This Month In Releases: January 2014

Welcome to our favorite local releases post for the month of January!! In this post we loving offer up the 11 EPs/LPs and 1 compilation that constituted our favorite local listens to emerge in the last month. As always, the rules are as follows: all records were released during the month of January by either a local artist or a local record company. They appear in no particular order and singles and 7" were not included (unless they were EP length). If I didn't include your release I either didn't like it, didn't hear it, or one or both of us has the wrong release date. Click the link in the album title for more from each artist. Enjoy!

EPs/LPs:

Julie Byrne, 'Rooms With Walls and Windows' (Orindal) -- folk

Julie Byrne's debut full-length is beautiful. Recorded live with only an acoustic guitar or keyboard as accompaniment, 'Rooms With Walls and Windows' is simple but never plain, engrossing but never needy. The most common comparison people have made is to the more folk-based recordings from Liz Harris' Grouper project, but I think Julie would find equally good company on a bill with Olympia's Eleanor Murray. Either way, her arrival is welcome news to us at NGD.

OCnotes, 'Rap Loops' (self-released) -- beats

107 mini, but not that mini, tracks of beats "for the cats that still freestyle with homies or all alone" from Otis Calvin III. They may have been intended as backing tracks, but 'Rap Loops' has a personality all its own. Airy, lo-key, funky beats that are perfect for a roaming mind.

VibraGun, 'VibraGun' (self-released) -- shoegaze, alt rock, dream pop

The perfect place to start that "best of 2014" list. VibraGun delivers on their long-anticipated masterpiece and the results are undeniable. Read our review here.

Kingdom of the Holy Sun, 'Pharmaco (revisited) EP' (self-released) -- psych, space rock 
More great psych goodness from Guido Anselmi and crew. This EP contains a selection of tracks culled from their 2012 full-length, 'Pharmacokinetics'. They seem to be the same recordings, but maybe with some of the levels tweaked? I don't know; whatever, these songs are great.

Bosnia, 'Bosnia' (Hanged Man) -- experimental hardcore punk, doom, noise 
The newest solo project from Ian Kurtis Crist (Health Problems, Bat). Take Reagan Youth and Black Flag, slow-em to an agonizing crawl and run em' through a blender and you have Bosnia. Really fucking good hardcore.

HOM, 'Bound/Somn' (MOTOR) -- mutant house, techno, kraut

The second release from the mutant house off-shoot of Debacle Records is a killer trance-inducing deep house single by Ashley P. Svn. MOTOR is one of the most exciting things brewing in the Seattle music scene at the moment; if you haven't been to one of their showcases yet you are missing out. Check out their next two events here and here.

Chung Antique, 'Sweater Weather' (20 Sided Records) -- post rock, math rock

'Sweater Weather' finds the Seattle-by-way-of-Olympia trio continuing their assault on the barriers that separate math rock and post rock. It's been a while since their last release, but they are stronger than they've ever been. Read our review here.

Deadkill, 'No, Never!' (Good To Die) -- punk, hard rock

Good to Die always brings their A game and the new Deadkill record is no exception. Two years on from the release of their debut 7" and this band is still razor sharp. 'No Never' is an unpretentious, 100% fat free, hardcore punk record. Period.

Wind Burial, 'Wind Burial' (self-released) -- prog rock, acid rock, ethereal pop

Easily our most anticipated album of 2013--so much so in fact that we put it on our best of 2013 list before learning that the official release date was actually January 1st of 2014. Read our review here. Check out our other best of 2013 releases here.

WIMPS, 'Party At The Wrong Time' (Help Yourself) -- punk? punk!

How can you not love WIMPS? No harder-core than thou, no real "look"; WIMPS write "asocial singalong anthems" that speak to the love/hate relationship we have with our obligations, and "Party At The Wrong Time" is every inch as therapeutic as its predecessor. Not for nothing, this is an amazingly fun band to support as well.

Sunn O))), 'La Reh 012' (self-released) -- ambient metal, noise, doom

Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson are a local institution and this disc contains all the smouldering, harsh static that you'd expect from one of the most venerated duos in ambient black metal. Also, don't forget to check out their new collaboration with Norway's Ulver here.

Compilations/Mixes:

Various Artists, 'Mixtape III: Airport Way', (CTPAK Records) -- ambient hip hop, beats

CTPAK's Richie Nelson (aka. Richie Dagger's Crime) and Madison Levine (aka Weapons of Mass Destruction) take on a series of remixes of songs from the CTPAK label including material by Moose Portrait and Death By Stars. Don't forget to check out the first two mix-tapes here and here.

These Months in Photos: December & January

December was a whirlwind and frankly, I just didn't have time to get out to many shows or write much in the blog. January has been much better for time management, huzzah! We saw some really great shows these past two months, including watching dudes bouncing around gleefully in the pitch dark to Pete Swanson's unique brand of dancey noise at Chop Suey; the double drumming bonanza of Gems at The Josephine; the last show of Lou Lou Hernandez at Cafe Racer; and Wind Burial slay at the Sunset Tavern. Enjoy the photos; lot's of great shows coming up in February, see you out there!

Gems: double the drums, heavy on the fog. 12/15, The Josephine.

Chris Davis, Motor IX presented by Debacle Records. 12/20, Chop Suey.

Pete Swanson, Motor IX

Kairos at Columbia City Theater, 1/16

Wind Burial's 'Wind Burial' EP Release Show, along with pals Golden Gardens. 1/16, the Sunset Tavern.

Lou Lou Hernandez played their final show at Cafe Racer on 1/24. We'll miss them!

Ecstatic Cosmic Union rounded out the night, 1/24, Cafe Racer.

Gabriel Mintz and Kevin Murphy (The Moondoggies) played Hilliard's Brewery on 1/25.

Motor X, presented by Debacle Records on 1/31 at the Lo-Fi, featured (clockwise from top left): Airport, Patternmaster, Raica, and Apartment Fox.

The Mantles warm up the crowd for wimps' EP release show, 1/31 at Victory Lounge.

wimps' 7" release show. We dug the new songs! And the Victory Lounge was packed!

SWL #12: Wimps, "Stop Having Fun"

Wimps don't necessarily write songs for the punk or alternative youth, in my opinion. This song, which features the yelling break "Everyone! Stop Having! Stop Having! Fun Right Now!", is made for those of us who have grown up, gotten "adult" jobs, and find ourselves thinking those things we swore we never would, like "Pull your pants up! I can see your underwear!", etc. Of course the song is tongue-in-cheek. That's what makes it fun (despite the demand to stop having said fun). Hand on my hip, finger wagging, I quote the line from the song "It's that time of the month for you to shut up!" whenever I'm feeling silly.

Festivals, Concert Series, and Mega-Shows, Part 2: Music Goes Well With...

Festivals, Concert Series, and Mega-Shows, Part 2

The PNW is blessed with plenty of ambitious event planners that cater to a wide range of musical interests. This post highlights festivals and mega-shows (our term for a one-day festival) in our region that feature more than just great music.

Music goes well with...craft beer!

Like to wash down your music with a frosty brew?

Taking place from 4pm till midnight on the last Saturday of Winter (March 16) at King's Hall, The Stranger presents its first Penumbra Beer Bash. The event features 25 craft beers from local breweries like Hilliard's, Fremont, Naked City, and more and the music lineup includes 6 different bands: The Catheters, Pleasureboaters, TacocaT, Wimps, La Luz, and Prism Tats. Tix are $25 and you get 7 drink tokens; you will definitely get your money's worth, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit The World is Fun. Need more? Food trucks will be there! Like Skillet and Seattle Biscuit Company! Plus there's this weird thing called a Randall which dispenses beer with "various specialty ingredients, thereby infusing unique flavors".... sounds cool, right? They're having a Randall Competition and there will be 12 of 'em!

I know what you're wondering. What does Penumbra mean? Well, they want you to think of it as the "darkness that defines the silver lining." I think it's an allusion to the last dark days of Winter before the Spring.

Music goes well with beer and...bikes! 

But you'll either have to take my word for it, or travel to Boise, Idaho to experience the only New Belgium Brewing Tour de Fat stop in the PNW.

Portland-based March Fourth Marching Band plays Tour de Fat at Gasworks way back in 2008

Tour de Fat is a traveling bike/beer/music summer mega-show that used to make stops in Portland and Seattle, but I guess they decided these fair cities were bike-friendly enough. Bike parade, music, variety acts, beer, and it was held at Gasworks park in the middle of summer...sigh...those were the days. Anyways, they continue to bring this good time to cities all over the nation, and if you find yourself near Boise on August 17th, make a point of going.

Thankfully, New Belgium still stops in Seattle for their Clips of Faith bike, beer, and folly-inspired traveling short film festival...which is totally awesome, too, but it doesn't feature music.

Music goes well with...comedy, ballet, rat city roller girls, short films, theatre, great food, and whatever else the geniuses at Bumbershoot can think of! 

Death Cab for Cutie at Bumbershoot 2008

Labor day weekend is August 31-September 2 this year, folks. Bumbershoot tickets have been on-sale in one form or another since Halloween 2012, and ticket prices will only continue to increase. You can currently buy a 3-day pass to this morning-till-midnight music and arts binge for $99 (before fees). That's 34% off door prices. It is the best value for your money as far as PNW festivals go, and if you get burnt out on music, there are ALL THE OTHER THINGS. It boggles my mind. There will be more on Bumbershoot as soon as they start posting lineup information.

Artist Review: WIMPS

 

I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Seattle’s Wimps than their lunacy-inducing New Year’s Eve set at the Comet (alongside Monogamy Party, Haunted Horses and Ubu Roi). I had already downloaded their E.P, but didn’t really have any idea of what to expect from a live show. Happily, I spent the all too brief set crashing around to songs about the joys of napping and workplace frustration (not to mention avoiding Matt’s flailing bass neck), and when it was all over I had not only avoided that nasty sense of false introspection the Eve usually instills, but I had also found a new favorite band.

Wimps, which consist of Rachel Ratner (guitar/vocals), Matt Nyce (bass/vocals), and Dave Ramm (drums) deal in an awesomely stark, surf-tinged punk aesthetic, but that’s not what makes them special. What sets this group apart from the saturated DIY-punk community is their blistering energy and Nyce and Ratner’s clever, howling delivery of seemingly simple lyrical themes. Punk is not unaccustomed to songs (and whole records) based on topics like banality or anxiety, but where much of punk imparts that all too familiar “I’m about to crack” feel, Wimps songs have a sense of DEVO-esque maniacal humor that says, “meh… so what?” In addition, there is a subtle architecture to songs like the title track of their new record, “Repeat”, which is hard not to love (listen below). That song, whose lyrics read, “When your life seems stuck on repeat/Eat sleep, eat sleep, eat sleep” is transformed from a good song into a great song by awesome touches like cyclic rhythm lines and vocal parroting. Their first full length was just released on End of Time Records yesterday and you can listen to "Repeat" below. Come see them at Black Lodge on the 26th with The Trashies and more!

In the spirit of the new year, I asked Rachael for a 2012 list to share with you, and here it is:

Top 5 Wimps moments of 2012

1. Attempting to dry underpants in a motel microwave and instead lighting them on fire
2. Meeting Richie K, the guy who drew the Dookie album cover. He was really nice.
3. Spending a sunny afternoon in Dolores Park, SF
4. Swimming in every hole we could find
5. Endless hours of the most insulting inter-band free style rap battles imaginable