Three Imaginary Girls - Fish the Cat

One show not to be missed this weekend: Fish the Cat Records' Toys for Tots Benefit at the Mars Bar

ChrisB — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:16:15 +0000

A big congratulations is in order to Lesli Wood for organizing such an event that has become a staple in Seattle every Christmas season...

Shake Yourself Awake

imaginary stella — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:21:00 +0000

7.6

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000QTCXX2/wwwthreeimagi-20

MsLed07.jpg

Shake Yourself Awake, the latest offering by local quartet Ms. Led, was written over the span of two years. It’s the band’s most personal release to date, with lyrics about lead singer/guitarist Lesli Wood’s struggle with her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis amidst living a hectic-busy life (musician and law-school student). “I have dealt with being told what I can and can’t do on so many levels. Having MS, I was told that I wouldn’t be able to continue playing music,” says Wood. “I was told to slow down, rest more, maybe consider giving up parts of my life... Who says you can’t do what you want?”

The record spans the gamut across its 10 tracks, from danceable punk to soft-spoken ballads, the range of song styles no doubt echoing the range of real emotions behind the songwriting. What’s a shame is that the lyrics to Shake Yourself Awake aren’t included. I suppose this is probably by design, as they’re indeed personal and meant to be heard, not just read. But there are some beautiful moments captured in those words that I had to strain to hear. Make sure you listen with attentive ears.

In “There’s No Room for You Here,” my heart aches as Wood sings “There’s nothing more I have to give to something so absurd/You tell me how I’m supposed to live... I’m leaving this and all that it stands for, for my peace of mind...” True to form, Wood upends the words and mood on itself with a rally cry: “Now’s the time, so what are you waiting for?” I can only imagine what a rollercoaster of emotion it must be to be told you physically can’t -- shouldn’t -- do something; on the one hand, you want to believe the experts know what they’re talking about, and on the other, you want to defy and prove everyone wrong.

Wood’s doctors had better take heed, because she and her bandmates show no signs of slowing down, instead zipping through punk riffs and sing-along, anthem-raising choruses. “When everybody just says no, I say go.... Every day is opportunity to make waves and everyday is your chance to try to make change,” spits Wood in “Have it All.” The infectious hooks and call-to-action lyrics in tracks like “New Agenda” are classic Ms. Led: energetic, impassioned, raw, and danceable. Mix the blazing guitars with inciting words like, “We’ve got to educate, communicate, organize, criticize, demand to know why, unify, rectify,” and it’s almost impossible to be complacent about anything. And when Wood croons, “I wanna hear the people sing/I wanna hear the people say ‘no more,’” who doesn’t want to join her?

The album, recorded at hometown hero spot London Bridge Studio, is chock-full of rocky, distorted guitars mixed against beautiful vocal swoops, as in “Somewhere on 101” and “Willing to Stay (Shattered).” My favorite of the lot is “Up to the Old Tricks,” a tale of falling for someone despite your own best wishes. Lyrics like “I never wanted to need anybody/get too close then move on to the next one” and “I have a history of instability... never could settle down, never could sit still/never wanted to wake up in the same place/you’ve been a change in me” could almost seem cliché and too fluffy for this powerful band, but they pull it off earnestly. I love the surf-rock bounce and handclaps that accompany 1960s girl-group harmonies on this track, and the chorale of vocals in the bridge is enormously powerful on headphones (This moment makes a reappearance at the end of closing track “Fools,” as the album concludes with a reprise of the doo-wop chorus).

All in all, Shake Yourself Awake is a telling album — the kind you could listen to at any given emotional moment and respond to. Subject-wise, it might even be too heavy to listen to, were it not for all those awesome poppy hooks and bouncy rhythms.

All in all, Shake Yourself Awake is a telling album — the kind you could listen to at any given emotional moment and respond to. Subject-wise, it might even be too heavy to listen to, were it not for all those awesome poppy hooks and bouncy rhythms.

Local indie-pop band, Argo, call it quits

imaginary char — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:22:16 +0000

Their last scheduled show is Sunday at the Georgetown music festival but plans are being made to throw an official going away party.

Say What You Want to Say to Me

Phil Duncan — Thu, 17 May 2007 05:04:48 +0000

7.1

http://cdbaby.com/cd/spanish1003

spanishfor10007may.jpg

There is something about Spanish for 100, be it the band by this name or the curriculum of my freshman year in college, that gets me all warm and tingly. The latter is probably because of the saucy senorita of a teacher who taught me how to roll my Rs, but it’s harder to place the source of this feeling when dealing with the Seattle-group Spanish for 100.

Say What You Want to Say to Me isn’t exactly groundbreaking work, but its straightforwardedness and simplicity keeps it enjoyable. It could also be that overdriven guitars just sound better when the weather is nice.

Spanish for 100’s sound is definitely a Megazord comprised of very distinct influences. Slow slinking guitars that explode into sonic chaos are reminiscent of Built to Spill, while guitarist/vocalist Corey Passons’ somewhat teetering voice sounds like an updated version of Tom Verlaine.

From the disc’s opener “Attack!,” the albums most popular song (I’ve heard it on KEXP – that makes it popular, right?), SF100 set the stage for the rest of the album. Passons’ voice is the perfect accompaniment to the punchy guitars that light up this album. A perfect example is “Limerance Be,” a song that drips back and forth between thundering nightmarish verses and lofty dreamlike choruses. “Sangria” is full of Muse-like (the band not the entity) vocal theatrics that aren’t ever overdone, while tracks such as “See Now” slow the flow down, albeit temporary, before the suspense-riddled “Red” ambushes the listener and pushes them back into a I’m-gonna-punch-the-air mood. The lyrics on Say What You Want to Say to Me are thoughtful and well-delivered, but the musicianship of this album keeps them for becoming saccharine and melodramatic.

Spanish for 100 are a testament the diversity of Seattle’s music scene. They’re a band that can shoe gaze with the best of them, but they are also quite capable of kicking the amps up to 11 and giving the kids what they really want.

Slow slinking guitars that explode into sonic chaos are reminiscent of Built to Spill, while guitarist/vocalist Corey Passons’ somewhat teetering voice sounds like an updated version of Tom Verlaine.

Top 50 Northwest Releases of 2004: the Imaginary Readers' Poll Results

three imaginary girls — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 08:00:00 +0000

{50-41} * {40-31} * {30-21} * {20-11} * {10-1}

#10 IQU — Sun Q
(Sonic Boom Recordings)

{official website} * {buy it}

#9 The Turn Ons — East
(Childstar)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#8 Luke Temple — Luke Temple
(Mill Pond Records)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#7 Ms. Led — These Things We Say
(Fish the Cat)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#6 Helio Sequence — Love and Distance
(Sub Pop)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#5 Smoosh — She Like Electric
(Pattern 25)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig interview}

#4 Modest Mouse — Good News for People Who Love Bad News
(Epic)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#3 Dolour — Old New Friends
(Made in Mexico)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#2 Visqueen — Sunset on Dateland
(Blue Disguise)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

#1 United State of Electronica — U.S.E.
(Mannheim Worldwide)

{official website} * {buy it} * {tig review}

The top 10 Northwest releases of 2004, as voted on by our imaginary readers (that means YOU!).

These Things We Say

imaginary stella — Sun, 12 Dec 2004 08:00:00 +0000

8.5

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00065U0A4/wwwthreeimagi-20

msled.jpg

Ms. Led, a Seattle four-piece fronted by Lesli Wood aka "Roxy", turn out a raucous, danceable, soul-punk rock, coughing 30 minutes of catchy, rocky, danceable, empowering bliss on their latest release These Things We Say.

What make Ms. Led so infectious is equal parts smart lyrics, attitude, and musicianship. The band's lyrics exalt feminism and put social issues in the hot seat. These Things We Say packs a powerfully political punch; it was no coincidence that the album was officially released on Election Day, sadly also known as "Black Tuesday" in these parts. But the band wants us to keep active for our causes. "The most important point is that even after this election, the fight isn't over," Roxy says.

Ms. Led has an inherent knowledge of how to mix their strong assets. They perfectly blend crunchy guitar riffs (Roxy and Peg "Violet" Wood), bouncing basslines (Matt "Clark" Menovcik), technically tight drums (Steph "Bootsy" Hasselman), and soaring, searing vocals. And what makes an imaginary writer smile even more? It's Roxy's voice, so noticeably Northwest. She is at times Kathleen, at times Carrie, at times Mia (RIP), but all at once her own mix of growl and soul, unique enough to no doubt place her on a first-name-only list in the not-too-distant future.

It is hard to pick out the most notable tracks. "Small Change" is a three-minute wonder of big drums, rolling basslines and a lyrical battle-cry that may just be 2004's anthem ("You gotta start talking/And you gotta start moving/If you wanna stay sane/Just remember that small change is still change"). "Keep on the Outside" rivals the best electro-dance tune by Le Tigre. And "It Took Until April" throws those tapping toes into a tailspin; it's Ramones-ish riffs so peppy, Wood's wails so full, how can you not want to take it up a notch and actually dance to the music?

And on that note, Ms. Led have a lot of shows coming up extremely soon! Dec 9th is the TIG-sponsored CD-release party, 9pm at the Crocodile. (The band also plays live that same day on KEXP 90.3) And catch Ms. Led once again Dec 11th at The Clipper in Olympia, 9 pm. Check out www.msled.com for more shows and more info!

What make Ms. Led so infectious is equal parts smart lyrics, attitude, and musicianship. The band's lyrics exalt feminism and put social issues in the hot seat.

We Are All Waiting for Hope

dreamerseven — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000

6.5

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002IQCZC//wwwthreeimagi-20

saeta.jpg

The construction of minimalism is a tricky task. Too little space filled, and then you lose the listener's attention. Too much and you crowd out the mood. Seattle band Saeta have a gifted understanding of the chemistry needed to pull this approach off correctly, as demonstrated on their fourth release, We Are Waiting All For Hope.

Floating somewhere between like-minded minimalists Low and the sparser moments of Crooked Fingers, Saeta take you on a journey through the moments of lost love, the memory of being held tightly, and the dried up flowers that are all you have left to remind you of that time. "Remember the time. Remember the space. Remember the dreams that hold us," frontman Matt Menovick urges us in the opening track "Can You Forgive the One that Hurt You". With the images it provokes, you can almost be a witness to the plea between two lovers as they try to reconcile the life between them.

The structure of their songs has a quality of antiquity with the bare naked quality of the insrumentation. Like a creaking chair, they ease from Menovick's raspy voice into the featherlite strumming of acoustic guitar, which is gently swallowed by the sound of a cello and keys and then an exchange of singing is made to Lesli Wood's jazzier, throatier vocals. A very powerful transition, indeed. They have an uncanny ability to write songs in a way that allows the story to take precedent, as if the music is only there to remind you of the song, in the same way a breeze reminds you of the air around you.

However, I can't say that Wood's and Menovick's vocals always work to compliment each other. In Low, the voices of Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk work together beautifully. Menvovick's and Woods singing style are dramatically different from one another, and while gorgeous alone, together they create a dissonance that takes away from the music. The only other issue that I had with We Are Waiting All For Hope was the quality of the production. Frankly, I expected something a little more grand coming from Steve Albini — not that there needed to be more instrumentation. But from a recording standpoint, the lack of both depth in the sounds as well as diversity of songs approaches made me wonder what exactly Mr. Albini did besides stick up a mic and hit record. I would have liked to hear different colors used on the vocals, and more room variation on the piano sounds, or something else to change the character from song to song. His lack of inventiveness was the weakest element on the record.

With We Are Waiting All For Hope, Saeta has created a nice collection of introspective, melancholic minimalism. They have grown very well into their niche and have produced a quality and chemistry that seems second nature to them. Unfortunately, this quality was not highlighted by the presence of Mr. Albini and so the record just falls short of its potential.

With We Are Waiting All For Hope, Saeta has created a nice collection of introspective, melancholic minimalism.