AltWeeklies Wire
The Return of Swervedrivernew
The seminal shoegazer band was coated with 10 years of dust when they took the stage at Coachella last month.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
05-23-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Open-Mouthed Adulthood of Kate Nashnew
Nash's sudden leap from a teenager with a guitar and a MySpace account to a 20-year-old with a number-one album has cocked a few skeptical eyebrows.
The Portland Mercury |
Theon Weber |
05-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Great Big Sound of the Little Onesnew
The Little Ones set out to pen the most pristine pop songs imaginable.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
05-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Ellen Allien Embodies the Sound of Her Citynew
Allien was born in Berlin. She lived in London for a year, but returned to Berlin with enthusiasm for acid house at a time when there was exactly one club catering to the new style of electronic music.
The Portland Mercury |
Ava Hegedus |
05-01-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Mae Shi's Communal Testimonynew
"There's an ongoing saying in the band that if someone doesn't lay an idea out, someone else will end up forcing it out of them," says the Mae Shi's Jacob Cooper.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
04-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Cut Copy's Balearic Pop Revivalnew
From an ocean away, it's tempting to imagine something similar to Manchester's Factory Records/Hacienda/New Order scene going down right now in Melbourne, Australia -- only with better beaches and less post-industrial gloom.
The Portland Mercury |
Eric Grandy |
04-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Thao's Enjoyable Folk-Popnew
She's mastered the time-tested songwriting trope of pairing a melancholy lyric with an upbeat tune, but it's rarely a deliberate trick.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
04-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Weather's 'Cove' Release Seems Ill-Timednew
Granted, weather patterns and meteorologists should not be consulted before an album's release, but A Weather thrives in the gloomiest of conditions.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
04-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Carla Bozulich Shares the Scornnew
Recording under the moniker "Evangelista" (also the title of her last album), Bozulich produces music in the same manner that one of Macbeth's witches might conjure a spell or prophecy.
The Portland Mercury |
Kevin Friedman |
04-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Evangelista, Hello, Voyager
Not Indie. Not Hiphop. Just Astronautalis.new
The dilemma of Astronautalis rests on the axis of hiphop's evolution.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
04-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Astronautalis
Meshuggah's Made in Swedennew
Meshuggah's one of several Swedish bands who have moved death metal past its butcher-shop chops.
The Portland Mercury |
Mike Meyer |
03-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jeffrey Lewis Goes His Waynew
At his core, Lewis is an acoustic guitar-toting New York folkie wrapped in punk-rock values. Don't look or sound the part? So what? Indeed, in Lewis' perfect imperfections lie the roots of his charm.
The Portland Mercury |
Andrew R. Tonry |
03-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: 12 Crass Songs, Jeffrey Lewis
Jim White Has Finally Found What He Searched Fornew
There is a great deal of both liberation and ineffability on Transnormal Skiperoo, which is a welcome rebound from White's uneven 2004 album, Drill a Hole in that Substrate and Tell Me What You See.
The Portland Mercury |
Chas Bowie |
03-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Jim White, Transnormal Skiperoo
Aloha Breaks Throughnew
After 10 years, Aloha's Tony Cavallario wanted to do something different. Not that there was much to complain about with the band's releases up to that point, which carved out a comfortable if not terribly innovative niche in the post-rock realm.
The Portland Mercury |
Kevin Friedman |
03-20-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Aloha, Light Works
Alone Again, Naturallynew
Bon Iver chops wood, shoots deer and makes record.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
03-20-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
