Audiosurface

Blu(e).

2009-02-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Who is Blu?
Blu is a 25 year old rapper from California. XXL recently named him one of the Top 10 Freshmen of 09'. Not sure exactly how they define freshman, since to date, he has released three full-length albums, one under the name Blu, one with the group C.R.A.C. Knuckles, and one with Johnson & Johnson.

He just released a mixtape entitled HerFavoriteColo(u)r which can be found via zShare and Mediafire

HerFavoriteColo(u)r is basically a laid-back, hip-hop pastiche of Billie Holiday, Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, Ella Fitzgerald, Radiohead, among other well-chosen source material.

This is definitely some of the freshest production and rhyming I've heard in a while. Also, no autotune or Lil Wayne, which is turning out to be a major plus.

KRIL RADIO

2009-02-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, just wanted to let everyone know that the cool dudes/dudettes from The Red River have a radio station which can be accessed via the internet, making it a podcast? What, I don't know how the internet works these days... it all seems ready to implode on itself from being too big. OH WELL.

http://shakeemloose.com/radio2009.html

Happy Melted City

2009-02-05T22:53:00.001-08:00

Boy, the title of this blog should be something like, Black Moth Super Rainbow stand-in for twitter. Too bad suckaz! It ain't!...Well, for now anyway... Beta Carnage, the guy responsible for the visuals in the Tobacco dvd made a video for "Happy Melted City," a "dope" track off of Bonus Drippers that is a perfect visual representation of how you should feel inside while listening to this. It's so trippy, especially the part where a father and son somehow gave the mom the idea it was okay for her to play football with them, trippin hard yo.

Rockwell, Mysto & Pizzi and... ... ... Geico?

2009-01-31T22:02:00.000-08:00

While watching the Blazers drop some bows on the Jazz tonight, a commercial for Geico came on using a raved-out remix of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me," done by Mysto & Pizzi. Normally this kind of thing could be pretty cool but the original has got that special something that (cough, MICHAEL JACKSON????) just makes it undeniably good. Plus the video is just all 80's horrored out and corny. Well, anyway, you be the judge.

VS

Amid Much Fanfare, Undoubtedly.

2009-01-31T18:24:00.000-08:00

Every Saturday night from 8pm to 9pm, I'll be playing some songs on the radio. Go to KWCW.net and click the "Listen In" link (located directly below the webcam image). If you're in the Walla Walla area, tune into 90.5 fm. Hip Hop Hooray, ho.

Am I Someone Worth Loving?

2009-01-30T15:52:00.001-08:00

(Yep, looks fun to me)

Teenagers From OuterSpace is two dudes from Cypress, Cali laying down some pretty good party jamz. The two songs on their myspace are off of their first album, Summer In Space, which comes out Feb. 17th. The synthed out booty bass and handclaps (think high-fives) seem a little early for 2009 but maybe they are on to something... Maybe in the future and in space people will realize how tight bands are that put out summer albums in the dead of winter just because they feel like it.

Vacuuuuuuuuuuum

2009-01-29T21:35:00.001-08:00

So what do you do with 2012 looming in the not so distant future? Some may run for their lives and others may run to the nearest gun store but the Austrian-born Christian Fennesz, mostly credited as just Fennesz, seems content to just stand there and provide the somber soundtrack for everyone. Vacuum, the third song off of Fennesz's latest release, Black Sea, is like most of his other songs in that it's fuzzy and ambient but this one is just so full of emotion... okay it's corny to fall for this stuff but what's great about the song is that while it is pretty bleak the warmth and fuzz of it all counter that as little blips and zips tinker around in the background like diamonds in the rough. If you like epic stuff definitely get this album, it's like one big epic soundtrack to a life that...wait, what am I even talking about?

Snooze News

2009-01-27T14:50:00.001-08:00

Remember how Mum's last album Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy came out not too long ago in '08? According to some myspace rumblings they have finished a new album and plan on playing many shows this year. And in case you were wondering about their feelings on the status government in Iceland–"The Icelandic government has resigned after a civil uprising in Reykjavík last week. We are very happy that this small battle has been won, but we acknowledge that this is is only a small step towards a fair democracy." In addition they added this helpful bit of info: 'múm' sounds like 'moon' but doesn't rhyme with spoon. It rhymes with doom and gloom. Oh, the dark side of the múm.

yeah, if I get to drink kool-aid and listen to this all day

2009-01-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorites, Black Moth Super Rainbow, has a new single out on the Mexican Summer label. The A-side off the single asks: "Don't You Want to be in a Cult?" Pretty standard fare as far as BMSR are concerned with wacked out vocals and a beat that's always a hair off. It's the harpsichord and super clean digital strings in this one that set it apart from their older stuff. At this point I'm amazed that a band can have so many variations on what is essentially one theme and still keep it interesting. BMSR could keep making songs like this for the next five years and I think I would gobble 'em up as fast as they could dish them out.

So Many Kinds of Evil!

2009-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

That's what I thought when I listened to Mastodon's new single, Divinations... And I was going to post a link to that song... But then I remembered that we don't really post metal on this blog. So instead, I've this song called "Courage" by The Whitest Boy Alive, one of the many projects that Norwegian disco/lite rock superstar Erlend Oye finds himself in these days. This one is just real good, it starts off as though it might want to be a Kings of Convenience track with the choppy rhodes and guitar but around 1:20 a super staccato synth melody comes and everything makes sense as Erlend begs that you show some "courage, courage, courage..." New The Whitest Boy Alive album, titled Rules, drops March '09.

Show Review: Breakfast Mountain, Atole, Truckasaurus

2009-01-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

As embarrassing as it was to get lost in a part of town you are familiar with, I also paid the price and missed most of Breakfast Mountain’s set, but that’s okay, because Zack Osterlund, the mastermind of a set that one member of Truckasaurus dubbed “filthy,” is (full disclosure) an old friend from High School and I’m sure he understood. I have a feeling though that if his last song was any indication of the rest of his set that it was indeed “filthy”–he had the whole crowd yelling, “Fuck tha police, fuck tha police, fuck!”

This was the first time I got to see Atole play live with Marius Libman a.k.a. Copy, a.k.a. DJ Copy, trudging along on bass. The addition of Marius gives Atole’s somewhat wobbly live sound a more solid foundation so that the drums can really lock in. Two things struck me that hadn’t before: their songs began to take on a soundtrack element to them as I imagined high-speed car chase scenes and shady drug deals a la Superfly. The second thing was that with the bass they now sound like a relevant version of the Chemical Brothers–breathing much needed life into a genre many now consider to be in its last throws, much in the same way lead singer Manny juices up the crowd by showcasing his signature dance moves as he slides through the audience.

Who knew that when you combine a truck and a dinosaur you get an electronic act from Seattle? It’s hard to know where to begin when all I can think about is how rad and/or gnarly their name is. What was happening visually seems like a good place because perhaps more so than any other genre, electronic music often relies on visual elements in live settings to keep the audience engaged. Enter found footage splicing/mixing bonanza featuring all of the following: the famed match between Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, American flags flying through space, skiing, explosions, helicopters, 80’s computers, motorcycles, some questionable dancing, Jean Claude Van Damme, trucks drag racing, and the obligatory guy humping hay and a dude who poured beer on his head and vomited on himself.

As far as the sonic elements were concerned their set was perhaps one of the most legitimate electronic music live shows I’ve seen. No laptops, just synths, sequencers, drum machines–they sport a Roland 303 and 808 live, and a few Gameboys (if handheld gaming devices aren’t legit I don’t know what is) plugged in and making bleeps and bloops. It felt like I was living in a nine year-old’s dream world. The similarities to Aphex Twin and other staples of electronic music’s past were there but Truckasaurus is definitely more accessible and more importantly, fun. Their energy spilled out into the audience, who, for the most part, danced it up or at the very least, nodded along, raising their beers and cheering when Truckasaurus ended their songs with the sounds of explosives.

Merriweather Post Pavilion (Tues. Jan. 20th)

2009-01-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

As if Animal Collective wasn’t already one of the most talked about bands existing in the realm of “indie-whatdoyacallthis?-rock,” they had to go and make what is likely to be one of the best albums of the year. This should not only prove to a big year for them (they are touring Europe for three months straight starting in January) but considering how amazing I found (am still finding) this album, I think it’s going to be a big year for everyone who hears this.

The opener “In the Flowers” comes in like a spaceship taking off. These bizarre parallels or quasi-contradictions characterize the entire album, which seems to leave only to come back louder and more bass heavy than before and with more vocals layered as well. The lack of any sort of discernable guitars on the first track also sets the rules for the rest of the album which relies oh-so-heavily on sampling, synths, drum machines and layering, layering, layering and more layering.
The layering of vocals on the third track “Also Frightened,” is especially effective in creating a sort of paranoid happy feeling as multiple voices ask repeatedly “Are you also frightened?” and minimal percussion skitters about here and there between bass beats. Considering all the electronic elements that make up this album, it sounds remarkably organic¬–as though the lab this was produced in had been entirely overgrown by vines and foliage, the result of some sort of natural catastrophe.
The icing on the cake has to be the lyrics, which often address charming existential dilemma’s such as “am I really all the things that are outside of me?” Out of context this may seem like puzzlements reminding us of “how am I not myself?” but when lines such as that are in their element it is hard to deny them.
In the wake of the Panda Bear’s immensely successful album Person Pitch, Merriweather Post Pavilion is a testament to Noah Lennox’s (as well as other vocalist Dave Portner’s and producer Ben Allen’s) ingenuity, both creatively and technically in terms of the wizardry that goes into making songs like these. Occasionally while listening to this album I asked myself questions like, “where am I?” (oh right! I’m driving, whoops...), “Is this the future of music?” (surely it must be, it sounds like the music I imagine space makes!), “ How did they do THAT?!... Is that even possible?” “Why do I feel like I am underwater and in space and in a rainforest all at the same time!?”
I think the answer to all of these questions is positively “yes!,” especially in the instances where that answer doesn’t even make sense.

Aaaaaaand were back!

2009-01-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

EDIT Jan 18th: Kyle is alive and well! He just finished his comprehensive English exams and is going to be posting soon and perhaps working on some layout stuff. Stay tuned!

Expect posts, postings, posts about posts, post posts etc. Tell your friends and your friends mom's, ya' heard?

p.s. I don't know where Kyle is or what he is doing, hopefully he is happy and well and all of that.

2008-07-07T17:21:00.001-07:00

http://court13.com/electricfeel.mov

2007-2008 Visualized

2008-06-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

i was poking around last.fm and found a compelling add-on available for download. after a short install and configuration, this beauty popped up. i was reminded of andrew kuo's work in that it is as much aesthetically pleasing as it is nerdy. click here for the application (in zip file). unfortunately, if you're a mac kind of person, it ain't gonna work. i propose this, however, if anyone reading this has a last.fm profile and a mac as well, i will make one for you (you only need to enter a username). i'm going to assume the number of people that applies to is less than 5. keep it hood.

-awed eo sir fass

Band: Passion Pit

2008-06-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

I tried to blog about the new Sigur Ros album this morning, but patently incapable of figuring out simple html code, I was overcome with an insurmountable mountain of fail. That's okay, we blog about Sigur Ros a lot. You know the drill, cop that leak.

Let me tell you about this other band named Passion Pit. I got the inside scoop from our new reporter in the field (Chicago, to be specific). Apparently, this band is the hottest act in Boston right now, opening for the likes of Girl Talk and Death Cab for Cutie. They make soulful lo-fi electro-jams, and I for one, am digging it. Recent college graduates, these guys seem to have a lot of upside, with substantially less hype than some other bands. so, give them a listen and feel it like this guy feels doug martsch.

bum flame monster

2008-06-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

remember menomena? torn jeans, plaid shirts, early 90's? well, everybody's favorite heavy metal supergroup made a muxtape of b-sides and rarities. take a look.

oh, and on a semi-related note, the ongoing r. kelly trial sounds bananas.

much ado about everything

2008-06-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

people ask me all the time, "how much do you think the average baby panda weighs?" having no idea how to respond, i blurt out something regarding a hot new band i like or cautionary tale about poisonous berries. considering it's usually the former, i figured i'd relate the same information without the rigmarole of waiting for someone to ask me to estimate the measurement of the gravitational force acting on a baby mammal. as my one-time roommate from minnesota might snarkily assert, "it's basic zoology." indeed, my ice-fishing friend, indeed it is.

recently, there have been a number of records that made me go, "oh, i wish i had a blog to write many great things about this record!". moments later, i realize i do, indeed, have a blog for that specific purpose and promptly drop whatever i'm doing to buy myself a celebratory confectionery treat.

Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning
classic BSS.

Chris and Mollie - The Palm Tree
thanks grace

David Ramos - This Up Here
a little bit folky, a little bit hip hop. a big sound with a dash of cuteness.

The Dodos - Visiter
from what i've heard, they put on a great live show. i can see why -- fun, fierce songs.

First Aid Kit - Plaits
uncluttered arrangements laced with top shelf vocals. each song seems to unfold into a beautiful, sprawling gem. riyl múm (and i know you do)

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
get really excited, then prepare to be broken down by scott hutchinson's sad scottish warble. great album.

Islands - Arm's Way
i like islands a lot. just try not to imagine yourself riding a jetski through flaming hoops and lassoing evil laser sharks while listening to "the arm"

New Sigur Ros Album Art! ... WTF!

2008-06-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

The album titled, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, meaning, wait... I don't know what that means, maybe it has something to do with this awesome cover. Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it's Icelandic for, "lets take off all our clothes and run through a field?" I hope so. Album is coming out June 23rdish?

We Own the Sky

2008-06-01T13:28:00.001-07:00

For people that know me well it is no secret that the only band I really listen to is m83. I got to see them live at the Doug Fir for the first time about a week ago. The show pretty much blew me away. They played a mix of songs from all of their albums except digital waves (which is an excellent ambient record, mostly because it doesn't have drums). The song I listen to most off of the new album, Saturdays=Youth is called "We Own the Sky." They started playing it while I was in a bathroom stall pouring a beer from my backpack into a Heineken that my friend from one of the opening acts got me. Anyways, it wouldn't all fit into the bottle and the head was going everywhere. My only option left was to just chug my beer in the bathroom stall and run back out there. Pretty Awesome.

Bon Iver Illustrated

2008-02-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

I have this friend, her name is Ariel Kitch. We went to school together and also worked at the radio station. She's basically great. Case in point: she is now an intern at NPR's "All Things Considered" and recently created a series of drawings based on her experience attending a Bon Iver/Black Mountain show in Washington DC.

Click to see slideshow

2008-02-17T11:32:00.001-08:00

Okay guys, let me just start by saying Kyle is in Italy doing really cool Italian things like dancing to Italian disco and eating Italian ice cream and pizza and wine and stuff. I'm in my room most of the day reading books that have nothing to do with music and thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life. Anyways, what I am trying to say is... I will try to post soon and keep it up.

stay classy
+ love,
Dylan

No Kids - For Halloween

2008-02-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Whether they acknowledge it or not, every blogger is perpetually in search for... dare I say it? "The Next Big Thing." Opinions of what exactly this means will of course vary from listener to listener but they are united in that common goal. Is Vampire Weekend worth the hype? Ehh. But as soon as you listen to these guys that question won't even matter. You'll be so happy and thrilled that you heard this stuff that sleeping and working will appear to be annoying pauses during which you can't listen to No Kids. I don't think I need to say more at this point, so here's some essentials: The full-length, Come into my House, comes out on Tomlab on February 19. Spring is around the corner... and this is the first single off of their album:

02 For halloween.mp3

We Brave Bee Stings and All

2008-01-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Her name is Thao Nguyen and she was raised in Falls Church, Virginia. Today, she can be found in Washington DC making beautiful music with her band The Get Down Stay Down. And she's coming to Portland on March 7th with Xiu Xiu. That should about do it. Click below to become a fan.

Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)

Swimming Pools

Daytrotter Session
More songs and tour dates

Wanna drum like Kickball?

2008-01-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

(This isn't the band Kickball... but this dude is pretty awesome.)

Well now you can! Lisa, or "Drummer" as she is often called, is curating a website called www.video-drumming.com. She is going to post a new video each day and it will have original content on it as well. This will include lessons that she has filmed with her friends and cool stuff like that so now you too can drum like a pro!

Kickball!

Pimp, Money, Guns, Clothes, Drugs, Hustlers, Tits, Hoes

2008-01-26T13:09:00.001-08:00

Surkin is a French (possibly German?) dude on the institubes label along with some other fine dance acts including Para One (that awesome remix on MSTRKRFT's Work On You 12"). I was fishing around on the internet and stumbled upon this. The posted song "Ghetto Obsession" is the result of putting Biggie Smalls and an NES together in a fusion machine. The image of Mario and Biggie kicking it drinking some tall boys and giving eachother daps is pretty amazing. Surkin is touring all over Europe right now, so if you are in Berlin... woohoo. He's also getting an early start on festival season by doing the Good Vibrations thing. Also, Surkin will be playing as part of the rather lackluster Coachella lineup this year.

Surkin Myspace

The Eternal Children

2008-01-26T02:03:00.001-08:00

I like Devendra, Cocorosie, Antony, and the rest quite a lot, but I had never heard of this documentary "The Eternal Children" (2006) which details the so-called freak folk movement. So you can imagine my glee when i found out such a thing existed. Moreover, the entire thing is available online, albeit split up into 6 parts.
Part One:

click below for the rest

The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

2008-01-24T22:27:00.001-08:00

i would normally post the cover art, but i think this picture is pretty unbeatable.

The Helio Sequence have always been a good band; well-received critically, top of the ranks in terms of Portland* (*Beaverton) bands. I've never really given them much thought or time though. Helio Sequence, here is your fair shake. Their new album "Keep Your Eyes Ahead", coming out January 29th on Sub Pop, is rather good. It sounds tighter, more focused, and, well, better than their last few releases. "Love and Distance" is quality, make no mistake, but I can only handle so much of that distinctive, cosmic-synth business. Sometimes, you just have to pick up a guitar and start singing like Hamilton Leithauser (best goddamn name in rock and roll) and Bob Dylan. Reverb is used copiously and effectively, and as such they sound vaguely similar to their equine label-mates. While that bubbling synth isn't gone, it has been faded into the background and a more diverse sound has emerged. Standout tracks include the opener "Lately" and the banger "Hallelujah", but most of the songs are good, which is generally indicative of a decent record. The last song, aptly titled "No Regrets", is a foot stomping last-call, which sounds like one's last breaths expelled into a harmonica, the sporadic wheezing accompanied by your best friends' drunken sing-along; all this seemingly guiding you safely to bed, or the grave.

oh, and shit, you can play that whole bad boy over at their myspace:
MYSPACE

Buy from Sub Pop

2008-01-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite bands, Black Moth Super Rainbow, has posted a demo for a song that might be on their next album titled "Eating Us." The bad news (what there's bad news??!) is that "Eating Us" won't be coming out until 2009. But wait! There is more good news too though! According to Tobacco, the man behind the trademark vocoder voice of BMSR, they will be consistently uploading demo's to their myspace for us BMSR junkies to listen to. oh joy!

BMSR myspace!

The Depreciation Guild - Butterfly Kisses

2008-01-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

The first experience I had with shoegazey type stuff was when I bought M83's dead cities... because I thought the cover was fantastic. After I actually listened to it I couldn't have been more happy that I had judged a book by its awesome cover. For Brooklyn, NY's The Depreciation Guild, I saw the words 'shoegaze,' '8-bit,' and 'experimental' tagged by it so... yeah. What followed was an m83 song whipped into shape with some 'pop-sensibility.' (That's a catch phrase that gets thrown around a lot right?) Anyways, this song is presumably about butterfly kisses, which I think most people can agree are quite wonderful. It's kind of like if M83, Broken Social Scene, and Mew (wtf?? right?) made a song together. Anyways, check it out. Their website is cool too, you can download the entire album for free in a zip file, maybe buy a t-shirt or throw some cash at em?

Carcrashlander - Gold Sunset

2008-01-16T19:32:00.001-08:00

carcrashlander is cory gray and a whole mess of other portland music-makers including laura gibson. i really dig this jam off his new s/t album available via www.parksandrecords.com for 8 bucks!

goldsunset.mp3

nrk, i like the way you work it. no diggity.

2008-01-16T00:46:00.000-08:00

I occasionally get emails from 94.7 KNRK because they are an awesome radio station (or were, in the 90's when i listened to a lot of stone temple pilots and soundgarden). I received one today of particular importance:

"We need your help to bring Radiohead to Portland! As it stands right now, the band has dates in Seattle and San Francisco but that's as close as they're getting to the Rose City. You can help by simply emailing portlandwantsradiohead@gmail.com."

There you have it. Tell a friend, let's make it happen!

Also, in the same email a "bootleg" video from Spoon's show at the Crystal Ballroom way back when. peep it

Portland Mix

2008-01-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

had to get up early today, felt like crap, made 20 bucks, went to the record store, bought three used cds, thinking about napping, found this:

Download MP3

click below for track listing

Intro: DJ 1996 Olympixx + E*Rock
Parenthetical Girls - Love Connection Part 2
Sean P ft. T-Pain - You Ain't Know (Dirty)
Copy - Backward
Strategy - World House/Cam'ron - Mess With Me
Interlude: DJ 1996 Olympixx + E*Rock
Shakey Hands - Summer's Life
The Olympixxx - Funky 808 Breaks Intro
Panther - You Don't Want to Hear This (E*Rock RMX)
Coolie Dance Riddim
The Planet The - Arty Movie
Vitalic - Poney (Part 1)
B*retta - Untitled
Yacht - Platinum
South Rakkas - Carry Feelings
Copy - A Month
Glass Candy - Life After (E*Rock RMX)
The Blow - Hey Boy (Claps)
Chromatics - In The City
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait [this is a classic from 1986 - #2 on the UK Charts, and a Portland based group!)
Adrian Orange - No Wonder
Outro: (Glass Candy - Intro)

Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction

2008-01-09T23:15:00.001-08:00

I don't know how I missed this, but I'm pretty pissed off about it. "Sensual Seduction" is the new single of off Snoop Dogg's Ego Trippin' which is scheduled for release in March. The song and video work so well together. Seriously? Snoop Dogg SINGING through a vocoder? Not even in my wildest dreams...

wood-burning stove

2008-01-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

found this interesting news item at the blog "dreams of horses":
Learn Guitar From Laura Veirs

it sounds kind of great, but i don't think my crush will translate into spending 50 dollars an hour. c'est la vie.

if you want to hear something, just yell

2008-01-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Red River updated their myspace with all new songs. If you don't have Grassblades yet, sample it right here

Adrian Orange - It Ain't Me Baby

2008-01-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite songs right now. No, it's not a cover of the Dylan classic of a similar title, but a song from Adrian Orange appearing on the "Second Marriage Records Compilation". Supplying the spare and baleful instrumentation one has come to expect, he sings "When i saw / your rosy cheeks in the wet air after the rain / Damn, Oh my god, gosh-dang". To read the lyrics is one thing, but to hear his voice descend into the impending darkness is another thing entirely.

Mp3:It Ain't Me Baby

PANTHER

2008-01-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

By now, you've probably heard that Marty Crandall, the jokester / multi-instrumentalist of The Shins is in a whole mess of legal trouble regarding purported violence against his ex-gf. Seeing as though it's mostly gossipy and shitty all around, we won't discuss it any further.

Keep It Positive!

Portland band Panther has a new song out from their Feb. 22nd release 14 KT GOD.
It's called "Puerto Rican Jukebox" and you can listen to it here

Red River, Green House

2008-01-05T01:33:00.000-08:00

Local band A Weather has a video out for my favorite song of theirs "The Feather Test". Check it out!

oh, and the red river release show? yes, it was awesome -- those kids tore the roof off last night at the green house. so many horns, so much warmth (literally and figuratively). "Something Good" is the feel-good hit of 2008 and all-time, maybe. probably. as details of record availability/methods of purchase become available, we'll let you know.

Scotch Mist - A Film With Radiohead In It

2008-01-03T14:05:00.001-08:00

Well, here we have a video made by radiohead for New Years, it's quite long (almost and hour) and has all of the songs off of In Rainbows in it. One of the reasons radiohead is so great is because they are constantly doing stuff like this, it makes me wonder if any of them ever actually sleep... Entertaining for most people, obviously a must-view for any fanboy or fangurl.

Melee Beats - "Girlhype"

2007-12-31T12:44:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I wrote about Melee Beats and the potential that is there. WELL, it's starting to take shape, and a very pleasing shape at that. Treading the line somewhere between the Junior Boys and the Avalanches, Nic Bertino has put together a song that is both relaxed and dancy but not self-indulgent in the way that some producers can end up getting. The song is kept simple with just one vocal line (This girlhype has got me goin' crazy) but it works well as different instruments float in and out of "Girlhype."

Melee Beats Myspace

[F]reeeemix

2007-12-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

Portland's globe-trotting, knob-twiddling, dance innovating Yacht is currently offering free downloads of his instrumental tracks. The downloads include his newest album "I Believe in You, Your Magic is Real" and his collabo with The Blow, "Paper Television" as well as some b-sides and a split with Lucky Dragons. These are all instrumentals and all free, mind you, so mix em up, sing your own holiday lyrics over them, whatever!

Team Yacht

Thanks YACHT!

WORLD RAP CHAMPIONSHIPS

2007-12-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

You might be watching basketball now, and good for you, but you might be missing out on the world rap championships starring Portland's own returning Champ Illmaculate of the Sandpeople (opening for Wu Tang on New Year's at the Roseland). The finals are well on their way and Illmac and The Saurus won their battle against the worthy Canadian adversaries Poorich and Kid Twist in a best of three. Now The Saurus and Illmac will go on to face Quest McCody and Marvwon from Detroit who have been "killin" it and destroyed Mad Illz and Parable with their more comedic style. Anyways check it out, it's pretty hilarious.

hiatus

2007-12-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

finals are almost over, so maybe i'll find some time to update more often in the coming weeks. maybe.

in the meantime, here is a video of a band playing a song. the band is called woods, the song is called "night creature". there's something to be said about a recording of a live performance where you don't have to look through a sea of cellphone cameras and sweaty couples making out just to see and hear what the fuck is going on. but that's not the only good thing about it.

woods myspace

DoubleDutch - Crumbs

2007-12-05T00:03:00.001-08:00

Ahh well. Here it is folks. An early Christmas present from Audiosurface. Umm I'm pleased to say that the first (of many more) songs to be posted directly into this blog is 'Crumbs' from the first DoubleDutch album coming out next month. Rad.

Portland

2007-12-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

My inside source for all things DoubleDutchy has affirmed my suspicions that it may well be one of the best albums of 2008, slated to come out in January. The album is done, mixed and mastered and will be coming out on Bang Back records which is a newly launched project that is part of Pinball publishing. There is also talk of our own Boygorilla doing a vinyl release. yum. In other Portland related news:
Kele Goodwin w/ Laura Gibson <-- yes, "lovely"
Can't get enough Starfucker? Try here
And what post would be complete without a video? Heres the new one from The Thermals!

Best of 2007

2007-12-04T02:16:00.000-08:00

OMG! Read More!

15. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
14. Sigur Ros – Hvarf-Heim
13. Interpol – Our Love to Admire
12. Feist - The Reminder
11. Beirut - Flying Club Cup
10. Laura Veirs – Saltbreakers
9. Emily Jane White - Dark Undercoat
8. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
7. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows
5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
4. Eskimo and Sons – How Does It Feel To Be Crushed By One Man With The Strength Of A Million? EP
3. Caribou - Andorra
2. Alela Diane - The Pirate’s Gospel (2007 UK release)
1. Menomena - Friend and Foe

there you have it. questions, comments, concerns?

state of the union

2007-12-01T13:17:00.001-08:00

as 2007 winds down, undoubtedly the general consensus will be that it was a great year for music. screenwriters are on strike, immobilizing the tv and movie industry, but the music industry keeps on keeping on. amidst all the bullshit about the state of popular music and the crippling effects of downloading, artists like radiohead have found new ways to turn standard practice on its head and still be successful. and they were able to do something special: inspire real excitement about the music itself. kanye west and 50 cent boosting each other's respective record sales by sharing the same release date? genius. living in portland, the opportunity to see great bands play at smaller shows at houses and clubs is unique. i think we can all agree that seeing kickball playing a sexy, sweaty set in a basement trumps seeing most any band sell out a swanky venue. so, for as much negativity that's swirling around in the music world, there's twice as much positive, amazing material being created. both artists and fans might just have to try just a little bit harder, but, as we've seen, that sort of challenge does pay off.

this video was actually the reason for this post.

Cars & Trains

2007-11-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today's update features an artist hailing from sunny Portland, OR. His name is Tom Fillep, but he goes by cars & trains. His music draws largely from that anticon/mush sound of Clouddead, Why?, Telephone Jim Jesus and others. In fact, Sole lends his vocal stylings to "The Sky is Clear". The iTunes genre tag calls it electronic/dance. I think you could dance to it, but it would be occuring at half-speed with soft lights pulsating on walls and lots of pillows strewn about. I didn't mean for that to sound so soft-core porn, but it speaks to the mellowww phantasmagoria of the album. The production sounds almost tactile and organic. I imagine it would translate well into an intimate live show.

"Rusty String" is out now on circle into square records.

website

The Company Kang

2007-11-27T22:27:00.000-08:00

Word to dance music popping off at Whitman College. The Company Kang has got some tunes on their myspace and are currently working on their first album entitled "Winter Pimps". Don't miss the Wamp Wamp remix.

The Company Kang

Seabear - I Sing I Swim

2007-11-26T16:38:00.001-08:00

Heres a cute little song accompanied by a cute little video from morrmusic's Seabear. The Berlin label's youtube account also has videos posted for Lali Puna (a personal fav. of mine) and cool electronic outfit ISAN among others. In an interesting but probably outdated bit of news, Seabear was said to be sharing a tour bus with Mum. Talk about cute overloading.

Fiery Furnaces - Navy nurse

2007-11-18T10:55:00.001-08:00

Yay! Fiery Furnaces! The song is almost as weird as the video. But probably not as weird as that BMSR vid we posted a lil while ago.

I'm Not There

2007-11-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

So there's this movie directed by Todd Haynes with a bunch of different people playing Bob Dylan... yadda yadda movie shmoovie. The soundtrack, however is a x2 disc compilation of covers by bands/people like:
Yo La Tengo
Cat Power
Sufjan Stevens
The Black Keys
Sonic Youth
The Hold Steady
Karen O
Jeff Tweedy
Iron & Wine
Stephen Malkmus
Calexico
+MORE!!

You can listen to the Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power and Calexico songs here
The songs they cover definitely lend themselves to the styles of the artists that are covering them which is comforting, it seems like someone knows what they are doing.

Radiohead > Kiss + Oasis

2007-11-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

kids enjoying "In Rainbows"

From a Billboard interview with Gene Simmons:

"Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask.

Doesn't affect me. But imagine being a new band with dreams of getting on stage and putting out your own record. Forget it.

BUT SOME ARTISTS LIKE RADIOHEAD AND TRENT REZNOR ARE TRYING TO FIND A NEW BUSINESS MODEL.

That doesn't count. You can't pick on one person as an exception. And that's not a business model that works. I open a store and say "Come on in and pay whatever you want." Are you on f---ing crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works?

And Liam Gallagher talking to Reuters:

"Gallagher, peppering his speech with expletives, told Reuters it would be over his "dead body" before he went into a studio and worked hard to release his work for nothing."

Broken Social Scene on NPR

2007-11-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

"Broken Social Scene presents the music of band member Kevin Drew in a full concert, webcast live on NPR.org Nov. 18. The performance from Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club will begin at approximately 8 p.m. ET."

sounds like a good way to spend a sunday night.

Dylan's 2007 Top 10!

2007-11-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well folks 2007 is winding down and what a year it was. Lots of cool things happened, a lot of crazy things happened too. Radiohead shocked the world with their free album, elvis came back, I got a new phone etc. Anyways, here it is. 2007 Top 10*

11. Kickball - Everything Is A Miracle Nothing Is A Miracle Is
10. Feist - The Reminder
9. Sean Price - Jesus Price Superstar
8. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release
7. The National - The Boxer
6. Menomena - Friend and Foe
5. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
4. Radiohead - In Rainbows
3. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
2. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
1. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Yeah so definitely get all of these albums if you don't already have them. They're all good, I promise.

*I can change this because 2007 isn't over, and because maybe I'm forgetting something, and maybe I just want to just cus.

Win, Regine, & The Boss

2007-11-08T03:14:00.001-08:00

this video kind of gave me chills. and i don't even listen to bruce springsteen.

Bruce Stringsteen and Arcade Fire - Keep the car running
Uploaded by trendwhore

2007-11-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

hello! it has been a while. i have heard your eternal clamoring for more audiosurface music-blog-nerdery from my private castle observatory nestled in the blue mountains of eastern washington . so, without further ado, here are new artists or albums i think are worth looking into:

Emily Jane White - Dark Undercoat myspace!
she sounds a lot like cat power. and that is a-ok in my book because i am love with chan. there, i've said it. also, this is her debut album and i can't really believe that.

Sigur Ros - Hvarf-Heim read about it here
new songs, old songs. all amazing, all the time.

Le Loup - The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly myspace!
this is a really great album. sort of like the books with more banjo and vocal harmonies.

on an unrelated note, i love learning about outer space and dreaming about iceland.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Sun Lips"

2007-10-18T02:18:00.000-07:00

holy crap. i don't quite know what to make of this. it's bizarrely compelling, perverse and morbid. i hope mtv somehow finds a way to wedge this in between t-pain and soulja boy videos in the near future.
p.s. thanks pitchfork.

Melee Beats - Bel Esteem

2007-10-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

Put your dancing shoes back on. I'm not off this dance shit yet. I've been listening to this album recently and I've decided it is blog worthy, and definitely danceable. The hook in the first song titled "Bel Esteem (Intro)" is "I keep on coming, one more time." So I know Daft Punk has trademarked the "one more time" thing but this just works so well and when the crazy synth solo comes in... hoo boy.

While the album itself is not that impressive, a few of the singles on this album hint at some mighty fine dance music to come. The songs are complete with Daft Punk esque times when the beat falls out and leaves this vocoded out voice singin' bout love and the usual. If you can sit still and listen to this you a stronger person than most I think. "Distraction" has some crazy scottish sounding solo in it that makes it probably the strongest track on the album. Then there's "Wondering". This song is probably the most interesting because it sounds like Daft Punk does live. Imagine homework and human after all being smashed together, by this I mean crunchy guitar arpeggio's over that "buh tst buh tst buh tst buh tst". Umm yeah, then theres Champs, which is pretty much a revamped version of "Short Circuit." Okay, go have some fun with that.

2007-10-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

beonlineb - neonbible

2007-10-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

CLICK THIS LINK!

Calvin Harris - I Created Disco

2007-10-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hey, so lets talk about this album that came out in the US recently. Sound good? no? too bad.
When giving your debut album a title like: "I Created Disco" and putting songs on this album where the chorus might go something like this: "I get all the girls/ I get all the girls" you better be damn good. Calvin Harris is, luckily, damn good.

The album starts out with the song "Merrymaking" some sort of LCD SS Jamie Lidell hybrid about taking drugs at what is presumably Calvin Harris' house. Not sure how I should feel about this but I can tell you one thing, the kid can groove. Without his cocky attitude Harris might not really amount to much but this is exactly the kind of 'tude that dance music needs right now, especially in the wake of groups like Justice and Simian Mobile Disco. On "The Girls" he follows the ultimate recipe for a dance song: simple repitition. But unlike most dance hits out right now, he's got a verse telling some weird story and then one of the best choruses imaginable. Also, he is not afraid to tell girls how to dress, on "Colours" you better have some colour in there. As the album goes on it falls into that new-rave style dance stuff all you kids are into these days. For example "Disco Heat" could have easily been on Mylo's Destroy Rock n Roll. This album's main strengths are it's diversity and it's ability to seemlessly blend together the last 25 or so years of dance music.

Beirut - Nantes (Take Away Show)

2007-10-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

#64.1 - Beirut - Nantes
Uploaded by lablogotheque

new album = highly recommended.

A.O. & C.J. show review.

2007-10-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

We met Adrian and Calvin in the radio station about two hours before their show. They had just eaten at Clarette’s and remarked upon the quality of its product (as opposed to the thin porridge they found in Kennewick the night before). After recording a few promotional vignettes about African music and their disappointment in us as a radio station, they left to set up for their show.

We joined them around six or so outside the Metropolis, a live music and art space located on Colville across from Luscious: An Urban Market® and next to the Patisserie. It had reopened with a new name and a more cosmopolitan façade after the Underground went dormant in mid-2006. The space is open and accommodating for small shows despite the lack of a full-sized stage or, from what it appeared, any sound equipment at all. Approximately twenty-five attendees gathered for the occasion, taking the seats neatly arranged against the walls, giving the performers ample space to roam and people to dance. From time to time, audience members left to smoke cigarettes or purchase coffees and teas from Coffee Perk, returning either one cigarette less or several cups of hot beverage more.
At approximately 6:05 pm, Calvin Johnson, owner of K Records and formerly of Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System and several other bands, took the floor with a single acoustic guitar. Johnson’s set, almost an hour long, consisted largely of songs off of his recent solo albums, What Was Me and Before the Dream Faded, many of which were long and sounded crushingly, inconsolably sad despite his enthusiasm. His distinct baritone filled the tiny room well, creating a mellow, somber, almost funereal atmosphere as he sang songs of longing and told us stories about how Adrian was to perform sans Her Band and about impeaching Dick Cheney.
Adrian Orange (or Age-O, as he likes to call himself now) set up in the corner, above the staircase. Declining to use a microphone stand, he preferred to wedge the mic between his shirt and chest, craning his neck each time he sang. He used loops for both his vocals and rhythm guitar, making his warbling voice and haphazard playing seem slightly less stark. He talked about the Phish and Grateful Dead concerts he supposedly attended in his youth despite the fact that he’s only twenty-one, lamenting the fact that he’d yet to see people dancing like they had then at his shows. His seemingly-endless loops, abrupt stops, and the general feeling of formlessness, however, kept the crowd content with moving as little as possible.
Maybe it was the fact that it was Sunday. Or maybe it was because of the cold, grey atmosphere on the other side of the windows. But the show was exhausting. Kids from town sprawled out across the floor, doodling in their sketchbooks and clapping politely. This was not a show about playing guitars well or making people dance, or even making people smile. The two men from Olympia and Portland rolled through town like musical, vagrant, gypsies and were so understated it was almost as if they were never here at all.

by: Andrew Hall & Kyle Gilkeson

what? what?! WHAT?!!!!

2007-10-02T16:14:00.001-07:00

I feel as though I would be doing all loyal audiosurface readers a disservice (I know its the first sentence and I'm already making shit up but whatever) if I did not tell the tale I am about to tell.

As most people in the western world know by now, radiohead's new album will be available to download on Oct. 10th, the actual box set crazy 80$ bonanza wont be happening until later, December that is. So you can download it for free, is this going to turn the industry on its head? Probably not. Because newsflash: You can download pretty much any album ever made for free, that is the magic and beauty and hideousness that is the internet.
I was awoken on that first day in October by what sounded like a girl screaming because she saw a spider. Turns out it was my roommate hyperventilating because the new radiohead album is coming out in 10 days. The radiohead website was not loading properly though because so many people were trying to access it at the same time, if that is any indication of the sales(free album give aways) everyone and their mom will have a copy of In Rainbows.
If the studio versions of the songs are anything like the recordings from their last American tour we are in for some treats.
Tracklisteh:
1. 15 Step
2. Bodysnatchers
3. Nude
4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
5. All I Need (seriously though, this song could be the only one on here and I would pee my pants
6. Faust Arp
7. Reckoner
8. House of Cards
9. Jigsaw Falling into Place
10. Videotape (this one is wow.)

If you get the boxset you get more stuff too, like x2 but it ends being about 80 bucks. :(

www.radiohead.com

pre order it.
its... free???

whatever.

Adrian Orange & Calvin Johnson

2007-09-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

Adrian Orange and Her Band w/ Calvin Johnson
Sunday, September 30th @ 6pm
The Metropolis
$3-5

K Recs in Walla Walla? Count me in.

Sigur Ros - Heima

2007-09-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

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."

Mum - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

2007-09-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Gwizski

2007-09-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Old News

2007-09-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Musicfest Nw - Holy Fuck

2007-09-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

(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.

Menomena in France

2007-09-07T09:45:00.001-07:00

this is so great.

#62.3 - Menomena - Wet and Rusting
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Blizten Trapper at Whitman College

2007-09-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

free, you say? how delightful.

Mum - "They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded"

2007-09-05T15:45:00.001-07:00

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.

Menomena - Video for Evil Bee

2007-09-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Musicfest NW + Nike

2007-08-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

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.

typhoon

2007-08-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

"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

2007-08-19T14:59:00.001-07:00

I was just snoopin around on bleep.com and found this:
Perfect for dance offs and lounging somehow.

Holy Fuck

2007-08-16T04:34:00.001-07:00

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

a playlist

2007-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

A Weather - The Feather Test
[buy here]

Tom & Morgen - Blood

Alela Diane - The Rifle (Daytrotter Sessions)
[buy here]

Mirah - Cold Cold Water (Acoustic)
[buy here]

Swimming - Moving
[buy here]

i've got the end of summer blues.

Kickball - Everythingisamiraclenothingisamiracle

2007-06-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Video: Menomena - "Rotten Hell"

2007-06-16T19:50:00.001-07:00

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."

Freeway feat. Jay Z - Big Spender

2007-06-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

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

Mirah - Show Review

2007-06-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Beastie Boys - Off the Grid

2007-06-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

most alliterative moment in audiosurface history coming up in 3..2..1..
"bloggers behold! beastie boys go bizarrely beta band"

Rappers like Dance Music

2007-06-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-04T03:37:00.001-07:00

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

it's friday!

2007-06-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

30 rock

have a good weekend y'all

Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release

2007-05-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Only one thing could make forget that I had a bunch of crap due today for school. What is that one thing you might ask? Is it girls? or maybe bikes? no? How about money? The answer is none of those, oh no. However if you guessed hard hitting eurotrash dirty enough to give you a handful diseases only the seediest of the seedy in downtown L.A. possess. You'd be right. Not only is this stuff dirty, its filthy. Like Mylo only finer tuned, these guys spruce up the all too often repetitive dreary dance landscape with little treats all throughout. Do I smell humor? "Hotdog" for example probably has the most ridiculous lyrics I have ever heard:
"Lets get the rhythm of the hands, lets get the rhythm of the beat, down down baby, down down baby down, put em together and what do you get? Hotdog!" The album opens with "Sleep Deprivation" which is a perfect title because its the kind of track you would hear in a club full of fog and smoke and neon green lazers in Berlin at 2:45 when you are about to go home but this comes on so you throw back your 13th beer and hit the dance floor with your drunken moves like a boxer. The video for Hustler (another awesome track) is... amazing... youtube it, but ask your parents first because its only for ... boys and lesbians.

Simian Mobile Disco's Myspace

Kanye & Lupe: Indie Rockers?

2007-05-29T02:47:00.000-07:00

Stumbled upon a couple of bangers tonight featuring some unexpected samples.

First one comes from Chicago super-producer/pseudo-rapper Kanye West. West must have been geeking on Pitchfork and other hipster taste-makers lately, as he samples Peter, Bjorn and John's undeniably catchy "Young Folks." It's not so much a sample as it is just adding some playful vocals to a loop of the original hook. I'm not complaining though, it's a refreshing exercise in lightheartedness from the man who did this. You can download it here:Young Folks

Second one comes from Kanye cohort Lupe Fiasco. Thom Yorke's "The Eraser" is sampled here to questionable effect. While the MC's (Fiasco, Kanye, and Pharrell) keep pace with the unorthodox hip hop tempo, I can't help but feel a little put off. It just doesn't feel right. Moreover, how'd they get Yorke to consent to the sample? Radiohead and Co. are notoriously stingy with their music and licensing. Anyhow give it a listen here: US Placers

summertime

2007-05-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

yay! i got tickets to mirah and laura veirs on consecutive nights (june 8&9) at the aladdin! is anyone else going / want to go with me? concert-wise, june is shaping up to be a real dandy. some of the highlights:

june 1st - au revoir simone w/ voxtrot @ the doug fir (get yr fakes, kids)
june 2nd - horse feathers @ the doug fir
june 8th - mirah w/ lovers & mecca normal @ the aladdin
june 9th - laura veirs w/ lake @ the aladdin
june 10th - mice parade @ someday lounge
june 11th - hot chip @ wonder ballroom (dance!)
june 14th - blue scholars @ music millenium (free! hip hop!)
june 15th - architecture in helsinki w/ yacht @ wonder ballroom (dance dance)
june 21st - marnie stern @ holocene
june 22nd - sage francis w/ buck 65 @ roseland
june 24th - great lake swimmers @ holocene
june 25th - feist w/ grizzly bear @ crystal ballroom

goodness gracious.
and, as always, be sure to check the boy gorilla website for all your favorite artists show dates.

Final Pitchfork Festival Line-up Posted

2007-05-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork Music Festival

Well, the people over at pitchfork certainly know what's up. Chicago just got that much cooler. And tickets are stupidly cheap. Some highlights:
Sonic Youth
Menomena
GZA
Junior Boys
Iron & Wine
Grizzly Bear
De La Soul
etc.

advanced emo kids

2007-05-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

this man is dangerous.

"Emo" is no longer just a silly term to throw around, it's now a serious medical affliction. Apparently, emo is a strikingly new and dangerous concept to those in the Utah news media. While some of the subject matter (cutting, suicide, etc) is not entirely laughable, just about everything else in the video is.

thirsty thursday

2007-05-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going to really try to stay on top of this blogging business this summer since I don't have anything else to do. So, everyone who reads audiosurface on a regular basis (i know there are a lot of you out there), be prepared for more than 2 updates a month. Without further ado, here are some newish mp3's that I like to listen to:

This is from the Warm and Scratchy compilation by the folks at Adult Swim . Available for free download on their website, the album also features TV on the Radio, Asobi Seksu, and 120 Days (those nutty Europeans who opened for Ratatat that one time).
Broken Social Scene Canada Vs. America

WOOO. From the new album Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner
Shapes and Sizes - Alone/Alive

All you computer savvy kids out there probably already have this one, but here it is anyway:
The Go! Team - Grip Like a Vice

I HIGHLY reccomend the new Electrelane album No Shouts, No Calls. I had a hard time picking just one track to put up.
Electrelane - To the East

Alela Diane - Pieces of String

2007-05-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

this here's Alela Diane's "Pieces of String" off her latest album The Pirate's Gospel. I haven't really heard much about her, but apparently she lives in Portland and is on the Holocene record label. This is a great song, with a fitting video.

Track Review - Ratatat remixes vol. II "Glock Nines (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel)

2007-05-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Holy mackeral. So not only are most these remixes are "Dope as Fuck", I can't stop listening to a few of them. One of the first things that occured to me while listening to this was, why did they waste their time with classics, yeah its good, but its no s/t they should stick to what they are good at: remixes. Horns+strings+ ratatat drums n geetars n shit + Jay-Z n Beanie? Gawdamn! Do whatever you need to get your slimey hands on this. pronto.

heartbreaker

2007-05-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

this disappoints me.

i didn't even realize there was a comment on this until right now. blogger should have sent me an email or something. is this kate aka katie aka kathleen? that was a pretty vague post on my part, so i shall elaborate. about 2 years ago, i giddily bought this cd/dvd combo with [potentially] unrealistic expectations. the cd is actually really good (18 minutes of willie deadwilder!!), but the dvd is what disappoints me. what could have been amazing was ultimately diluted with incredibly poor sound quality. i realize it's set in nature and it's supposed to sound accordingly so, but sometimes the grasshoppers, crickets, birds, and other fauna are louder than chan. basically, turn up the music and turn down the ambient noise.