SWL #11: Weapons of Mass Destruction, "Ripples"

On his Facebook page Weapons of Mass Destruction (aka. Madison Levine; also of Children of Kids) describes his work as “sample based beat heavy music with large textural sound design”. This is an apt general description, but in the case of “Ripples” it doesn’t quite cover it. When IDM is done poorly it imparts a sterile, boring feeling, but Levine's juxtaposition here of measured piano sample and syncopated percussion make the track a living thing--pulsing and writhing along effortlessly with seemingly bated breath for almost 3 minutes until it fades out, presumably to inspire elsewhere. The song appears alongside a bunch of other great tunes on CTPAK's Kill Room mixtape, which is available here. To my knowledge there aren’t any WMD shows or extended play releases in the future, but there really should be.

SWL #10: j.Faraday, "Home"

 

Garnering early comparisons to notable producers like Clams Casino, 21-year-old Houston beatmaker j.Faraday (aka Javier Escareno) has been making waves recently with his syrupy brand of dark, ambient hip-hop.  His debut release on Seattle’s Hush Hush Records, Beat Tape #1, came out on the 25th of last month (March) and it features a collection of songs hand-tailored to soundtrack your spring/summer nights. "Home" is the wonderfully emotive and slightly out-of-place closer off that tape, and when I flew back into Seattle this last Monday evening the titled seemed to fit particularly well. The sample, which to me sounds like Bon Iver, and production of the song resonate deeply with me for some reason (who says drum machines have no soul?), but the whole tape is pretty awesome. You can get it on bandcamp as a name your price download; I recommend you do that now before it changes.

This Month in Photos: March 2013

Aloha! We were in Hawaii until recently, so the March photos post is a bit late. We saw some great shows in March! Note that I included the 2/28 Heartland show because it wasn't covered in the February post.

Heartland, 2/28

The Fucking Dyke Bitches

Pacific Pride

TacocaT

Bare 4 at Fremont Abbey, 3/1

Bare 4: All of the performers come together for one last song

 The Comet, 3/2

Blues Control

Dull Knife

VALU-Pak at Gallery 1412, 3/7

Urban Light Studios, "Urban Avant Garde" music and art show, 3/8

Patrick Files

Cassette art!

Heartland, 3/15

Pretty Old

Veronica Falls at Tractor Tavern, 3/21

Midlife Vacation at Heartland, 3/23

Ready to start our vacation on Oahu!

SWL #9: Pleasure Beauties, "I'm a Canyon"

 

Seattle’s Pleasure Beauties are the auditory equivalent of a sunny day—molten, drowsy, washed out guitar-pop music that is nothing if not immersive. The most appropriate comparisons that the trio (Dana Lullaby Jewell, Drew Drool Donaghy, and Will Murdoch) draws are to Texas' Pure X; however, electronic artifacts, noise, and the occasional slow-burning solo also add unique textural differences that set them apart. “I’m a Canyon” appeared early on in their career on 2011's Singles EP and it's not hard to figure out why it made the cut for Trips, their 2012 debut full-length on Wild Animal Kingdom. It showcases everything that they do so well and it's a fitting introduction to their small, but awesome catalog. You can see them this Saturday along with Lovers Without Borders (feat. Karl Blau) and Corner Kick at Heartland.