SWL# 17. Ok Vancouver Ok, "And To Exist"

Record Store Day 2013 brought lots of goodies with it, but one of the lesser-known gifts came in the form of a new LP from Jeff Johnson’s long running Ok Vancouver Ok project. The record, titled Food Shelter Water marks a number of changes for the project, but most notably the official expansion of the act into a threesome (to include Laura House and Liza Moser), and Johnson’s abandonment of his usual four-track recording method. Instead, with the exception of “Loving you”, each of the tracks were recorded live by Eli Moore of the band Lake, and the result is that the whole record is imbued with a feeling of mellow vibrancy that seems handmade for the upcoming warmer months. “And To Exist” is one of the 4 extra tracks that comes with the full download and it's been stuck in my head for the past week. The best way I’ve come up with to describe it is that Johnson sounds like he is simultaneously channeling Brian Wilson, Stephin Merritt, and Yo La Tengo, but even that falls short. All I know is that the powers that be (i.e. the prolific folks at Lost Sound Tapes) have made this record a free download for the time being, so you can head over to bandcamp and decide for yourself. The LP is currently on sale and a run of 100 cassettes are slated to be available as of the 18th of next month (May).

*Updated 4/28* Upcoming Seattle Shows

Hey all. New week, same old story: a ton of killer reasons to get out and support local Seattle spaces...especially if you like the weird stuff. Lori Goldston, cellist for long-running Seattle experimental band Earth is performing with percussionist Dan Sasaki at Heartland, and of course, the first two days of Debacle Fest (including an experimental hardcore matinee show at Highline featuring MTNS and BLSPHM) will be taking place. Label-head Sam Melancon has put together a mix that you can still download here, but it doesn't come anywhere close to hitting on everything awesome (check out the awesome new Date Palms here). Bleached, featuring the Clavin sisters from Mika Miko, are coming through from LA in support of their new record, Ride Your Heart. New Build is coming to Neumos with NO CEREMONY///, who released a number of awesome tracks to the blog-o-sphere some time ago and seemed to promptly vanish. Finally, two label-supported showcases this week: Neon Sigh is presenting Golden Gardens at the Sunset tomorrow and Medical Records and NO SLEEP SEATTLE are hosting Diogenes, Bankie Phones and Goo Goo at Electric Tea Garden on the 5th. Hope everyone has an awesome week. 

April 

28 Golden Gardens, Snowdrift at the Sunset

30 Mercy Ties, La Luna/Brain Fever, Lord Snow and Body Betrayal at Black Lodge

30 Killing Joke and Czars at Neumos
30 Mindless Self Indulgence at Showbox at the Market

30 Crystal Castles with Pictureplane at Moore 

May

1 Bleached, EX-COPS and Guests at Chop Suey

1 New Build with NO CEREMONY/// at Neumos

2 Diogenes, Bankie Phones, Goo Goo, and visuals by Frankie Crescioni at Electric Tea Garden

2 Marina and the Diamonds at Showbox SoDo (Moved to SoDo and Charli XCX has been dropped from the bill)
2 Lori Goldston & Dan Sasaki, Vanessa Renwick (films), You Are Plural, and Lisa Shonberg at Heartland

2 & 3 Allen Stone's Prom-Themed Bumbershoot Final Lineup Announcement Party at The Crocodile  
3 Debacle Fest Day 1 at Fred Wildlife Refuge (line-up for all days)

3 Mitts, TeenSpot and Craig Salt Peters at Black Lodge

4 Perpetual Rituals, Sacred Signs, Midnight Blooms, and Planets Around the Sun at Josephine
4 The Cave Singers with Bleeding Rainbow at Showbox at the Market
4 Debacle Fest Day 2 (matinee show) at Highline
4 Debacle Fest Day 2 at Fred Wildlife Refuge
5 Debacle Fest Day 3 at Lo-Fi Performance Gallery 
5 Medical Record Rx with Stacian, Samantha Glass, Alicia Amiri, and Dr. Troy at Electric Tea Garden   
5 Slam Dunk, Audrey Horne and Hibou at Heartland

4 Metz at Neumos

5 Stacian, Samantha Glass and DR. Troy at Electric Tea Garden

8 Foot Village, Clipping, Haunted Horses, and WaMu at Black Lodge

9 Hush Hush showcase with DJ Alex and Vox Mod at Arabica Lounge

10 Kisses and Trails and Ways at Barboza

10 Dude York, Vapor Trails (Ron 9/Love Battery) Pytons, We Are Golden at The Highline

11 Oh! Pears, No Grave, Scarves, and Craig Salt Peters at Heartland

12 The Appleseed Cast, Hospital Ships and Guests at Chop Suey           

13 Colleen Green, So Pitted, and Blooper at Heartland

15 MGMT at Showbox SODO

15 Constant Lovers, X-Suns, Dust Moth, and Black Swees at Barboza

15 Black Pus, MTNS, and Numbs at Black Lodge

16 Moose Portrait and Children of Kids at Vermillion

16 Hair and Space Museum and JJAAXXNN at Electric Tea Garden

17 Dude York, The Crap, NEEDLES//PINS, and the Steve Adamyk Band at Heartland

17 Yo La Tengo at Showbox at the Market
17 Beat Connection at Neumos

17 Golden Gardens, Tokyoidaho, Kelli Frances Corrado at Columbia City Theater

19 Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death at El Corazon

19 Vox Mod with Dairos (ft. members of Pollens and Totem and Cabana at Barboza

20 Medical Records Rx with IM NAMEN DES VOLKES, SH6RL6S6 and guests at Electric Tea Garden

21 Karl Blau with Baby Copperhead and the Weblos at the Crocodile Back Bar

22 Flying Lotus with Thundercat at Showbox SODO

23 (Portland) Haim at Keller Auditorium

25 Thermals WIMPS and La Luz at Neumos

25 Avi Buffalo at Barboza 

31 Tom Eddy, Heatwarmer and Pollens at the Tractor

June 2013

6 They Might Be Giants at Showbox at SODO
7 Alkaline Trio at Showbox at the Market

14 Mount Kimbie, Holy Other and Vinyl Williams at Neumos

16 Dreamsalon, Fuzzy Cloaks, Chest Cavity/ BBQ Party at Leather Lounge

16 Golden Gardens, Jetman Jet Team, and Space Waves at Chop Suey

21 The Dandy Warhols at Showbox at the Market

22 Camera Obscura at Showbox at the Market 

July 
4 Airport, YOURYOUNGBODY, Leatherdaddy at Comet

11/12 Rancid at Showbox SoDo

13 Sub Pop’s Silver Jubilee, Georgetown Neighborhood. Free!

14 Tuxedo Gleam, Jollapin Jasper, Love Cop, and More at Electric Tea Garden

14 Thunderbird Atlanta, Children of Kids, Wes Sp8, and Werebearcats at Hi-Dive

17 The Postal Service at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, OR

17 Portugal. The Man. Showbox at the Market

18 The Postal Service at Key Arena

19 Peter Murphy performing only Bauhaus material with Ours at Showbox at the Market

30 Feral Fauna, Children of Kids and Karmedic at Nectar Lounge

26-28 Capitol Hill Block Party

August

16/17 Melvins at Neumos

September

5 Godspeed You Black Emperor at Showbox SoDo

Artist Review/Interview: Black Hat

Black Hat at Electric Tea Garden, 4/18/13. Picture by Marz at No Sleep Seattle.

For more than a year now, Black Hat (aka Oakland transplant Nelson Bean) has been dazzling Seattle's independent music community with his genre-defying brand of ambient electro-noise.

 

His first proper release, Spectral Disorder, came out last May on Seattle's very own Debacle Records, and it established Bean as an intensely capable musician with a highly articulate and distinct vision. Back in March I described his sound as consisting of  “soul-shaking tribal and industrial themes”, but part of what makes SD awesome is its diversity. Bean seems just as comfortable sculpting music with a percussive core as with tone-based material, so that although songs like “#000000” and “Spectral Disorder” are rhythmic and chaotic, large parts of “Northwest Passage” and “Callas” sound like unsettled dreamscapes. The only true constant here is a pervasive feeling of suspense, and as such, the record actually feels really big despite its brevity.
"#000000"

  

Covalence, his second EP, was just released on the 17^th of this month (April) and it takes an even more expansive approach than its predecessor. It starts on roughly the same footing, with “Ashe” sounding almost like a more subdued version of “#000000”, but the core of the EP finds Bean experimenting with new textures and instrumentation. On “Jaune”, he trades tribal beats for a harp sample and syncopated twilight clicks and tweets, and “Lattice and Cormorant” (my personal favorite) features gorgeous fluttering beats and thick, trance-inducing static (am I the only one who imagines an old movie projector here?). The two remaining tracks, the aptly titled “Arabesque” and “Singing Point”, have a middle-eastern bent that reminds me of Muslimgauze at times. Both are very dark with an atmospheric intensity that revisits the uneasiness of Spectral Disorder. Overall, these tracks showcase Bean's growing maturity and confidence as an artist and I'm really excited to see what he'll do next.

"Lattice and Cormorant" "Singing Point"
Recently, we got a hold of Nelson to talk a little about his work:

NGD: How long have you been making ambient music and what first drew you to it?
BH: I guess I've been making ambient-like music for the last couple years. I initially moved up to Seattle with my band from college in which I played bass, though Black Hat started New Years 2012. It initially began as a way to flush out musical ideas I'd had knocking around in my head for a bit.

NGD: Why did you choose the Black Hat moniker?
BH: I chose it due to it's multiple connotations: the bad guy in the movie or the hacker who does malicious things.

NGD: To me, Covalence sounds slightly different than Spectral Disorder. How do you compare the two records?
BH: Well, Spectral Disorder was a collection of the first tracks I ever made so I would say the process was a bit more naive in approach. I was literally learning the hardware and software I was using as I made the tracks. The material for Covalence was made immediately following Spectral Disorder, so I would hope that the tunes show a little bit more development with regard to approach and technique.

NGD: How did you get hooked up with Field Hymns?
BH: I fell in love with the label after getting my hands on a number of tapes. I submitted demos to Dylan McConnell (the man behind the label) this past autumn. He enjoyed the material enough that he wanted to release it. It was a little strange for me as we had never met in person until this past weekend when I was down in Portland to play a gig.

NGD: Just out of curiosity, do you remember which Field Hymns Tapes you really liked? Any other records you’re really into at the moment?
BH: They were Oxykitten Octagonal Wax and Charlatan Meets the North Sea. Recently, I've been listening to a bunch of acid techno, punk and north african music.

NGD: Is there a full-length slated for the future?
BH: I'm hoping to put out a full length LP with my friends Doug Kaplan and Maxwell Allison (2/3 of drone band Good Willsmith) over at Hausu Mountain. I'm very much looking forward to completing that project for them hopefully for release later this year. Also, working with Further records on a 12" EP of more dance-oriented material for release later this year or early next year. If you're interested in keeping up with what's going on make sure to follow me at facebook.com/spectral disorder 

NGD: When’s your next show?

BH: I will be playing Sunday May 5th for Debacle Fest along with some truly great acts including Hieroglyphic Being and Prostitutes. Should be a very fun time!

*4/21 Update* Upcoming Seattle Shows

Hey all. I know I say this just about every week, but there are some really good shows coming up in the next 7 days. English post-dubstepper (whatever that means) James Blake is coming to the Neptune in support of his new record, Overgrown, and Purity Ring are making yet another appearance for Shrines on the following night (I've seen both and I'd choose Purity Ring). CTPAK Records has two events this week: Moose Portrait at the Crocodile and Battle Ground Grammer at Hollow Earth, Seattle's Seacat's are releasing a 7" on the 25th at Columbia City Theater alongside calypso punks Week of Wonders and garage-poppers Detective Agency, and Neon Sigh is putting on a showcase at the Sunset with our personal favorite, Golden Gardens. Finally, Brooklyn's Beach Fossils have randomly showed up on Cairo Seattle's event list with Naomi Punk and The FF on the 27th!!! This show will probably be packed despite P4K's "meh" on Clash the Truth, so get there early. Oh yeah...I forgot Chad Valley and Ig88...Google it. I hope everyone is enjoying their Record Store Day bounty; have a great week!

April

23 James Blake at The Neptune 

24 Purity Ring at Neptune

24 Grave Babies, Dreamsalon and Starskate at the Mercury

25 Yours, EP release with 1-2-1-2 and Moose Portrait at the Crocodile

25 Week of Wonders, Seacat, Detective Agency and Say Calm at Columbia City Theater

26 Renny Wilson, Battle Ground Grammer, Yawning Gates, and Wait the Fish at Hollow Earth

26 Chad Valley and Ski Lodge at Barboza

26 Space Needles, Universe People and the Gallow Swings at Blue Moon

27 Beach Fossils, Naomi Punk and FF at Cairo Seattle

28 Golden Gardens, Snowdrift at the Sunset

30 Mercy Ties, La Luna/Brain Fever, Lord Snow and Body Betrayal at Black Lodge

30 Killing Joke and Czars at Neumos
30 Mindless Self Indulgence at Showbox at the Market

30 Crystal Castles at Moore 

May

1 Bleached, EX-COPS and Guests at Chop Suey

1 New Build with NO CEREMONY/// at Neumos

2 Mascara, Bankie Phones, Diogenes and guest at Electric Tea Garden

2 Marina and the Diamonds with Charli XCX at Showbox at the Market
2 & 3 Allen Stone's Prom-Themed Bumbershoot Final Lineup Announcement Party at The Crocodile  
3 Debacle Fest Day 1 at Fred Wildlife Refuge (line-up for all days)
4 Debacle Fest Day 2 (matinee show) at Highline
4 Debacle Fest Day 2 at Fred Wildlife Refuge
5 Debacle Fest Day 3 at Lo-Fi Performance Gallery

4 Metz at Neumos

5 Stacian, Samantha Glass and DR. Troy at Electric Tea Garden

8 Foot Village, Clipping, Haunted Horses, and WaMu at Black Lodge

10 Kisses and Trails and Ways at Barboza

10 Dude York, Vapor Trails (Ron 9/Love Battery) Pytons, We Are Golden at The Highline

12 The Appleseed Cast, Hospital Ships and Guests at Chop Suey           

15 MGMT at Showbox SODO

15 Constant Lovers, X-Suns, Dust Moth, and Black Swees at Barboza

16 Moose Portrait and Children of Kids at Vermillion

16 Hair and Space Museum and JJAAXXNN at Electric Tea Garden

17 Yo La Tengo at Showbox at the Market
17 Beat Connection at Neumos

17 Golden Gardens, Tokyoidaho, Kelli Frances Corrado at Columbia City Theater

19 Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death at El Corazon

19 Vox Mod with Dairos (ft. members of Pollens and Totem and Cabana at Barboza

20 Medical Records Rx with IM NAMEN DES VOLKES, SH6RL6S6 and guests at Electric Tea Garden

21 Karl Blau with Baby Copperhead and the Weblos at the Crocodile Back Bar

22 Flying Lotus with Thundercat at Showbox SODO

23 (Portland) Haim at Keller Auditorium

25 Thermals WIMPS and La Luz at Neumos

25 Avi Buffalo at Barboza 

31 Tom Eddy Heatwarmer and Pollens at the Tractor

June 2013

6 They Might Be Giants at Showbox at SODO
7 Alkaline Trio at Showbox at the Market

14 Mount Kimbie, Holy Other and Vinyl Williams at Neumos

16 Dreamsalon, Fuzzy Cloaks, Chest Cavity/ BBQ Party at Leather Lounge

16 Golden Gardens, Jetman Jet Team, and Space Waves at Chop Suey

21 The Dandy Warhols at Showbox at the Market

22 Camera Obscura at Showbox at the Market 

July 

13 Sub Pop’s Silver Jubilee, Georgetown Neighborhood. Free!

14 Tuxedo Gleam, Jollapin Jasper, Love Cop, and More at Electric Tea Garden

14 Thunderbird Atlanta, Children of Kids, Wes Sp8, and Werebearcats at Hi-Dive

17 The Postal Service at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, OR

19 Peter Murphy performing only Bauhaus material with Ours at Showbox at the Market

30 Feral Fauna, Children of Kids and Karmedic at Nectar Lounge

26-28 Capitol Hill Block Party

Cathedrals, by Fremont Abbey

The Fremont Abbey presents Cathedrals 5 at St. Mark's Cathedral this Saturday, April 20th, starting at 8pm. You know St. Mark's? It's that big, glowing, boxy building in north Capitol Hill that you can see prominently while driving along I-5 through Seattle, day or night. The drawing on the show poster below is fairly accurate.

 

I saw My Brightest Diamond perform at Cathedrals 2 back in November 2011, and was wowed by the ambiance that St. Mark's Cathedral offers. These performances feature artists you wouldn't typically see in a cathedral, performing tailored sets adapted for the unique acoustics of the massive space. What results is a really special event that it seems only the Fremont Abbey knows how to put on. Cathedrals 5 features Shenandoah Davis, Mirah, and The Moondoggies performing an acoustic set. Davis is a classically trained pianist living in Seattle, who cites influences such as Debussy and Kate Bush and is described as "orchestral pop". Mirah, an Evergreen State College alum, is an indie artist who recently toured with Thao Nguyen of Thao and The Get Down Stay Down. The Moondoggies' music has been described as "what the heart of American music should sound like..." by the guys at emohippiebullshit.com, and has received favorable reviews and by NPR Music and KEXP.

Fremont Abbey sets up an event that feels like "a giant living room" with informal seating. Sure, folks will be sitting in the Cathedral pews, but you are also welcome to bring blankets and cushions and prop yourself up against the wall or lay out on the floor. Just another reason I love the Abbey.

SWL# 16: Neighbors, "Accessory"

 

Admittedly, the terms “slacker” and “lo-fi” don’t inspire much hope in me for more than nostalgia-mining, but when I heard that Neighbors had released a song off their upcoming 10”, I Love Neighbors, I had a feeling that a SWL post would be in my future. 2012’s John in Babeland was on everyone’s best of list for a reason: it successfully channeled freakbeat/mod, garage, and protopunk influences in a way that felt both familiar and fresh, and if “Accessory” is any indication, I Love Neighbors won’t fall short of anyone’s expectations. The song is really really well arranged (really really). It primarily alternates between savage distortion and clean verses punctuated by José Díaz Rohena’s trademark emotive quaver, but the breakdown is where I really lose it. The song’s lyrics detail a failing relationship, and as they start building their way back out chanting “accessory” and finally, “that’s all you wanted me to be”, I can’t help but drum on everything and everyone in reach. I Love Neighbors is set to release June 4 on Manic Pop, but you can see them this Sunday (the 21st) at Another Dream.

Capitol Hill Block Party Schedule; 1-day Tickets Announced

CHBP announced their final daily schedule for 2013 today, as well as the link to purchase single-day tickets. We will have a breakdown post in the future, once we have a chance to listen to some of these bands we haven't heard of.

But for now...straight from their email (plus acts we love/are excited about in bold):

Friday 
Girl Talk • STRFKR • Dillon Francis • Chromatics • Danny Brown • Telekinesis • Glass Candy • Daughn Gibson • Bleached • White Lung • BellaMaine • Big Black Delta • Fly Moon Royalty *They did a great set last year, including a sexy rendition of "Baby Got Back" • Soft Metals • The Young Evils • Grave Babies • The Grizzled Mighty • Constant Lovers • Bear Mountain • William Tyler • Deadkill • Princess • The Trashies • Stickers • Kid Smpl • Heavy Petting • Iska Dhaaf • Monogamy Party 

Saturday 
Pickwick • Purity Ring • A Trak • El-P • Star Slinger • Killer Mike • Big Freedia • Rose Windows • Radiation City • Wild Cub • La Luz • Pure Bathing Culture • The Flavr Blue • Doldrums • Onuinu • 18 Individual Eyes • Country Lips • Naomi Punk • Dog Shredder • The Horde and the Harem • Land of Pines • Gaytheist • Chastity Belt • Fools Gold Club House • FF • Pony Time • S • Dave B • Youryoungbody • Vox Mod • TacocaT • Grave Matters • Spaceneedles • Rabbits • Trash Fire • JK Pop

Sunday 
The Flaming Lips • Frightened Rabbit • Cults • Hey Marseilles • Latyrx • Odesza • Ravenna Woods w/ Seattle Rock Orchestra • Sandrider • Black Marble • Trails and Ways • Poor Moon • The Comettes • Survival Knife • Katie Kate • Learning Team • Theoretics • Grenades • Unnatural Helpers • Sam Lachow + Raz Simone • Ubu Roi • Tomten • Jarv Dee • Nissim • Tragic Valley • Scream Queen • Old Iron • Tacos • Dutty Wilderness • Red Bull Sound Select w/ Special Guests

Capitol Hill Block Party 2013 Ticket Information 
A limited number of 3-day passes available for $95 (~$111 per day after taxes) HERE 
Single Day Passes ON SALE today for $40 (~$50 per day after taxes) HERE

See anything you're psyched about? Is there a band we should be excited for? Write us a comment below!