There are a lot of details and nuances in Cay is Okay’s music, but one thing that stands out is how comfortable the music makes you feel. This is especially true in their latest release, Lo-Fi. Listening to each song feels like slipping on your favorite old sweater. The album has a quiet, worn-in quality, which makes it all the more tender. Even the more upbeat, rascally songs such as “Call Out” feel friendly and inviting. Part of this is due to the softer D.I.Y nature of the music; the album is named Lo-Fi for a reason. It feels as if you’re hanging out with the band in their garage while they’re practicing. The other aspect is how clean the album is, the result of the member’s talent and chemistry. Listening is smooth and easy because the music flows as effortlessly as water.

Cay Is Okay is playing a show this Thursday at The Fixin To with Havania Whaal and Stanford Prism Experiment.

 -By Avril Carrillo

Punishing isn’t the first word you’d think to describe Soft Kill, an official SXSW artist, but the more their gothic barrages of post-punk and shoegaze pummel into you, the apter the label becomes. On Savior, the Portland-based outfit buries most of their synthesizers into a thundering vessel of fuzz and shadowy guitars. Like streetlights quickly appearing and vanishing again as you drive past them, moments of joy appear only to get smothered in a wave of rumbling toms and a peal of crashing cymbals. It’s a relentless hail of gloom and doom, something akin to The Cure without reveling in any of the performative aesthetics of goth music; Soft Kill is purely here for the raw ennui.

-By Tucker Pennington

This past Monday, New Body Electric released a single, “Cash Cache.” As indicated by the title, the song is about the relationship artists form with the money needed to support themselves and their art. It’s a fairly serious topic, one the band handles with delicate sensibility. It’s actually a cheerful song, with a pleasantly immersive melody and vocals that are just the right amount of breathy. What makes it strong is the quiet but persistent sense of melancholy underlying each note. It’s the perfect song for when you’re tired of feeling sad, and you need to ease yourself into a better mood.

On Friday, New Body Electric will be playing a release show at The Cruzroom Annex. Motorcoat will also be playing a set. You can find out more information on the event’s Facebook page. 

-By Avril Carrillo

Bug Seance is releasing their first album March 1st, and for now has 3 songs available to stream on their Bandcamp. Each song speaks volumes of the work and detail the band puts into their music. Their genre-blending style combines shoegaze inspired bridges with more high energy riffs and vocals. At times they sound faintly reminiscent of No Doubt’s earliest work. The jazzy ambient notes function as a smooth, enticing outer layer. It’s an impressive first release.

Bug Seance’s next show is this Thursday, February 21st at No Fun alongside The Strid and Better Humans. You can also catch them at their release show at the Waypost, on March 1st. Spiller and Jazz Boyfriends will also be playing sets.

 -By Avril Carrillo

Celebrate the American Legion Post 134’s centennial anniversary this weekend, starting tomorrow. Over the years the Legion has shown a lot of love to the local scene, and this is a great chance to send some of that love back their way. Local bands Nick Normal, No Aloha, Deathlist, and more will be playing. Each day goes from 5-11. There’s gonna be plenty of grub (vegan food included), and raffle prizes throughout the day. It’s only $7 per day, which is only $21 for the whole weekend. If you bring a canned good donation, the price drops down to $5. Check out the full details and lineup at the Legion’s facebook page here.

  -By Avril Carrillo

This Saturday, a benefit show for Animal Aid will be taking place at the High Water Mark. Animal Aid is a nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue and welfare organization that has been serving Portland since 1969. Other Lights, Dog Years, and Childspeak will all be playing in support of the organization. With each band filled with animal lovers, you can expect each set to be high energy and full of enthusiasm.

-By Nick Hartman

Feminist folk trio Sparkle Carpet are the tough, goth ladies we’ve been waiting for. Their album, We Do Stares, has such an “I don’t give a shit” attitude that reviewing it almost feels redundant. Emphasis on almost. Their music is lively and boisterous. “Mrs. Robinson Digs Me,” a playful take on the Simon & Garfunkel original, is incredibly fun to listen to. The use of triangle adds an enjoyably childlike aspect to the songs, but in no way does it make the music childish. It makes the music sharper, bringing attention to the cheeky smirks behind each word sung. Other songs, such as “You Don’t Think” reveal the steely inner core at the heart of the band. The resolve and determination in the song’s hoarse vocals are rousing.

Sparkle Carpet’s next show is Friday, April 19th at Murder Mine. Loud in the Morning, Earth of Foxes, Geophagia will also be playing sets. 

-By Avril Carrillo 

A while back I had a friend ask me why I listen to ambient music. For a bit, I rambled on about the way ambient music can be a soft place to mentally curl up in. It provides you room to think while also gently guiding the direction of those thoughts. However, if I had been asked the very same question today, I would have just made my friend listen to Amulets‘ Future Fog. Each song creates a vastly different mood, but it’s done so subtly and gracefully that you don’t pick up on it unless you’re paying close attention. You don’t get lost in his music, it gets lost with you.

Amulets, who also goes by Randall Taylor, has most recently released Mountains Past / Immortal Yeller. Created in conjunction with fellow drone artist Bus Gas, the album explores the relationship between cause and effect. It does so beautifully. “Mountains Pass” in particular stands out. The song maintains a balance between emotional distance and bare-bones vulnerability. Not too mention this doesn’t even touch on live performance. With the use of handmade cassette tape loops and live guitar loops, Amulets focuses on recontextualizing his soundscapes to produce unique and immersive experiences for every audience.

Amulets’ next show will be Saturday, April 6th at the High Mark. Slow Crush, Holy Fawn, and Long Hallways will also be performing. 

  -By Avril Carrillo, photo by Thomas Fang

This coming Friday pop-folk ensemble Lili St Anne will be releasing their album, Bone Marrow. The first single, “Eveline” has generated plenty of buzz around the album, and there’s a reason why. In it, vocalist Elizabeth Fagan sings with a fluid, languid tone. She sings the way two lovers would dance in the moonlight; intense but unhurried. The song is passionate but is layered with a strong desire to stop and enjoy each moment as it passes. The accompanying drums and trombone turn her voice into a distant memory, both comforting and confusing. Each instrument is played with a gentle tenderness that is hard to produce with louder instruments. It melts into you, as calmly and smoothly as day turning into night.

If you want to check out “Eveline” live, Lili St Anne will be playing a release show this Friday, February 8th. It will take place at The Hallowed Halls, with doors opening at 7pm. Indira Valey and a special guest will be performing as well, which means you have all the more reason to go. You can find out more information on the event’s Facebook page, or buy tickets here.

  -By Avril Carrillo

If you’re looking for some good garage rock, here at The Deli we know just where to take you. Fresh off their “Live from The Rye Room” performance, Fir will be playing a show at The Doug Fir this Thursday, February 7th. If the band is as heartfelt and sincere as they were at The Rye Room, then this show will definitely be a good time. They’ll be joined by !mindparade, Danny Delgato & The Cuddlez, and The Macks. You can buy tickets here, or check out the facebook page for more info. 

-By Nick Hartman

-By Avril Carrillo, quotes from Groundsounds, Fox and Bones

This upcoming Valentines Day, Cry Babe is releasing their EP Be Cool. Until you can hear the full thing, you can listen to the pre-released song “Johnny.” Do you remember the pointless car rides you and your friends would go on when you first started driving? Anxious and impatient, going 10 miles above the speed limit with the wind whipping your face and the setting sun gracing your brow. This is the emotion at the heart of “Johnny.” It’s clever because the song isn’t about being wild for the sake of it. It’s about being impulsive because you’re more afraid of what will happen if you don’t get in that car. Vocalist Anaïs Genevieve combines the anger and ethereality in her voice into something radically new. She sings with a style that I’m tempted to deem operatic punk. Her wild shrieks make Janet from Rocky Horror look tame in comparison. In “Johnny” she becomes both the devil and the angel on your shoulder. If you don’t find yourself thrashing and twirling around while “Johnny” is playing, you’re doing something wrong.

Cry Babe’s release show will be on Thursday, February 14th at the High Water Mark Lounge. Mr. Wrong and Sea Moss will also be playing. You can find out more information here. 

-By Avril Carrillo