Three Imaginary Girls - northwest

Furr

Bacon Master — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:03:58 +0000

7.7

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CVCBBW/?tag=wwwthreeimagi-20

When you get noticed by Sub Pop and they subsequently sign you, that’s a good sign that you've pretty much made it. Case in point: Blitzen Trapper. Their acclaimed album, Wild Mountain Nation, a woozy cornucopia of sound and style, a genre that might be called ADHD-addled psychedelic indie jams (?), put the Portlanders on the map. Their new album, Furr, firmly places them on that map with a high-quality thumb tack. Not one of those easily bent cheapy thumb tacks from Walmart, oh no. A thumb tack, like from Office Max, that says, “I’m sharp and I’m not going anywhere.”

Led by guitarist/vocalist Eric Earley, with Erik (with a K) Menteer (guitar, keyboard), Marty Marquis (keyboards, vocals), Drew Laughery (keyboards – they must keep a lot of keyboards around the studio), Michael Van Pelt (bass) and Brian Adrian Koch (drums, vocals – they must keep a lot of vocals around the studio), the album was recorded in the gaps of their touring schedule at an old telegraph office in Portland.

Dot dot dash dot dash dash dash. Rough translation – Furr is a great album as Blitzen Trapper continues to expand not only their musical skill but their styles as well. There’s some Bob Dylan-esque tunes on the album. Some Neil Young, too. There’s a wailing Robert Plant thing going on and there’s oodles of others artists (Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, etc) that can be heard in Blitzen Trapper’s music if you care to listen for it.

It feels like these guys, all Northwestern-raised and who have been playing in Portland since 2000, have entered some sort of time machine and gone back to those hippy dippy days of yore. Close your eyes when listening to Furr. What old timey images and scenes come to mind? I imagine them, for example, playing at the Manson retreat for a weekend barbeque, you know, before all the killings sort of dampened the mood. I imagine them playing on a beach, bras burning on the nearby bonfire, the beer flowing, the laughs loud and strong, the smell of weed just as strong. I imagine them playing on a makeshift stage at a protest rally, protesting the fact that telegraph offices are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Having toured now with Fleet Foxes, Two Gallants and Modest Mouse (amongst others), they’ll be playing larger and larger arenas as soon as people tune in to Furr and Blitzen Trapper’s other albums (Field Rexx and their self-titled debut among them).

Why are they going to be big? Because a) They’re fun, b) They don’t shy away from trying new things even if they fail (and there are certainly tracks on Furr that strive for something that’s not quite achieved), c) They’re sprawling sonic nature is odd and refreshing at the same time, d) Many of the band members sport beards, and e) Did I mention Sup Pop is now behind them?

Indeed, Blitzen Trapper’s CD will be carried in high school kids’ Trapper Keeper to share with his buddies (“Hey, dude. ‘Sleepy Time in the Western World’ is totally sweet, dude.”), will blitz up the local and national charts and will be a keeper when “Best Albums of the Year” polls are taken and tabulated, the results coming via telegraph. Dot dot dash dash.

Ramshackle rock rules with Blitzen Trapper.

The Dimes

imaginary dana — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:08:25 +0000

Aqueduct at the Croc

elle — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:43:37 +0000

4 Nov 2007

aqueduct07nov.jpg

"How about a toast Seattle? A little shot!" Full ear to ear grin, David Terry swilled back his liquor and kicked off the Aqueduct show at Crocodile. Camaraderie was the theme of the night, Terry tossing jokes through the air with the audience. He has a bit of clumsiness to him, making him all the more endearing and familiar; the crowd just laughed it off along with the jovial singer. His personality is a reflection of the music he creates with the band Aqueduct, the hip kid's alternative to mainstream fluffy pop. Terry and co.'s brand of indie-pop is smart, full of feel good lyrics spiced up with the right amount of "fuck" and "bitch" to keep things less sucrose and more mature. The compositions keep from becoming too bouncy and asinine by containing moments of fine tuned movements and guitar solos.

"Suggestion Box" served as the perfect example of this formula. Like a catalyst thawing the ice of the crowd, the first few measures broke the crowd into dance, singing along. Interspersed throughout the crowd, a handful of dedicated fans beamed, moving the most, not missing a lyric. One group in particular heckled Terry, and announced themselves as the "assholes from Florida." Opposite corners of the country don't deter these kids from an Aqueduct fix. The band is currently in the midst of back to back touring.

Raising his voice above the rest of the crowd, one fan insisted they play "Laundry Baskets." A bit suspicious, he almost seemed planted in the crowd, as Terry referred to him as Ricky, back and forth banter taking place, the singer a bit reluctant, the fan rather persistent. Finally, Terry succumbed, either planned or not, explaining first, "This song is one of the trickiest to play live, we've been a bit gun-shy." If fan satisfaction is a pay-off, Aqueduct was reaping in big time with this song.

"Yay for the Sunday crowd! Let's all pretend it's Saturday... and party, get drunk!" Terry exalted to the glowing crowd. Song after song he would gleefully say, "Alright, this next song is a JAM." After about five rounds of this, he finally determined, "This next song is really epic." He was just as charming on-stage as off.

When I left the show, I didn't imagine it was Saturday; it was still fully Sunday night in my mind. Instead, when I thought about the impending early morning day job and week ahead, I felt glad to start it off with a permanent smile planted on my face thanks to Aqueduct.

"Yay for the Sunday crowd! Let's all pretend it's Saturday... and party, get drunk!"

Grand Hallway

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:34:39 +0000

Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:33:43 +0000

Fences

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:59:54 +0000

Throw Me the Statue

imaginary dana — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:56:01 +0000

Body:

Ships

imaginary liz — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 05:38:27 +0000

PWRFL Power

imaginary dana — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:38:08 +0000

Hungry Pines

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 03:19:41 +0000

Pleasureboaters

imaginary dana — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:06:23 +0000

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

imaginary dana — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:06:22 +0000

The Kindness Kind

imaginary dana — Wed, 02 May 2007 18:30:12 +0000

Prosser

imaginary dana — Tue, 01 May 2007 20:20:55 +0000

Gabriel Teodros

imaginary dana — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:56:43 +0000

Curtains For You

imaginary dana — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:53:19 +0000

Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 01:38:03 +0000

Team Gina

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 04:45:02 +0000

Grand Archives

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 00:17:35 +0000

Johanna Kunin

imaginary liz — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:31:47 +0000