AltWeeklies Wire
Stephen Malkmus Lets the Guitar Do the Talkingnew
Real Emotional Trash sees Malkmus continuing the guitar wankery of 2003's Pig Lib, but while some of the longer tracks used to meander only to showcase his ever-increasing guitar vocabulary, Trash highlights his interplay with the rest of the band.
Willamette Week |
Michael Mannheimer |
02-27-2008 |
Reviews
China Forbes Flounders Out of Pink Martininew
The platitudes of '78, Forbes' first solo effort since 1995's Love Handle, clumsily grapple with maturity.
Willamette Week |
Jay Horton |
02-20-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: '78, China Forbes
Panther's Second Album Starts Roughnew
Though 14 Kt. God hits with strong, rhythmic muscle on the surface, there's a lot going on underneath; discoveries like warm, resonant cello and subtle electronics make it a little more interesting with each listen.
Willamette Week |
Travis Ritter |
02-13-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Panther, 14 Kt. God
The Maybe Happening Debut with Concept Albumnew
Recorded at Type Foundry by local troubadour Nick Jaina and loosely based on Martin Prechtel's modern epic The Toe Bone and the Tooth , Beyond the Bells tells the tale of an unnamed 17-year-old boy who sets off on a Joycean adventure across the city of Portland.
Willamette Week |
Michael Mannheimer |
01-30-2008 |
Reviews
Helio Sequence's Synth-folk Floundersnew
It begins well enough but, weirdly, it's also stuffed with pick-happy country riffs that inevitably overwhelm.
Willamette Week |
Jay Horton |
01-23-2008 |
Reviews
Michael Hurley: Pre-Freak Folknew
Portland legend Hurley has a posse: He's credited as an influence by a number of musicians both local (Little Sue, Pete Krebs, Amy Annelle) and national (Cat Power, Lucinda Williams, Devendra Banhart).
Willamette Week |
Casey Jarman |
01-23-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Ancestral Swamp, Michael Hurley
Has L Pro Lost His Political Consciousness?new
It was somewhat of a surprise to hear L Pro launching from a short autobiographical introduction into a Jay-Z-style boastful banger on his latest release, Chronicles.
Willamette Week |
Casey Jarman |
12-19-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Chronicles, L Pro
Living Proof Debuts with Positive Hip-hopnew
And at its delirious, beat-mixing, Northwest-pimping best, Living Proof emerges as a tumbling young outfit on the verge of big things.
Willamette Week |
Stephen Marc Beaudoin |
11-28-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Living Proof, Roots to Branches
Sleep and Zelly Rock: A Positive Pairnew
The idea of dancehall reggae and hip-hop co-habitating under the same beats is hardly new -- remember Snow? But where most efforts of that variety target mainstream club-goers, Sleep and Zelly Rock's collabo is positive and real.
Willamette Week |
Casey Jarman |
11-14-2007 |
Reviews
Caves Does Nothing New Pretty Darn Rightnew
Caves' pretty-boy retro rock certainly pays proper homage to its influences.
Willamette Week |
Amy McCullough |
10-24-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Caves, Get On With It
Intervision's Virtual Insanitynew
Paul Creighton and company wax chill and sexy, offering funk-laced jazz with a decidedly futuristic bent, making dance-soul fusioneers Jamiroquai an easy comparison.
Willamette Week |
AP Kryza |
10-17-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Intervision, Shades of Neptune
The Revisions' Debut Sounds Familiarnew
Debut acoustic album from former punk rockers needs, well, revising.
Willamette Week |
Paige Richmond |
10-10-2007 |
Reviews
The Recording History of Loch Lomond is a Curious Thingnew
Listening to Paper the Walls is like watching a season go by in a Disney-esque time lapse.
Willamette Week |
Brandon Seifert |
10-03-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Loch Lomond, Paper The Walls
Sandpeople Finally Kills 'Em ... With Kindnessnew
My expectations for the Portland hip-hop crew's long-awaited second album were impossibly high; I expected an album that would get the U.S. out of Iraq and reverse global warming. Well, kids are still dying and ice is still melting, but Honest Racket is really good.
Willamette Week |
Casey Jarman |
10-03-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Honest Racket, Sandpeople
Scout Niblett Balances Eccentricity and Confidencenew
This Fool Can Die Now shows that Niblett has talent in spades -- and it speaks so much louder when she focuses on substance over style.
Willamette Week |
Paige Richmond |
10-03-2007 |
Reviews
