Three Imaginary Girls - Burning Building

We Sing The Body Electric!

Andrew Marques — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:19:24 +0000

8.5

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VLBDJO/wwwthreeimagi-20/

For those from of you who may have missed it, The Lonely Forest are a guitar-based indie rock quartet who’re the best damn thing to come out of Sound Off! in… ever. Centered around lead-man John Van Deusen’s blissfully energetic guitar and earnest vocals, the band has been creating a steady following since their formation in 2005 and are poised to take over the world. This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to write about this album either. The first time I tried to write about The Lonely Forest’s We Sing The Body Electric! I was confounded. It was an odd situation, I’m not normally faced with an album that I can’t seem to find anything to say about and I’m an opinionated putz, so what was the big deal? The big deal is that there isn’t much to say about The Lonely Forest’s We Sing the Body Electric! because it’s really, really good. That’s the big secret and the reason this review is giving me something of a headache.

What do you say about perfection? Or near perfection I suppose. OK, so it’s not perfect, but it comes so close at times that it gives you shivers. Actually, the whole album gives off this “shiver up and down your spine” feeling that you get when music is really that good. It’s the perfect combination of indie rock, piano balladry, pop sensibility and energetic guitar power. Each of the musicians, Van Deusen especially but also bassist Eric Sturgeon, drummer Braydn Krueger and guitarist Tony Ruland are fantastic players whose sheer musicality is sharp as a tack. The synergy between these musicians is astounding considering how the band has only been around about five years now. Some bands take a long time to really get it together, The Lonely Forest play like they’ve been doing this for decades.

Listening to the music of The Lonely Forest is like infusing your body with light drawn directly from the heart of the sun: a warm, crackling river of fire that makes you feel like you’re made of electricity. So effectively, when The Lonely Forest talks about “singing the body electric” they’re also singing about anybody who hears their music. And really, that’s the mark of good music is something that you can form a strong emotional connection with and while The Lonely Forest’s music can be depressing sometimes (see their album Nuclear Winter for details) it’s on the whole fairly uplifting. I was just discussing with a friend of mine the other day how Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar makes me physically sick when I listen to it. It’s not that the music is bad, it’s simply the combination of sound and subject matter coming together to make me feel like I’m going to die and therefore, I turn it off. The music on We Sing The Body Electric! while not always “happy” has the exact opposite effect. I listen to it and I feel like, not only am I going to live, but I’m going to have an awesome day, climb to the top of the tallest building, jump off and go flying for a few miles before I land causally in Discovery Park. Then, I’ll do a jig, because I just defied the laws of physics. Just so we’re clear: I’m not on anything, the music is really that good.

With all the good that We Sing The Body Electric! brings to the table, there has to be some kind of catch right? Kind of. It is a testament to the album’s brilliance that the catches are so small. Catch 1: “Golden Apples Of The Sun pt 1” feels to me like it could have been a longer song. But it’s made up for by the fact that there’s a part 2. Catch 2: The albums most famous song and therefore probably The Lonely Forest’s most famous song is the 3^rd song on the album, “We Sing In Time.” The only conceivable problem with this is that the album deals its ace way too early. Some people will not acknowledge after “We Sing In Time” that there are other songs on the album that are just as good as that. But there certainly are. “Blackheart Vs. Captain America” is the true beginning of the album after the short intro of “Two Pink Pills” and it gets us rolling out of bed on a really good note. “Centennial” is another prime example of The Lonely Forest’s anthem making prowess. Both “Centennial” and “Blackheart Vs. Captain America” cause the metaphor train to ground to a halt, they’re both powerful rockers that’ll bring your soul out of hiding and make it feel nice and shiny. Huh. Maybe I was wrong. The Lonely Forest doesn’t make the metaphor train grind to a halt, it just turns it into the overly optimistic metaphor train. Nothing wrong with that.

It’s bands like The Lonely Forest that makes me proud to live in Seattle. They’re proof that we’ve got a lot to offer in the Pacific Northwest and that we’ve nowhere to go but up. I do fear, though: with society moving away from the full album experience faster than rats abandoning a burning ship (cliché metaphor ahoy!) I fear most people are going to just listen to “We Sing In Time” by itself. Don’t do that, take in the rest of this album, you’ll feel fantastic. Sure sometimes the situations bleak and we’re all going to die, but I can’t help but feel that the overall direction we’re headed in here is one of triumph over the darkness the corrodes us. At least, that’s how I feel listening to The Lonely Forest.

{The Lonely Forest play at the Showbox at the Market on Thursday, December 31 with Minus the Bear and Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground.}

Braving the snow to see The Oregon Donor at Chop Suey tonight

Chris Estey — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:01:21 +0000

hey're young, ferociously passionate, with a progressive sound both energetic and expansive. They are called The Oregon Donor and they are one of the very best live bands that I've encountered in the past few months.

We Won't March

Phil Duncan — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:47:56 +0000

http://www.speakerspeakermusic.com/

speakerspeaker07may.gif

For some time, Speaker Speaker has been one of those bands that when asked if I’ve heard them, I would reply that I had heard of them. I knew that they were local. I knew that they rocked. And, I knew they were hyped.

Hype is a fickle mistress. It can help slingshot a band into the world’s ears and hearts, but it can also outrun the band creating an eye-blackening backlash. We Won’t March tiptoes between the extremes of hypetitude, but doesn’t come out completely ungrazed by the sword of overratedness.

Speaker Speaker’s new EP is very promising. Straight-ahead, lo-fi garage punk that I imagine would be phenomenal to see live (the two live tracks on the album, “Call It Off” and “Radio Days” sound great). The disc sounds a lot like an early Thermals EP that I have just about worn out, and if Speaker Speaker can take the same road as them, they can count me in as a loyalist.

Honestly though, it’s hard really to judge a band based on a 15-minute EP, especially when two of the five songs are live and another is a cover (Jawbreaker’s “Do You Still Hate Me?”). The raw energy of this album is devastating, and whatever the band lacks in trained musicianship is made up in pure, tried-and-true rock n’ roll gumption.

The album is good, but for a young band it's dangerous to be overexposed too early in their career. True local music fans can nurture and root for a band as it grows and progresses. Does Speaker Speaker know that getting thrown into the hype machine spotlight too quickly means that The End's My Chemical Romance fans of the world will expect too much too fast, and when they don’t get it, will throw 'em into the gutter already overflowing with yesterday’s next big thing?

We Won’t March shows a lot of promise. If the band can restrain the hype and not explode before maturity, I expect to see great things from them in the future. I just hope that they don’t end up like the last End “indie darling"... I can’t even remember their name now.

The music on the album itself is very promising. Straight-ahead, lo-fi garage punk that I imagine would be phenomenal to see live (the two live tracks on the album, “Call It Off” and “Radio Days” sound great).

Convenience

Travis Hay — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 08:00:00 +0000

6.4

http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/sc_cart.cgi?8026419405582613

matthewshaw06mar.gif

Convenience, the latest offering from local indie-popster Matthew Shaw, could easily draw a handful of comparisons to his emotion-pouring peers (hello, Conor). He draws upon the influence of Bright Eyes' emotive vocal stylings, Dntel's hooky electronics, and Dolour's pop sensibilities to create a likeable EP saturated with voice and vision.

Opening with "The Drunk," a quasi-downer of a song with an upbeat and peppy synth, Shaw bellows out, "This apartment’s lifeless. It’s walls reflect loneliness." Various beeps, boops and blips that come across as rejected 8-bit video game sounds accentuate most of Convenience’s songs. The synthesized noises aren’t painting videogame soundscapes in the happy and quirky Beck manner. Instead, these ardent noises portray raw emotions and feelings.

Shaw’s brutal honesty on "Quicksand," the EP’s third track, nearly catches listeners off guard as he declares "Today I figured out that I am the asshole that plagues your life," at the song’s opening. His lyrical vulnerability and the evident care he takes in craftsmanship of his songs make this an exceptional release and hopefully he’ll release an LP in the near future. Clocking in at a mere five songs and under 20 minutes in length and taken as a whole, Convenience does exactly what an EP is designed to do: It succinctly showcases Shaw’s songwriting strengths, leaving listeners longing for a follow-up full-length.

It succinctly showcases Shaw's songwriting strengths, leaving listeners longing for a follow-up full-length.

TIG on KEXP for November 2005

three imaginary girls — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 08:00:00 +0000

It's rainy and a bit gray outside. And as much as I love not having to worry about getting sunburned, it is a good thing we have KEXP to be our aural pick me up cup of coffee. On a recent Saturday evening, we were able to be a part of KEXP's Audioasis action. We combed our mailbin and the internet and found some songs we're excited to share with you, our like-minded indie-rock friends.

{7:08} Speaker Speaker — "Statues/Shadows"
We snagged this track from Speaker Speaker's self-released EP, Again & Again & Again (apparently they like repetition). I instantly recognized the album art as one of my favorite local designer, Jesse LeDoux's work. You know that Shin's Chutes to Narrow album that is die cut and folds like a mini children's book?... that's Jesse.

Speaker Speaker packs more punch in a two-minute song than a spoonful of wasabi. You can listen to them again and again and again on. Their website has a bunch of streaming mp3's. Or, if you prefer something more along the lines of a live show, they have a show on December 22, 2005 at Chop Suey with The Senate Arcade, Juhu Beach, and White Gold.

{7:10} For Better or for Awesome — "Six Eight Equals Two"
For Better or for Awesome is a lo-fi garage-rock project of love from Andrew Moore of Kane Hodder (Guitar/Vocals) and ex-Catch drummer Alissabeth Newton (Drums/Vocals). It's a classic Seattle love story: Boy in band meets girl in band. They fall in love. They get married. They form a new band. They live happily ever after.

Alissa told me they gave away recordings of these songs at their wedding earlier this year. How sweet is that? No record or tour dates yet, but they have made their radio debut.

{7:14} Boat — "Clogged Castle"
Boat use lo-fi Shins and early Kinks smarts to write catchy melodies that are all at once charming, quirky, and beguiling. Live, they are overachievers with their on-stage construction paper cutouts, audience participation instrumentation, Christmas lights and free pudding. Off stage they are just as diligent. This year they have self-recorded and self-released two albums and an EP {with a double album set to be released in January, 2006}... all of which are in the running for a spot on my best of the year list!

Check them our yourself on Wednesday, November 16 at the Crocodile Cafe with Cars Can Be Blue and The Withholders. Or if ninjas take you captive and you can't escape for the show, go see them November 17 at the Nectar Lounge with White Gold, The Blakes and Crown Aruba. Or even better, go to both shows. That's what I'm doing.

{7:23} Daylight Basement — "Godspeed Girl"
Bre of Kuma, Dejha from the Rotten Apples, Davis from Maktub, and David from The Jeunes got together to form this super group. They've been together less than three months and have a self-released debut album, Any Kind of Pretty, scheduled for release in early December and are diligently booking gigs*. How's that for super? Any Kind of Pretty was recorded at London Bridge with Jonathan Plum. The MP3 for this track, "Godspeed Girl," is available for download right here!

Daylight Basement are less theatrical than Kuma, instead shifting their emphasis to whipsmart song-writing and big fun. The lyrics — brainy in the best Exile in Guyville way — come alive with Bre's unmatchable, sensual voice. She sizzles in a Lena Lovich meets Dale Bozzio meets Gwen Stefani sort of way. Her vocals soar over bouncy nu-wave electronics and fancy-pants, lush rock instrumentation. What's so funny is you have no idea how excited you are to hear this record. Seriously. And don't miss them live.

{7:27} Palisades — "This is How I Lay"
Palisades hail from Bellingham and we found them via the Bellingham Popular Music Festival website (they were part of the weekend-long benefit music-fest in early November, 2005). The songs we found via their myspace account are progressive yet playful indie rock melodies that hit mellow valleys and playfully abrasive peaks. And Palisades isn't the only musical outlet for this duo; Both Eli and Josh have their own side projects. You can check out Elijah's solo material here and Josh's experimental acoustic/electronic side project here.

{7:38} Airport Cathedral — "Cure-Alls"
The newest Burning Buildings Records release is the album Jetlag by Airport Cathedral. With vocals comparable to a softer J. Mascis and Pedro the Lion song stylings, Airport Cathedral have made one introspective, beguiling album. They have a free show booked for January 13, 2006 at the Mars Bar & Café Venus (best macaroni and cheese EVER!).

{7:42} Blue Checkered Record Player — "Rocketship"
Blue Checkered Record Player is not only one my top five tongue twister band names, they're also a contestant for my top local releases of 2005 — and not just because they have a song called "Imaginary Halos." Known for his previous and current musical endeavors {Fields of Mars, Lying on Loot, Bugs in Amber, and currently Slender Means}, BCRP is Sonny Votolato's solo project. Piano, organ, violin, cello, flute, saw, and drums alluringly intermingle throughout the self-titled record (released on Esoterik Musik). It is acoustic music with an orchestral and sometimes moody feel. BCRP's next show is November 18, 2005 at the Vera Project with Rocky Votolato, The Epochs and Invisible {all ages}.

So get yourself to a show. And if you find yourself in front of a radio on Saturday, December 3rd tune in to KEXP to hear our {un}imaginary voices. Who knows? We just might play your band.

'til then...

KEXP.jpg

And as much as I love not having to worry about getting sunburned, it is a good thing we have KEXP to be our aural pick me up cup of coffee. On this month's appearance, we played tracks from Speaker Speaker, for Better or for Awesome, Airport Cathedral, and more.

Top 50 Northwest Releases of 2004: the Imaginary Readers' Poll Results {50-41}

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

#50 Argo — Jetpacks for Everyone
(Ana-Them Records)

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

#49 The Purrs — No Particular Bar, No Particular Town
(self-released)

{official website} * {buy it}

#48 Rochester Fosgate — Rochester Fosgate
(Smooth Excavator)

{official website} * {buy it} *

#47 These Arms Are Snakes — Oxeneers Or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home
(Jade Tree)

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

#46 Matthew Shaw — Ghosts in the Concrete
(Burning Building Recordings )

{official website} * {buy it}

#45 Idiot Pilot — </Strange We Should Meet Here>
(Reprise Records)

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

#44 Laura Veirs — Carbon Glacier
(Nonesuch)

{official website} * {buy it}

#43 Kuma — That Moment of Silence Before a Disaster
(self-released)

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

#42 Andrea Maxand — Where the Words Go
(Ghostweed Press)

{official website} * {buy it}

#41 Kultur Shok — Kultura-Diktatura
(Kool Arrow)

{official website} * {buy it}

The top Northwest releases of 2004 as voted on by you, our readers (see winners #50-41 here).

Persona Non Grata

imaginary stella — Fri, 06 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000

5.4

http://www.bbrecordings.com/

Pistol4Paycheck.jpg

Persona Non Grata, the debut label release from Seattle four-piece Pistol For a Paycheck, starts with a growl. This is gritty punkrockandroll, a collection of passionate fury, and they want us to know.

The guys in P4P are still youngins (23 is the age of the eldest), and their songs reflect this. The material, lyrically and musically, on Persona Non Grata shows that they still have a ways to go in developing mature songs, but their promise definitely exists. They could stand to get a little tighter as a band (but also keep in mind I'm simultaneously reviewing the new release from The Hives, who at this moment are at the top of their game. It's a touch comparison!). P4P holsters a lot of energy behind their powerful punch.

The band aspires to Iron Maiden's metal love one moment then melds into something of a throwback to 90s grunge, but with a punk-tinged sword. Kye Hillig's vocals show impressive potential — At the Drive-In and Dead Kennedys come quickly to mind.

The mix on Persona is not great. The guitars (Hillig and Aaron Peters, who also shares vocals) get a little buried while the drums (James Cole) pound strongly atop all. Bassist David Bilbrey gets a tad lost in the shuffle, but his rumblings are still detectable. Nonetheless the core of the band is captured on the raw disc and, if nothing else, picking up a copy will help you recognize the material when they play a ferociously live show.

{Speaking of which, why not read igDana and igChar's live review of Pistol for a Paycheck from July 2003?}