Barry Adamson is one bad mofo. The former bassist of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Magazine makes noirish soundtracks to self-imagined films that constantly loop through his head, and he’s been on the longest hep-cat streaks I’ve ever seen. His newest album, Back to the Cat, is an amazing collection of jazzy, gospel, soul-inspired songs strung together in a secret agent package. I’ve been geeking out over it like mad.

MP3:
Barry Adamson - “Straight ‘til Sunrise”

Sleazy crooner travels the Lost Highway of the ’60s!

MP3:
Barry Adamson – “Spend a Little Time”

Murder meets handclaps!

I wish I could tell you he’s coming to town, but no such luck. No US tour dates as of yet. I can vouch for the album though—it came out Tuesday on Central Control.

I will be forever haunted, it seems, by the time I missed Spiritualized. It was a few years ago, here in Portland. I showed up to the Roseland around 10:30. Fucking thing was over. People were streaming out. GODDAMNIT!

That was the Amazing Grace tour, I think.

After that, singer/lead-man/ex-Spaceman Jason Piece nearly died and I began to wonder if my chances to see one of my favorites were running out. You never know when someone who has his “breakfast right off of a mirror” might simply shuffle off. Thankfully Pierce has returned to productive, touring strength.

Unfortunately, for those of us who don’t live in southern California or the Europe, we’re going to have to keep waiting (Spirtualized has only two US dates, one at Coachella and a warm up in San Diego).

So we’re left with a consolation prize—not perfect, but exciting in it’s own right—A new album, Songs in A&E. You can here the single, “Soul on Fire” on the band’s myspace.

You can also check out “I Gotta Fire” right here.

“Soul on Fire” has the classic Spirtualized sound, but there’s added optimistic breath to the thing… Tempting and perhaps cliche to wonder if the near-death experience changed a life-long addict who often seemed trapped beneath himself.. But certainly it is possible.

Can’t wait for that album. It comes out May 8th. Even more excited for the day I finally see Spiritualized live. It will happen. Fuck being haunted.

Hot Damn. BARR is playing tonight and you definitely need to check them out. They’re an LA group that does talking songs (kind of like former Mercury Music Editor Adam Gnade. BARR’s, however, are a little less poetic, literary and picturesque, instead substituting introspection, personality and stream of conscious, touchy-feely humor to great effect.

“The Song is the Single” is a fucking brilliant take on the nature of music and art and the artist. Jam that shit.

Also check out “My List of Demands” on their myspace. It’s a nice little story, funny because it’s true. A very honest screed that shrewdly captures the that type of inner monologue that becomes realized.

I’m guessing the accessibility of the songs—or stories, if you’d rather—will be buttressed by the group’s live show. BARR comes out of the Smell scene in LA, which by all accounts is quite up close and personal. This show figures to be as well.

BARR tonight at Backspace.

Listen to: “The Song is the Single”

There’s an article on the Mae Shi in this week’s paper (which you can check out here), and the guys in the band gave me a lot more information than would fit in the article. You can read all about it after the jump.

In the meantime, you can listen to the Mae Shi:

MP3: Run to Your Grave

And another song is on this week’s Easier Than Reading podcast here.

The Mae Shi play Saturday, April 26 at East End, 203 SE Grand, with Pre, Panther, and Fist Fite.

How was SXSW?

Jeff Byron: I think we would've gotten bored if we weren't playing all those shows. There's nothing to do at SXSW besides drinking and racing to see a band you already missed. At least playing 18 shows gave us a really purpose, every second we were there.

Bill Gray: SXSW was pretty funny, I felt a bit crushed by the end of the first show, but by the end of the 18th I felt like we had to play at least 18 more to feel completely satisfied. I dunno, it felt like we were machines incapable of anything else, but I feel very human today. I think my gut feels the misery of all humanity at the moment.

Jacob Cooper: I think the remarkable thing about SXSW was that we got to really treat it as an endurance challenge. It was more crushing when we had a couple hours off, as opposed to loading in, playing, quickly loading out, and repeating this over and over again. This was my first trip with the band as a new drummer, so in the end I think I learned how everyone’s chemistry worked. I think it was a great first impression; they wanted to try to kill me with 18 shows without ever properly touring. It felt good to pass.

Your website says you will be taking the show “a little more seriously,” and that it’s your “attempt to grow up.”

Jeff: Who wrote that? I think we've always been trying to find creative ways to put on a show. I want to play shows where everyone has fun. Is that serious? I don't know. One thing we've always struggled with is playing big venues. We don't feel comfortable on big stages, and we'd much prefer to play at a birthday party in someone's parents' basement than in the Wal-Mart Sports Arena. We're definitely going to have to think of something when we have to play festivals with mass audiences. Maybe that's what our website means.

Bill: I think those two lines mean something different for everyone in our band. A little more seriously to me means really fully exposing ourselves for whatever it is that we are and following through with every idea we said we we're going to do. Attempting to grow up might mean just creating honest work and not worrying about childish things like "cool," clothes, cash, holy war, Jurassic Park... YOU KNOW, stuff. I really have no idea what it means to everyone else!

Jacob: Every Mae Shi record has been different to me, even as a listener. This is really the first time Mae Shi has ever properly toured a lot and taking the touring circuit "seriously." So in some aspects, we are definitely growing as a band as we expand to unknown lands. Who knows though, this might just mean we need to stop goofing off and making bad jokes with one another in the van.

Brad Breeck: When that "a little more seriously" sentence was written, we were in a stage of kind of rethinking what our band meant. For a long time we kind of struggled with our live show. On one hand, we were kind of known for being a crazy high energy live band. On the other hand, we were aware of the fact that a lot of times it fell to pieces. So we were kind of a hit or miss live band. And that's totally cool, we are all about putting it out there and seeing what happens, and if it fails, so what—we tried. Anyways, when that sentence was written we were in the process of trying to get better and more consistent at putting on a show that "worked." We also started adding some fun stuff to the performance: lighting cues, costume changes, etc. The "attempt to grow up" thing refers to the kind of central thesis to this band, that thesis being that the band can be a tool for learning to do and doing all the things you've always wanted to do. You want to make movies? Make a music video. You want to design stuff and make art? Make a t-shirt, make some album art. Etc., etc. The band can be a vehicle for achieving your goals, and not just musical goals. Use the band to grow yourself and become what you want to be.

How does such a large group work together so effectively?

Bill: Patience.

Jeff: The Mae Shi has always had a reflective gratification property about it. The more each one of us puts into the band, the music, the shows, etc., the more we all get out of it, individually. It's easy to stay dedicated when you love what you're doing. I like to think we use our personality differences to get more out of the band. We get more colors that way, and the music is less homogenized. We're constantly being pulled in separate directions, to the point where we get a little explosion of creativity. Of course it's always give and take. Because there's so many of us, it takes us years to actually make a record.

Jacob: The beautiful thing about this band is that every member can bring ideas to the table, and everyone listens really well to one another. There is this ongoing saying in the band that if someone doesn't lay an idea out, someone else will end up forcing it out of them. We are all really dedicated to this project I think because it’s the force behind everything else we would like to achieve. If we want to try to get somewhere or learn something new, the Mae Shi will be the engine to get us there. I really want to go to Japan. I honestly don't think a lot of things would've happened without people having personal differences with one another in this band. Not to say we have a lot of them, but instead of being negative about it we tend to just take it into another new direction.

Brad: It's not always the most effective or efficient way to work actually. It can be challenging. But it almost always yields results that one person on their own wouldn't have achieved. We make it work by reminding ourselves that we are all friends and that the end product will be awesomer than we could have imagined it being from at the beginning. Not that it's all difficult. The group discovery process can be super super fun and gratifying. We all have lots of side projects, I think that might keep us fresh and keep the energy. Usually, we usually have big goals that we're working towards, and those help keep us excited and pushing forwards.

Are there any artists you look to for inspiration?

Jeff: Andrew W.K., Queen, Prince. I don't know. I like artists that put more than just music into music. Sometimes.

Bill: It changes almost everyday, but right now: Sparks, Joe Meek, early Chumbawumba, the Minutemen and Saccharine Trust! I mean, at least musically. Visually, this guy Landon Meier out of Denver has been freaking me out in a good way, I think. I’ve also always had my mind blown by Don Van Vliet [Captain Beefheart] no matter how typical that is!

Jacob: I really like movies, I wish Mae Shi would score a film. It would be perfect.

Brad: Music that most influences me in relation to the Mae Shi: Todd Rundgren, Melt-Banana, Sparks, Tod Dockstader, Van Dyke Parks, This Heat, Public Image Ltd., Cornelius Cardew, Giacinto Scelsi, Queen, Nobukazu Takemura, Tetsu Inoue.

HLLYH sounds remarkably accessible without having lost any of the trademark chaos.

Jeff: I think we've always been trying to make accessible music, at least for a while now. Maybe we're just figuring it out.

Bill: I can't think of a Mae Shi album deemed unaccessible so I guess Mae Shi have always been making accessible music. At least that's how I see it, but who knows, I'm wrong a lot.

Is ith a by-product of “growing up”?

Brad: It's definitely not a by-product of "growing-up." I get the sense from some reviews and comments that some people think that we JUST figure out how to write songs properly or something. Which is ridiculous. That would mean that our previous records were made without intention, which is not the case. We did use more traditional pop structures and melodies on this record. Some of that was intentional, some of that was a result of losing a member [Ezra Buchla] and having to rethink the way we wrote music for this band. At some point we realized that we COULD use more traditional "SONG" elements and still make it sound like Mae Shi, so we ran with it.

What would define a “bad” Mae Shi gig? How do you know that you’ve had a good gig?

Bill: Sweat!

Jacob: As long as I give out at least 10 autographs, that means I have had a good gig.

Brad: If it's not fun for us then it's "BAD". If it's fun then it's "GOOD."

TRACTOR OPERATOR, EXCELLENCE, YELTSIN
(Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Yeltsin is old. Better put, Yeltsin is not young. This is a good thing for the Eugene/Portland band, whose wide range of influences—a sound similar to a more streamlined Jawbox or less hook-dependent Fountains of Wayne, and a bio that namedrops both the Band and Gram Parsons—are key to their brand new long-player, A Closer Walk With Yeltsin, out tonight. Age is oftentimes meaningless in the grand scheme of things musically, but there is great maturity (in a good way) and beaming confidence in the group’s rock songs, two elements that would be lacking had the band not been around the block a few times. Call it experience, or the benefits of age, but whatever it is, it helps Yeltsin wipe the floor with their younger rock cohorts. EAC

MP3:
Yeltsin - The Stranger Machine

JONATHAN COULTON, PAUL & STORM
(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) Geeky singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton wrote the song that plays over the end credits of a videogame. Normally, this would not be big news. But in the case of “Still Alive”—which serves as a heartbreaking, clever, and strange sort of coda for Portal—an exception must be made. If you haven’t played Portal yet, please do; it is a brilliant, weird, creepy, and darkly hilarious experience. One character in particular—GLaDOS, an artificial intelligence who throughout the game is your nemesis, narrator, and companion—will haunt you long after the too-short game comes to a close. Ellen McLain chirpily, cheerfully voices GLaDOS’ synthesized tones, and as GLaDOS, she also sings Coulton’s “Still Alive” at the game’s end—a song that opens with gently plucked strings before it grows progressively wittier, catchier, and more discomforting. “I’m not even angry/I’m being so sincere right now,” GLaDOS sings, “Even though you broke my heart and killed me/And tore me to pieces/And threw every piece into a fire/As they burned it hurt because/I was so happy for you.” Portal’s amazing, but so is Coulton’s song; together with the game, it’s an utterly unique, beautifully written, and unexpectedly touching experience. If it will translate from my Xbox 360 to a live show, I have no idea. ERIK HENRIKSEN

MP3:
GladOS (Portal) - Still Alive

The only language more foreign to me than French, is the language of the dance.

Sure, much like I can order a baguette on a bustling rue in Paris, I can (almost) hold my own on the dance floor by bobbing my head back and forth (somewhat) in rhythm and occasionally uncrossing my arms from time to time. But, really, it’s not a natural fit. It doesn’t look right. I don’t get it. I don’t want to get it. I’m happy with the way things are.

Besides, if I’m on the dancefloor, who is going to hold up the walls by leaning against them?

Yet there I was, on the dancefloor at Rotture, doing my best not to dance to the bumping French disco-pop of Yelle. Fleshed out by a keyboardist and excellent drummer, Yelle was just what you expected her to be; downright adorable, a restless ball of energy, very French. Her between-song banter was extremely polite, but during the songs themselves (primarily from Pop-Up, although there was some other material I didn’t recognize) she jittered about, happily beaming with pride as she tore through “Dans Ta Vraie Vie” and feeding off the energy of the eager crowd—many of which I spotted earlier at Hot Chip. I have a feeling that the next time she comes through town, the venue (and crowd) will be a whole lot larger.

Also, if you need proof that most mashups are the work of the devil, please take a listen to this Yelle meets Weezer mashup. Seriously. Somehow the genius behind this war crime of an MP3 ruined not only my favorite Yelle track (“Ce Jeu”), but my favorite Weezer song (“Jamie”) as well. Thanks for nothing.

MP3:
Yelle + Weezer - Jeumie

The above live photo was taken from her MySpace page and, judging from the Knitting Factory banner in the background, was not from last night.

Hey, End Hits readers, if you don’t read the Mercury’s regular blog, I am currently in a pissing match with my boss over the quality of Celine Dion’s music. He, wrongly, thinks it is worth defending. Isn’t that hilarious? (And cute, in a brain-damaged-baby-squirrel sort of way?)

Mosey on over to Blogtown for the lowdown. You can read my original post here, and Mr. Humphrey’s psychotic ranting defense of Celine here, and finally, my gloriously composed rebuttal here.

These New Puritans

Here’s the online companion w/ mp3’s from this week’s column. (Remember: left-click and ‘save as’ to download.)

WHITE DENIM

With a reportedly wild, scorching live show and skills to back it up, White Denim earned a lot of ink at this year’s South by Southwest festival. The Austin trio’s punches swing and smack from a rhythm section bound at the hip, pulsing and breathing as a single entity—lungs and hearts joined, pumping in triplicate. And while the band convincingly wails through Hendrix-like runs and MC5 drivers, their more modern, slightly experimental tunes are the most visceral. Employing bits of electronic blips, beeps, and other samples alongside classic, righteous rock chops, White Denim appear to be unearthing a sound all their own. The bright, spastic, repetitive guitar pricks above shifting rhythms of “Don’t Look That Way At It” is the highlight.

MP3: “Don’t Look That Way At It”
Myspace

THESE NEW PURITANS

Alienation and paranoia run rife through the back alleys in the minds of These News Puritans, a half-electro, all-serrated group from the UK. You might even call them a punk response to grime—covered in dirt, dust, razor-wire, and broken glass. Forever left all alone, TNP cultivate a futuristic deconstructionism. Emphasizing rhythm over melody, shots whiz past and repetition abounds as singer Jack Barnett chants cryptic apocalyptics that may or may not hold some savage encoded secrets. Occasionally the band leaps into the clouds, sustaining a note or a melody, and the contrast is beautiful. A recent release, Beat Pyramid (Domino), has These New Puritans touring all over their native Europe, and one can only imagine the group will head west soon.

MP3: “Numbers AKA Numerology”
Myspace

ALICE COLTRANE

Inspired by Hindu philosophy, Alice Coltrane and her supremely talented group—featuring famed free-jazz drummer Rashied Ali—create the most spectral, psychedelic, beautiful, soothing soundscapes on her fourth album, Journey in Satchidananda (1970). Coltrane’s fingers glide and dance up and down the harp, anchored by the deep heartbeat of the double bass and brushed drums, until Pharoah Sanders’ sax begins to steer the drifting ship through distant space. Coltrane’s interest in Indian music and culture is represented by the tambura, a sitar-like sound of buzzy drone. The title track is some of the most ethereal, stirring music you’ll ever hear. Lay on the floor, dim the lights, crank the volume, and you’ll be hovering in no time.

MP3: “Journey in Satchidananda”
Biography

THE FRIENDLY SKIES, PACIFIC UV, JOUST
(Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Pl) As far as interesting back-stories go, I couldn’t know less about Pacific UV. What I do know is that they slipped into Portland, assumingly in the dead of night and cloaked by darkness, from their former locale (Athens, Georgia) awhile back. But when you listen to the hazy post-shoegaze atmospheric jams of Longplay 2, recently released via WARM Records, you don’t hear anything remotely resembling our city or their Southern roots. The band might as well have traveled from the UK via cosmic spaceship. Longplay 2 isn’t the warmest of recordings—record label pun aside—but the band patiently develops a textural and swirling body of matter that is at the center of their delicate and mysterious songs. While their past remains a mystery, their unique sound—shoegaze was never this calculating, post-rock was never this fragile—proves that sometimes the less you know about a band, the better. EAC

Also, I should mention that the band has an excellent blog, which is a great read and showcases their love for music, not just as performers, but as fans as well.

MP3:
Pacific UV - Need

DAVID DONDERO, A WEATHER, AAN
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) Cut from the classic cloth of restless troubadours who trade songs for a warm meal or a place to lay their head, David Dondero doesn’t necessarily fit in our modern times. Pity the poor old singing soul stuck in an era of $4 gasoline and downloadable records. Dondero’s road-weary tales stretch from the bedroom to the bars and to the pews, the latter of which (“Rothko Chapel”) is the finest moment of 2007’s Simple Love. “Your heart is like the Rothko Chapel/Cold, dark, void, yet simple and intriguing/Somewhat comforting, got me believing almost anything/There was this line by Charlie Parker, somewhat worth remembering/‘If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.’” Catch him before he packs his bindle and catches the next rumbling boxcar out of town. EAC

MP3:
David Dondero - Rothko Chapel

Photos courtesy of Minh Tran, there are more after the jump.

There’s something disarming about embracing—or perhaps even reveling in—one’s own nerdyness. Hot Chip do just that. Far from cool guys, the London five-some are anti-hipsters. They are unabashedly white—in the way the dress, sing and dance (the diminutive lead-singer has “white guy” dance, complete with knee-bobbs, static arms, and cemented hips down pat—so much so, it should be a joke). But it’s not.

But therein lies the draw. By just embracing their geeky tendencies, like dancehall inflected mini-raps, khaki soul, and pseudo Afro-beats, Hot Chip head straight for the pleasure center. The notably young crowd is all smiles, basking in the sunny pop. It’s feel-good music if there ever were. And if it’s cheesy enough to laugh at—which at times it is—that’s OK. The band is laughing too (at least, they better be).

Hot Chip's electo-heavy sounds are propped up by a few live instruments, though key lines are often pushed through backing tracks (and I've got dimes to dollars the bass player is doubling lines from the laptop). Still, the communal flex on stage adds something to the presentation. That said, Hot Chip's stage presence is weak at best. For a dance band, you'd think they'd move around at least as much as their audience, but that was rarely the case (see: whiteboy dancing). During one song, however, the band, with a guest shaker player (?) coalesced into a bobbing trancelike circle. And when the lights matched the music, the effect was even stronger, but unfortunately it didn't happen enough.

The group's lighthearted, dance-party approach hasn't kept a number of fans from discovering some deeper meaning. I passed an old friend, deep in dance. "This is like church for me," she said. Others, however, seemed simply lit from the sugar rush.

The encore began with a ballad of sorts. I kept expecting it to be an intro, and that the pop song would stick it's head up, but it never did. Again, the unabashed geekyness took hold, this time in some wonderbread British falsetto recalling Annie Lennox or some such oddity.

During the band's final number we jammed ourselves closer in. The lights were synced with the music, an almost rave-like number. And with eyes shut you still see the strobes flash on the beats. It was almost a trance.

I know I’ve mentioned it a few times already, but holy hell the new Constantines record, Kensington Heights, is amazing. Like, I am becoming utterly obsessed with it amazing, which means any chance I can get to nerd out on them I’m going to take.

For example, take a look at their new video for “Hard Feelings”. It looks nice, sure, but there’s nothing too special about it. However, knowing that this is only the first track on the album, only the tip of iceberg, gets me so pumped. If you even remotely like this song, just know that Kensington Heights gets exponentially better as it progresses.

And, in just about the best news I’ve heard all week, the band have announced a Portland date for their upcoming tour. AIYEEEEE! Constantines are absolutely one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen, and these new tracks are going to kill live.

Constantines play the Doug Fir on June 30th.

Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you think about your new Christian vanity license plate slogan. Will they let me get one that reads, FUK GOD?

Cut Copy establishes themselves as the new New Order. That is so much better than being called the old Old ’97s. Bonus: This article uses the word “balearic.”
MP3:
Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire

If I had the past band resume that John Reis (Drive Life Jehu, Pitchfork, Hot Snakes, RFTC) has, I’d just kick back, live like a king, and watch that lucrative indie cred (which is now a stronger currency than the dollar) roll in. But Reis is never content, hence his excellent new project, The Night Marchers.
MP3:
The Night Marchers - Who’s Lady R U?

Take a journey inside the creative mind of The Mae Shi. Where is the part of their mind that reminds them to clean up their damn practice space?
MP3:
The Mae Shi - Run To Your Grave

TaKe a tRiP tO tHe OlD CoUnTrY wItH DeVotchKa. Typing like that is hard work. Daddy needs a drink.
MP3:
DeVotchKa - Transliterator

THE DEATH SET
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Above all else, the Death Set are fun. Sounding like some jacked-up blend of 90 different styles, they manage to combine together Dan Deacon’s happy hardcore mind-fuck, the Go! Team’s cheerleader squad dance party, the lo-fi broken machinery electro of the Tigerbeat6 label, and the hipster punk that was late ’90s Southern California spazz-core—all while doing so with an insane amount of youthful exuberance. Their live show tends to lose a lot of the electronic flourishes and falls more on the punk and hardcore side of things, but don’t let that deter you: They are going to scream, sweat, and destroy everything in their path, especially the dance floor. RS

MP3:
The Death Set - Around the World

Photo: Tod Seelie

Since, all of a sudden, our Oregon primary really matters, where is our totally awesome star-studded rock concert for Obama?

So far there have been Obama shows with Wilco in Illinois, Bright Eyes in Nebraska, and now these big ‘ole Superchunk and Arcade Fire free concerts in North Carolina.

Superchunk! Mr. Obama, I’d believe in your message of “Change” a whole lot more if it involved any song from No Pocky for Kitty. Hell, if Hillary could get Mac, Laura, and the gang to perform “Driveway to Driveway” in Oregon, she has have my vote, and I hate Hilary! McCain, that offer stands for you too, gramps.

Lots of buzzing around the lineup of All Tomorrow’s Parties in New York. Me? I think it stinks. The nineties are over. So it goes.

The majority of those bands are WAY past their prime. I learned when I saw the Pixies a few years back that reunions are mostly a waste of time and money. Either you saw the magic back in the day or you didn’t—there’s no comparison in recreation. I mean, I’m pissed that I my parents were children when Bob Dylan was killing it, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to see him now. I prefer the magical picture painted in my head to the ugly reality of today’s situation. That’s fine. I’ll deal with that.

There comes a time when a band crosses a certain threshold and they become a charicature of themselves—that’s what it felt like the Pixies were doing. They hated each other for God’s sake. I have a sneaking suspicion My Bloody Valentine fits in this boat somehow. (Granted this doesn’t happen to all bands, and to the effect, I’d totally go see Neil Young today.)

As far as live music goes, I’d rather watch bands performing new material they’re excited about. I remember seeing Sonic Youth at the Crystal Ballroom a few years ago. The crowd went wild for songs from Daydream Nation, but the band seemed much happier playing their newer material—and those new songs popped with life, not yet sapped by 10,000 performances. Unmoored. Immediacy. Yes. And by sticking together, or more importantly, steadily writing new music, Sonic Youth avoid the trappings of a shlocky reunion tour ala Pixies and perhaps MBV.

Now, back to ATP. A number of the big names are playing classic albums straight through and this give me a shiver. I like the spontaneity of a concert set. I like not knowing what’s next, and I like a band’s ability to adapt the set to the feeling of the moment. Some songs are great bookends for albums, but live, they could sink. I’d bet dollars to dimes that when Built to Spill originally toured on Perfect From Now On those songs rose higher then than the will now. It sucks, but that’s the way it is.

That’s how I feel, anyway. I’d like to know what the ATP lineup ilicits from you.

We just got some details about the 24 Hour Concert Vibe Zone, which will be on Saturday, May 3rd, at Hippodrome. This free, all age, event will also serve as a double CD release party for the Ambient Not Not Ambient compilation as well as the latest from Strategy, entitled Music for Lamping. The continual concert (from Saturday at 7pm to Sunday at 7pm) will feature zero breaks in the music, a total of 79 bands (the ones listed to date are: White Rainbow, Valet, E*Rock, the aforementioned Strategy, Rob Walmart, Dark Yoga, Jackie-O Motherfucker, and Smoke & Mirrors), plus it will take place in something called an “installed vibe zone,” which might be a pup tent with christmas lights on it for all we know.

My question is, who wants to review this?

The only catch, you can’t leave the “”installed vibe zone” once during the 24 hour period. We’ll pack you some food (let’s all hope this vibe zone has a vibe toilet) and a thermos of coffee, but that’s it. Anyone want to see if they can last all 24 hours?

We’re not shy about our Yelle love round these parts. And really, if the above video doesn’t get you excited for her show tonight at Rotture, might I suggest doing some serious soul-searching to find out why?

Everybody should love Yelle. Heck, even Ezra, the End Hits captain, loves Yelle, and he hates everything that I play him that could be described at euro-pop. Who knows? Tonight may even be the fabled night where Ezra finally steps foot on the dance floor. Actually, scratch that. I forgot Ezra dancing is about as likely to happen as me riding home from work today on a unicorn.

Yelle plays Rotture tonight along with Reverse Dotty and the Candy Cane Shivs and Beyonda.

Continuing our new column, wherein we review every last bit of new vinyl that gets sent to us. Vinyl is cool! We play it, listen to it, write about it, love it.

Sleepwalkers R.I.P. have a new 7-inch single out now on Hovercraft Records. It’s handsomely packaged, with collage art by Chris Gunn and an insert that includes pictures of the band and lyrics for both songs. I believe this is the band’s second 7-inch, and it even comes with a little plastic adapter thingy so you can play it on a normal record player spindle.

The A-side, “Young and Old,” is amphetamine punk, with the bass hammering out rapid eighth-notes and lead singer Candy yelling atonally: “If you look too long, your sight will turn to stone… you’ll see gray matter for a second or so, and realize what you saw was gold.” Drums slam and thump, and the guitar thrusts and stabs; it feels like the song is attempting to shake off the drowsy acceptance of aging, refusing to become complacent, never overlooking the wonders and possibilities of life. Basically, not growing “old,” even as one gets older—a hopeful, humane spin on a familiar punk outlook. “It’s a world of ambition for the young and old,” Candy sings.

The B-side opens with an arpeggiated guitar riff before launching into a full-throttle whiplash beat. Justyn sings the melody while Candy simultaneously screams above. “I know that you saw pain,” they holler. “I heard it on your sleeping breath. When I asked what it was, all you said was ‘life or death.’” The ominousness of the lyric is paired with a punky beat, which stares the theme of desperation straight in the face, without flinching.

In many ways, this is another example of the classic DIY punk 7-inch. It feels kind of timeless; this record could have come out in 1988 instead of 2008. There will probably be records just like it in 2028—there will still be vinyl then, I’m certain. In the band’s own words:

So far we’ve got nothing out on cd and hopefully it will stay that way. If you don’t got a record player, your gonna have to get one, go on a journey or something, cd players are just to easy and life and music isn’t so go figure.

Listen to “Young and Old” and other songs at Sleepwalkers R.I.P.’s MySpace page. You can buy the single here.

Sleepwalkers R.I.P. play tonight with Sacred Shock, NIX, and Silent Majority at Exit Only, 1121 N Loring, 8 pm, ALL AGES!

Remember, End Hits loves vinyl! If you’re a label or a band, send us your new vinyl for review. We’ll listen to it and put our thoughts up on the blog. Send it to:
Portland Mercury
Attn: End Hits
605 NE 21st Ave., Suite 200
Portland, OR 97232

One final note before we close the book on the long songs.

Looking for “As Slow As Possible” yesterday I came upon a list of the Longest non-repetitive piano pieces. Damn if it wasn’t impressive and, frankly, staggering. That said, I’m not sure how sitting down for a five or six hour concert would fly. Still, people have done it.

Michael Finnissy has performed “The History of Photography in Sound,” a five-plus hour piece a number of times, though he does it in sections, the dexterity is still quite impressive (the longest continuous chuck lasts some 75 minutes). Compositions like “The History of Photography” aren’t just extended jams either—they’re fully written. You can even buy the entire sheet music for a mere £160.00 (too bad page count isn’t mentioned).

There are numerous others pieces of this nature, some longer, although it isn’t clear the duration or intervals in which they are performed live, but British composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji’s “Symphonic Nocturne” contains an uninterrupted two-hour stretch. Wow. That’s all I can say. Fucking wild.

This is nuts. The New York All Tomorrow’s Parties, which will blow people’s minds from September 19-21, has a lineup straight out of most indie rockers’ desert island wishlists:

My Bloody Valentine
Built to Spill performing Perfect From Now On
Meat Puppets performing Meat Puppets II
Thurston Moore performing Psychic Hearts
Tortoise performing Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Shellac
Mogwai
Polvo
Fuck Buttons
Autolux
The Drones
Low
Wooden Shjips
Edan with Dagha
Thee Silver Mount Zion Orchestra

Jeez. The MBV news is great, but I’m a lot more excited about Tortoise performing Millions Now Living Will Never Die in its entirety. Time to sell some plasma and get me a ticket…

Yesterday’s post about the continuously playing piano got me thinking. And it also reminded me of something…

Really, that piano’s endless prattling has NOTHING on “As Slow As Possible,” John Cage’s 639-year composotion. That’s right. IT TAKES 639 FUCKING YEARS TO PLAY!

Right now, and for the last few years at the Sankt-Burchardi Church in Germany, “As Slow As Possible” is being hammered out on a church organ. The piece began in 2001, but the first audible note didn’t come until 2003 as the first 17 months consisted of air sucking into the organ’s bellows.

Notes on the composition:

“There are eight pieces, any one of which must be omitted and any one of which must be repeated. The repetition may be placed anywhere (even before its appearance in the suite) but otherwise the order of the pieces as written shall be maintained.

Neither tempo nor dynamics have been notated. Time proportions are given (just as maps give proportional distances). Accidentals apply only to those pitches they directly precede.”

And, get a load of a partial schedule of changing notes (of course, organ’s sustain notes indefinitely so someone doesn’t have to be sitting there the whole time, obviously):

July 5, 2004 July 5, 2005 January 5, 2006 May 5, 2006 July 5, 2008 November 5, 2008 February 5, 2009

This project is absolutely awesome and totally crazy. It’ll be quite a triumph if future generations finish this thing… So mark your calendars for, uh, September 5th, 2640. Shit… too bad we all know the world ends in 2012…

Dates for the 2008 Rock The Bells tour have been announced, and it is almost like I never left high school. Nas, Pharcyde, Tribe, De La, Mos Def, Dead Prez: all that’s missing is Radiohead, Outkast, and the rest of Wu-Tang Clan and I’m pretty sure you have me from the ages of fifteen to eighteen locked up tight.

Sadly, the closest the tour is coming is to San Francisco, which begs the question: who’s ready for a road trip?

THE RACONTEURS, BIRDS OF AVALON
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) Mr. White or not, I pity the Raconteurs for having to follow Birds of Avalon. Anyone that’s seen BoA, or Paul and Cheetie’s former band Cherry Valence, knows the heat those dueling North Carolina guitars bring. They make melodic, progressive 1970s rock sound so fucking immediate. Obviously then, being “progressive,” BoA have some serious chops. But their songs are written so clearly, that even when piling years of rock history on all at once, the music doesn’t get bogged down in thickheaded rock cliché. Honestly, it’s kinda shocking how smart they are, and it makes those twenty-something long-hair beardos attempting to pull off the same seem so silly. Hmmm, now what’s the average age of a Raconteur? MIKE NIPPER

The only time I have ever blacked-out in a bar—a glorious moment of my wasted early 20s—was during a Cherry Valence performance. Just seeing their hissing raw garage rock in a sweltering club, during a late-Summer California heatwave, was enough to put me on my back. Plus, I suppose, all those drinks probably had something to do with it as well. See them tonight and do your best to stay upright.

MP3:
Birds of Avalon - Measure Of The Same

EXCEPTER, YELLOW SWANS
(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) As someone who typically views hot, hip bands from New York City with a bit of skepticism, it took me a while to admit that Excepter is actually pretty darn good. Their new album, Debt Dept., recalls Wolf Eyes’ prime from several years back with fuzzed-out synths, cracked electronics, and tossed-off vocals. There are moments when their blasé demeanor comes across as forced (and a bit irritating), but there’s also something compelling about much of this music, including the zombie-techno throb of “Kill People,” and the doom-laden repetition of “Entrance.” WILL YORK

MP3:
Excepter - Kill People MIX DD

Can I plead my case that this isn’t some sort of ’90s revisionism post? While it’s hard not to miss the healthy music industry of that decade—one which was built upon the back of the consumer ($18 for a CD? Really?)—there isn’t much about those ten years of music that I miss too terribly. But, at the same time, Possum Dixon was very much a band of that era. I’m not saying their off-kilter brand of rock—one which teetered between the tags “indie” (as in a killer Ben is Dead review), and “alternative” (as in Lewis Largent wants them to co-host 120 Minutes with him)—couldn’t be the product of this decade, but it just seemed like they belonged in the Clinton-era.

While Possum Dixon had a near-hit single, viewable here, the band primarily focused itself around frontman Rob Zabrecky’s quirky ability to birth a pop melody from the everyday slacker minutia of being an underemployed young man, fresh from school, slumming it in Los Angeles. So, instead of the possible hits, we’ll focus a bit more on a couple deeper tracks from their stellar self-titled debut from ‘93.

Before we watch the girl destroy Zabrecky, and the band develop their pop melody, “Nerves” is the rigid opening track to the album. It’s an ominous start, to kickoff your major label career with such a white knuckle rock song about being a wound-up mess. “Nerves” also features the first of two mentions of Silverlake on the album, a simplistic “I hate work/I’m a mail room clerk” line (which is excusable since Zabrecky actually did work in a mail room—he's a magician now), and a fantastic Beach Blanket surf guitar solo alongside that dramatic all-keys-at-once piano pounding that the band made a staple of their live shows. When I saw them open for Dead Milkmen (I was 14! I lost my shoe in the mosh pit!), the band spent more time abusing their equipment and falling over—much like the music buying public, gravity, too, wasn’t on Possum Dixon’s side—than they did playing the role of polite opening act.

MP3:
Possum Dixon - Nerves

“Invisible” is quick out of gates as the token soft ballad, the mid-album introspective number that balances out the rigid vocal jerkings of Zabrecky and the clumsy piano crashes of keyboard/organist Robert O’Sullivan. But instead of “dear diary” emotion, it fleshes out to be one of the stronger songs of the band’s catalog, with its boredom/masturbation lyric (pre-dating Green Day’s “Longview” by a year), a pre-gentrification shout-out to hipster Los Angeles (“Echo Park turns to Silverlake”), and a possible salute to the "number nine" repetition of The Beatles’ "Revolution 9." Paul is dead. So is alternative rock.

MP3:
Possum Dixon - Invisible

Never mind the terrible band name, Fuck Buttons are going to rip me and every other unsuspecting Caribou fan a new one tonight. Don’t get me wrong: I love me some Caribou (much more than this guy, that’s for sure). However, I’ve seen Dan Snaith do his thing on more than one occasion, yet I’ve never had the pleasure of having my face melted by the awesomeness that is Fuck Buttons.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to pick up Street Horrrsing, the new one by the F-Buttons, please do so. It lives up to all the hype, I promise.

It looks like it might be an early one tonight (Doors at 8, show at 9), so be sure to fire up the Tivo for Gossip Girl and make your way down to the Doug Fir. Really, tonight is going to be epic.

OK, this is fucking crazy: $43,000 piano with an internet connection (that’s the entry model, by the way).

This monstrosity, the Yamaha Disklavier Mark IV, is a player piano with a twist—24-hour continuous playing via subscription service. That’s right, plug in the ethernet cord and this lil’ bastard will download and play tunes continuously, all year long. There are also disks of karaoke songs you can buy.

Now, I can imagine it in a hotel bar (although it’s sad a pianist is losing a job) but picture it in some rich asshole’s house at a party. My god…

Say you picked up a free piano on craigslist, I wonder how much it’d cost to hire round-the-clock players. At your house. To play, even when you’re not home. Or asleep. Jesus. HA!

Screw it, I’m getting one. It’s gone to kill my credit and take up most of my apartment, but good luck getting this sucker back down my twisted staircase after we get it in. Actually, to watch this goddamn thing get delivered up here only to have the repo guy have to bring it back done would alone be worth the price of admission (read: damage to my already poor credit).

Here is what I wrote about the Old Haunts in this week’s paper:

Olympia garage trio the Old Haunt’s new album Poisonous Times assembles a huge variety of sounds to make a record as perfectly rock ‘n’ roll as anything can be in this age of scattered influences and splintered subgenres. Joined by former Bikini Kill drummer Tobi Vail, singer/guitarist Craig Extine and bassist Scott Seckington create music that’s classicist—perhaps derivatively so—but splendidly enjoyable in its own right. Opener “Volatile” sets a twanging, Byrds-like guitar adrift in Television whirlpool riffs, with agitated vocals from Extine scaling the melody like a cat getting stuck up a tree. The Donovan-esque fingerpicking of “Hung Up on the Down Sound” is given an ominous melody to wrap around, and “Not Hopeless” pairs the country punk sound of X with a sneering, wretching vocal that’s part John Fogerty and part Bon Scott. Poisonous Times is a great album, and the band’s punch and drive will make sure these songs absolutely kill in a live setting.

And now I’m kicking myself that I can’t go to the show tonight. This really is one of my favorite new records. I liked it immediately on first listen, and it just gets better and better. I’m checking their (long) tour itinerary for a return date to Portland. There doesn’t seem to be one on the schedule, so I may just run up to Olympia on May 30 for their homecoming show. But you! You are not me. You can go to the Towne Lounge tonight, and you should! (And don’t tell me how awesome it is, I don’t want to know.)

MP3:
The Old Haunts: Volatile

w/Sleepwalkers RIP and Jenny Hoyston; Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Pl, 9:30 pm, $5

The only thing worse than taking one on the chin, is getting punched in your face, while on film.

Because, in this day and age, you know the clip of your pounding will eventually end up on YouTube, and then someday you’ll have to explain it to your grandkids, who will most likely assume you were a pussy. Case in point: The gentleman who stumbled onstage during a Toronto Jay Reatard performance and got smacked (and then hit again and again, courtesy of a remix, YouTube style).

Ouch.

And in a loving tribute to leaving the stage to the artists, here is Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy attacking a fan, Axl enforcing his “no cameras” policy, and a clip best explained by its user-posted description, “danzig gets socked in the face like a btich.”

Though I make fun of them—a lot—I do realize it’s not easy being German. From what I understand, they love their children just like we do, and studies have shown they they demonstrate something akin to what we like to call “feelings.” So when Germans get “depressed” who do they turn to for some good old cheering up? Why, SNOOP DOGG, of course, doing a wonderfully smarmy version of German singer/actor Roy Black’s “Schön ist es auf der Welt zu sein.” According to my online translator, that means, “Beautiful it is to be been in the world.” HA! Why are they so depressed? If I talked that funny, I’d be cracking myself up all the time!

After handily defeating Pitchfork Media with their coverage of Menomena’s Record Store Day foosball challenge, Team Mercury cockily strode into Jackpot! Records Saturday afternoon expecting to triumph effortlessly over the local indie rock band with their crackerjack foosball skills. Team Mercury grabbed their ticket and waited for announcer/DJ Danny Seim to announce their number.

Team Menomena came amply prepared, backed by what seemed to be multiple corporate sponsors: Offensive lineman Justin Harris and defense/goalie Brent Knopf were attired in matching Adidas warm-up garb, Asics, and upside-down-swoosh Nike headbands (does that make it “Ekin”?), and were fueled by cola, Oreos and cheese doodles. Conversely, Team Mercury came armed with street clothes, chewing gum and mild hangovers. When Seim announced number “147,” offensive player Alison Hallett and defensive lineman Ned Lannamann took their places on the poles. The ball was dropped into play, and the match began.

Hallett scored the first goal and was kindly congratulated by Harris and Knopf, a surprising tactic that threw Team Mercury. "You mean we're going to be good sports about this?" she asked, puzzled.

Pleasant civility was not the only trick Team Menomena had up their sleeve, either. Danny Seim played a serious of marijuana-themed songs on the turntable, including "Mary Jane," "Rainy Day Women," and a spoof of Joan Osbourne's "One of Us" that swapped all of the original lyrics with pot references. The song was so awful that Team Mercury had trouble concentrating on the game.

Still, Team Mercury's lead continued until the score was 5-3, at which point Lannamann's iron defense crumbled. Menomena, realizing they were being too nice, decided to actually take the game seriously and handily scored 2 more goals, bringing the game to 5-5.

"Match point," announced Seim solemnly. "Quiet, please."

A hush fell over the crowd as the ball dropped into play. It traversed the field back and forth, with Lannamann and Knopf each determined not to let the final goal past their little goalie-man thingies. Then Hallett pulled a surprise move so unconventional that neither team was prepared for it. It was effective, too, resulting in the winning goal--however, Hallett had inadvertently kicked the ball in the wrong direction, thus scoring on her own team.

Menomena 6-5.

Post-game wrap-up:
"I think we played a good game today," said Lannamann. "We came onto the table a little cold, not really warmed-up. Menomena, on the other hand, had been playing foosball all afternoon and were surely at the top of their game. Also, I had just eaten a bunch of free cheese samples at the Farmer's Market, so I was feeling a bit logy."

Hallett concurred. "We learned a lot out there," she said. "Foosball's not really my game, though. If this was an air hockey match, their asses would have been handed to them. But yeah, I learned a very important lesson: Do not score on your own goal. Otherwise you will lose."