I’ve had a promo copy of Sigur Rós’ Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust sitting on my desk here for a week or two. I’d give it a listen when the time was right, I figured—that time being a slow, drowsy, big-sky’d, beautiful night. The later the better. Maybe on drugs. Full of wanderlust. Surrounded by swirling amour. Listless.

You see, Sigur Rós’ debut, Ágætis Byrjun has occupied this distinct real-estate in my head and heart for years. It’s a place I only visit at certain times—usually while deeply effervescent and in love, a honeymoon-type of period. Soft sheets and wind flowing through the curtains, lit by the moonlight. In between alert and dreams.

So I figured I’d get around to Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. It was more of that grandiose, dream music, I assumed. But goddamn—while the new album is still grandiose, dreamy and swirling like a mainline of magic realism, this thing is daytime summer sunshine.

It’s ridiculous and great—Sigur Rós downbeat whomping on floor-toms! Chords whipping back and forth! My God!

The Miraculous Single: “gobbledigook”

The album comes out today, and more fitting weather to greet these sounds there could not be.

Happy birthday Brian Wilson, you are 66 years old today. For your big day I promise to get you something nice, perhaps I’ll smother Mike Love with a pillow, or just make you some cookies or something.

MP3:
The Beach Boys - Caroline No

Poor Caroline, forever captured in time as the cruel girl who broke his fragile heart. And if you want your daily dose of mortality, those barking dogs at the end of the song, they’re dead. Life sucks. But know what doesn’t suck? This video…

When I hear about “German Love,” I immediately think about Hasselhoff fetishes, those sexy scenes in Das Boot, and my German safe word (“Uwe Ochsenknecht”).

But when local band Starfucker—posing above with a Celtics-colored basketball in loving tribute to the long struggle of NBA champion Brian Scalabrine—sings about “German Love,” things are far less creepy. In fact, this breezy little song (the first preview from their upcoming self-titled full-length due out in September from the good folks at Bad Man) nicely captures why this band is all the rage these days.

MP3:
Starfucker - German Love

Photo by Ingrid Renan

I realize the sun has temporarily gone away and the idea of summer jams doesn’t quite feel the same in sixty degree weather. I blame the party pooper and his anti-summer post. We were all having fun, enjoying the sun, but then it started raining on everyone’s parade.

You know what? Eff that. It’s summer. It’s time to rock the summer jams all day, everyday. And, since these are dour times (it’s the middle of June and I’m still wearing hoodies!) and single MP3s aren’t going to cut it anymore, I went ahead and made a full on summertime Muxtape.

So please, crack open a Pacifico, kick your feet up, and pretend that you’re not at work, that it’s not a Wednesday, and that it isn’t miserably gray outside.

Listen to Summer Starts Now! The Muxtape.

Some kids ruin the curve for everyone. These know-it-alls do their homework every night, ace every test, and ask the teacher for mandatory extra credit. And sometimes these pointy-headed goobers take it upon themselves to start a band, write hooky catchy songs, and make the lyrics as literary and hifalutin as possible.

Take, for example, LA chamber pop ensemble Princeton. (Their name alone should clue you in.) Their new EP is named Bloomsbury, which is not just a random word they chose, or a dead end street where they used to smoke pot, nor is it the name of the bass player’s beloved family dog. No, according to the band’s MySpace page:

Each composition on the EP is lyrically focused upon a member of the influential Bloomsbury intellectual collective that existed in London during the early 20th century. Lyrical portraits of Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, Virginia Woolf and John Maynard Keynes are each presented in a different musical framework with lush orchestral arrangements that draw from a collage of influences — Serge Gainsbourg’s Gainsbourg Percussions, The Kinks’ Something Else, Jorge Ben’s Forca Bruta and Jean Claude Vannier’s L’enfant La Mouche Et Les Allumettes to name a few.

MP3:
Princeton - Ms. Bentwich

Ah, that’s better. So, yeah, the band’s got some serious conceits with their music. But when it sounds as fine as this, it doesn’t really matter.

Princeton plays tonight with Cereal and Psaltier at the Know; 2026 NE Alberta, 8 pm, free

Dear Saw Whet,
I am very sorry I had to leave during the middle of your set last night at Valentine’s.

I am also very sorry that while leaving I almost knocked you over, although you were the one blocking the door. And, again, I am also very sorry that once I left Valentine’s, I held the door closed so End Hits‘r Rob Simonsen was awkwardly still trapped inside the bar, mere inches from where you were playing.

That was cruel.

Anyway, I know you (Becky Dawson) are part of Au, and I love that band so much it hurts. I also was impressed on how great your show (with full band!) was last night, so I promise you that I will attend your next show and not do anything disruptive. Probably.

Again, sorry.
Ezra Ace Caraeff

MP3:
Saw Whet - I’ll Say Nothing

Sorta local band, Spoon headed to the flooded midwest (You laughed at them for those highwater pants, but whose laughing now?) to record a session for the folks at Daytrotter. Along with that recent Death Cab recording session this is the second major score for the site (whose Sean Moeller used to freelance for us), plus it’s mighty kind for a band of Spoon’s stature to have taken part. Anyway, while they were at Futureappletree Studio One the band performed some old faves, plus a cover of Paul Simon’s “Peace Like a River.” Oh, and here it is:

MP3:
Spoon - Peace Like a River

It’s been 6 hours of sun, and frankly, I’m over it. Listen, I didn’t move here to squint all the time and lose my gothtastic alabaster coloring. Summer sucks. Can someone write a song that combines this awful season of sunshine with a liberal dose of, preferably Scottish, teenage bedroom emo?

Oh, hello Twilight Sad.

I’m 14, and you know,
That I’ve learned the easy way
Some stupid decisions
And with it a broken heart

Now you’re speaking my language. So if you need me, I’ll be inside, shades drawn, alone. I got some cutting* to do.

MP3:
Twilight Sad - That Summer At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy

* For my new Precious Memories scrapbook. I love arts and crafts. What did you think I meant?

Hot damn. We’re gonna kill two little chirping birdies with one errant stone: a summer song, and one from a band playing this weekend (Sunday, to be exact).

This track, from Portland’s Nurses, isn’t quite going to be one of those bouncy, “Hey Ya!” hits of summer. This one simply sounds like summer. And by God, that counts.

It’s like being stoned at the river, swirling around in the underwater currents. Were you to open your eyes, everything would appear soupy and distorted. Blurry eyes. Sunbeams bent by the liquid. The strange underwater sound that’s both zen-like in it’s quiet and consuming as it surrounds you…

What?

Who cares. Go with it. It’s sunny out. Throw a couple beers in the backpack, pump up those half-flat bike tires, fire up a joint and spend all day and all night outside. Ride to shows. Ride to nowhere. See what you see. Relax in what you don’t. That’s where you’ll find me. Slow down time.

Again?

Yes.

Sunday, take the sucker and a couple of friends down to Satyricon to see Nurses, who are by far the sweetest Portland band nobody knows about. But my God, it wont last long. This could be their summer. There’s just no way once people hear and see these young idealistic, lovers of life they’ll be able to turn away. Plus these goddamn kids can write some songs. The song I’m posting, and the ones on their myspace are slightly funky demos, but live, the band really shines. They’ve been performing for years and they’ve got it down. Plus the two newest members (bass and drums, who are not featured on the these tracks) really add something to the picture. I’m telling you: Nurses, Sunday. It’s love.

Also, if you head over here to Brown Paper Tickets, you can save a few bucks by buying in advance. Word up.

Listen: “Apple’s Acre”

Despite the very un-summer sounding name, The Chills wrote nothing but sunshine-drenched pop gem after pop gem. Really, don’t let the name fool you. Judging by the music, The Chills never spent a day in any weather under 70 degrees in their lives.

Next up: tracks from Cold War Kids, Icicle Works, and Ice Cube. Oh, and Snow’s “Informer.” Nothing spells Summer like “a licky a boom boom down.”

The Chills - “Heavenly Pop Hit”

You know what screams Portland summer to me? K Records. I find kickball, swimming in the river, and porch drinking to be synonymous with Beat Happening, Heavenly, and All Girl Summer Fun Band, among others.

However, there is one album that K released that is my ultimate Portland summer jam. Every year, as soon as the sun comes out, What Were Flames Now Smolder by the mid-90’s Portland-based The Crabs gets its due. Their fuzzed out surf guitars, perfect boy-girl harmonies, and songs about crushes are so sunny and bright (even when they’re about breaking up) that it’s almost criminal not to have this be the soundtrack to your sunshine. Below is “Love & Hate”, a perfect pop song that will hopefully be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

The Crabs - “Love & Hate”

I’m a slave to the wistful, and more importantly I’m a slave to the Dave Depper, so in his honor here is the sunshine pop gem, “It Never Rains in California” from Albert Hammond.

Of course, us Oregonians don’t want any mention of rain in our summer jams, but I suppose we’ll make an exception for the warm-voiced Hammond, as this song is synonymous with outdoor daytime drinking and ditching work for a trip to that secret river spot.

Plus, I’m pretty sure I was conceived to this song.

MP3:
Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in California

It begins.

After winter dragging on for far too long, and only a few teasing days of warmth, the Mercury meteorologists (we have three on staff, but they usually just fuck around in front of that green screen) have confirmed that the Portland summer has officially begun. Woo.

That said, let’s hear some summer tunes. All day long the End Hits staff (most likely just me, since the rest of the boys are probably at the lake working on one of those cool water ski pyramids) will be bringing you the sounds of summer. Hopefully this will go better than our winter dance mix (“The Winter of Our Discotech”).

While there might be better songs to signal the kickoff of the long warm days ahead, I can’t argue with a track called “Best Summer Ever” by a band called A Sunny Day in Glasgow. Sunny and Summer is the same song? Throw in a giant sun holding two delicious scoops of raisins and you have one unstoppable summertime trifecta.

MP3:
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Best Summer Ever

Suggestions for summer tunes? Comment away…

It’s been a long goddamn time in the making, but it’s finally here: Tha Carter III. And after all the free mixtape love Lil’ Wayne has shown us, I figure it’s time to head out and actually buy this sucker.

In the meantime, as all the hype and numbers begin to swirl, keep in mind that Lil’ Wayne’s full-on, major-label release is substantially different than what’s been packing the loads of mixtapes he’s put out recently. I mentioned it in a column a few weeks ago, and yesterday Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote a pretty solid story about Wayne’s segue into mainstream pop. We’ll see how it goes, but if “Lollipop” is any indication, I’m down. Seriously, I usually detest Auto-tune in all it’s forms but Wayne somehow makes it worthwhile — eat shit T-Pain! (For more on T-Pain and Auto-tune see Sasha Frere-Jone’s latest New Yorker column.)

So anyway, keep your eyes peeled here for a Carter III review in the coming days. I’ve got a feeling it’s WAY better than that Hold Steady schlock…

One more quick not on Wayne: I caught him on TRL yesterday (I know). In all of the possible venues, it was pretty amazing to see a genuine aura surrounding him there… Asked his thoughts regarding sales figures, Wayne responded: “I don’t care how much it sells, all I care about is waking up every day.”

Not bad. For all the talk of Young Money, Wayne appears propelled by the art. He wasn’t even upset that the album leaked — just as long as people are listening. As they say: Use the money to chase the art.

Blah Blah Blog.

Fuck all that, just listen to this uncensored, extended cut of “Lollipop” from Tha Carter III.

Yesterday’s (totally justified) love letter to the Hold Steady’s Stay Positive got me thinking about the numerous Craig Finn rants on that record, especially that great line about Joe Strummer:

“Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer. I think he might’ve been our only decent teacher.”

Technically, I always thought Ian MacKaye was a better teacher—Strummer was totally the cool uncle—but there’s no point to raising a toast to the guy who pretty much invented straight-edge. Anyway, songs that mention “St. Joe” are nothing new—everyone from Powerman 5000 to General Public have written about him in the past—but few capture the fanboy respect like the Pernice Brother’s drug-happy salute to the former Clash icon, “High as a Kite.”

“We wore pictures of Strummer/Fell over ourselves all summer.”

Void of the urgency and tattered punk anthems of Strummer himself (if you want blatant style aping in your odes to the man, look no further than this song), the song is proof that his legacy stretched far from the punk landscape and touched even the most sensitive of poetic Smiths fans. In that great breathy voice Joe Pernice hazily reminisces on his Clash-soundtracked teenage years, which seem to be have been primarily spent wasting the long summer days away while getting high (as a kite). It would make for great summer listening, that is, if today wasn’t another goddamn miserable day here in Portland.

MP3:
The Pernice Brothers - High As A Kite

So uh, I’m a total ass for missing the CD release party two weeks ago, but hey, better late than never, right?

Los Angeles based old-school hip-hoppers Giant Panda just dropped their latest Electric Laser and there’s a local connection — it was recorded here in Portland. Now, geographically speaking, where something’s recorded isn’t always news, but it is here. It’s not so much location as process. And bunked out in NW Portland at Old Standard Sound the group—along with studio owner/engineer Justin Higgins—went deep into some pretty fresh recording techniques, many of which are rarely seen in hip-hop.

Just like it sounds, Old Standard uses vintage, real-deal shit. Tape machines (to which apparently Michael Jackson laid some tracks back in the day) and a giant mixing board from Memphis. Giant Panda got in on the action and dropped their tracks to that thick ol’ 2-inch tape—so warm and inviting. Add to that a bunch of tasteful live instrumentation and you’ve got one of the best-produced hip-hop albums in recent memory (unfortunately one of the best, most-intricate tracks—a disco inspired number—isn’t available online… and damn… all the little interludes between tracks, like little out-takes cut off, littered on the floor then spliced together… feel the studio!)

Have a listen to the single: “Speakers Pop” and head-over to Giant Panda’s myspace for more.

In between the bouts of Nigerian pop and whatever new crosses my desk, I keep coming back to the Profane Existence (yes, they actually exist outside references in Hold Steady songs) released Resistography by famed Portland punk band Resist.

Huh, punk rock in the Mercury? Aren’t you guys just a bunch of emo bedwetters who never cover punk music?

Let me answer that: Yes, yes, and it’s a bladder problem which we are taking medication for, thank you very much. Pissed sheets aside, it’s true, this paper’s coverage of the local punk music scene has been downright pathetic in the past. We’re working on that, I swear. Oh, and if you know your (local) punk and are interested in sharing your knowledge as a freelancer for us, let me know.

Anyway, back to Resist. The Resistography offers an excellent look at a band that ruled the local punk rock roost from the late ’80s through 1994 (they are back together now, billed as “more mature and sober” than their early days ) with a brutal dose of blaring anthems (Common enemies: The government, intolerance, and the government some more. ) that dabbled in basement hardcore, but seldom strayed far from their straight-forward progressive message. In short, they were one of the more important punk bands on the West Coast, and this anthology does an excellent job of capturing that, right down to the iconic black and white artwork.

If the band ever gets back to me regarding my interview request, look for more Resist coverage to come. If not, get ready for 750 words on emo songs to wet the bed to.

MP3:
Resist - Get Ahead

PURCHASE:
Resist - Resistography

Last week saw the release of Wale’s new mixtape, The Mixtape About Nothing. If you haven’t read it already, the Passion of the Weiss blog has an excellent post up that both summarizes the importance of mixtapes in general (including a brief history lesson) and explains why Wale’s is damn near impeccable and absolutely essential.

I saw Wale at Noise Pop this past year, and, sad to say, I was way under-impressed. I caught about two or three songs but they were so lackluster and boring I found myself looking for the nearest bar real fast. Good thing I didn’t write him off completely, though, because otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered to listen to The Mixtape About Nothing. It’s actually hard to think about that guy I was bored with at Noise Pop being the same guy on this album: that’s how strikingly good it is.

And yes, if you couldn’t tell, that “mixtape about nothing” is a Seinfeld reference. On the first track, “The Opening Title Sequence” (MP3 below), Wale raps over a Seinfeld-theme sampled beat with a whole list of “what’s the deal” scenarios that would make Jerry himself proud:

“What’s the deal with this rap stuff?
Since Napster the sales been crashing and
since Napster the game’s been flooded by has beens and never will be ringtone rappers.
What’s the deal with these ringtones?”

That’s only the first few lines.

From there, Wale sticks his nose in just about everything: race, relationships, pop culture, sports, and Garfield. On standout track “The Kramer”, he samples the racist tirade by Michael Richards and then goes into easily one of the best songs on race relations in recent memory. Don’t let the title mislead you: he may claim the mix is about nothing, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Front to back, this thing is fantastic, and is absolutely required listening. It’s far and away one of the most exciting things I’ve heard out of hip hop this year, and Wale is definitely on a pretty strong trajectory to being one of the best rappers around. Let’s just hope his new album can live up to the high standard he just set for himself.

Wale - “The Opening Title Sequence”

You can download the entire mixtape from Elitaste.

Who the frig is Podington Bear? I don’t know the answer to that question. As far as what Podington Bear is, it’s the name (pseudonym?) of an anonymous electronic musician who has posted three songs a week on his blog for the past year. Podington Bear is based here in Portland and is apparently very savvy with new web media and technology. The site is an excellent example of how best to use the tools of the internet to distribute music.

As for the music itself, it’s cuddly, friendly, innocuous, nearly-ambient music constructed entirely with synthesizers. It’s kind of like library music, or museum music, if that makes any sense. It’s sort of beige. But pleasant. You can check out an MP3 below. A ten-disc box set collection of tracks posted on the blog has just been issued, as well as a stand-alone album called The End. There are a couple theories floating around as to whether Podington Bear is an alter-ego of a known Portland musician. I’m not sure if I buy that; three songs a week, and maintaining a blog, is a lot of work without a simultaneous above-ground career. Anyway, check out the blog. It’s got lots of pictures of cats.

MP3:
Podington Bear - Ebullience

Matador Records’ newest playthings, Jaguar Love, consist of Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato formerly of Blood Brothers, and J Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves. It’s the Northwest version of Crosby, Stills & Nash! Except that instead of acoustic ballads about free love, they play frenzied shrieking indie rock songs about hurt feelings and trouble.

There were things I liked about both Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, as well as a few things I didn’t like about either band. Fortunately, it seems those elements didn’t make it into the Jaguar Love mix, and I find their songs to be adventurous, catchy, listenable and unique. Dig it. There’s a tune down below, and if that whets your palate, go on over to their MySpace page to check out some more tunes. They’re all good.

MP3:
Jaguar Love - Bats Over the Pacific Ocean

And why am I telling you all this? Because! For those of you who ain’t throwin’ down for Kanye, Jaguar Love is playing this very night in Portland. Fans of Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves will definitely want to check it out, and fans of neither may very well want to check it out too.

w/Nazca Lines; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th, 9 pm, $12, all ages

It’s hard to keep track of all the musical endeavors of former Mercury music editors; there’s Adam Gnade’s solo project, Julianne Shepherd’s funk-metal band (Funkopotamus Rex), and most importantly, there is Zac Pennington’s Parenthetical Girls.

In addition to no longer working for this glorified escort trade publication, the good news keeps coming for Pennington and company, as the Parenthetical Girls just signed a deal with hotshit German label Tomlab. Look for their new album, Entanglements, to be out on the 9th of September.

But not only that, but the band just released this great Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark cover (OMG! OMD!) for your downloading pleasure. The band (PG, not OMD) will be playing with Los Campesinos! tonight at the Doug Fir, as if we didn’t write about that show enough as it is.

MP3:
Parenthetical Girls - Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)

Gosh, my vacation sure was great. In addition to all the previous adventures there was some family stuff (not important), amazing food (somewhat important), and a Posh Spice sighting (very important).

In my travels many a CD was purchased, but so far the best of the pile are the pair of Nigerian compilations—Nigeria Rock Special and Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump—that have soundtracked the trip. The Nigerian sound is a loose and classic style that balances the influence of Western rock alongside vivid local rhythms and a whole lot of homespun funk. These two compilations, which focus on music from the freewheeling 1970s, are just a few of many that chronicle this vibrant sound.

And, no, there is no such thing as Dear Sir or Madam: A Salute to the Nigerian Email Scam. But if there was, I’d totally send them my bank account information and social security number. I’m going to be rich!

MP3:
The Action 13 - More Bread To The People (from Nigeria Rock Special)

J. Ward—not to be confused with M. Ward—is a musician from South Dakota currently hiding out in this indie-mecca we call home. His project, the Weather Machines, is guitar-driven, feel-good pop-rock, not a million miles away from the Cars or Big Star, but with perhaps less polish. (This is a good thing; those refined sugars can kill you.) The Sound of Pseudoscience album has been around for a while, but it still sounds fresh—or more accurately, timeless. It’s perfect music for the start of summer, either soundtracking a backyard barbeque or a meandering drive out of town with all the windows down. If it won’t be enough to get you through summer, there’s a new Weather Machines EP coming out soon called Bones and Brains.

Chicago’s Sybris may sound like they’re stuck in the early ’90s, but that ain’t necessarily a bad thing. With rich female vocals layered on top of post-punk guitars, they sound like the hipster version (by way of Yeah Yeah Yeahs) of shoegazey alterna-rock stalwarts like Lush and Velocity Girl. Quasi-danceable, quasi-emo, and quasi-jangly, their main focus is vocalist Angela Mullenhour, whose powerful delivery is the epicenter and anchor to the band’s rich melodies, which quite often start as an afterthought but build into euphoric white noise crescendos. ROB SIMONSEN

MP3:
Sybris - Oh Man

I fucking love this song. I could play it over and over. Their whole new album is great, too.

w/Unwed Sailor, Odyska; Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th, 9 pm, $6

Au (that’s pronounced “ay you”) plays the first show of their tour tonight in Seattle, and they’ll be hitting the road, including a show tomorrow night at Backspace here in Portland. (We’ve got the complete list of tour dates after the jump.)

In the meantime, here’s a new track from their forthcoming, amazing album, Verbs, which will be released on June 26th. Au’s Luke Wyland says it’s “an ode to the community of people here,” which isn’t hard to believe as members from Yellow Swans, Parenthetical Girls, A Weather, Gulls, Evolutionary Jass Band, and Ah Holly Fam’ly chime in to take part in the 21-person chorus.

MP3:
Au - Are Animals

Complete tour dates after the jump.

Unlike Joanna Newsom—honestly, its been almost two years and Ys still has yet to grow on me—Johanna Kunin balances the wonders of the forest (she sings about fireflies in a way that will make you want to ditch your possessions and live in an old growth tree) with the realities of the urban landscape. On 2006’s Clouds Electric, Kunin channels the whimsical without losing track of the push-and-pull of the human condition. She has recently been in Portland mixing a new album, which will most likely put her name on the tongues of those seeking a new mysterious singer/songwriter to place on the altar. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

MP3:
Johanna Kunin - Seaworthy Sleeper

w/Shelley Short; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $7-8

Athens, GA’s the Whigs have steadily been gaining traction as their no-frills, no-bullshit brand of rock ‘n’ roll reaches more and more listeners. Their user-friendly songs are likeable, if scarcely profound, and the trustworthy, hoarse vocals of frontman Parker Gispert give the band its distinct sound. The Whigs’ second record, Mission Control, is faster and heavier than their casually charming debut, as if the band has something to prove, or needs to keep themselves amped after so many nights on the road. It’s less memorable and less satisfying; it’s probably more radio-friendly, too, but fuck that shit. Still, the Whigs deliver live, as do local openers the Dead Trees, who also play everyman rock ‘n’ roll with both subtlety and urgency.

w/What Made Milwaukee Famous, The Dead Trees; Lola’s Room, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $9.47

We are but two short months away from the new Hold Steady album, Stay Positive, but dang if they didn’t go and get me all excited about it today by releasing “Sequestered in Memphis”, the record’s first single.

The track is very Boys and Girls in America, complete with rolling piano, polished hooks, and a crowd-friendly hand-clap sing-a-long. Their template hasn’t changed, but when you’re the greatest rock and roll band around, why mess with something that isn’t broke?

My Lord, God of sweat, sunshine and vitamin D, yesterday was a long day—a pleasant one, but a trying one as well. There were a few bits of music that soothed the burnt skin, the dehydration, and mellowed the physical and emotional exhaustion like some sort of glistening, cool green aloe. I want to share them with you.

After the historic cluster-fuck of hope that was Barack Obama by the waterfront, and the slow torturous escape through the white-hot, bottlenecked cattle fields there is Sauvie Island. There must be. Over the bridge and into another world. Farmland, plains, grass, cattle. “Brushed Sky,” she called it.

I was all wrung out. No words, just long squinting, furtive glances, fidgeting embrace and a deep, confused longing. Eight glasses of water. Smoke some pot and just drive. Windows down, sunroof open, still wishing the motorcycle was running better. But yet, it’s nice to lean back. The stereo is a life-saver. Here, with the sun buzzing through a few thin clouds, it’s Panda Bear. Meandering and dense and foggy and bright. Sweet. Deep harmonies in the music match those the passengers have with the day and the land.

Music creeps away and falls asleep on the beach. Deep reverb clouds the mind. It’s helpful. Try not to think too much.

But other people are mad at me, or so it seems. Fuck it. Fuck them fuck anyone who would dare pose the question. This business is mine and mine alone. Rise above. Those Dirty Projectors—and Black Flag before them—have got it right. Aint nothing gonna ruffle my feathers.

By now the sun has set, but in my treehouse it’s still warm. Or maybe it’s just the sunburns. Nothing a cold shower and a cold beer can’t fix. Looking forward to nothing. But what’s this? Free tickets to Clinic? To turn them down seems a shame, so I wont. A cool motorcycle ride offers only a marginal shot of adrenaline. The dosage offered by the band, however, is more effective. Still swimming in some twisted haze but finally now embracing it. Worshiping the downbeat. Their surgical masks suggest a cool detachment, perfect for this strange day. Mmmmmm, thank you.

Now get me home—to a bed with a breeze. Asleep with all the windows open.

——-

The songs, again:

Panda Bear’s “Comfy in Nautica”

Dirty Projector’s “Rise Above”

Clinic’s “The Second Line”

As I gear up to hit Sasquatch (May 24-26, Gorge Amphitheater), I will be going through this year’s line-up and examining bands that I am unfamiliar with.

Today’s band: Grand Hallway
From: Seattle
Evidence gathered: A bio and two songs from their MySpace page.

Grand Hallway is a rare and strange creature that often yields beautiful sounds. A mini-orchestra of sorts (a typical live show features up to 9 musicians on stage) the troupe’s melodic and intricate songs reflect the diverse backgrounds of each of its members… The seemingly incongruous parts come together to form a whole: an instantly familiar and inviting sound that nonetheless refuses to be defined by any single genre of music.
—from their bio

“Seward Park” is a piano-driven, string-laden ballad with emotional swells and some acrobatic drum fills towards the end. Still, it’s kind of sappy and makes me think of rooms painted in beige.

MP3: Grand Hallway - Pearrygin

Meanwhile, “Pearrygin” sounds a little like the chamber folk of Loch Lomond in parts, but it’s even more melodramatic. With a vague, Broadway-ballad type melody, it’s wispy, and inconsequential.

How will they fare at Sasquatch?
Their music is sleepy and drippy, and they’ll be one of the bands opening the first day of the festival. I imagine that as people begin to trickle in, they’ll be looking for something a little more upbeat, rather than Grand Hallway’s austere, whimpered balladry.

Will I make a point to see them?
Considering that the great Fleet Foxes are scheduled to play the main stage at the same time as these guys, they don’t really stand a chance.

Grand Hallway plays the Sasquatch! Festival, appearing on Saturday, May 24 at 12 noon. They also play the Towne Lounge here in Portland on June 18.

FERN KNIGHT, EX REVERIE, IN GOWAN RING, AH HOLLY FAM’LY
(Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Led by singer/guitarist Margaret Wienk, Philadelphia’s Fern Knight make disjointed, stark, largely acoustic music, with a sensibility rooted in centuries-old folk and classical traditions. Contemporaries of Marissa Nadler and Espers (whose Greg Weeks recorded their recent self-titled album, the group’s third), Fern Knight’s music eschews psychedelia for a more introverted, baroque sensibility. Wienk’s vocals can shift into a haunting register, and the band’s restraint can turn quickly into something piercing and furious. This is a group capable of lulling you into a reverent pastoral mode, and just as quickly jolting you to attention via a few well-placed electric notes. TC

MP3:
Fern Knight - Bemused

Since we already posted ScarJo’s Tom Waits obsession, why don’t we talk about Jena Malone’s Bloodstains?

Oh, that came out wrong.

I am referring to Jena Malone and Her Bloodstains, the band from Saved! and Donnie Darko star, Jena Malone. Unlike Johansson, Malone’s musical endeavors seem less focused and career-minded, instead her 2007 recordings under the Jena Malone and Her Bloodstains moniker amounted to little more than a few shows (in Los Angeles and New York, naturally) and a limited-edition 7” on the great Social Registry label. Her recordings are unpolished and emotionally raw, a welcome change of pace from what you’d expect from a Hollywood star.

Malone’s new band is called The Shoe, so, yeah, good luck Googling that.

Next up: Dogstar!
Just kidding. Like I could compress my D-Star love into one single blog post. Please.

MP3:
Jena Malone - Moonlight Bloodshed

ATMOSPHERE, ABSTRACT RUDE, DJ RARE GROOVE
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) It seemed like the ship sailed on Atmosphere long ago. The onetime king of the backpackers, Slug ruled the roost as an emcee that could emote with even the gentlest of emo bedwetters, and then flip it around and pound his chest with a Suicide Girl-obsessed misogynistic thump. His live show became as predictable as his sound, with a bevy of white-capped frat boys eager to show that they “got” hiphop. So what the hell happened with his latest album, the ridiculously titled When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold? It’s fantastic. Gone is the focus on his personal hang-ups, soiled relationships, and tales of on-tour sexual heroics. Instead the record is seen through the eyes of a series of interesting protagonists. The walk of shame drunken regret of “Your Glass House” (“How’d ya get from the bar to this mattress?”) is anchored by a mighty synth line and vocals by TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, and the upbeat “You” is clearly his finest work in years. The record is a grand departure from his previous style—which has grown stale in the shadow of forward thinking labelmates Brother Ali and MF Doom—and has a whole lot more live band rock to it than just a soft foundation of simplified beats. EAC

MP3:
Atmosphere - You

Photo by Dan Monick

Holy shit… Portland’s own Builders And The Butchers have some long-lost relatives on the east coast. They’re called O’Death and the similarities are striking. Same morbid marches, same busy, sometimes found percussion, and the same murky lyrical themes.

Sure, there are differences; O’Death is a bit more jumpy and visceral, whereas the Builders are at times more melodic. But still, the groups are both following the same moonlit path down towards the swamp.

Have a listen: O’Death’s “Spider Home”

See what I mean? Pretty damn good, too.

There’s more to be found at O’Death’s myspace and their own website as well. Plus there’s a few tracks you can download from their Daytrotter session. Be sure to check “Down to Rest” and “Adelita”.

It may not be the right tunes for Friday afternoon, but certainly they are for Saturday night…

I have been waiting for the day to post this song, and today is that day. For yes, it finally seems that Obama gonna get it.

Earlier today, our esteemed music editor Ezra Caraeff posted what he thought was the best Barack-related song out there. Of course, he didn’t know any better. Because he’s never heard THIS, which is not only the best Barack-related song, but is also—according to the band’s page on CD Baby, where you can purchase the album—the greatest song of the year.

So without further ado, please enjoy:

MP3:
The Steelers - Obama Gonna Get It

After we found out about that Robyn show being canceled, our blogger souls are completely dead. Why bother? The bands we love are just going to break our hearts in the end.

Anyway, one band that has yet to stomp on our devotion is the mighty 31knots, who played a scorching live set for WOXY way back on April 2nd of last year. For your listening enjoyment—play it loud in order to drown out the sobs of the Robyn-obsessed End Hits staff—here is “Savage Boutique” (from the band’s still fantastic The Days And Nights Of Everything Anywhere album).

MP3:
31knots - Savage Boutique (live on WOXY)

As if it weren’t enough for her to only be a much-buzzed about singer (and current End Hits favorite), those folks over at The Hood Internet had to go get all electro up on Lykke Li’s ass.

Mixing in her sultry, Swedish vocals with hipster favorites like The Field, Booka Shade, Hercules and Love Affair, and the wholly under-appreciated Gui Boratto, the Hood Internet manages to create a breezy, fun, and playful mixtape that feels like it could have very well been an alternate version of Lykke Li’s yet to be released in the US album Youth Novels.

Listen to the mixtape here.

It will be some time (weeks? months? 2009?) before French singer-songwriter Soko makes waves here in the States, but her limited output to date shows a fair amount of promise for an unsigned artist. So far she has captured the attention of a foreign press eager to crown the next LillyAllenKateNash, all thanks to her bitter break-up ballad, “I’ll Kill Her.”

MP3:
Soko - I’ll Kill Her

Woah, it’s like reading someone’s livejournal!
Someone in France!

The charm of the song lies in Soko’s vulnerability and self-deprecating comments (“I would have met your friends, we would have had a drink or two/They would have liked me, ‘cause sometimes I’m funny”), although that charm can’t mask how creepy—in that break-into-your-apartment-and-boil-your-pet-rabbit way—the song really is.

And while the lyrics of “I’ll Kill Her” have the same desperate cry for blood as Shellac’s “Prayer to God,” Soko isn’t asking for the Lord’s help (she is French after all, so let’s assume that she, unlike Albini, is completely godless when it comes to her vengeance). Of course one wonders why Soko wants to kill the “bleach-blonde girl” when it was the guy who never took her to the cinema, called her back, and denied her the “beautiful babies” she sings so longingly about? Why not “I’ll Kill Him”? Is she holding that song back to make it her follow-up single (ala “Soulja Boy” and “Soulja Girl”)?

Photo by Melanie Elbaz

When not running this very paper with an iron fist (after all, we are a bunch of “little girls”), the rock superstar that is Courtney Taylor-Taylor has been hard at work trying to right the sinking ship that is the Dandy Warhols. With a new album (Earth To The Dandy Warhols) out on the 19th of this month via their Beat The World label, the band just released their first single, “The World The People Together (Come On).”

Since Taylor-Taylor is my boss-boss, I have to say great things about the song, because it’s totally not just a shallow pop song with some empty lyrics about whatever. It’s genius! Someone call Pontiac, it’s commercial time!

MP3:
The Dandy Warhols - The World The People Together (Come On)

Link courtesy of Stereogum.