Three Imaginary Girls - New Pornographers

20 words each on 11 of the Best Releases of 2010

Chris Estey — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:17:48 +0000

{Shabazz Palaces photo from the Three Imaginary Girls Flickr Pool by Jason Tang}

Through sheer quirk of fate and possibly my own fatally quirky tastes, the top spots for my four favorite records of the year were given to two separate EPs by two different bands. I'm going to start my Top 20 of 2011 list with a cheat; combining two albums for placement at #1 and #2. Just to obnoxiously make you utterly vigilant of it: the first two spots are taken up by two separate releases, but they're EPs that if combined with each other, tie with/become one release.

Oh, and I'm keeping all hype to 20 words to mirror the Top 20 list. And then I cheat again by having the first two releases described in 40 words, a combination of two 20 word reviews. (No, I haven't been studying Kabbalah with the Wu-Tang Clan.) Also: Mostly in order, but ask me again tomorrow. (The Damien Jurado could be anywhere on this list, for example.) And regional preference takes precedence (call that "fanzine love").

1. Shabazz Palaces, Shabazz Palaces & Of Light EPs
Cracked, uncanny hip-hop collages of unsettling mind-movies, Clockers meets Company Flow. "Juxtapositions of the digital and analog, hard drum-machine beats set against softer bongos or the resonant sweetness of an mbira." -- Jon Caramanica, The New York Times

Win a dream date with the New Pornographers

imaginary keenan — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:30:31 +0000

OK, so it's not exactly as if you and Carl Newman or Neko Case will intimately be sharing a bottle of wine and discussing your childhoods (or maybe you will!), but boy do we have a special treat for you!

The New Pornographers are doing something very special for their 7/31 Showbox at the Market stop: inviting a few lucky fans in for soundcheck and a meet and greet with the band, encompassing the theme of their new album, Together. This fabulous package (Bob Barker style) includes VIP tickets to the show as well!

Along with our friends at Easy Street Records and KEXP, we here at TIG have 2 packages to giveaway! How do I win something so marvelous you might be asking? Simple! Just e-mail us at tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "gettogetherwiththenewpornos" (all one word please!) by 9am Friday, July 23rd for a chance to win! This gives you plenty of time to think of some conversation ice breakers!

If you happen to be reading us in a city that is not Seattle, check out the Matador Records Matablog and Facebook page for the full scoop and to see if this amazing experience is offered in your city!

Weekend recap - Sasquatch! Festival 2010

Diana Salier — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:23:56 +0000

30 May 2010

Every Memorial Day Weekend, scruffy hipsters and hippies alike who lack the cash to drop on a desert jaunt -- complete with $5 bottles of water and scorching heat -- descend upon the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA (yes, that's really the name) for the 3-day Sasquatch! Music Festival. There are considerably less stages and less big names, but the views are gorge-ous (har har), and you can easily find all of the previous year's blogworthy acts and at least a couple legendary ones before the weekend is through. And since this is Washington, the festival organizers provide a free water bottle refill station to save plastic. And did I mention it's beautiful out there?

This year my Concert Companion (hereafter known as the CC) and I packed the car full of hoagies, Coronas, yogurt, fiber bars and a nice sturdy tent, and set out Friday night on the 2 1/2-hour trip from Seattle to George. In the morning we woke up to sunny skies and a slew of young, unwashed, bleary-eyed yet still really attractive festivalgoers. Everyone was friendly and out to have a good time. Some entrepreunerial folks set up a grill with hot dogs, tacos and breakfast burritos in preparation for the drunk munchies. Once you've all shared the same lineup of Portapotties, had a few beers, and brushed your teeth together in a makeshift sink, the camaraderie pretty much starts a-flowin'.

And now, here's a breakdown of noteworthy events, day-by-day...

SATURDAY, May 29
Laura Marling - I was really curious about the woman who had served as Charlie Fink's breakup muse on the latest Noah And The Whale album. She turned out to be a charming 20-year-old (contrary to the brochure which listed her as 17, for some reason) UK singer/songwriter who played mostly acoustic folk tunes, and the audience seemed to enjoy it from their various positions lying on the grass basking in the sun, or clumped up by the stage.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Living in LA I've probably overlooked a handful of chances to see these guys, with no good reason. We stood on the guard rails in front of the soundbooth and watched Alex Ebert (former member of Ima Robot, though you wouldn't know just by listening to Ed Sharpe) dressed in white and lookin' as Jesus as ever, traipse around the stage with fellow singer Jade Castrino and 8 other musicians. First festival high point: the entire crowd bursting out into "Home is wherever I'm with you!"

Mumford & Sons -- Lots of people recommended we check out this band, including some of our neighbors with the U-Haul rig next door. The CC liked the set a lot more than I did, but if you like your folk music with a healthy dose of banjo, here's a good place to look. Some of the bluegrass-tinged songs were dancier than others, and lots of people got down with their flip-flopped feet.

The National - Say what you will about Matt Berninger's lack of vocal range, but "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is one of the best songs of the year so far. These New Yorkers' performance on the main stage was awesome, even though Berninger looked troubled and pained, closing his eyes and gripping the mic stand through every song. Halfway through the set we realized that the guitarist and bassist were twins! ("Hey, how'd he change his clothes so fast?")   This was our introduction to the second tier of the pit area, and we were glad to be so close during the terrific performance of "Bloodbuzz" -- though it would've been cool to have been in the real pit when Berninger walked through the crowd.

Vampire Weekend - No alarms and no surprises here, people! Not like anyone expected anything different, but the Columbia prepsters delivered a mega-energetic set of new and old material to a pit full of folks frantically dancing and fist pumping. Unfortunately Ezra Koenig busted out the autotune on "California English," but the band all but made up for that with singalongs "A-Punk," "Cousins" and "Walcott."   I'm not a big fan of their records but this was the most downright balls-to-the-wall fun set (of the ones we made it to) of all 3 days.

SUNDAY, May 30
Local Natives -- After waiting in the entry line for half an hour, we sprinted to the Honda Bigfoot Solar Stage to see one of my favorite LA acts. I've been following them since spring 2009 and watching them grow has been amazing. Apparently everyone else outside of LA has caught on as well, because the huge crowd seemed to know all the words to songs like "Sun Hands," "Camera Talk," and "Wide Eyes." The 3 and 4-part harmonies were spot-on as always, and I may've teared up during "World News" and "Who Knows Who Cares" (dedicated to guitarist Taylor Rice's girlfriend on her birthday). 3-way tie with The National and Vampire Weekend as my favorite set.

Avi Buffalo -- Recent SubPop signees and another LA act -- the city really represented this year! They played on the smaller Yetti Stage and the crowd wasn't as big as it could've been, but they just seemed really happy to be there -- ever since breaking out of the Long Beach/LA scene, Avi, Rebecca, Sheridan and Arin have gone around with this endearing bewilderment at their rising success, and totally enjoyed the hell out of the ride. The girl standing next to me had never been to an Avi show and belted out the words to every song, to her friend's either dismay or enjoyment, I couldn't really tell. There were some awkward tuning pauses in between, but nothing that couldn't be saved.   The outro to "Remember Last Time" killed, and I'm continually impressed by Avi's mad guitar skillz.

The Tallest Man On Earth -- Another point of discrepancy for me and the CC. I'm usually all for the one-guy-with-a-guitar thing if he can command a stage (see: Bon Iver, AA Bondy, Jose Gonzalez, Conor Oberst, and the list goes on), but everything started to sound the same after awhile -- that is, up until closer "King Of Spain." Kristian Matsson does have one of the most unique voices in folk these days, though.

Pavement -- It was his birthday and all, but I'm not sure if Stephen Malkmus was really drunk, or if this was just Pavement being Pavement. We camped out on the lawn high above the mainstage and kept exchanging "what the hell's going on??" glances as the band started and stopped, ostensibly out of tune and just not really keeping the set in line. Massive Attack was up next so we moved down to the pit, and towards the final 3 or 4 songs they seemed to hit their stride, but it didn't really salvage the performance.

Massive Attack -- A few months ago one of my co-workers mentioned Massive Attack, totally taken aback that I wasn't familiar. And now I can see why. They played an hour and a half of trance-inducing music with the best light show of the weekend, and if you were sitting anywhere too far away you wouldn't be able to see the LED messages scrolling across the board behind the band -- everything from celebrity newsbits to political commentary and words of wisdom. Everyone we talked to that night agreed it was mindblowing.

Booka Shade (DJ set) -- The first 2 nights closed out with "late-night" DJ sets on the Honda Bigfoot Stage following the headlining act; after Massive Attack we joined the huge dance party on the grass for more light show, pumping synths, beach balls like your college graduation and a mass of happy youth getting it all out. It was like being at a warehouse party, but out in the open air...after having your mind blown by Massive Attack. Awesome end to the day.

As the weekend progressed the energy grew and the cleanliness quotient dwindled just as quickly -- notably, the line for beer at the general store was consistently longer every morning than the line for showers. The food was pretty much what you'd expect for a weekend festival, except one of the happiest small moments for the CC and I was stumbling upon a pizza stand Monday morning and walking to the grounds with a slice and a coffee. Perfecto.

MONDAY, June 1
We stayed pretty close to the main stage on Monday, mostly because we were tired and always agreed that if in doubt, just sprawl out on the lawn and take a nap. This was also the day of the long-awaited 1-2-3-4 punch of Passion Pit, She & Him, Band of Horses and MGMT slated for the 4-8 pm slots.

Mayer Hawthorne and The County -- I told the CC he might like this Michigan-bred white dude playing soul music. The band looked sharp in their white suits, and it kind of reminded me of Marvin Berry & The Starlighters (even though they wore blue). They played a few bars of Biz Markie's "Just A Friend" before seguing into single "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" (both songs use the same beat). Overall it sounded as good as the record - no more, no less.

The Temper Trap -- You might know them as that band with that song on the 500 Days Of Summer soundtrack -- the part where Tom and Summer meet on the Amtrak to San Diego, wedding montage, and so on. We came into this set only knowing "Sweet Disposition," but came out of it with a newfound interest in these Aussies.

Passion Pit -- When we finally moseyed into the pit, the party vibe was in full force -- Michael Angelakos sang the synthpop dance hits that made these guys a buzz band, while the audience turned into a dancing mob of neon shorts, face paint, beer bottles and fratty Abercrombie-looking dudes pumping their fists and singing along to "The Reeling," "Make Light" and "Little Secrets." Someone brought a huge blow-up whale. It looked like MTV Spring Break. Apparently bros love Passion Pit!

She & Him -- No one expected this to be epic, but it was upbeat and entertaining and the backing guitarist/bassist/drummer were all solid musicians. The Chapin Sisters came out on the 2nd or 3rd song and stood awkwardly at stage right, singing backup and hitting a triangle that no one could really hear. All the predicted comments apply here -- Zooey Deschanel was beautiful, though not with the most engaging voice in indie music, and M. Ward is still the effin' man. He rocks those shades like no one's business, too. Every time he played a solo, or the few times he contributed vocals, the crowd went nuts. Apparently bros love She & Him!

Band Of Horses -- Everyone expected this to be epic. "Factory" (from the new album) and "No One's Gonna Love You" were definite set highlights, and then we were all anxiously awaiting "The Funeral." Lead singer Ben Bridwell had to pause to grab his pick between verses and choruses, putting a bit of a splinter in the song, but still a strong set.

Stomachs full of hot dogs and fries, we hightailed it out of the festival grounds 2 songs into MGMT's set -- the CC was bent on avoiding the crush of cars we'd encountered Friday night, and we both agreed that we weren't going to be missing much after 2 songs. When we got back to the site it was eerily still and quiet like a zombie flick -- except instead of the undead there were huge piles of trash bags, a lonely line of Portapotties under the fading sunset, deserted tents in the foreground, the opening line of "Kids" somewhere among the mountains in the distance.

While there were definitely some artists we didn't catch due to time constraints -- Phantogram, Camera Obscura, New Pornographers, Miike Snow and The Middle East among them -- we drove back to Seattle listening to a mix of the best Sasquatch artists, and reveled in another Memorial Day Weekend made good!

Laura Marling (Courtesy: Adam Forslund)

Pavement (Courtesy: Victoria Vanbruinisse for City Arts Magazine)

Tallest Man on Earth (Courtesy: Adam Forslund)

New Pornographers (Courtesy: Adam Forslund)

The Middle East (Courtesy: Victoria Vanbruinisse for City Arts Magazine)

Miike Snow (Courtesy: Adam Forslund)

Fruit Bats (Courtesy: Adam Forslund)

(Courtesy: Victoria Vanbruinisse for City Arts Magazine)

Pavement (Courtesy: Victoria Vanbruinisse for City Arts Magazine)

What to do after the TIG New Pornographers listening party tonight

Chris Estey — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:16:03 +0000

Tonight is kind of special, and not in a weak beer tasting way. There's tons of super fun socializing stuff to do!

First there's the Three Imaginary Girls-sponsored New Pornographers' album Together listening party early at 6 PM at the best coffee shop in Greenwood, Neptune (8415 Greenwood Avenue North). This would be a sweet chance to hang out with TIG people, the Greenwood gang, and New Pornographers' fans, who are to class and sass what a just out of juvie 40 ouncer-lugging Juggalo is to an Insane Clown Posse listening par-tay. The new album has honey-crackling Neko Case co-vocals, tons of sauteed hooks, and deep chocolate cello. Come get your fresh ground bean buzz on and hear it on Neptune's gnarly s-system with fellow underground rock connoisseurs.

What are you doing later then? Here's one suggestion: Ladies lounging at Cafe Society at Sole Repair at 9 PM.

After that, I'm going to take off for with my ride to Capitol Hill, to 1001 E. Pike to see Sole Repair's new swanky lounge lizard-palooza, Cafe Society, hosted by two of the smartest, sweetest, most awesome Seattle leading ladies Jennifer Petersen (of Sportin' Life Records) and Sarah Walczyk (Powerful Voices).

Together

Chris Estey — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:01:10 +0000

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039ZEM0W/?tag=wwwthreeimagi-20

newporn10together.jpg

(Three Imaginary Girls is excited to present a very special GET TOGETHER to have a sneak listen to the brand new NOT YET RELEASED album from the New Pornographers on Friday, April 23 at Neptune Coffee (at 8415 Greenwood Ave N.) from 6p-7:30p. The evening is free.)

The New Pornographers is some velvet gang of not-so-secretly important semi-popular artists, with the elevated sense of giving listeners the most bang for a buck. On new album Together celebrated cult singers and songwriters A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar and Neko Case have listened to all those great records by girl groups, soul bands, Go-Betweens and Triffids and Chills LPs, Dusty Springfield and Teardrop Explodes and ABBA seven inches, that you've been meaning to. And they crumble up the ingredients into a happy hash pipe and lights the celebratory safety match, turning the bangs on your forehead crisply burnt.

But the New Pornographers is rarely merely record collector rock. They have something to say about love and faith in your friends. In the most straight-ahead indie statement here, they sing, "What's love? What turns up in the dark." No beautiful loser beatification, no melancholic narcissism, it's all utterly alluring major chords and urgent hope and sharing is the only caring. (Thanks, Ms. Case.)

Though this overplus of value also means more great lyrics than most other bands ever dream of writing, it's the trading-off performances that pull you in on the first strings-chugging notes of opener "The Moves." And never let up till (of course) "We End Up Together." "You've got those old eternity blues," Neko Case sings invincibly on the whistle-sweetened, cello-y Electric Light Orchestra "classical rock"-massaged and bridge-driven "The Crash Years," the super hot second track and first single from. You're going to get sick of playing that song. Over and over. Or maybe not.

Madding crowds, ruins, and a Smiths-style "Panic" ("Honey-pie you're not safe here"), dimly lit wicks of faith in frozen frames when "what you want is an accident." "The traffic was slow for the crash years," Case alluringly tears apart her song's martyr and tosses him into a screaming daymare of slow motion catastrophe. It makes you want to hang the DJ.

But no. Collisions and miracles and emotional mash ups and mad crushes all strike up throughout. But it's more than fucking. It's all about healing, touching ravaged flesh after the damage, too. Case's gorgeous Kali voice fires Together, and A.C. Newman and Dan Bejar give her plenty of souls to dance on. "The splash and jangle of the secret signs" in "My Shepherd" address her "Lord and Shepherd" but is no simple gospel message when French lessons are involved, and the fate of those in rock and roll, and foxes tamed by the Little Prince. (Fire-eyed, "careful kid no one gets hurt. You made me this way.")

Together is unashamedly nostalgic in sound (all those 70s and 80s dollar vinyls that you get from Value Village can now be replaced with one shiny five inch disc!) and "yet in the future perfect waiting." Third song "Your Hands Together" comes on like the bong resin-smeared tight jean anthem Wet Hot American Summer needed for its training montage, the kind of progressive rock-empowered pumper kids prowled High School dances for to find the boy or girl who might "blow in their ear." Dual make and female vocals rave on the power chord bursts and flow into the Cheap Trick, Blondie-era buzz and tribal beat leading it out, and "you're all mine."

Then whoah! Suddenly it's crisp mid-tempo Saturday afternoon Brit-rock, Kinks-y and a little VU, on "Silver Jenny Dollar" and it's imminent sun-stroked pile of chorus, "It's true, I love ya." Could have been on Loaded if that band wasn't driven by more dark forces. And Bejar brings the psychodrama on "Vakyrie And The Roller Disco" after the scraping of some kind of strings and tappings of others ("Bounce off the walls, Valentine, come on be the one, do your worst") before the sizzling soul-pop takes over again (this is really an album of startling moves) and everything goes calliope once more. Clove butts floating in wine and glitter-pools in cold bathrooms of dorm rooms of lovers who really love you. There are some shrewd lines, but not a single caustic image here. The New Pornographers really adore the characters they sing about, even if they're out of time, or falling down, scattering in from some post-hippie pub rock opera or posh lounge of regret.

Supposedly, in the "How" section of the one sheet that comes with the pre-release, this album has "the true story of a woman that returned to her husband decades after he disfigured her with acid." Produced by the New Pornographers and Phil Palazzolo make all the awesome power pop playing out of Kathryn Calder (vocals, keyboard, piano), John Collins (bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards), Kurt Dahle (drums, percussion, vocals), Todd Fancey (guitar), Blaine Thurier (keyboards), and and many guests, most notable great work from the Dap-Kings on the Lewis Furey-meets-D. Springfield "Daughters of Sorrow" (cascading, swooning, starlight-mooning zenith of album). Together about as far from insular, cold, anemic indie pop that you get. You can almost hear Ted Leo crying that he wasn't able to at least contribute a ska-punk stuttering guitar solo. And Freddie Mercury smiling in heaven at the sound of "Mama mama!" in the cello-swirling chorus of closing anthem "We End Up Together."

This is an essential 2010 purchase.

We are on the pendant eve of Matador's supergroup The New Pornographers' gypsy-caravan tour, including dates with The Dutchess & The Duke, Imaad Wasif, The Dodos, and The Mountain Goats (yow!). Starting in London May 19 and ending up in Madison, WI in August, they will all be scrambling on stage to send up their surround sound power pop operas at George, Washington during the Sasquatch Festival on May 31.

This album is an essential 2010 purchase, and if pre-ordered from the Matador store, you'll also get a 7 " with three songs originally recorded by notorious Detroit psychedelic group Outrageous Cherry. Don't miss them at Sasquatch, and come hear the sneak peak at Neptune Coffee in Seattle this Friday night!

This Friday 4/23: New Pornographers, TBTL, Arrested Development Trivia, prizes, and more{!} at Neptune Coffee

imaginary liz — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:16:42 +0000

Three Imaginary Girls is excited to present a very special GET TOGETHER to have a sneak listen to the brand new NOT YET RELEASED album from the New Pornographers on Friday, April 23 at Neptune Coffee (at 8415 Greenwood Ave N.) from 6p-7:30p. The evening is free.

Besides getting to hear the newest release by the critically-acclaimed New Pornographers in its entirety well before the release date (which is May 4 on Matador Records), this happiest of hour event will have 21+ drink specials (thanks PBR!) and a bucket of amazing giveaways such as pair of one-day tickets to Sasquatch for Monday 5/31 (the day the New Pornographers will take the stage) and various New Pornographers objects like posters, pretty pretty vinyl and the like.

listmania continues: keenan's top 20 favorite albums of the decade

imaginary keenan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:27:46 +0000

{Long Winters photo by Trickshot Photography}

Because I'm some kind of masochist and a total nerd, I've been slaving over this list, keeping it brief (harder than you'd think!) at my favorite 20 albums of the decade without duplicating a band (even harder). Side note: I've probably forgotten something I really, really love, so let's just call this how I feel right this minute. These are the albums I know every note and breath of by heart and I love as complete albums with all of my soul. These are albums that in my humble opinion have no skipable track and are works of beauty in their entirety. I'd also like to point out that these are my favorite albums, as I tend to shy away from calling them "the best", as really, it's just my opinion, and who am I to tell you that you're wrong for not liking these records? (Though, if you catch me in a potentially altered state, I may completely negate that and call any number of these THE GREATEST of all time and call you wrong to your face if you disagree.) I digress. Here they are!

Death Cab for Cutie in the Park

imaginary victoria — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:11:48 +0000

19 Jul 2009

nick_is_awesome.jpg

The recent Death Cab for Cutie show at Marymoor was, in one word, amazing. Combine the gorgeous summertime drive to Redmond, the grassy knolls, the impeccable soundsystem, and the energy of these spectacular bands -- and you've got a one-of-a-kind warm-weather blissy magic night that concert postcards are made out of.

Traffic kept uber-photogress Laura Musselman and I from seeing the bulk of Ra Ra Riot's opening set, although we did hear their clean, sweet vocals wafting out over the fields as we made our way into the venue. Marymoor is thoughfully laid out, with pathways and raised areas to spread out picnics in the back of the show area, and a sunken 'floor' leading up to the stage for a close-up view of the show. As a result, the sold-out crowd never once felt like it overtook the spaces it occupied, and there was plenty of room in the front of the house to take in the view and the sound of the performers. It was my first time seeing a show there, and I was pleasantly surprised all-around.

Skeptical as I was about seeing the New Pornographers without Neko Case -- as were many folks I talked with prior to the show -- I've got to take space to make it abundantly clear that they were absolutely fantastic. Over the forty minutes or so that they played, each song came through with energy, style, and hipster-proof foot-tapping contagiousness. Laura noted that they really did a great job showcasing songs that complemented their strengths, instead of trying to cover up the fact that Neko wasn't there. I don't think I can explain it any better than that.

After a what seemed like only a few minutes of changeover, the lights all shifted, and we were suddenly thrown into Death Cab's set with abandon -- but a good kind of suddenly, like someone had gone from fourth to fifth on a car that was streaming down a gorgeous movie-scene highway. I looked around in amazement at the scenery, slack-jawed by the quality of the sound system, blown away at the energy that was pouring off the stage. Every single moment was tremendous, right from the literal opening up-notes of Ben Gibbard's voice crooning the first lines of Marching Bands of Manhattan.

The set list was perfect, weaving us in and out of recent releases, cassette-originals, and a sampling of tracks in-between -- it was a great cross-section of their work:

Marching Bands of Manhattan
New Year
Why You'd Want to Live here
Crooked Teeth
No Sunlight
Company Calls
Summer Skin
Grapevine Fires
I Will Possess Your Heart
I Will Follow You into the Dark [Ben solo]
Title & Registration
Cath
Little Bribes
Pictures in an Exhibition
Expo '86
Sound of Settling
--
Brothers in a Hotel Bed
405
Soul Meets Body
Transatlanticism

Serving better than any adjective this writer could choose, the insanely talented Laura Musselman captured some stunning shots from both nights of shows, which she's graciously shared with us in the imaginary flickr pool. Here's just a few from Sunday's set:

Combine the gorgeous summertime drive to Redmond, the grassy knolls, the impeccable soundsystem, and the energy of these spectacular bands -- and you've got a one-of-a-kind warm-weather blissy magic night that concert postcards are made out of.

Destroyer seduces the Crocodile

Imaginary Shrie — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:06:16 +0000

6 May 2009

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Dan Bejar has always been a source of musical mysticism for me. I adore the New Pornographers, have been through lengthy Destroyer-only phases and have grown to love Swan Lake. His odd, slightly nasally but illuminatingly piercing, voice is completely original to him and coupled with his evocative songwriting, comes close to perfection at times.

Azita opened for Dan Bejar on his solo Destroyer tour at the Crocodile on Wednesday. I'd heard bits and pieces of her work for years, but never cared for it, so I was intrigued at the billing for this show. She sang solo, along with her keyboard and a laptop propped up on a box. She had a great deal of passion in her performance, and I'm sure that there are many devoted Azita fans that swear by her work, but I found her to be overly dramatic, off-key and less than stimulating.

Destroyer, on the other hand, was exactly what I expected. Ideally, he would have been traveling with a full band. But in the simplicity of just Dan and his acoustic guitar you could see the root of it all, instead of his songwriting and emphatic guitar playing being awash with four other instruments. He played many songs from the last couple of records, Destroyer's Rubies and Trouble In Dreams, and a personal favorite song, "Beggars Might Ride" from Streethawk: A Seduction.

The Crocodile was full, and I noticed several rapt crowd members whispering the lyrics as he sang. Dan was easy-going and comedic, falling into a quasi-bow after each song, his curly mop of hair careening towards the ground. He quipped humorously, mentioning Bobby McFerrin and his disbelief that "Don't Worry, Be Happy" could come out of anything less than the modern marvel of GarageBand.

All in all, his performance was immaculate and his lyrics carried across the room. It wasn't the bombastic life-affirming experience that I always surreptitiously hope for, but it was a representation of himself and what he does. And that in itself couldn't be more beautiful.

(Photos by Laura Musselman)

Tonight's Recommended Show: Destroyer at the Crocodile

Imaginary Shrie — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:15:23 +0000

The ever-prolific and oddly-voiced Dan Bejar will bring his Destroyer act to the new and improved Crocodile, Wednesday at 8pm. Tickets are only $12... a helluva deal!

Dan is a genius writer and has put his vocals to the test with nine, count them NINE, albums as Destroyer. He also formed supergroup Swan Lake with members from Frog Eyes and Wolf Parade, as well as his most infamous endeavour as co-songwriter for the New Pornographers.

Don't miss out on this rare chance to see Dan in all his glory. And come check out the awesome Croc!

Win tickets to see AC Newman at Neumo's (or at least watch this neat duet with Will Sheff)

three imaginary girls — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:39:15 +0000

A.C. Newman is going to be at Neumo's on Saturday, February 21 with Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele starting the night off and we've got a pair of tickets to giveaway to one lucky imaginary reader.

"All for Swinging You Around" by The New Pornographers

Matt Schild — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:41:13 +0000

I generally like The New Pornographers pretty alright. I generally like Neko Case pretty alright. When Neko Case steps out of the backing-vocal spot with the Pornos, though, I really like the confluence of those talents much more than on their own. Like, I have an extra-special play list made up in iTunes (the only time I've bothered with that feature) just to separate the songs in which Case takes over lead vocal duties.

"All For Swinging You Around," off Electric Version, is on that list. Even if it's not the best Neko-led Pornos song, I'd take it over most of the Dan Bejar burst of weirdness and a good half of Carl Newman's odes to Beach Boys-like melodies and shimmering indie-rock guitars. Coming off the band's second album, it doesn't quite have the polished touch of its latter work, but all the elements are there: Case's vocal soars and swoops among intricately carved guitar, bass and keyboard melodies. Three-part harmonies bolster everything. Even in 2003, it was pretty clear the Pornographers were shooting for (and coming dangerously close to) pure-pop perfection rather than indie-rock fads.

Sadly, at least for me, the number of tracks like "All for Swinging You Around" that feature Case at lead vocals are a slim minority of each of The Pornographers' albums. Maybe if the band stays productive in another decade or so, I'll be able to expand my Neko-led play list to a double CD's length. For now, I'll just fill it in with some of her alt-country tracks. They're nice, but somehow, just not the same.

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Even in 2003, it was pretty clear the Pornographers were shooting for (and coming dangerously close to) pure-pop perfection rather than indie-rock fads.

Another band to check out: Hello, Blue Roses

ChrisB — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:03:00 +0000

I really enjoy the New Pornographers, but when I listen to them, I get the feeling that they don't have enough going on outside of the band.

Best of 2007: imaginary embracey's ten favorite albums

imaginary embracey — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:55:47 +0000

On the off chances that 1) anyone cares what their friendly neighborhood imaginary film and theater critic thinks about the year's music releases, and 2) anyone is doing anything at all during the dead 'tween-holidays week, much less reading top-ten lists, here are my favorite albums of the year, alpha by artist:

The Apples in Stereo – New Magnetic Wonder
The Eames Era – Heroes + Sheroes
Imperial Teen – The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band
Just Jack – Overtones
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
Menomena – Friend and Foe
The New Pornographers – Challengers
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Tracey Thorn – Out of the Woods

My films-of-the-year feature (coming early '08) will be far more compelling. Promise.

Best of 2007: Sero(tone)in's picks

serotonein — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:01:25 +0000

Every December I go through over 80 albums and try to codify them some way. Though it may take until after Christmas before my final top list (and mix cd) is ready, my favorite albums of the year are always fairly obvious to me by now. These are the ones that meant the most to me.

Top NW Albums

1) Grand Archives - s/t
2) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
3) Menomena - Friend & Foe
4) Tullycraft - Every Scene Needs A Center
5) Shake Some Action - s/t
6) Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
7) The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs
8) Welcome - Sirs
9) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
10) Awesome - Beehive Sessions
11) Carolyn Mark - Nothing Is Free
12) Grand Hallway - Yes Is The Answer
13) The New Pornographers - Challengers
14) Ghost Stories - Quixoticism
15) The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Overall Top 10 Albums of 2007

1) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
3) Emma Pollock - Watch The Fireworks
4) Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
5) Feist - The Reminder
6) Menomena - Friend & Foe
7) Blonde Redhead - 23
8) Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound
9) Apostle Of Hustle - National Anthem Of Nowhere
10) Radiohead - In Rainbows

Best of 2007: Erik G's favorite albums

Erik Gonzalez — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:12:43 +0000

Sometimes I think it takes me waaay too long to come up with my Top 20 albums of a given year. There are a lot of internal debates and arguments that really have no right answer. Really, you reach a point where all the albums are good but how to rank them gets to be quite the challenge. This year was chock full of good music (not matter what the naysayers might groan). I counted something like 175+ albums worth mentioning in 2007, and that is only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything that was released in the year. However, I did whittle it down to 20... well, 22 if you count my 2 EP exception (EP's don't count as real albums).

If you're interested in some sub-lists, like my albums "with apologizes" (albums I didn't hear but should have) or "best imports" or "most disappointing" (hint, the band who made it rhymes with Milo Biley), check it out here.

So, here we go:

#21 The EP's - Two EP's made me happy this year, and really, they would be in the top 20, but it seems unfair to me to include EP's versus albums. They're both UK pop, and they're both brilliant in their own cute way.

Los Campesinos! Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (Thanks to igLiz for this band!)

Which albums must be heard on vinyl to fully appreciate?

imaginary dana — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:34:55 +0000

Our imaginary household has recently acquired a kickass turntable and a decent pair of speakers, so we've spent many the evening geeking out with our (very small) pile of records.

Weekend Plans? Heading out or heading South?

imaginary liz — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:03:03 +0000

Friday is here and I'm soooo ready for the weekend. Sure the list is full of things to do, but a bunch of things to help me procrastinate.

The "indie rock" revolution is dead

Erik Gonzalez — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:27:52 +0000

Who knew that the soundtrack to the first High School Musical was the #1 selling album of 2006? Crazy

Challengers

Erik Gonzalez — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:35:37 +0000

8.5

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000S9KSC8/wwwthreeimagi-20/

ole-770 challengers.jpg

The New Pornographers are a baffling band. As a whole, they seem to far exceed the sum of their parts, creating an entirely new entity much like Voltron is constructed from robotic lions. Sure, the lions can be mighty warriors on their own, but really, when you need to get the job done, you have to combine forces and vanquish your foes. The New Pornographers are just that giant robot of modern rock. As much as I’ve tried to enjoy A.C. (“Carl”) Newman or Neko Case on their own (to be fair, it was well after discovering the New Pornographers), nothing really takes my breath away like the New Pornographers hitting all the right chords – and that’s what we get on Challengers.

Challengers is the fourth album by the New Pornographers, their third on the venerable Matador Records. Their debut on Matador, Electric Version was ridiculously brilliant and left high expectations for the follow up. Unfortunately, Twin Cinema didn’t really live up to it, at least for me. It was missing something, like it lacked the spark that songs like “The Slow Descent into Alcoholism,” “New Face of Zero and One,” and “From Blown Speakers” had. You can argue that Twin Cinema was more mature, that it developed songs that were more than just incredible pieces of pop, but I just didn’t connect with the album like I had with Mass Romantic or Electric Version, whether it was because the album just wasn’t up to snuff or just not what I was expecting is unclear. Luckily, Challengers seems to have split difference between the pop confections of their first two albums and the depth on Twin Cinema. It still doesn’t entirely hit the stride of Electric Version, but it is an excellent album for an excellent band.

You can hear the blend of texture and infectiousness on the first single, “My Rights Versus Yours”. It opens with gentle guitars and harmonies, slowly building in instruments as Carl sings. You can hear Kathryn Calder’s and Neko’s vocals drifting around the backgrounds when the chorus charges in full glory and you know that the band is mingling perfectly. The title track is dark and echoey, like an old Springsteen outtake, which when you think about it, isn’t too far from where the New Pornographers exist, minus the vocal harmonies. Here, on “Challengers,” Neko takes the lead vocals and creates a dusty country ballad filtered through late 70’s rock and it is beautiful. The flipside might be “All the Things that Go to Make Heaven and Earth,” a real barnburner that is much more reminiscent of early New Pornographers, right down to the shouted/harmonized chorus. The same could be said for “Mutiny, I Promised You,” a 60’s pop song covered in rock and roll lather.

“All the Old Showstoppers” and “Myriad Harbor” are tried-and-true New Pornographers, with the former taking more of countrified twang and the latter a more straight-down-the-barrel rock track with Dan Bejar’s vocals taking on a sweet, almost Elvis Costello feel. Bejar’s also hits the perfect pop melody on “Entering White Cecilia,” a pretty sexual song that actually never admits it is. One of the real gems on the disc happens to be a first for the band. “Failsafe” is Wurlitzer-playing Kathryn Calder’s first swing at lead vocals, and she rips into a distorted rocker. Her breathy vocals are balanced delicately with Neko’s and Carl’s, and the results are fantastic, it is a sonic delicacy. “Unguided” is downright epic, clocking in at over six minutes, but it builds like a lost child from Matthew Sweet’s In Reverse, reverberating with a wall-of-sound glory, 60’s rock meeting 70’s rock, all wrapped up in the 21st century. You get that same feeling from “Go Places,” where the sound has a depth in three dimensions (well, at least on good headphones) as it surrounds Neko’s vocals.

Then there is the album closer, “Adventures in Solitude." It is absolutely, fundamentally, truly sublime. Carl and Kathryn seem to be taking turns finishing each other’s lines, meshing perfectly into a single vocal, chiming in the slow, melancholy melody. It really gives you butterflies when you just close your eyes and listen to the band all harmonize, with no accompaniment beyond piano, ”we thought we lost you/welcome back” - it is a transcendent moment in pop music. Then Neko comes in towards the middle, as the song takes a turn towards the orchestral, and you realize why the New Pornographers are more powerful when everyone is working together.

Now, after all this, why can’t I put Challengers at the same level as Electric Version? Well, that might be just merely the fact that I’m not sure you can put a newly released album on that kind of pedestal. Sure, certain critics do that sort of thing all the time, but to truly understand an album as truly textured as the aforementioned discs, you really need time to let the songs permeate your skin, soak into your mind and find their true standing. All I can say right now is that Challengers is a sparkling pop record that is a testament to how exceptional the New Pornographers are.

Challengers is a sparkling pop record that is a testament to how exceptional the New Pornographer are.