Electropolis: Tight Tights, Tight Beats, Loose Definitions of Gender.

Contributor: Goldenring

Above: Sex Life Performs at Electropolis

If you like beautiful, androgynous women and men in bright leotards, sporting gravity-resistant cubist hair cuts, and laying down funky, retro dance beats then you’d have lost your shit over Electropolis. Local musician and new man at Someday Lounge, Tim John O’Brien, organized the event in an effort to showcase the beating heart of electronic music in Portland, without necessarily calling on any big-hype bands. Instead, he choose bands that represented the gamut of what “electronic music” can mean in Portland. A giant red curtain in front of the stage proper lent an atmosphere of pomp and grandiosity to the event, while also relieving the audience of the familiar, ungraceful (continue reading…)

Laura Gibson & Ethan Rose – Bridge Carols

Contributor: Ed Thanhouser

Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose’s hotly-anticipated collaborative album is officially out in the world, after long gestation. We first got a taste last summer, when the duo contributed “Sun” to the 2009 PDX Pop Now! compilation. In it, Gibson intones, “Sometimes I melt away / into a puddle of light…” just as her voice does exactly that amidst an airy expanse of tinkling chimes and cumulo-nimbus harp chords, all washed in a gently shimmering reverb. It was a perfect choice to represent the project. Throughout the course of Bridge Carol’s 8 tracks, you may be suddenly overcome by the feeling of being bathed in warm light, lifted up, transported. This is transcendental, out-of-body music. (continue reading…)

Rauelsson – Debutantes EP

contributor: Ed Thanhouser, Feb. 9th, 2010

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Rauelsson’s Debutantes EP is your early morning wake up album. It opens somewhere in that space between dreaming and waking, meandering along a gentle arc of gathering intensity. The five song free download was released earlier this month on Hush Records as a teaser to their forthcoming full-length studio album. Sung entirely in Spanish and featuring some of Portland’s preeminent recording talents, Debutantes is thoughtful and elegant. Lead singer Raúl Pastor Medall is relatively new to Portland, and his songs seem like a perfect complement to an otherwise dyed-in-the-wool Portland folk rock. Rauelsson doesn’t try to impress or overpower you. Instead, the band seems more interested in making space for the music to breathe so you can get lost inside it. Fortunately, they’ve got the songs to pull this off. (continue reading…)

Let’s Call it “Charm”

contributor: Ed Thanhouser, Feb. 7th, 2010

Brian Rozendal is one of those singer-songwriters I’ve had the pleasure of watching grow, expand and flourish during his time on the Portland folk scene. A regular at local open-mics, I remember clearly my first impression of the slightly bookish, amicable guy who would take the stage and start howling over his guitar about pain, loss and epiphany. Since that time, he’s recorded an impressively lush full-length record, and now fronts a large band of musicians, including pedal steel, upright bass and more. That many great musicians are so willing to lend a hand to Brian’s songs speaks plainly to their merit. They are catchy, well composed, and have plenty of emotional depth. Appropriately, the group produces a sonic size proportionate to its physical one: big, full arrangements, dripping with honeyed slide notes, full of crescendo and bombast. (continue reading…)

MBilly – Mister Nobody Baby

Contributor: Goldenring

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MBilly, project of singer-songwriter Will Helfrich, has a shiny new, hotly-anticipated album about to drop- Mister Nobody Baby. On first listen, it reminds me of something I’ve heard before, in a good way. It’s appropriate, since most folk music (excepting, perhaps, the “freak” folk variety) is supposed to remind us of something in theme and arrangement. MBilly has a raw quality to his voice and songs that are easy to relate to. What is it about them that’s so friendly, so comfortable, so inviting? Let’s take it piece by piece. Take, for example, the song “Weight of Gravity.” It’s the kind of gentle, sweet song you want to have in the background when you’re having a great moment with friends. It’s not all kodak moments for MNB, however.  (continue reading…)

After School Special

contributor: Ed Thanhouser, Feb. 2nd, 2010

Live photo by: Chris Burdick

Battle of the Bands was something I never experienced in high school. For whatever reason, my school just didn’t do one. Over the years I’ve wrestled with the idea of whether this was something I should be thankful or resentful for, and still wasn’t sure. As such, I had mixed feeling about going to my first ever, put on by a student-run organization, Music In the Schools, at Backspace last Friday. One thing that became abundantly clear as the night progressed: this isn’t just any bunch of high school kids playing their favorite Staind cover. These kids had chops…crazy chops! I didn’t see a single mediocre player throughout the course of the night… that is, I mean if you don’t count Wampire (j/kLOLZ!!!1!). But seriously, with great, all-original compositions to boot, several of these groups would put a lot of full-grown local bands to shame. I was even a little shamed myself to be painfully aware that I was nowhere near this organized, or well practiced, in my own high school band.

I was really impressed by the mature melodic sensibilities of The Swifts, who although visibly nervous, pulled through their set with the kind of spastic, lovable energy that was immediately endearing. Musically, I was blown away by Stimulus Package, whose raw riffage and perfect drum chops were the most impressive of the night. The Backyard Blues Boys wore matching suits and sunglasses… shticky, I know, but forgivable, as they pulled off the musical part of the act impeccably and with style. As the evening wore on however, the crowd began to thin without even waiting for the results. Why? Weren’t they dying to know the winning band? How could they leave just at the moment of deliberation, the moment of truth?! Maybe it was Wampire (zing!)… or maybe, just maybe, we all learned a little something that night. Maybe it’s not about who “wins” or who “loses.” …I know I sure can’t tell you, cause I left before the judges announced the result… but maybe it’s about heart <3. And in that category, well, shucks… I guess all these bands are winners!

Even With Only 4 Songs, AU Steals the (Free) Show

contributor: Shep Mayo, Jan. 27th, 2010

Live photo by: Chris Burdick

Frankly, I’m having a difficult time describing the music that AU (pronounced “ey-you”) makes….It’s interesting, dynamic, cacophonous and surprisingly danceable. Multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland impressively wrestles with a keyboard, synth, lap steel and a melodica simultaneously, while Dana Valatka, who is more than a drummer, but a highly skilled percussionist and musician, provides subtle and skillful rhythmic undertones and complimentary order to the frantic orchestrations of AU. Far from front and center, Wyland’s haunting tenor weaves back and forth through the unsteady tapestry of noise, tying together the competing and conflicting melodic and rhythmic elements to create one of the most unique and compelling shows I’ve ever been to. I’m not seeking to describe AU as some sort of “concept” or experiment, but one can’t help but be impressed with the complexity of their show, especially considering that there are only two people on stage. More than just impressive, though, the music is beautiful and fun, blending a variety of styles and influences creating a romping and raucous sound collage. The only disappointment of the set was its brevity- the duo played  only four songs: Ida Walked Away, RR vs. D, an as-yet-untitled new song, and Summerheat. The show was free and all ages, a rare thing for a venue like Holocene. It was put on by the people behind this year’s “inaugural” Portland Folk Festival. Wow and Flutter and AU were the openers, Akron/Family headlined. Despite the annoyance of a roped off bar and constantly having to tell 12 year olds, “no, you cannot have a cigarette,” it was a great night and a great show, and I think that AU was without question the highlight.

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Leonard Mynx – Le Petit Mort

contributor: Ed Thanhouser, January 25, 2010

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Le Petit Mort, “the little death,” otherwise known as the orgasm, is now also a self-released album from raspy troubadour, Leonard Mynx. Ecstasy and death have always been intimately acquainted, and Mynx skillfully intertwines these two themes during the course of 8 tracks plucked from the sessions for his upcoming LP, Son of the Famous So-and-So. Mynx has always been something of an enigmatic presence in Portland music. On first listen, his songs, though masterfully executed, often appear to be simply shiny, well-constructed pop and folk tunes. In short, pleasant but innocuous. Listen a second time, however, and you start to detect a seething, crumbling despair bubbling over the sides of each track. Mynx’s deadpan flat delivery wants to whisper each word in your ear like a 2 am crack dealer, appearing just over one shoulder, hurriedly offering a fix. And true to the simile, once you start catching those nearly-swallowed lyrics, you’re as hooked as any crackhead. “Miss You,” a haunting duet with Catherine Odell, nearly brings me to tears every time when Mynx sighs, “…I would just run again/but lately my legs aren’t working so well/and I feel like hell/can’t you tell/that I’ve grown old… and I regret the things I didn’t do/’cause I miss you.” By the same token, “Jamaican Song,” with it’s jaunty, upbeat bassline and sunny melody, tells the tale of a man helplessly watching his lover sink into alienated depression. Misery, lonesomeness, broken-down blues and plain old sadness- these are Mynx’s bread and butter, and even in a mere 8 tracks, we have here a veritable feast.

Musically, Mynx is a considerable talent, and one hell of a guitar player. His band and guests are likewise gifted. It’s something of a pity, then, that musically, Mynx’s composition on Le Petit Mort tends to be more backdrop than centerpiece. Mynx’s musical influences are sometimes so plainly visible that they often feel like he’s simply replaced the lyrics of a classic with his own. To illustrate, try singing “I rolled into Nazareth, I was feelin’ bout a half-past dead…” over the opening lines of “Sing Radio.” Mynx’s track may be a beautiful song with fine lyrics, but the resemblance to The Band’s hit is uncanny. Likewise, “Bones,” with its fabulously drunken horn section, feels something like a trussed up Tom Waits cover… replete with carny characters and villains like “Mustache Pete” and “The Chairman.” But perhaps the most obvious example is “Song With No Name,” which you might actually mistake for a Dylan track someday with your iPod on shuffle. So is all this a bad thing? Hardly. For all it’s obvious references, Le Petit Mort ends up feeling comfortable and familiar rather than plagiarized or stale. It helps that the record is recorded beautifully. The time Mynx has spent at Type Foundry with renowned producer/musician Adam Selzer has been well spent indeed. Especially when compared to his last release, 2008’s Vesper, it’s clear that Mynx’s songwriting has come a long way in a short time. And if these songs are an indication of what Son of the Famous So-and-So will sound like, we can expect some truly great things from Leonard Mynx.

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