And And And‘s No Party is the band’s first studio recorded EP. It provides a cleaner separation of the band’s recipe which involves a little ’60s lo-fi with a dash of garage pop and sprinkles of folk and lounge music. Nathan Baumgartner airs his grievance through whaling vocals abreast the meticulous drumming and stirring of bass, guitar, and the multi-instrumentalist Ryan Wiggans who interchanges cello, clarinet and trumpet. "The Joy of Cooking" concocts bread pudding (or french toast) and insecurity. "Holy Fucking Matrimony" attacks angst with quiet tempo changes, and "Old Folks Home" complains with enough cheer to make you want to say "Fuck it" and just keep moving. I am not sure if these guys have New Year’s resolutions, but the lyrics of "Not Going to The Party" sound right: "…just doing what you do, and I’ll just do that same thing too". – Brandy Crowe

As The Doubleclicks, Portland based sisters Aubrey and Angela Webber pick up a cello and ukelele and sing ballads that cover a range of geek culture. They cover grammar, video games, trekkies, and even PDX pirates. There is also meeting boys at con, the worst superpowers ever, and a velociraptor with self-esteem issues. The track "Imposter", on Song Fu is a response to a song writing challenge in which the girls created a story about a sad robot lost in space. What could be a more fitting way to share their EP, Chainmail and Cello, than to play a tour of shows inside West Coast comic shops? Tonight they play for a nerd herd at our own comic headquarters, Things From Another World. D20! – Brandy Crowe

Rontoms might be the fanciest garage a band could possibly play in, which is fitting because one of the most popular garage pop-rock bands in Portland, The Hugs, will be playing their weekly free show this Sunday. The Hugs have been around since 2007 and have gained popularity and high praise since. Their sound is grounded in early century garage sound but adds very clean vocals and specific spacy guitar effects to bring their music to the forefront of today’s scene. They bring a ton of energy and mix it with psychedelic undertones to keep the listener interested and in a good mood. Add in a steady rhythm section and you’ve got the perfect formula for great beer drinking music. – Colin Hudson

When former Epoxies member, Tim Connolly, wanted to arrange a fun recording project for The Punk Group’s self-tribute, he fetched the vocal talents of three ladies known as Jessi Lix, Double A, and Miss Joseph. The result destined the group to take to the stage. Soon Portland punk notorieties Howie Hotknife (Hotknives, Mean Jeans) and Petey J. Cool (Pure Country Gold) joined in and completed The Suicide Notes. While the guys are experienced, the girls exude prowess. In unison they bop along, singing playfully macabre lyrics to steadfast beats and sixties surf guitar, a sort of evil zombie version of Beach-Blanket-Bingo. The title track of their EP, "Suicide Note" revs up a guitar solo that explodes into punk anthems. "Beach Song" ends even with lovely harmonies and "Wolf Couple" puts a shimmy in your step. Two harder to find tracks are worth the search: "Something At The Window" has a darker rhythm and more ‘90s guitar as well as rare vocals from the guys, while "Love You To Death" indulges in slicing and dicing through funky bass lines in the most endearing of ways. – Brandy Crowe 

Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners might be the most charming band that Portland has to offer. Their music is influenced by the country and blues of the early 1900’s and infused with fingerpicking ragtime guitar fronting an arrangement of both traditional and makeshift instruments. Upright bass, washboard, harmonica and even the occasional kazoo can be heard supporting Jacob and Joy as they trade lead vocals and harmonize with each other radiating the carefree and nostalgic energy that uptempo blues creates. Over the past month, they’ve spread their music all across stumptown; with a slew of shows booked in January and the promise of a new release in the spring, they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. If you want to experience The Crooner’s charm for yourself, you can catch them at Backspace on December 27th or at the White Eagle on January 4th. – Benjamin Toledo

That’s right folks, the apocalypse is upon us. This weekend we can expect everything from massive earthquakes and nuclear explosions to reptilian aliens returning to earth to enslave the human race… can you think of a better reason to party? Friday night at Mt. Tabor Theater you can dance away those Armageddon blues with some of the finest local acts Portland has to offer, featuring the hazy garage rock of The We Shared Milk, the electrifying power rock of The Autonomics, the manic psychedelia of A Happy Death and the sludgy rock noir of Lydian Gray. Once you’ve stocked up on bottled water and canned food, get down to Hawthorne to rock out like there’s no tomorrow (because there might not be). – Benjamin Toledo

Bike Thief and their anti-folk anthems seem to have appeared out of thin air. The group relocated to Portland last summer and has since been weaving complex and intimate songs at a handful of venues and working up to their debut release, Ghost of Providence. The release captures sounds of deterioration and rejuvenation through crooning vocals and stirring string movements nuanced by post-rock undertones and lyrical hooks. Songs range from the eerie ballads such as, Battles and Perfect Demise to folk rock gems like Ghost of Providence pt. 1 and Look Up culminating with Ghost of Providence pt. 2, a powerful and ethereal closer which helps to frame the collection and draws the album to a close. Ghost of Providence is now available for stream and download on Bike Thief’s bandcamp page. Check it out and keep an eye out for a release show in the coming months. – Benjamin Toledo

As a soundtrack for late ’90s college rock or grunge of the Pacific Northwest, Glassbones would be a wonderful hybrid of The Crow and the all-American nuance of Varsity Blues. This year’s debut EP There’s Still Time Left deals with issues of detachment and personal apocalypse but with determination to hold steadfast. On the track "Sink or Swim", Colin Johnson’s scruffy vocals peacefully deal with twisted wreckage and the earth cracking. They are ominous yet optimistic. The bass foreshadows dire circumstances with fat strides, the drumming is steady like heartbeats of anticipation, and the energy of the lead guitar is upbeat in the breakdown. The track "Raise The Glass" changes it up a bit, starting out as a dark minstrel style tune then warping into a carnival ride of warning about conformity and being a slave to the almighty dollar. Make your way into the crowd or onto the comfy couches of The Tonic Lounge on Saturday, December 1st for the full experience of Glassbones with Nice Shootin’ Tex and Lydian Gray. – Brandy Crowe

     The music of Y La Bamba is steeped in mysticism, in part by the Mexican American heritage of silvery-haired raven Luz Elena Mendoza. As front woman, Mendoza tells stories with the spirits of her voice. Smoky and strong at one moment and rising to delicate cries of emotion the next. As a band, the members unify to create harmonies. On their first release, Lupon, "My Love is a Forest Fire" showcases the vocals of many members, while the track "Juniper" holds attention as Mendoza and bassist Ben Meyercord call out to each other like songbirds in the dusk. 

     After an enigmatic recognition of Lupon, producer and Los Lobos member and Steve Berlin took notice and stepped on board with the band to create this year’s Court the Storm. Storm continues to conjure melodic intimacy, orchestrating classical guitar, foot stomping and sometimes calypso sounding beats with trumpet and accordion. The album still picks from indie folk such as the road trip romance track "Ponce Pilato", but also pulls deeper from traditional mariachi and Latin folk including tracks such as "Michoagan”, in which Mendoza sings in a flawless cascade of the Spanish language. – Brandy Crowe

2012 has been a good year for Radiation City. Between releasing their acclaimed Cool Nightmare EP, playing the renowned SXSW music festival last March and being declared Portland’s Best New Band by the Willamette Week, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this has been their best year yet. With the release of a new music video and the promise of a new record in 2013, it seems that Radiation City’s momentum can only grow from here. The quintet’s blissful pop hooks, soaring harmonies and delicate instrumentation have made them one of Portland’s most talked about acts and has given them national attention. The new video for “Hide From the Night” stars a sock worm with unconventional tastes and showcases the band’s creativity and playful spirit. Watch the video below and be sure to catch Radiation City at Doug Fir on December 30th to congratulate them on an accomplished year. – Benjamin Toledo

Radiation City – I Would Hide // Hide From The Night from visionVISION on Vimeo.

When I moved to Portland in 2007, I was eager to find a band that I could impress my visiting friends with. I needed a band that played regularly enough, and that kept some sort of steady, experimental edge over their bill-sharers. It took about a year after Sad Horse formed, but I eventually caught one of their performances in the summer of 2008. They blew through their set, which consisted of about 10 songs, all lasting a minute and a half at the very most. With warped time signatures, simple driving drumbeats, and manic guitar lines to match the yelping of this insane duo, I knew I had found my impressive band. My friends never did visit me, but I didn’t care. I would still go out and see Sad Horse every chance I got. With that said, I think we should all welcome Sad Horse back home from their tour in Japan on Friday, November 16 at the World Famous Kenton Club. It’s free. – Edgar Paleo

Born in a small Oregon town, Laura Gibson seems to be a nature girl. Her work is ethereal. Her lyrics could be about relationships, to herself or songs written to the forests. Her voice is balmy with a vintage treble, whether covering a flirty "Little Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, playing as an acoustic folk and flower girl, or singing songs like sea ballads, rising eerily from rocky coasts and creeping into the terrior. After a Euro/Tel-Aviv/Ugandan tour with Indie Mariachi band, Calexico, Gibson has returned to her native lands. She laid down a gospel style track for an album benefiting Deschutes River Conservancy, had a bonus track, “The Carob Trees”, featured on NPR and released her new album, La Grande. The album is a continued journey along Oregon’s topography, in part inspired by the town of La Grande and history within the Wallowa Valley. Songs such as "Milk Heavy, Pollen Eyed" offer the enchantment we know of Gibson, but much of the album lays down a more classic western styling with brushy percussion and mysterious growls and whispers under the songstress’s vocals. She is currently touring with the organic family of Typhoon who play a multi-instrumental set with 12 or more people on stage or sometimes in trees. Hopefully this will lead to collaborations during the show that will also feature local talent Lost Lander at the Crystal Ballroom on November 23rd. – Brandy Crowe