Portland likes its folk twists and everyone loves a little fire. Ergo, things are looking up for Y La Bamba. Associating with producer Steve Berlin to release their second full-length album ‘Court The Storm‘, the band revealed in March a new side to their latin-folk sound, one warmer and more confident which quickly caught the attention of the music press.

As we speak, Y La Bamba are a couple of weeks into a US tour that will stretch until the end of October; and as they’re a cool bunch, they invited us all to get involved in the music-making fun. Until August 1st, they are hosting a remix contest which gives anyone with a computer the chance to be creative, structure from the 13 isolated parts their own version of Bendito (second track of the album, featured on the latest PDX Pop Now! compilation) and perhaps win some sweet prizes including free tickets and signed limited edition vinyls of ‘Court The Storm’. With two weeks left, time to get mixing! Y La Bamba will also be playing alongside Pure Bathing Culture at Dayton’s Sokol Blossom Winery Summer BBQ on July 21st. Ribs, wine tasting, live music… what more can you ask for? – Tracy Mamoun

Listening to The Lower 48 is a heart-warming experience. Somewhere between the enchanting vocal harmonies, steady guitar rhythms and moving percussion rests the same soulful spirit that has been channeled through other folk groups such as Iron and Wine and Fleet foxes. Their music conveys a feeling of purity in its simplicity, as can be heard on their first full length album, “Where All Maps End.” The release is a calm and captivating debut that would be a welcome addition to the record collection of any enthusiast of the indie-folk genre. They’re playing at the Doug Fir on July 31st with Seattle’s The Young Evils; attend for what’s sure to be a great show.- Benjamin Toledo

Ramona Falls debuted in 2009 as Brent Knopf drifted away from Menomena to  engage in a new experimental project. Backed by three core members, surrounded by a large cast of friends and colleagues, he orchestrated two complex takes on indie rock, Intuit and Prophet the latest of which was released in May ’12. With a multilayered sound of an outstanding clarity and some intriguing instrumental interactions, Ramona Falls is proving to be a new sensation on the indie scene. Attracting the attention of BYUtv’s Audio Files, Knopf’s brainchild will be featured in the show’s next edition. Targeting the finest of today’s indie scene, Audio Files will be analysing the band’s work over half and hour of interviews and exclusive footage; the episode will air on Tuesday, July 17 at 6:30pm MT/8:30pm ET, and you can stream previous ones on BYUtv.org.

Strangled Darlings are creepy in the most endearing kind of way, like a monster from an old horror movie you can’t help but empathize with. The duo finds their influence in the roots of Americana and folk and drives them through themes of insanity, betrayal and the supernatural to create dark, yet surprisingly charming music. The band is currently playing in support of their latest album, “Red Yellow and Blue” which is full of enough crooning vocals, eerie string compositions and backwater banjo to send a chill down Count Orlok’s spine. You can see them at Mississippi Pizza this Thursday, July 12th and experience their ghoulish brand of folk for yourself.- Benjamin Toledo

Eidolons‘ latest little gem ‘China‘ is an elcectic set of takes on folk, denser, sometimes louder, served with much higher energy than their previous records. The quarted switches at ease from light-hearted and skippy (Yellow Wallpaper) to hypnotic instrumental tracks (China) to catchy indie-rock bits (Denver Wrecks My Nerves), etc…There’s a lot going on in these then tracks. All are carefully de-structured, discordant, often articulating two or more distinct patterns, most being teased by Dan Byers’ soft voice that skips and wraps around the melodies as it pleases. Despite the complexity of certain arrangements, it’s a most comforting album, heartwarming in many different ways, which for whatever reason, was not exactly what I was expecting from the cover art; but you know, books, covers…Back in Portland after a tour promoting ‘China’, Eidolons will be playing at the Ella Street Social Club on Thursday, then at Kelly’s Olympian on the 28th.- Tracy Mamoun

The Silent Numbers bring together the most alluring elements of new wave and infuse them with a sense of melancholy that is generally reserved for bands of a darker genre. Their sound is rich with overwhelming guitar effects that add texture to some of the most groove-driven bass and intense drumming I’ve heard in recent months. Add the reverberating vocals of Nick Woods to the mix and you find yourself dancing through the band’s dismal melodies. They’re celebrating the digital release of their new EP, a follow up to April’s “When the Light is On” at the Record Room on July 14th, check it out. – Benjamin Toledo

As they experiment with different ways of articulating their taste for shoegaze and psychedelia, Grandparents‘s sound seems to get deeper and catchier by the record. Developing this blend since 2009, they revealed last month what is probably their sharpest effort to date. And they know it! Teasing the crowds with ‘Bitches‘, $100 single offered to those who bought their poster at Mississippi Studios on June 27th, the band is as we speak working on an EP to be released by the end of summer. Slow, repetitive track coming in warm monotonous waves, ‘Bitches’ is a powerful introduction to the record to come. We’ll let you know more as the time approaches, but for now, you can catch them at PDX Pop Now! Festival 2012!- Tracy Mamoun

It’s taken about a year, but Portland is finally giving Father Figure the respect their melodic brand of indie rock deserves. They’ve gone from sharing their catchy, at times anthemic songs with crowded houses and dive bars to some of the town’s more established venues, such as Ron Toms and Mississippi Studios. Since the release of their debut EP, “Tremmels”, they’ve been gaining momentum; the EP is an impressive debut, with enough reverb drenched lead lines and swooning vocal hooks you’ll catch yourself trying to sing along on the first listen. Catch them at Mississippi Studios this Wednesday night with Jason Anderson and Hungry Ghost.- Benjamin Toledo 

Five years, two records down the line, The Hugs are back with a sound that has not aged a day. With three new members and still at heart the adolescent spirit that gave birth to the band in 2007, Danny Delegato released late june a kickstarted third studio album ‘Dirty Gems‘. Candid garage-pop fuzz served with high energy, it offers like both previous records a light-hearted take on the weird world of teenage turmoil. This time though, no half-measures. All feel-good tricks from warping to vocal harmonies and other ‘yeah-yeahs’ are welcome on this record that opens with the effervescence of a Sprite ad and concludes on the bold riffs, screams and heavy basslines of ‘City’, written back in ’07 and by far the loudest song of the album. The Hugs are performing tonight at the Doug Fir Lounge, and will play the Mt Tabor Theatre on August 16th for Portland’s 2012 edition of the International Pop Overthrow!- Tracy Mamoun

Taking distance from the erratic beats of their debut album ‘Painting Pantheons‘, Pegasus Dream have developed their polyphony to deliver far more mature a sound on forthcoming EP ‘In Absentia‘. With the experience of their percussionist, music producer Jeff Bond (who joined the band shortly after the release of the first record), they structured the new tracks to emphasise one instrument at a time, thus giving the sound a sense of purity. Harsher guitars, authentic percussions, short synth notes fuzzing through the space and the fragile voice of singer Jt come together in harmony, with just enough distortion to give its strange glow to this feel-good indie-pop piece out July 10th. 

Here’s a little treat for you- ‘Righteous Tiger’, second track off ‘In Absentia’ with a music video shot in Bond’s studio, courtesy of Dead Not Dancing.- Tracy Mamoun, from the shimmering confines of my comfort zone.

Humble revivalists marching onto the rock scene with the bold, macho sounds of their debut album ‘On Blonde‘, Black Pussy set themselves aside the hyped-up escalade of musical violence to develop the softer stoner rock aesthetics of the late 60s/early 70s. Amidst hardcore this, trash that and lo-fi everything, surely that’s a tricky card to play, right? But having found a right balance between blues-rock basslines, persistent distortion and Dustin Hill’s soothing pop voice, the sextet successfully take us right back to the origins of heavy rock & Co, with no pretension to replicate the mindfuck of earlier generations. Wishing you a pleasant 4th of July, I can only suggest a trip to Doug Fir tomorrow evening to check them out! They will also be playing Rontoms & Kelly’s Olympian in the next couple of weeks.

PS: Guys, if you go looking for ’em, remember to type in ‘band’; you’ll get far too distracted if you don’t.- Tracy Mamoun