The Imaginary Zine is a 60-page old school printed zine recounting our first 10 years with some of our favorite blog posts and stories from our imaginary friends. It is extemely limited with only 333 handcrafted zines made.
It also includes a cd chock full of rare, live, or exclusive songs by some of our favorite local artists, including The Long Winters, BOAT, Tullycraft, Exohxo, Tennis Pro, Math & Physics Club and many more!
{Room 237 opens in Seattle on Friday, 4/5 and is screening at SIFF Uptown Cinemas through 4/11. Director Rodney Ascher will be on Skype for a Q&A after the 6:45pm showings on both Friday and Saturday night—and you can catch a screening of The Shining directly after the documentary on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday}
“This is not “The Making of The Shining.” This is not a biography of Stanley Kubrick. This is: After the film has left the filmmaker’s hands, how does the audience grapple with it and make sense of it?” ~ Director Rodney Ascher from an interview with Vulture
After viewing a film (in particular, viewing a film over and over and … over) some fans latch onto the tiniest details, stringing them into clues that they then weave into a larger meaning that is personally important to them—and then convince themselves that the Director obviously meant that ONE THING.
In Room 237, the film in question in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and those “one” things include The Holocaust, the massacre and betrayal of the Native Americans, something-something about a Minotaur and the maze, an analysis of impossibly constructed rooms and hallways, a look at the interesting imagery created when it’s played backwards and forwards at the same time, and awestruck respect at how the whole thing is inlaid with hidden meanings.
Latest comment by: Kristy: "I think my favorite blowhard was the guy who thought-*ahem*-KNEW that The Shining was Kubrick's only-slightly-veiled admission of his involvement in faking the Apollo Moon Landing. That dude... wow. But the blowhard-ness I think is really important to the audience's ...
This is not an April Fool's prank, friends: if you weren't able to make it out to Neumos on Saturday night for Mudhoney's record release show, you've still got a shot at seeing them live! They'll be taking the stage at Easy Street Records in West Seattle tonight at 8pm, celebrating the release of Vanishing Point as well as the 25th anniversary of Sub Pop (and Easy Street). All of our favorite things!!
Entry for the in-store starts at 6, and if you're a cafe frequenter, take note that they close today at 3.
Yeah, I know it’s a super silly name, but this Portland band is bringing the shiny electro-synth-pop HARD. It’s bouncy and awesome and I really, really wanna see ‘em live, because I bet it’s just like the best dance party I ever went to in the 90s: one that’s sweaty and packed and screaming and leaves you exhausted.
I can’t quite make out who the lead singer is from their web site or the disc (it’s either Dustin Brown, Jon West, Steven Yautz, or James London—and if I had to guess just form the photo, it’s Yautz), but whoever it is has a great, deep voice that meshes well with the lighter tone of the music. When I need a break and wanna unwind, I crank this up to 11 and dance it out.
Standouts:
Mr. Keown, This City’s Falling
Ride
The Way Out
You know what? There is a metric shit ton of good new local music out there right now, leading me to believe that in the statistical history of on-off years, 2013 is going to be an ON. Aside from The Orwells (non-locals, but worth mentioning for the sheer amount of times I've listened to their album these past few months), there's plenty to dig into regardless of your preferred genre: for me, it's the experimental indie.soul sounds of Pickwick, infectious Wimps-style punk, the strangely beautiful songwriting style of Heligoats, and Sallie Ford's modern vintage big-guitar vibes.
Pickwick
Well, we've waited what feels like years now for Pickwick to put out a proper full-length, and we've finally got it with Can't Talk Medicine. Pros: it's so great to finally have studio recordings of "Hacienda Motel" and "Windowsill" after hearing / seeing them at so many shows, and the new-to-me material is excellent and engaging. Standout tracks: Richard Swift's "Lady Luck" gently assaults with a buttery blend of Galen Disston and guest singer Sharon van Etten's vocals; "Letterbox" will get stuck in your head for days and days. Cons: none. While the album tends to sound a bit too clean at times, it's likely just a by-product of embedding live recordings in my mental Pickwick go-to file. Diagnosis: you are in need of this album, purchase immediately. {tour dates / purchase}
Wimps
Let's keep this short and sweet, much like the songs themselves: I can not stop listening to this Wimps demo, specifically, "Repeat" (see video above). The shit is good. The thing about Wimps is that there's no buffer, no... shtick, nothing but the sounds and the delivery. It's almost as if they've all dialed in to exactly what they need and want to be doing musically right now, one of those seemingly effortless phases that's actually the result of a lot of hard work. On top of putting out a great recording, Wimps translates live, putting on a just-tight-enough performance that manages to be equal parts fun and kickass. Don't pass up on a chance to see them, they've got a handful of Seattle and Portland dates coming up. {tour dates / download free demo / purchase LP}
What. More things from 2012? Haven’t you gotten around to the 2013 stacks? Why yes, yes I have—I just haven’t had proper time to listen to them, while this batch of things has been drifting around in my iTunes playlist for awhile and has gotten plenty of spin time.
Dear bands, please accept my apologies for not sharing the love sooner.
The second I popped this CD in, I was entranced by songstress Susie Ulrey’s tinkling voice. Michael Waksman also picks up lead vocals on a few tunes, harmonizing beautifully with Susie. The album has an easy, retro-tinged indie pop sound, punctuated by great vocals and relatable heartbreak-y lyrics. I. like.
I’m not quite hip enough to know about the bands all the players were in before/are still in now (The Maccabees, Pohgoh, Zillionaire, Murder Suicide Pact, Candy Bars), but whatever brought them together here WORKS and I hope Rec Center stays around for a long time.
Standouts:
Soft Pursuit
Take it Back
Monster in Your Heart
Ninja Turtle Ninja Tiger
Pickwick 
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Recommended SIFF + Ticket Giveaway: Mistaken for Strangers
Recommended SIFF + Ticket Giveaway: Mistaken for Strangers
Recommended SIFF + Ticket Giveaway: Mistaken for Strangers
Recommended event {and sweet things!}: Bake It In A Cake Cookbook book release party on Thursday {10/4}