at Capitol Hill Block Party 2009

Block party started off mellow enough with the sultry blues of The Dutchess and The Duke kicking off Friday on the main stage at 4 pm with “Reservoir Park,” the gravel between Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison’s deep vocal harmonies foreshadowing the fine layer of grit that would coat my skin by the end of the day.

 

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Considering the window of weather for outdoor antics is pitifully small in Seattle, it seems we have learned to really pack the few months of sunshine with good times, great oldies and a bunch of great new bands as well. 12 years ago Capitol Hill Block Party began and next week you can take part in its revelry. With a particularly punk-rock lineup, what a good time it will be! With three stages and over 50 bands between July 24th and 25th, not to mention satellite parties to attend, you ‘d really have to strive to not have fun at Block Party. This year the headliners on the main stage are The Jesus Lizard on the main stage Friday night and Sonic Youth on Saturday.

Tickets are still available (but I can't imagine it wont sell out soon - so go get yours soon). And if you're headed there, note that the main entrance has moved to 12th and Pike which should make for a better traffic flow.

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Already released on cassette tape and CD, Rainwater Cassette Exchange came out in May of 2009 and is Deerhunter's most recent release. According to Kranky's website the vinyl version should be available by now. But my local record store manager tells me they're releasing it in the next few weeks.

I suggest you all go get a copy, in any format! Pump it into your veins in preparation for seeing them at Block Party this July. And check out this cover of the single that Cox himself claims is better than his original. That would be quite a feat, since all five of these songs are powerful and jam packed with hard-hitting ambience in that way that Deerhunter does so well. You be the judge!

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2008 was an interesting musical, and personal, year for me. I listened to a lot of indie rock, electronica and went to a shit-ton of shows (one of which was the best I've ever seen, thanks Of Montreal).

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It has now been 2.5 years since I moved out of Seattle for the Golden State. I've slowly drifted out of the NW music culture, so sometimes I wonder if I know what to say on TIG these days.

Combine that with the fact that I was so distracted from music for a lot of 2008, this year's "best of" lists were especially difficult. Heck, I don't even think I can make a Best of NW music list this year, not because there was insufficient music, but because I just missed so many of those important-but-not-well-known releases that make these lists. I did enjoy Fleet Foxes, Common Market, Colin Meloy live, Malkmus and the like, but really, that isn't a "Best of the NW" list but rather a list of albums I liked that happened to be from the NW.

That being said, I did get a last minute music revival for the year. Maybe it was the election being over (and the good guys winning), maybe it was finally getting a faculty position after many years of trying (lets just say Erik will be moving east in 2009), maybe 2008 just didn't mesh with me musically. Who knows? However, there was a lot of great music anyway, and here are my top 20 (for your praise or fist shaking). Feel free to read the full commentary. 

 

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at Neumo's

I wish we here at TIG gave numbered ratings to live show reviews just for this one, because I would definitely give Grizzly Bear's performance at least a 9.

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Not terribly excited with this early offering, but you know I'll be all over the Brunettes; and, if they're not trumped by other bands I want to see more, will also probably try for Spoon, Xiu Xiu, Eisley, Dan Deacon, and Deerhunter (though of course they'll all be playing sets at exactly the same time in venues far far away from one another, because that's just the way it is).

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Join The Ponys at Neumo's tonight as they plod through their critically-acclaimed catalog. From what I've heard of their new album, they've taken it up a notch crafting an album that is (in the words of one wise reviewer) "denser, noisier and more fucked-up than its two predecessors."

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