September 18, 2009
By MusicNerd at 9:40 am
Folk duo Thousands create something temporary and revel in it. They record all over rural Washington—in old barns, silos and graveyards—in order to capture a specific place at an exact moment, unplanned bird calls, airplanes and all. The result is haunting; their songs feel lived in then abandoned. This attention to mortality is what got [...] read more →
September 3, 2009
By MusicNerd at 9:30 am
Last year at bumbershoot, I was miserable. It was my first August in Seattle, my first time at Bumbershoot and I was determined to see everything. Alas, I quickly realized my itinerary’s insignificance when compared to the heaving behemoth of music, film and literature that is Bumbershoot. So this year, I’m going to improvise: I’m [...] read more →
August 27, 2009
By MusicNerd at 2:57 pm
Busdriver is pretty unapologetic about what to expect. On “Kill Your Employer” he mutters in his characteristic pschyo-bass, “I burn flags not oilfields/ I’m no ex-football player Iraqi combatant/ It’s me fucker.” If radical leftist rap or rants about vegan hot dogs get on your nerves, Busdriver is emphatically not for you. But if you [...] read more →
August 20, 2009
By MusicNerd at 11:04 am
Back in the 80s, the kids around here had a term for what’s happening to our current fertile, but precarious rap scene: the Seattle Syndrome. Allow me to explain: Seattle Syndrome in the 80s = All of the Seattle rock bands we liked couldn’t get exposure beyond Seattle, which was bad. The only bands from [...] read more →
August 14, 2009
By MusicNerd at 3:51 pm
UPDATE: This podcast was originally posted yesterday afternoon. We’re moving it up for two reasons. 1) Yesterday, the podcast mysteriously cut off right at the beginning of GMK’s closing song. Today, we’ve got the whole thing queued up to go. 2) It’s awesome. [Editor's Note: GMK plays the Showbox at the Market on September 10 [...] read more →
By MusicNerd at 11:21 am
One of the best shows I ever saw was back in 2005 when YACHT opened for Bobby Birdman at Gallery 1412. I was already in love with YACHT because of his OG indie-Timbaland work for the Blow. And that night he was a sweaty, beautiful mess. He started crouched on the floor—his computer bleating out [...] read more →
August 10, 2009
By MusicNerd at 12:06 pm
Tonight at Hidmo it’s THEE Satisfaction and their fantastic electric neo-soul. And! It turns out Humpday director Lynn Shleton is filming a reality show for MTV called "$5 Cover" which features the ladies from THEE Satisfaction (along with 14 other local acts). Shelton will be filming THEE Satisfaction’s Hidmo performance tonight for their star turn [...] read more →
August 6, 2009
By MusicNerd at 12:15 pm
The electronic duo/trio The Beats, Man are open about their central contradiction. At shows they announce,“We don’t give fuck,” revealing the ultimate sign of “fuck giving”: They care that others care that they don’t care— and use that friction to craft humorous, heartfelt dance jams. Led by former Pleasureboaters, Tim Cady and Erik Baldwin, they [...] read more →
July 30, 2009
By MusicNerd at 12:00 pm
North Carolina’s Bowerbirds open their newest album, Upper Air , with “House of Diamonds,” a low-tempo shiver—and the rest of the album hovers there. The band doesn’t use large dynamic changes to capture a particular mood; Bowerbirds are at once wistful, doubtful and hopeful. It’s a majestic post-coital swoon—laying with your thoughts, spent. It’s hard [...] read more →
July 28, 2009
By MusicNerd at 1:01 pm
Tonight: Go see Nosaj Thing at Nuemos. Expanding the same “post-dubstep USA” territory as beat maker Flying Lotus, Nosaj Thing revels in queasy synths, non-quantized stutter drums and making you dance. Picture from 8633. read more →
July 27, 2009
By MusicNerd at 5:40 pm
PubliCola: How’s block party been so far? Tony: It’s cool. To even be playing at the same event as Sonic Youth is unbelievable. PubliCola: How do you think your show went? read more →
July 26, 2009
By MusicNerd at 9:00 am
New Faces I basically stayed at the Vera stage the whole day because it was all young bands trying to find themselves and sort out this whole rock-star thing—which makes a more interesting performance than watching seasoned pros like The Gossip hit all the tested crowd-pleasing notes. Case in point: New Faces, an Interpol-ish band [...] read more →
