This Week in the Mercury

Glass Chimes and Good Ideas

Music

Glass Chimes and Good Ideas

Pizza Deliverance with Divers


Let's Discuss Masculinity!


Film

Let's Discuss Masculinity!

Morgan Spurlock and the World of Male Grooming



  |  

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Tonight! Tonight in Music: Lovers, Mastodon, Laura Gibson & More

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 12:42 PM


LOVERS, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, YOUR RIVAL

(Backspace, 115 NW 5th) Lovers and Parenthetical Girls share an electro haircut dream stage fit for two, both bands exploring their deeply unique songwriting styles. Lovers is gearing up for a European jaunt, while Parenthetical Girls just released the fourth installment in their truly impressive EP series, Privilege IV: Sympathy for Spastics. SUZETTE SMITH


MASTODON, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, RED FANG

(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Read our article on Mastodon.


SIREN NATION: LAURA GIBSON, Y LA BAMBA, LED TO SEA

(The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie) The public radio milieu loves Laura Gibson for her understated style and sophisticated songwriting. But it's always seemed unfair to me that the highbrow praise she's garnered is couched largely in negative terms comparing her to the pleasantly mediocre throng: Gibson is a singer/songwriter from Portland, but she's not derivative; cerebral, but not inaccessible; folksy, but not boring. While everyone has been deciding what Gibson is not, she's been making a lush new album, with songs that warmly invite the audience in, rather than holding us at a confessional distance. Gibson has found the sweet spot that's equal parts fresh and timeless, while retaining the authenticity that is so apparent in her live shows and on her albums. This show is part of the Siren Nation Festival, whose weekend-long lineup of musicians and artists is so kick-ass that the fact that no dudes are involved seems irrelevant. REBECCA WILSON


OLD AGE, TURBO PERFECTO, THE WE SHARED MILK

(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Old Age is a new band that has grown out of other bands from around Corvallis, built around the core of guitarist/singer Matthew Ulm and bassist Dustin Daniels. With assorted friends in tow, they offer a high, brassy sound that eases between woozy country waltz and close-mic'ed lo-fi introspection. Their new 7-inch, The Whale EP, comes in a handsome package, with a fold-out lyric sleeve that smells reassuringly of brown paper and heavy ink—its sturdy trappings seem a little weighty compared to the breezy tracks contained inside. But Old Age have sown their seeds carefully, and have fastened their windswept charm to at least one perfect melody, the yearningly lovely "Only Hope." It's the kind of record that makes you eager to hear what comes next. NED LANNAMANN


DEER TICK, GUARDS

(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan) Deer Tick's fourth album, Divine Providence, is exactly what you'd expect from Providence, Rhode Island's rowdy Americana mash-up band. From the anthemic and sloppy gang vocals of drunk-punk track "Let's All Go to the Bar" to the cross-eyed, after-hours balladeering in the first single "Miss K.," the album is a juvenile boozehound lament masquerading as relevant American music. The group has done a fine job of cultivating their brash image since the popularity of 2009's Born on Flag Day, and while the world will always need rousers for the rabble, John McCauley and his crew will have to wrap up their bender—or at least stop recounting its foggy details in song—if they ever intend to move their music past ephemera. Alternately, Guards—headed by Richie James Follin of LA's supremely excellent and sadly defunct psych rock band the Willowz—makes raw and immediate rock that is completely worth your time and ticket money. RAQUEL NASSER

 

Comments (0)

Add a comment

Tip for End Hits?
Email them here.

Friends of End Hits

Enemies of End Hits

/images/adoftheweek.gif

ad of the day

The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.go


post an ad

All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC

115 SW Ash St. Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204

Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Production Guidelines | Terms of Use