Big Deal- "JUNE GLOOM"

Someone broke into my car recently- smashed the window, stole my Nook, a case full of art supplies, some notebooks... and they went the extra mile by ejecting the CD that was in the player and stealing it too.

That CD was the forthcoming release by dream-pop duo Big Deal, and I am super pissed.

Seems like this UK duo is quietly building steam. A lot of people are excited for this record, and I can see why. The band sounds much larger than just two people, with nice lush sound. Casual listeners will be forgiven comparison to The Xx, but Big Deal's close harmonies are much easier on the ears- this is music to make out to on a porch, or crank on a midnight drive up the coast, not plot a murder or a seduction.

At the moment I only see UK dates on their tour schedule, so check them out if you are on that side of the pond. June Gloom comes out June 4th, and you should definitely pick this one up. Just don't smash someone's window to get it.

Listen to first single "Dream Machine" and see for yourself. Get ready to have an awesome summer!
Photo courtesy Big Deal's Facebook.

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The Technicolors- "Listener" Album and Show Review

Can I just state right off that I question the wisdom of building the Doug Fir as a music venue? I've been trying to figure out what exactly it is that bugs me- the space is cool, but acoustically... it's a concrete bunker.

Regardless, I had a good time the other night seeing The Technicolors.

Opening band was a weird trio called Banned Books. At first I was thinking they were going to be winking hipster nonsense, but they were actually pretty endearing. Banned Books trod the weird-yet-exacting path of  intense psych rock that Zappa started- and while they certainly had a few self-indulgent messes- it's forgivable. Everyone goes there. So long as you don't turn into Primus, you're fine. Check out Banned Books here.

Following up on that was Fictionist, and I have to say- they almost scuttled the evening. There is a single cardinal sin for being an opening band- don't be boring. You can be bad- people expect it, and will forget it. You can play too long- also par for the course. You can even upstage the headliner. Just... don't be boring. Fictionist is an odd example of the whole being worse than the sum of its parts- each member certainly seemed more than competent at their instruments, but what came from all that was pretty much a terrible combination of Toad The Wet Sprocket and Audioslave. With even more vapid lyrics. I was bored to tears by this band, and by the time they left the stage, I was almost ready to call it a night.

Luckily, The Technicolors did not disappoint. When they were first brought to my attention, they were described as a spin on desert rock, and I was expecting some greasy stoner noise (which I love). I was pleasantly surprised to find The Technicolors much slicker and poppier. The obvious comparison is to Oasis, and they certainly seem to take some of the best parts of the Gallagher boys' famous project and mate it with a QOTSA or Clutch type stoner blues, and just a smidge of mod attitude.

Listener is one of the most well-balanced albums I've heard in a long time, and has a certain British charm that makes it hard for me to believe the lads are from Arizona. Their live sound was certainly beefed up, tight thick grooves that managed to overcome the harsh angles of the Doug Fir, but still showcasing the cool variety of their songs. Listener also closes with... wait for it... a low rock cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game". And you know I love me some Chris Isaak.

Ultimate verdict- Listener is a must buy, and you should definitely catch The Technicolors when they come back around. Hopefully they leave snoozefest Fictionist at home next time.

Image courtesy The Technicolors' instagram.

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The Technicolors play Doug Fir 5/15

 Here's a good show to check out- The Technicolors have a nice blend between takes-itself-seriously-britpop and desert stoner rock. I know, right?

Anyway, I'll be there tomorrow night. If you see a guy who is too old to make it onto the PDXPop compilation album, come say hi! The Technicolors are supported by Fictionist, and there will be an album and show review to follow.

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WE DESERVE BETTER, Part 2- Justice

Sonic experimentation means never having to say "Sorry, my music sounds like shit."

Unlike a lot of other music bloggers, I am not constantly on the prowl for the latest and greatest. I don't have internet alerts set up to constantly be feeding me new releases. So that means that a lot of times I miss out on big releases, because I spend most of my attention on indie and small label submissions. What that also means is that one of you bums forgot to tell me that Justice released a new album over a fucking year ago.

Yeah, I know that's not really your fault. And actually, I'm glad nobody told me. If I'd been aware of the album before it's release, I would have been all psyched about it, and then really really disappointed. Crushed, even.

As it stands, feeling slightly sheepish about coming so late to the party, I am only mostly really disappointed.

Justice's debut (cross) was one of the best albums I've ever heard. Point blank. It was inventive, intense, and made me proud to be an Ableton Live user. More than just a dance record, or a pop record, or an exercise in DJ skills, it was bricolage at its best, and completely slammin'. As Rob Beschizza argues in his important xenocritical essay "Mixtape of the Lost Decade," Justice seems to occupy an important niche in a musical and aesthetic otherwhen between the 70s and 80s, taking the best from both.

It seems likely then that any followup to such a great album would be a disappointment- sophomore slump or no. With Audio, Video, Disco, though Justice seems to have just completely gone off the rails. The music itself isn't so bad, and represents a sort of intentional excursion into their prog side. I found myself fondly reminded of Goblin. But that's not the problem. The problem is the production values. They aren't there.

Mind you, (cross) wasn't Gaucho, by any means. It was full of multilayered slap bass samples, tortured synths, and the most egregiously pumping sidechain compression I've ever heard... but it sounds great. There are portions of it that are intentionally harsh- but artistically so. It may be cliche to say so, but even the best recordings I could find of Disco sounded like they were mastered on the mythical Fisher-Price. It's hard to listen to- and it's especially hard to want to listen to again. Part of me wonders if the whole thing isn't a joke. It's not Axe Hero, though, just washed out and feeble.

I still hold out hope, though. Some really excellent covers of songs from Audio, Video, Disco are out there, and that leads me to believe that judging by the music, Justice haven't completely lost their minds, just perhaps indulged their love of audio experimentation a bit too much. Everyone- ahem- cross their fingers that it's just sophomore slump, and please... if you hear about a new Justice album- let me know.

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Architects + Heroes "Sampler, Volume 2"

You know I would never steer you wrong. DJ Stephen R- friend of the blog- just had a baby, so let's celebrate by listening to his new epic comp:

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Guest post- "David Bowie: Should He Have Bothered?"

Hey everyone, enjoy this post from guest blogger Brynn Alexander:

When I heard that living music legend David Bowie was coming out of retirement (or whatever it was) to release his first studio album in a decade, I have to admit, my first question was not "when?" but "why?" Yes, I know, he was the bomb back in the day, and talent like that never goes stale and blah blah blah, but... there are lots of iconic musicians that keep plodding on past their prime, doing nothing but making fans wish they'd quit while they were ahead. There's nothing like watching someone who once was great, releasing horrible album after horrible album, trying to make us like them again. It's just so desperate. And when the preview video came out for the single "Where Are We Now?", I wasn't nearly as impressed as all the hardcore fans were in the YouTube comments. Sure, it was a skillfully crafted song, but in the end it was basically just a slightly sad, nostalgic ballad. Yawn. I wasn't looking forward to hearing the rest of the songs. So imagine my delighted surprise when the album, The Next Day, was finally released, and I discovered that for some reason, the worst song in the collection was chosen to be the lead single. The rest of the album is miles better than "Where Are We Now?", and from the first beats of the opening title track, I knew that yes, there was some point to Bowie going back into the studio to make this album. This is more than just the ramblings of an aging glam popper; it's a set of songs worthy of sitting on the same shelf alongside Bowie's best vintage works. He's vibrant, he's energetic, but best of all, he's proven that he's still relevant. This is an album that's not just for the older crowd; I can totally see how a new generation of music lovers (though perhaps not the Bieber-adoring tweens) could easily get drawn into Bowie's spell. In fact, a young friend of mine mentioned The Next Day to me recently, asking if I'd heard it yet. I had no idea she even liked Bowie, and it turns out she didn't - he only ended up on her radar because of this latest release. Bowie has a strong promotional team, and so far they've made all the right moves - keeping the album secret until very late in the game, releasing the first single on YouTube, and so forth. With a bit of creative social media promo, this could turn into the surprise hit of the year. The songs are definitely there, and if you dismissed New Bowie after "Where Are We Now?", I urge you to give him a second chance and try out some of the other songs on the album. You won't be disappointed.

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HAXAN live film score at Hollywood Theater 4/14

Holy shit. You have no idea how psyched I am about this.  The Hollywood is always having awesome events like these- films with live scores, etc. This show is firmly in the mold of what Glass/Kronos did for Dracula: an original music score for an old movie that didn't have one originally. The film in question is HÄXAN, a 1922 Swedish picture based in part on the infamous Malleus Maleficarum. In case you're not up on your 15th century texts, the double-M is a book about witches and how to murder them. Not as titillating as you might think- there's a lot of dry theological musing, but it remains an important snapshot of late-Medieval/Renaissance folk beliefs. And contrary to its reputation among neo-Pagans, the Malleus did not send bajillions of innocent womyn to their deaths- it was denounced by the church as heresy, and even the Inquisition warned against it. Which is kind of like having the Ku Klux Klan tell you you're too racist.

So it sounds like this is going to be an awesome event- with not one but two steampunk-ish bands playing a live score. I'll be there with fellow blogger Lee- expect a review in the near future.

Details from the press release:

On April 14th, the recently revived Organ Grinders series welcomes Boston bands Jaggery and Walter Sickert & The Army Of Broken Toys.

Jaggery’s sound moves from haunting lullabies to intricately-woven, mixed-meter rants to catharsis-inducing, barn-burning mini-epics ~ oftentimes within the same song.  The Boston-based five piece establish themselves in a league of their own with a genre-defying style ~ blending elements of darkwave, jazz, classical, ethereal avant-rock, and chamber art-pop. http://www.jaggery.net

Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys are the spinners of a charming, demented fairy tale that gathers new characters all the time. The results have been described as a “Dada-esque circus carnival run amuck,” by Boston Survival Guide. Whether live or in album form, Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys will transport you to a realm where imagination rules, and sound is alive.  You may not sleep tight, but your dreams will be like none you've ever experienced. http://www.armyoftoys.com

In a special one-time performance, the Hollywood Theatre is transformed back to its vaudeville days of bowler bedecked musicians and big screen spectacles. This show also marks the final spring show of The Organ Grinders series.

Organ Grinders: HÄXAN

April 14th - 8pm
Hollywood Theatre - $12
Tickets available at www.hollywoodtheatre.org and the Hollywood Theatre box office

Trailer:

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Outer Space Heaters ROCK Slabtown, April 9th.

I've buzzed about the Outer Space Heaters here before, but I definitely wanted to share this gig with you kids. One of the reasons is that if you go the OSH Facebook page, like 'em, and share the gig, they will send you a free copy of their debut EP and a fresh new bonus track.

Get on it!  I'll keep this update short and sweet, but I'm telling you... get yourself to Slabtown on Tuesday night. Outer Space Heaters are playing with King Ghidora and Queen Chief.

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