When I was 16, Calvin Johnson (K Records) asked me to drum for Beat Happening on their upcoming U.K.tour. I asked my parents if it was OK for me to drop out of high school and go on tour. My dad said it was, under one condition: I had to prove that I could support myself. He arranged for me to stay with my grandparents, where I did piecework in a cucumber… more »
Not even the otherworldly, questionably authentic personalities behind South African rave-rappers Die Antwoord are immune to dance music’s global takeover. Thanks to beatmaster DJ Hi-Tek, scuzzy techno figured largely into $o$, the manic debut from MC Ninja and his mulletized lady sidekick, Yo-Landi Vi$$er. But their newest effort oozes mainstream oomph-oomph: “Never Le Nkemise” skids to several dubstep halts, and “I Fink U Freeky” is poppy enough to even warrant spins at pretentious bottle-service affairs. After cutting all major-label ties, and retreating to Cape Town, the trio’s typical smut-laden, XXX-lyrics are even sleazier this go-round, but the seeds of this shtick truly blossom when simple off-color antics give way to Ninja’s typhoon flow on “feel-good gangster shit” cut “So What?”… more »
Grindcore is not typically a restrained genre. The drums blast, the guitars and bass are a downtuned roar from the gutter, and vocals are hoarse, half-mad and choking with rage, whether politically motivated or just pissed off in some ill-defined way. Liberteer, a one-man project from Matthew Widener of Cretin, aims to up grind’s revolutionary quotient while also broadening its musical palette, and it succeeds admirably. With track titles like “Class War Never Meant More Than It Does Now,” “We Are Not Afraid of Ruins,” and particularly the unsubtle “99 to 1,” Widener’s politics are crystal clear, even when his lyrics are a harsh incomprehensible bark. But it’s the music that separates Liberteer from the pack. Widener has made a… more »
With Nothing Here Seems Strange, Buxton joins the ranks of folk/rock outfits that prove the deep well of Americana still has a few untapped springs. Nothing Here is swelling with boy/girl harmonies, sweeping strings and a shortwave radio texture that swaths lead singer Sergio Trevino’s voice to moody effect. Flare for ambience isn’t the band’s only trick, though. For every finger-picked guitar or lilting melody, there’s a counter balance: a wailing lead riff (“Down in the Valley”), a shuffling beat (“Lynchburg Ferry”), a breakout jam session (“Broke from Bread”). Whatever elegance they conjure is cluttered with distortion and verve more befitting garage rockers than a group of poetically-minded Texans. Their focus as tunesmiths results in a thankful lack of attitude.… more »
Laura Gibson’s third album is named for a northeast Oregonhamlet just a few hours west of her Portlandhometown. Considering that Portland has, over the past few years, grown nearly as stereotyped as Seattle circa 1993, Gibson might be forgiven for picking this moment to put some distance between her and her roots. It is typical of La Grande‘s boldness and confidence that Gibson instead chooses to point straight back at them.
Luckily, La Grande isn’t a return home as much as the closing of a chapter. On her previous albums, Gibson cleaved perhaps too closely to the popular caricature of a Portland folk balladeer — prim, precious, possibly a little bit too pleased with the sound emerging from her own monitors.… more »
The office folks at Righteous Babe Records put this playlist together for eMusic. It has some choice songs from the Righteous Babe catalog but also some friends, openers and influencers we either work with or just plain like to play. Hope you enjoy! more »
