ends and the sounds of a fire play out.


3. Sonic Youth - "Teen Age Riot" from Daydream Nation.
This song is chill. It should make you feel at peace with the shitty weather, and ready to enjoy the sun when it ever comes out. It's snowy out, you might as well listen to Sonic Youth. Or at least, the relaxing but still hard Sonic Youth songs. You should also listen to Goo. Thats a good album.


4. The Raincoats - "No Side to Fall In" from The Raincoats.
I love the Raincoats. Its amazing songwriting but beautifully simplistic, with the violin hook and not-so-perfect voice harmonies, its a perfect winter jam. This whole album is really really good.


5. The Beach Boys - "In My Room" from Surfer Girl.
In this song, Brian Wilson sings about staying in and dreaming of his love, and escaping his worries and fears. In the snow, when you can't go out and see your boo, you can at least stay in and dream.


6. Wipers - "Over The Edge" from Over the Edge.
To me, this song represents pent up frustrations and anger at one person, or anyone, who is forcing you off an edge or into a corner. When your fucking stuck inside with nothing but your records and thoughts, you can thrash out with Greg Sage.


7. The Peechees - "I Don't Know Too" from Do the Math.
Snotty, fast and fucking fun. Chill, dance and smash up your room to this shit.







8. Wet Hair - S/T 12"
This record is tribal psych-noise from some dudes in Racoo-oo-oon, and it is amazing. Aside from having aesthetic beauty, the pretty but harsh sounds are fun to space out to. Turn off the lights and hide under a blanket and listen.



9. Sebadoh - "Magnets Coil" from Bakesale.
I love Lou Barlow, and Sebadoh is one of my favorite bands. Bakesale is my favorite album by them. "Magnets Coil" is my favorite Sebadoh song. It's super chill.





10. The Smiths - "Girl Afraid" from Louder than Bombs.
This is a beautiful song. Seriously.

Enjoy. Merry fucking Christmas!

Snow Show

Last night Little Party and the Bad Business played the Vera Project with YACHT-like Bay-Area rapper Hawnay Troof and Big Black-like Texan guitarist/vocalist The Wiggins. Outside, the snow fell with increasing vehemence, threatening to turn the intimate all-ages underground scene into a deathly-awkward sumber party.

Inside, LPBB's girl's bathroom set was ended by complaints from Key Arena fat cats who (apparently) were attemping to orchestrate the return of the Sonics in an ajacent office. Beaming, angelic post-jock, Casey Catherwood (LPBB) could have talked them down, but why mix it up with big wig loosers when you can move to the Vera gallery?

Hawnay Troof sweapt the floor of the mainstage with his rendering of pompus, suit-wearing white dude meets bitter, road-weary muscian/underachiver/rapper. With a description of his August to December adventure, he got me pretty hyped for not ever touring in a DIY band. None the less, his story about playing drums in the Raincoats (true, I assume) won everybody over.

Even with the snow coming down, I made it back to my parent's house early enough to swipe a beer from the fridge and watch SNL. I felt... not very punk. I think the holidays ruin rock and roll.

Public Access Mixtape (RAW!)

Howdy folks and happy winter solstice to all druids and pagans. We've commissioned a mixtape of some of our featured acts. This is the first 30 minute side. More soon, including actual tapes.

1. REFLEX - Night Jam A [silver tongued synth line]
2. David Bryn + Brian Eno - Life Is Long [how-to live your life]
3. Miami Horor - Don't Be On With Her [how not to live your life]
4. YACHT - Summer Song [Oregon disco scene?]
5. Crystal Stilts - Crystal Stilts [distortion/forest/drink tickets]
6. Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (Hot Chip Remix) [foreign travel scene]
7. Jimmy Buffet - Cheeseburger in Paradise [more travel]
8. Herr Jazz - Olympia [teen road trip]
9. Girls - Lust For Life [bottle of wine in SF]

DOWNLOAD PA MIX 1 side A (Probably the clubin' side. Stay tuned for the woolier side B.)

Mix engineered by VACATION.

rolling stoned

I've really tried to get over my stigma towards Rolling Stone. But their recent Albums of the Year is simply too cliché and over-acknowledges a bevy of artists from bygone eras. Bob Dylan in your number two spot? Metallica? Jackson Browne? AC/DC? Bravo with Bon Iver, Hot Chip, No Age and the TV on the Radio nod at first, I guess, but it just feels like its only because they're an indie band that came out with a lauded album that they actually got there. I don't know what to purpose, but RS has got to either put down the bong, change its mission or stop trying to be relevant. 

Noise binge

So i've been going through a total noise phase. Cold, dark and wet days are filled with the epic reverberations of Raccoo-oo-oon and Pocahaunted. Before, I occasionally partook in the noise and drone stuff, but never too much. The farthest that I ever strayed was HEALTH and High Places. I made a goal for myself to expand my horizons a little more, to include the noise that come of my friend's liked so much. I downloaded Raccoo-oo-oon's "Behold Secret Kingdom."

It's definitely a really good record. Waves of psych-drone fill up the space over drumming and some subtle guitar and bass parts. The vocals that can be heard are super chanty and woodsy, pretty much incoherent. Unfortunately, this awesome band is not a band anymore. But sweet deal folks, two dudes from Raccoo-oo-oon have formed Wet Hair. Wet Hair is a little more quiet, less percusive psych-drone group. I missed their show at the Josephine on the 7th because neither I, nor my friend had enough money to get in, which was a huge bummer. But the next day at the Hollow Earth Radio local label expo, I picked up a copy of their latest 12", and it is musically and aesthetically one of the best things i've purchased this year.

This record is a work of fucking art. It cost me a big $11, and it was totally worth it. I came home, and turned all the lights off, putting it carefully on my turntable and had a massive spaceout.

On Saturday the 29th of November, I had the pleasure of seeing my old friends Casy and Brian play at the Holy Mountain with some other bands, and Religious Girls, with who they were on tour. Religious Girls turned out to be one of the best bands I've seen this year. Four dudes, like 20 keyboards, a ton of voice and sound manipulation pedals and everyone played drums but one. They had a sweet standard kit drummer, while 2 other members pounded on cymbals and floor toms set up next to their keys. Their music was beautiful and tropical, sort of an etheral haze of tropical noise with crazy rhythmic drumming. At one point, drums were moved, paint was poured on the heads. Then splattered with each stroke of their final song.

Check 'em out:
Religious Girls


Raccoo-oo-oon

STARFUCKER VIDEO

I'm a big fan of this song, ripe with Starfucker's stoner-pop melancholy, dripping with the snarky catatonics of musician-cool, and greening fallow fields of 60s rock, dance punk, and funk. Stupid, airy, adolescent vocals somehow sound justified behind the fattest baselines to come out of Portland... ever. They will play Seattle's Vera project on December 20th with Natalie Portman's Shaved head.
Starfucker - Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second from epb21 on Vimeo.

throw me the statue, truckasauras - live at neumos (12/4/08)

I was very eager on thursday night, for I was about to finally see my favorite Seattle band, Throw Me the Statue. I'd tried numerous times, but I just couldn't ever seem to make it to one of their shows. However, I was not so excited about their opener, Truckasauras. After seeing them at Sasquatch!, I was left with a decidedly sour taste in my mouth. And so, my intentions were to arrive late and simply miss their set entirely. I wasn't so lucky. Or, rather, I was extremely lucky. 

Unlike the previous show, one of the guys in Truckasauras had switched from drum machines to a drum kit. And, holy shit, they were so good. Like, all of what I thought was simple and bland about the band last time became magnificent layers of electronics whriling above hip-hop, funk and sometimes even jazz, beats. If there is one thing to learn, it's that live drums always, always make things better. The grimy techno was unexpectedly pleasing and I'm glad to have my opinion changed on such a high-profile local band. 

Clad in all white outfits, Throw Me the Statue was celebrating their 100th show with this homecoming show. There was a three piece horn section, and Scott was busy between guitars, bass, drums and his singing duties. Everything about the show affirmed my love for these guys, and I can now say with absolute conviction that TMTS it my favorite Seattle band. They've got hooks upon hooks, amazing musicians, intelligent lyrics and unique vocals. It's strange, because Scott is probably a musician first and a singer second, but I seem to enjoy normal people who sing rather than singers who dominate the music. Highlights included "Yucatan Gold," "Your Girlfriend's Car," and of course, "Lolita." I hope that next near finds the guys getting even more positive press and media attention, as they've got potential to become a very popular indie band. An amazing show to end an amazing year. Welcome home guys. 

LAKE Digital Interview

PA: Dear Ashley, Eli, Lindsay, Adam, Mark, Bill,
whoever else might be around,
Hi guys. You may or may not remember me as a friend of Spencer Sult [Generifus].
I hope tour is going super well.

PA: What is being a band called LAKE like in places without water? Kind of
challenging?
Ashley: Well, during this last fall tour we all forgot how hot it would be in the southwest and forgot to bring clothes for very hot weather - hotter than it ever gets in (coastal) Washington. We were desperate to find thrift shorts and sandals for that week of sunshine. We're talking 100 degrees in late October. When I left for tour, I was already wearing wool and thermals. What a great big diverse country we live in. But anyways, even in the face of drought, there's still mountains of water in the sky to quench one's dreams of the Northwestern lakes.

PA: What's touring Europe like for LAKE?
Eli: Touring in Europe was very exciting, but we needed someone to wake us up in the mornings, and help us get from A to B. It was very stressful to travel in Europe as a group, with no help. We couldn't tell if people in England liked our band or not, or maybe they couldn't tell. But in places like Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Hamburg we felt quite liked, loved even? Scandinavia is incredible, but I'd really like to go back in the winter. We had a great time and made friends that i hope to keep forever. I liked all the bread and butter and cheese. and in Scandinavia all the pickled herring was great. In Norway we played a festival with Jars of Clay!

PA: How was working with Weston Currie?
Poor Weston was falling apart during the shooting of the LAKE video. At first, his back was killing him and getting worse and worse, which we were able work around taking the necessary breaks. Then, later that night, we went to a friend's birthday party and Weston sprained his foot dancing. Weston had to go to the hospital and the next day we were shooting again, but Weston was on crutches. I don't think our video would have turned out any differently though, had Weston been in better physical shape. He's really great to work with; very funny and imaginative and a he's good listener as well. It will be fun to work with him again.

PA: How is the new vinyl being received? I don't have it yet, but I saw the test
pressing when I came to that Eli show in Olympia last spring.
Eli: It was super fun. i just now read some of our press report and had the honor of reading my first negative reviews and it didn't even hurt. in general it seems like people who listen to the record intentionally, and cognizantly seem to like it. I have heard people complain that it is too short, which i agree with. i think "Oh, the Places.." fits nicely into many people's percepption of the northwest, lo-fi, k records cannon. [note: LAKE sold out of the record on their European tour]

PA: Does super aggressive dance music have chance against mellow NW pop?
Eli: Not a chance. but it's funny that in review after review pretty much every description of our band includes the word mellow. When we made this album, I thought it WAS super aggressive dance music. But I guess it's not. It is quite a bit more rockin' (in my opinion) than our other records. Maybe we need to have it remastered, so it jumps aggressively out of the speakers.

PA: I've been hearing about gnarly house parties from Sult featuring diverse music. What's the future for the Oly music scene?
Eli: It really seems to be growing. I live on Whidbey Island now, so when I come and visit Olympia or play a show, every time, it seems to have grown; especially in regards to the house show/all ages scene. It's crazy! I think Spencer Sult is a new powerful figure in Olympia and he seems to be inviting lots of people from the dorms to shows, which is awesome.

PA: If LAKE were a lifestyle brand, what would be the top three LAKE products for sale at Sharper Image[R.I.P.]?
Ashley: LAKE stoppers (for the bathtub), LAKE rain sticks, LAKE sandwich

PA: Thanks LAKE!

The new album is called Oh The Places We'll Go.
Get it here or any shop that sells K Records.



LAKE - Heaven from Weston Currie on Vimeo.

Talbot Tagora, Masters and Johnson, Midwife, Arrington de Dionyso, AIDS WOLF

Just to finish off what Casey Catherwood started in the Stranger, AIDS Wolf is pretty off their game. The music is annoying, the stage presence is tacky and overbearing, the feathered green cape worn by the singer doesn't make a lick of sense. I saw them last night with two really fantastic local bands. Each of those two bands deserved the larger listening audiences they garnered in the dark, cavernous, yet all-ages Vera Project.

Masters and Johson are rad in a don't-tell-the-other-alt-bros-about-this-band kind of way. Seriously, keep this secret to yourself while you can.

Talbot Tagora are Seatte music. On stage, they hover and cut with distortion and reverb that sound less like grunge and more like a November windstorm inside the imploding Kingdome. The new vocal processing (which has recently debuted, I believe at Neumos?) adds a layered, agressive quality to Chris Ando's vocals. Searching, obscure, deeply (subtlety) political, indebted (terribly humble) to DIY, grunge, hardcore, pop, and the underground landscape of this great musical city. Fans of Sonic Youth, American punk, English postpunk, and especially loud NW bands like Beat Happening, need to try to watch this video all the way through.

Deerhunter @ Neumos

Bradford Cox is a darling. His stage presence, his affability, and the mind bending performance of him and everyone else in Deerhunter renewed my faith in pop music.

The set was heavy on the new album, which was fine with me. I'll admit that I didn't like Cryptograms, especially the singles. Songs off the new album are far more sonically cohesive, less post-punk collage and more pleasantly referential to 60s and 70s pop, of which I am a huge fan.

The better of the two opening bands, New Times Viking, sounded like No Age with a synth keyboard, and I remember telling everyone near me. I was a little drunk.

I shook hands with Cox outside while he was having a cigarette by the Neumos stage door. Hours later at a party in the University district, I was still completely starstruck. As the cops were clearing out the party, and people were laughing about their hapless friends, locked in bathrooms, doing blow, all I could think about was the heavy, yet somehow, delicate sounds, still bouncing around in my ringing ears.

Stay tuned for impressions from other PA writers.

Mad Props?

In the first of what will be many dubious honors going to popular (and actually sort-of-good) bands of 2008, these familiar bands were all listed in Amazon's Best Songs of 2008:

4. Fleet Foxes
16. Cut Copy
20. Crystal Castles
26. Throw Me The Statue
34. MGMT
43. Saturday Knights
60. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
61. Starfucker
76. Animal Collective

Um... No Age? M83? Deerhunter? There quite a few glaring absences, but the list is a fairly comprehensive compilation of sounds that marketing people, music journalists, and blog editors can get off to.

More 80s Fetishism

It's been kind of a strange week for me musically. While I've been listening to amazing music almost constantly, this song is really the only new music I've had the time for. This song happens to be quite cheaply made and not very soulful - to say the least. However, the video is amazing, vulgar and meaningless (in the mode of bloghouse/pop meme/myspace DJ culture), and if need music that makes me feel human (or happy) I can keep listening to the Sam Cooke, Smashing Pumpkins, and Fleetwood Mac albums I acquired this weekend, via certain pseudo-legal internet protocols.

Miami Horror - Don't Be On With Her (Directed by Warran & Rhett) from Moop Jaw on Vimeo.

Ratatat Video/Art: "Shempi" from June 2008's LP3

Super bummed?

I am pretty bummed right now. Life is not treating me the greatest right now. Here's what I'm listening to.

American Football was Mike Kinsella of Cap'n Jazz's indie/mathy/totally super emo band post Cap'n Jazz. It is so embarrassingly emo, I am almost embarassed that everyone who will read this will know how much I listen to American Football. Its really good..really, really good.

New James Bond Movie Almost Terrible

The film is saved by the dazzling visual and plot consequences of moving between beautiful locations: a festive Italian city, London sleet, a Haitian port, snowy Russia, etc. There are one or two excellent scenes in Bolivia, during one of which the tense psychic atmosphere of international spying seeps into the moist, husky rhythms of a pseudo-authentic sidewalk bar, but mostly the movie stinks of special effects, multiple, conflicted levels of directorial intention, and lame attempts capture the pop cultural zeitgeist. The only two relatable characters - a prim British agent who apparently had a desk job at MI6 and an aging spy in retirement in Cairo - are offed unceremoniously. As many reviewers have noted, the Bond film has become too influenced by the Born (The Sketch Bro-Identity) series, a film brand too violent, merciless, humorless, sexless, loveless, and plotless for my taste. Expressionistic action scenes and big guns don't make good stories.

Thrash, brah.

After my band played a house show in Redmond, we headed to the Holy Mountain to see Past Lives. By the luck of timing, we arrived just before the first band, The Last Slice of Butter, played. They thrashed out a 20ish minute set of bass and drum noisy punk, with drummer Travis Coster and bassist Catalin (Vulcan?) alternating on vocals, sometimes not singing at all. For whatever reason, the sound was excellent, and you could hear the melodies that accompanied the craziness. There were a ton of people present at the show, like 200-300 people all there, some watching some socializing in other rooms. After a 20-30 minute wait, Talbot Tagora began their set. This band is crazy good. They too had a rhythmic punk sound, accentuated by young drummer, Ani Ricci’s erratic style. Every time I see Talbot Tagora, they get better. I don’t know how, but they always do. I was super stoked on the whole show. Past Lives played for like an hour, and to be honest, it seemed like too long; it was 1 in the morning when they finished, and I was tired. I liked their set fine, but it failed to captivate me in the same way that Talbot Tagora and the Last Slice of Butter did. I think because after too high-energy bands, the calmer sounds of Past Lives sort of lulled me off. Now not to say that Past Lives aren’t wild or fun, I just couldn’t get into it. Their new album came out that night. Its super good. Buy it.

Hyperrealities of Seattle Pop

Jean Baudrillard, recently deceased French Philosopher, and constant critic of postmodern American culture, would probably have enjoyed (been repulsed and entranced) last night's Natalie Portman's Shaved Head gig at the Showbox in Seattle. Opening for the Faint, NPSH sustained Disney World meets Jesus Christ levels of ecstasy for a solid forty-five minutes. The venue was packed two hours before the Faint would go on and it stayed as sweaty as a middle school gym class for nearly that whole time.

The critical points Baudrillard would have made: sensory overload combined with sexualized late-childhood fantasy all projected and amplified to a ridiculous volume. Baudrillard's theory of Hyperreality poses a reality that is indistinguishable from fantasy that gradually consumes Western society in the modes of say.. World of Warcraft meets McDonalds meets pornography. NPSH is essentially that - five hyped suburban white kids channeling all the sparkling glittering bullshit that makes our American lives so wonderful and terrible. Did I mention the name of the album is Glistening Pleasure??? Screaming synths, thrashing teen fans, oddly compliant drinking section of typical Seattle music people, and totally absent music press: these are the makings of a pop phenomenon. This video will be sufficient explanation:

natalie portman's shaved head - sophisticated side ponytail from thatgo on Vimeo.

it's official: gang gang dance is amazing

Descending upon Seattle's Triple Door last night, Gang Gang Dance were a little out of their element. Not because, as Brooklynites, they were on the wrong coast, or that the crowd was filled with old, symphony-goers or something trivial like that. No, no, no, quite the opposite. The reason GGD was out of its element was that the crowd was seated, and what's worst, it had to remain seated. As a band that I've come to equate as experimental dance music (a gross oversimplification), there are heavy keys, clanging drums and deep - and, i mean deeeeeeepppp - bass that all coalesce into the most inconvenient of situations for people who cannot move. Regardless, that the band still held their own, exceeded already monstrous expectations for perfection just goes to prove that it's time for Gang Gang Dance to finally get the recognition they deserve. Live, the band takes to the stage as a four piece, with the singer Liz and the keyboardist Brian constantly busying themselves with various instruments and singing duties. You know the myth about three drummers being better than one? Well, it's true and GGD prove it. The tribal, heavily rhythmic element that they've come to be associated with is something that they've clearly mastered and use to their advantage. They were powerful, confident and completely on-cue. And loud. Very, very, very loud. But, when the bass of "House Jam" came out and rattled everyone's respective hearts, it was a pretty neat moment. Also, let it be known that Liz is just as fucking gorgeous as her voice.

If you have the chance, see this show.

It's The 80s Somewhere In My Heart: The Mary Onettes

A certain band from Sweden (not that it even bares mentioning in this post-Myspace music scene) has been getting my attention this dreary fall season. Evoking, or perhaps mimicking, 80s alt-ballad powerhoueses like The Jesus And Mary Chain, Echo And The Bunnymen, Joy Division, and The Smiths, The Mary Onettes make you melt with the kind of misplaced nostalgia that young music fans perfect.

For example, Darklands, the first Jesus And Mary Chain album to archive commercial success, was released in 1987, the year I was born. Does it make sense for me to have nostalgia for the year I was born? No, of course not, but my senseless identification with a time I barely experienced is exactly the kind exotic, temporally distorted pop cultural connection that music fans are drawn to. I have no doubt that music kids, in the next few years, will begin discovering a certain band that was around just as they were coming into the world, during the early 90s: Nirvana. For now, young pop/rock musicians are completly sick of Nirvana, which we all grew up hearing on commercial radio

crystal stilts - live (chop suey, 11/9/08)

Brooklyn's Crystal Stilts were very excited last night. As the Seattle show was the last stop on their national tour, nothing could deter the five-piece from the knowledge that they would soon be home. That glee transfered extremely well live, even given their penchant for gloomy atmospheres. The drummer and keyboardist were especially jubilant, the former being absolutely the cutest girl ever, and having a commanding presence behind the kit. What I enjoyed most was that every member looked like they could easily be very different people with varying tastes and preferences, which is something you don't get from their record that mixes perfectly their garage guitars, deep reverb-y bass, growling lyrics, basic but perfect drums, and looping keys into cohesion. The singer had a great dance and tread a thin line between looking happily drunk or just extremely tired. No matter what, a very solid show, albeit far too short. Check out their recent debut, A Light of Night. 

panda bear - i'm not (phaseone remix)

Apparently I'm not the only one still listening to Person Pitch, and rightly so. Taking the beautiful and reflective "I'm Not," phaseone brings in some seemingly '80s drum-pad handclaps, a dub-step synth line and a looping background vocal of "what." This is Panda Bear's intro to rap, and I'm buying it.

mp3: panda bear - i'm not (phaseone remix) gvb direct link

gang gang dance - saint dymphna

If not the most conceptually dense record I've ever listened to, Gang Gang Dance's Saint Dymphna is certainly up there. Even after taking a few listens, to describe exactly what GGD create is next to impossible. It's fair to say they meld together the conventional with the absurd in a beautiful, epically proportioned ritualistic dance record. It's fair to say they borrow heavily from the tribal concept of rhythm tying everything together and being what every other element, be it melody or lyric, flows from. It's fair to say GGD have influences far too vast to ever be accurately described, as it seems they are the type to take inspiration from things both monumental and daily. It's also fair to say they could give a flying fuck what anyone has to say about their sound, as the music is far too singular to be concerned with preconceptions or popular opinion. And, that is for everyone's benefit. 

Calling together hints of grime, Bjork's vocal tendencies, techno, primitivism, and the kitchen sink (quite possible, they have a reputation for playing whatever is available), Saint Dymphna is an out there dance record that could just as easily sate the psyched out Brooklynite as the British rave kid.  Known for heavy improv and colossal jam sessions, Gang Gang Dance seem to have wrangled in their older, more eccentric tendencies towards musical chaos. In doing so, they have not lost an ounce of their uniqueness but instead have made quite possibly the best album of the year, if not a standout in a decade filled with other far flinging combiners of the worlds' various genres. The closest comparison I can think of would probably be Animal Collective, though Avey Tare and Panda Bear seem to use the human voice a little differently than GGD's main singer, Liz and GGD are not as direct in their musical affinities.

To say anything besides the fact that everyone should get this record would render this post void of all purpose. Saint Dymphna is out now, via The Social Registry. See them tomorrow at the Tripe Door w/ Marnie Stern & Growing . 

mp3: gang gang dance - house jam (hot chip remix) 

Bridez - "Heart"

Retro SF heavies, Bridez shot this piece of work, my current favorite video of all time. I'm so stoked to move to California.

YACHT From Above

YACHT - Summer Song from Jona Bechtolt on Vimeo.

I need to admit that it has been a while since I've busted out Portland's darling, energetic YACHT, featuring Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans. Somehow, 2007's I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real. fell out of rotation sometime last fall, as autumn leaves were turning into mold on Seattle streets.

Thankfully, their new sexier, dirtier, and less twee image kind of gets me off... almost. There is still a strong stench of Portland cuteness, but the deep cynicism that I have always suspected in Bechtolt comes more to the surface via some kind of A-and-R-guy-plus-record-label sub-plot. This video becomes a gross, vaguly pornographic departure from the relentless optimism of the band's last record.

A disco reality chech is just what I need on the day after this bizarrely momentous election. Also, the single is out on DFA, which is fucking chill because is means (for DJs like me) that it can be found on 12 inches everywhere.

ladyhawk v ladyhawke

I'd been seeing Ladyhawk all over The Fader for their Barfing All Over Europe tour diary (part 1, 2, 3, & 4) and was perplexed as to why I couldn't figure out where the girl was. The band's "Top 10 Songs For Rainy Sundays in Vancouver" mixtape got some praise on the aforementioned webpage and it was then that I realized I had been mistaking them this whole time for Ladyhawke, who is responsible for the irresistible "Paris is Burning" single that got major love from Cut Copy earlier this year. Whoops. A lack of investigative curiosity led me to numerous occasions of confusion, all of which could have easily been avoided had I enough sense to simply clicked a hyperlink. Now it's my obligation to set the record straight. 

Ladyhawk is a four piece band from neighboring Vancouver, Canada who make spirited rock 'n roll and don't seem the least bit afraid of indulging in common debauchery. Their solid LP Shots is out now on Jagjaguwar. 

Although I'm sure she enjoys her fair share of debauchery, Ladyhawke is a New Zealand pop princess who consists of equal parts Annie and Kylie. As already stated, her epic single "Paris is Burning" got an incredible facelift this summer when fellow Oceanians Cut Copy gave it a severe disco tang. It seems as if her album is out already in the UK, though not in the States. Luckily for us, there are a whole host of great remixes floating around the internet. You know the drill.

90's Cover Night at Healthy Times

Hah! It’s been a long weekend. But its Saturday night, and I’m ready to par-tee! After band practice, Jake and I head from our drummers house to Healthy Times Fun Club, my favorite venue in the whole wide city! It’s Day of the Dead/90’s cover night! 25+ bands and musicians are covering 90’s hits. God did I fucking get tired. As usual, vegan dinner was served, and many friends and people showed up to enjoy the night. People only a little too old for Halloween, and some people that outgrew it before I was born. Like the two old punks who sat on the couch the whole night, with their Crass shirts and semi-dyed hair. Not to say that Crass is bad, they’re actually one of my favorite bands, but those old people who didn’t move at all, totally sucked. Onward! Notable performers are SEAHOUSE, Bow + Arrow (who’ll get to later), Talbot Tagora, The Last Slice of Butter, World History and Iji. Everything was super fun, including a sweet Green Day cover, and a heartwarming rendition of “I'm The One Who Wants to Be with you” by Mr. Big, performed by World History, I think. To be honest, it got confusing and the incestuous nature of Seattle bands showed in the extra members. My two favorite covers BY FAR were by The Last Slice of Butter and Bow + Arrow. The Last Slice of Butter, a radical “425” bass and drum combo, had added on guitar Mark from Talbot Tagora to play the best damn cover of the night, “Cannonball” by the Breeders. Drummer Travis Coster’s fervent drumming is a treat to watch, with any band he plays with. Bow + Arrow finished the night, with bassist Jon Carr in a juice box costume. That same costume, the night before had contained 5 liters of wine. It was empty by last night. Bow + Arrow noodled a little bit, then slammed into their cover; “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters. It was fucking excellent.

starfucker is chill

At Seattle's Vera project last night Starfucker played a set overflowing with the sweetest chunks of stoner-pop I've tasted since early Weezer. Two drum sets, a tape machine, and a turntable round off the three-piece's instrumental posturing, which seemed poised for especially dense pop-rock sounds. And hot damn! Please believe these dudes know how to punch the rhythm and the basslines to make your body quiver with delight - a kind of insulated, baked ecstasy of cynical Northwest cool, flannel, distortion, bad hair, used frames, and vintage leotards. They have an album out on white vinyl and they hail from Portland so everything is set for a few years of West Coast-touring-musician glory.

Little Joy

I'm quite pleased by the sensual tunes coming from the new collaboration between the Stroke's Fab Moretti and Rodrigo Amarante of Los Hermanos. Little Joy boasts a strong concept: musically talented (somewhat famous) friends live in LA's Echo park together and play laid-back pan-American pop. Even better than a strong concept, is the incredibly agreeable product, an album that is slick, nostalgic, and mysterious without breaking the surface tension of pretence. Unsurprisingly, the band is friendly with the likes of Devendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson.

Both Fab, Rodrigo, and the possibly even the band's third member, Binki Shapiro, have roots in Brazil. Something like a Brazilian flavor enters the album, available November fourth, but I feel more like drinking with friends than traveling across borders when I listen to a elegant, mournful song like "The Next Time Around." Little Joy has a major-market club tour scheduled for November.

Photo Via Hobi and Zack at Gorilla vs. Bear

Crystal Castles Last Night

A friend recently asked me about the shelf life of the Crystal Castles phenomenon. Honestly, I have no idea if they can hang on to the buzz, but I want them to last for as long as possible - mostly to keep my own buzz going.

Harsh 8-bit distortion, bouncy post-dub bass lines, nods to Gothic fashion, and dark feelings make up Crystal Castles' trick-or-treat bag of pop culture. If you haven't been forced by a hooded, angsty teen or twenty-something to listen to this band, than count yourself in the minority. The question remains: will all this hype last?

Last night a few hundred drunk young people converged on a medium sized club in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle. When I arrived at 9:15, the floor was almost full. Maybe it doesn't matter at the end of the night, but the opening bands were terrible. Lymbic System sounded like the Album Leaf circa 2002. David Wolf sounded like Justice smoking crack in the bathroom of a suburban middle school.

Finally after much tension building, Alice, the singer, comes on. She wears her usual corpse make-up and modest suit of dark street clothes. Strobes start going off and producer/multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath, slouched and unshaven, begins bouncing up and down behind his Microkorg. The crowd skips a beat and then explodes into a mass of floor-bouncing wildness.

Exuding a kind of epileptic/narcoleptic confidence, Alice spends the majority of the show draping herself around the stage and front rows of the audience. Ethan's posture is unchanged. The audience, including my self, is drenched in sweat. When a friend of mine complained about the sweat, I explained that she should justify the abject grossness by imagining herself having sex with everyone in the room.

Afterwards, walking to the bus stop, I realized that Crystal Castles in the new mainstream punk: loud, physical, and curiously nihilistic. I can't put my thumb on what the band is supposed to mean culturally except that the kids are not alright.

I've seen Crystal Castles three times now and I notice no substantive change to their live show. It only gets louder, better rehearsed, and more terrifying every time. I eagerly await any interesting changes they make to their sound in the future. Realistically, it would be unreasonable to expect musical growth from a band whose main selling points are a synthesizer and a Gothic opera screamer.

Art Imitating Rap

It is so wrong that the film Eight Mile came out so many years before a movie about Biggie Smalls. Will a Hollywood treatment ruin the lovingly-tended media image of my all-time favorite party-jammer? Find out in January 2009. Interestingly, the actor who plays the big man, Jamal Woolard, looks as much like Biggie as the guy who played Ian Curtis in Closer looked like the deceased member of Joy Division. Playing dead famous people has to be a little creepy when you look exactly like them.

deerhunter - microcastle

Though I've been listening to Microcastle since the beginning of June, I'm not exactly sure if I'm behind with this review. See, the original release date was October 28th but, as suggested by how long I've had this record, it leaked a little prematurely. Just a little. Rightly disappointed, Deerhunter  chose to sell it on itunes in the interim so as to generate a little capital for what is one of the year's better albums. 

Their last effort, Cryptograms, generated lots of critical praise. Alongside a thunderously intense live show, Deerhunter rose quickly to the top of the indie radar for creating what lead singer Bradford Cox coined as "ambient punk." Not as aggressive as its predecessor,Microcastle still employs heavy distortion and ambience, although both elements are seemingly more upbeat and positive. When listened to as a whole, there is a palpable sense of a band emerging from its shell of angst and channeling dark imagery in an illuminating way. As an example, standout "Agoraphobia" is about a fear of being trapped, a lonely existence in the modern world. But, set to the upbeat drums and winding guitars, when Bradford croons "I want to fade away, fade away," it feels more like a plea to be taken into the sunset after a perfect summer day than a desire to be released from an overbearing life. Another track with persistent drums, constant bassline, and steady strums, "Nothing Ever Happens," deals with, as the title surprisingly suggests, boredom and a fleeting life. 

Not forgetting the drone and ambiance which garnered them fame, Deerhunter still uses dissonance to its advantage by knowing where to intermix the fast with the slow, the soft with the heavy. As on the title track, the song breezes around Bradford's voice for a few minutes until things pick up and the rest of the band speeds through the song's remaining bars. Following is the couplet (Update: The band refers to this series of songs as the suite. More info found here) "Calvary Scars," "Green Jacket," and "Activa" that are drowned in sound and keep things short and sweet, the longest peaking at 2:09. Though not necessarily the most ambient of tracks, "Saved By Old Times" features vocals from fellow Atlantan, Cole Alexander of Black Lips, and modulated samples from old movies. 

Markedly positive, Microcastle is the effort of a band that has matured musically, lyrically and individually. And such changes have allowed for growth that should find Deerhunter on everyone's lips, not for their behavior, but for their music. Hopefully though, they haven't changed the decibel levels at their shows and you'll still be able to feel the bone-rattling bass.

[Short Fiction] COASTAL LOVE SCENE

A dark man - in shape and texture, not color - once fell in love with a woman from other side of the world. She grew up in the pine forests of Southern Oregon, amidst nothing but the sound of the sky, the wind in the trees, and the warm lights of an imagined city, so remote.

The dark man could feel himself wrapped up in the quilt of their new home together . She had moved for him, to the North, and his great manor on the green coast. Together they ate shellfish and tasted the warm winds of tropical vacations from the pages of travel fiction. Staring into the sea at sunset, their saw their futures, floating just above their physical bodies.

Their cool, perfect marriage split off from the wet coast when he decided to follow his deployment to Denver Colorado.

Such a dry and airless place, she exclaimed, but nonetheless came along. They drove across America and lived in condo in the brand new downtown. They stayed together until the fleshy sensation of mountain drugs took the dark man too far into his own mind. He wondered into the forest and never returned. The amphetamine buzzards picked both sets of bones dry, where they lay, atop the highest mountains of Cyprus. Those parched peaks shriek jealously at the green opacity of the watery States.

animal collective cover art

Look at that! It's cover art...that moves! Animal Collective, you never cease to amaze me. Merriweather Post Pavilion comes out on January 20th via Domino Records, and they've found a way to keep me occupied until then with this trippy ass optical illusion. 

wild combination

Matt Wolf's Wild Combination, the highly acclaimed biopic on Arthur Russell, is a moving look at one of music's most creative personalities. Enigmatic to the fullest capacity, Arthur approached pop music from an avant-garde background, trying simultaneously to reach the masses and retain his independence from outside opinion. The latter proved to be the mightier of forces, with Arthur receiving extraordinary little media or widespread notoriety during his lifetime, especially with his solo efforts. 

Around the start of the 1980's, Russell began participating in early disco groups that helped foster the movement's growing appreciation for unconventional compositions. Perhaps the most famous of these being "Is It All Over My Face?" which he recorded under the pseudonym Loose Joints. Equally as crucial were "Go Bang," as Dinosaur L and "Wax The Van," this time filled under Lola. All of these tracks represent an acute sense of what makes people dance, yet they also mix in unconventional elements such as ambient vocals and cello parts. It was these unorthodox undertones that dominated Arthur's recording sessions, many of which were done in isolation in his New York City apartment which he shared with his partner, Tom Lee, until his untimely death from AIDS in 1992. Lee is one of the main reasons for Arthur's recent resurgence. As Wild Combination sheds light on, Arthur was a terrifically difficult person to deal with in any sort of business or musical way and it took an intermediary like Tom to help present the music to ears that would be willing to spread the material. Such was the case when the owner of Audika Records contacted Tom sometime soon after Arthur passed away, and Tom gave access to the myriad tracks, outtakes and rarities that had been meticulously tinkered with right in his very apartment. 

Perhaps the film's most intriguing undercurrent was how intensely connected Arthur was with his music and his knowledge of the power that it held, both as a performer and listener. One interviewee made the claim that "music has a healing power," which is manifested through the determination and idiosyncratic approach Arthur took when writing music. Salient also was how impacted people who had interacted with him were, and indeed still are. Arthur was the type to make an impression that lasted long after his introduction. Tom was initially drawn in after merely seeing Arthur talking on a phone on the sidewalk. His parents, an adorable elderly couple from Iowa, demonstrated that although their son was different in most ways from them, he was still too important to them for communication to be completely severed after he ran away from his home in high school, and his death still wears deeply on them. 

Touching indeed, Wild Combination is probably the best movie I can recall seeing within the past few years, if not already one of my favorite selections. And, as a documentary, I think that speaks volumes. Like most geniuses, Arthur was taken prematurely and never garnered the respect he deserved. However, thanks to numerous cd releases within the past few years - including Love Is Overtaking Me, which comes out next week - and Wolf's movie, Arthur is finally seeing the respect he deserves, both as an artist and a luminary. That his music still sounds incredibly futuristic fifteen years past its inception gives major credibility to the exclusive talent that only comes one in a lifetime.

LAST NIGHT: MASTERS AND JOHNSON @ HOLY MOUNTAIN SEATTLE

Masters and Johnson are Neil (vocals + guitar), Nick (drums, also in SEAHOUSE), and Spencer (bass, also Generifus). These young dudes look like they grew up in a Ballard tavern circa 1978. They sound like a grungy, fuzzy, northwest take on experimental post-punk. The band was less poppy than the last time I saw them. With any luck, there will be a grand west coast tour soon.

Holy Mountain is a seedy art space in the tradition of the SS Marie Antoinette, a well-loved Lake Union venue that closed after the summer of 2007. It's dark, it's damp, and sometimes people smoke inside. I saw Japanther there last winter/spring. DIY-phobes need not attend.

SPECIAL ACCESS: Ponytail and High Places at the Department of Safety

From Special Correspondent Ben F.
On Friday, October 3rd, I left my ridiculously boring drivers ed. class at 6PM. I walked across 52nd ave in the U-District, into my friend's van, drove half a block, picked up my other friend, and left for Anacortes. The traffic was dismal, and all we have in our van is a tape player. Luckily, I brought with me some sweet tapes; Fugazi, Seahouse/The Last Slice of Butter, and a mix with Pinback, Hella, Portrait and Orchid. That got us through the hour and a half drive up to Washington's prettiest ugly place. We arrived at the Department of Safety around 8:20, fifty minutes after the scheduled beginning of the show. It cost $ but I only had seven, so I was let in by the cheery people who worked there, telling me not to worry. My friends and I walked past the art galleries (which I will describe later) and into the showroom, where we immediately noticed the couches and cushions everywhere. There were teenagers, adults and even a very small girl who knew some Karl Blau lyrics (good parenting). Though it was cold out, I felt pretty comfortable at the D.O.S. Around 8:45, Karl Blau began his set. His intention was to play through his entire new album, Nature's Got A Way. Although he succeeded, it wasn't easy. Two of his friends were playing with him, a pianist, who had never played any of the songs before, and performed quite well for his lack of experience, and a "drummer" who had a floor tom and a snare covered in blankets. Karl Blau's heartfelt, rootsy folk music warmed everyone up for an excellent show. I thought that his set was a little too long, but nevertheless it was excellent. A highlight was watching that same little girl singing along to several of his songs. Next up was Ponytail, a band who I was most excited for. Ponytail had travelled from Baltimore and comes from the same citywide scene as Dan Deacon, Adventure, Future Islands and Beach House. As I had expected their set was excellent. They played one song with acoustic guitars, which must have been incredibly challenging due to the fast and technical nature of their songs. Once they picked up their electric guitars, I was almost too pumped to breathe. Just kidding, but I was super excited. They opened their set with my favorite, a song called "Beg Waves" that incorporates guitar loops, crazy shredding and animalistic noises from the groups vocalist, Molly Siegel. She squeals and screams and makes a ton of noise, and man it could not sound any better. In a way, they remind me of 1977 Television with the crazy guitar riffs and erratic but steady drums. Their set was near perfection; by the end, everyone was up dancing, including my usually stationary friends. At the end of the set, we walked out to the van, dumbfounded. My friend Jake pulled out his giant water, took a swig, and breathes heavily. "I judge the awesomeness of shows by the closer I come to death." He is very asthmatic. That just tells you how amazingly intense Ponytail's set was. Next up was Brooklyn's High Places, a electronic duo, who's signature sound included a lot of drums and percussion. The duo, a short woman in a ponytail and a tall man in short cutoffs and tie dye, set up on the floor, and played to the tired crowd. While they were excellent, they couldn't follow Ponytail, in energy or in musical prowess. I began to fall asleep, and the show was over. They sounded like a super cute Black Dice, but with less harsh noise and more tropical vibes. I took sometime after the show to talk to Ponytail, suggesting all-ages and DIY locations for them to play next time they came to Seattle. They turned out to be really nice, awesome and nerdy folks. We got in the car, drove off, stopping only twice. Once to try and steal a giant McCain/Palin sign off of a local fence, failing, and a second time at 12:30 am at a rest stop, to get coffee and cookies from a Lutheran man and his wife. We felt horrible that we had no money to donate. I got home and crashed, thinking about one of the best shows I'd ever been too.

NATIONAL FOLK SCENE VIDEO ROUNDUP

The Department Of Eagles /// Fleet Foxes /// The Microphones

#71.2 - Department of Eagles - Part 2
by lablogotheque

Fleet Foxes He Doesn't Know Why from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

GIRLS

I spent the weekend in San Fransisco and I listened to this band quite a bit, on their myspace page, right before I got on my outbound plane. I know nobody who has seen them live and I only found out about them by looking through the top friends of an SF DJ/Blogger named Cobain In A Coma. I think their sound is equally agro/gay/surf. Girls are a bit more commercial-sounding than a bands like, say Abe Vigoda or Ariel Pink, and bit more rad sounding than a band like say, the Fray.

HOW TO MAKE A MUSIC VIDEO

SF, formerly Seattle-based, electronic jammer/slasher REFLEX makes a video that seems to embody the fastest, youngest, West coast life. The sun may be setting, but there's still time to make it big and throw down with style. Props dude.

TALKING HEADS - BEST TRAILER MUSIC EVER

I saw this trailer a few days ago and it gave me that shiver that really insightful art provides. It exists at the sublime juncture between life, video, and advertising. It makes the president out to be the profoundly Quixotic, troubled, absurdly powerful icon of a new gilded age, imbued with the darkest sense of comedy.

The movie looks heavy handed. But so was/is the whole era. I just hope it's emotionally and politically cathartic enough to be worth seeing in theaters. I wonder who chose the Talking Heads? As Stranger music editor Eric Grandy pointed out, it fits perfectly.

MYSPACE SONGWRITER SCENE

Sometimes the singer/songwriter dudes who add me on Myspace look so creepy I actually click to their profiles. This never yields any good music, but it does make me wonder what Bill Wren, and others like him, might be doing on Myspace, promoting their youthful, bloghouse-oriented music projects. To answer this question, one might read his helpful biography:

The Songs of the Wren
Every bird watcher is familiar with the wren- a songbird that's disseminated extensively over the Northern Hemisphere. The wren is known for the splendid timbre it emits, ascending and plunging in a tuneful array. However, there exists a special type of melodic 'wren' that has migrated from Texas to Michigan- and back again! His name is Bill Wren and he composes exquisite melodies that flow in unbounded fashion from his heart to an ever-growing number of fans. Bill is an award-winning songwriter and musician who enjoys watching others take pleasure in his compositions. This is the story of the flight of one rare Texas songbird- Bill Wren

A Hatchling in Corpus Christi
Bill Wren was born at the US Naval base in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1951. By the time he could walk he was already focused on music. Bill says, “My grandparents took me to a college football game. They took me to see the marching band up close and I was deeply moved… it was then that the spirit of muse entered me.” With his father in the Navy, Bill's family moved often, spending time in California, and settling for a while in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Bill spent his formative years in Ypsilanti, and it would be there that the muses would take a permanent hold on his life as a young, musical “hatchling.”

The part of that whole disaster that is most disturbing for me: "Bill is an award-winning songwriter and musician who enjoys watching others take pleasure in his compositions." Imagine a 57 year old guy (no longer a musical hatchling) writing that setence, about himself, on his myspace. I guess what I'm getting at is:

old guy + acoustic guitar noodeling + myspace + hair jell = sexually sketch

DO U LIKE BLOG HOUSE ON VINYL?

Our favorite DJ/producer CFCF has a 7" single on Acephale. You can buy it off the Myspace.

A Side: YOU HEAR COLOURS [brand new]
B Side: INVITATION TO LOVE [so rad]

Bonus mp3 scene:
How Bizzare (CFCF RMX) - OMC
Raining Patters (VACATION RMX) - CFCF

HOLY SHIT

Was anyone at this show?

Rave Scene Spying / No Longer A Rave Virgin

Last night I was the first time I'd ever been to a club night specifically designed to cater to the raver/electronic-music-pretty-exclusively audience. I'm still not completely sure who these rave people are, but based on last night I can tell you this:

1) They are very intoxicated (one fell on me and another fell on my friend).
2) They are usually between the ages of 15 and 50. And frequently they are those ages.
3) They know how to have a good time and are about five times friendlier than the crowd I'm used to from rock shows, indie dance stuff, and, well, college.

The event was part of Seattle's Decibel Festival. LA Riots, Recess, 33HZ [coke-tacular retro disco live band!], Blondzie played.

Tiny Vipers

Recently, our friend Tiny Vipers stopped by the Public Access Media Studios to play a couple songs for our cameras. Check it out here, also read a little more about her over at the Sub Pop site. Enjoy...

YOUTH, SEX, GUNS, AND VOTES // PUBLIC ACCESS GETS APOLITICAL

I'm currently bracing my self for a few months of people I barley know - or don't know at all - telling me how important it is to vote. Though I vote in every election, I fail to see the utility of encouraging anyone, especially those who may or may not be disinterested, to vote.

P. Diddy famously said "Vote or die!" during the last presidential election cycle. South Park did the best commentary on that particular MTV ad campaign in their 119th, electoral episode entitled "Douche and Turd." Many South Park residents died (shot to death), or were banished for not voting for either fecal matter or an irrelevant feminine hygiene product. Such is politics. Of course, the youth vote was as inconsequential as ever in 2004. In the end, John Kerry failed to woo the TRL crowd with his after-school-special meets special-K (the drug not the cereal) vocal delivery.

But seriously, vote or become subject to a world in which people who masturbate to this Photoshop job control the government.


Actually, that might be pretty funny, so do whatever you want. Whatever comes naturally.

[Editors update: the url for this photo keeps being removed/changed. Fishy? I just uploaded my own copy. Be sure to watch the debate this week in which Palin will attempt compare Canada and North Korea as equivalent realms of foreign policy. Both very comunist. Both very cold in the winter. Both the birthplace of hilarious comedians. Both attempting to recapture and silence Avril Lavigne]

*****

BONUS! Decapitated Palin on fake Vogue cover. Not alluring. Someone please Photoshop her face onto John McCain's semi-nude body. That would bring in the youth vote.

Japanther

I saw Japanther last night at a not-at-all-seedy place in Seattle called the Vera Project. Though I've come to expect great things from the NYC drum and bass combo, I never really expected them to be fun at an all-ages venue, with a small crowd, on the stage.

At every other Japanther show I've been to the band sets up on the floor, with their massive cabs on either side. Inevitably, things get so rowdy, so fucking frantic and joyous, that the two Japanthers get stepped on, their amps fall down, and everything happily goes to shit.

However, last night Ian and Matt played a show for a few timid teens and alternative dads in which they stayed on the stage. Stranger Newspaper columnist Casey Catherwood warned me to expect this new stage procedure and like him, I have to amit, I was uncomfortable with the idea. Much to my great disbelief, Japanther managed to stir up a tepid, uncomfortable crowd into something very nearly approaching hysterics. For whatever reason, maybe the better-than-average PA mix, the band managed to be just as compelling in arena-rock mode.

Love was made, friends were there, and the music was loud enough to make me forget the impending economic apocalypse. And this, my friends is what pop punk is all about.