How dreamy are you, Blouse? And you’re playing with Starfucker for just five dollars on a Friday night? At the Doug Fir. What! What? I can barely find a thing about you, and so you have become a mystery of dancey goodness, like a wood nymph with a synthesizer. You know where I’ll be Friday. (Swoon swoon swoon). 

 

The ever danceable, bedraggled (wait, I just mean they’re always wearing drag, not that they look derelict), multinominal STARFUCKER/PYRAMIDDDDDD/STRFKR is gracing the wonderful stage of Holocene this Thursday with Guidance Counselor and Brkfst Sndwch. Oh, but it’s sold out. Wait, wait! There will be 100 tickets at the door starting at 9:30pm! Starfucker’s new album, Reptilians, will make your face explode. As much synth swimming in piles of beats as you’d expect, carefully honed in that Starfucker way. I’ll leave it at that. Just come and explode tomorrow.

 

This Saturday catch a top runner from The Deli Portland’s 2010 Emerging Artists title at the Doug Fir. The Ascetic Junkies are joined by a handful of old collaborators to pique the ears of Portland’s incestuous music scene. Catch these lovely Junkies meshing with Boy Eats Drum Machine, Cars & Trains, and Leigh Marble. Cars & Trains will be backed by the AJ’s on his song "Asleep on a Train" and later join the AJ’s playing hand percussion on their own material. Boy Eats Drum Machine will be backed by the AJ’s on "Oregon Shore" and will later possibly be playing some turntables and/or sax on an AJ’s tune or two. There may even be a cover song or two performed by the entire group.The entire show sounds like a house show invading the Doug Fir. Except it’s $10 and 21+. But worth it! –mh

Why Do Crows? from Ascetic Junkies on Vimeo.

 

Embracing the Modern Age is the name of the game, and you’d almost never guess it from the wondrously thrown-back release from Blue Skies For Black Hearts. Channeling Costello, early Beatles, Blue Skies for Black Hearts have whipped up some of the most catchily poppy tunes this side of 1965. I feel like seeing them live is going to be getting sucked into a time warp – and ending up the right place. You can catch all of the dreamy goodness this Saturday, April 23, at the Mission Theatre, where you’ll also fall prey to the charm of the sci-fi film debut featuring these yesteryear champions. 

What’s going down on This Week’s Menu? Springtime in the air and amazing shows every night. Every, every night. I don’t even know what summer is going to look like. Oh man oh man. 

Tuesday April 19: Wampire @ Disjecta

Wednesday April 20: Onuinu, Gulls, Brkfst Mntn @ Holocene, $5

Thursday April 21: Twin Shadow, Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Doug Fir, $15

Friday April 22: Y La Bamba, Dark Dark Dark, Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship @ Missississippi Studios, $15

Saturday April 23: Shapers, Beans @ Holocene, $15

Sunday April 24: Radiation City @ Rontoms, Free(?)

A Deli Portland favourite (Artist of the Month a couple months back), and all out sexily dreamy duo, Adventures! With Might release their latest piece of glorious action this Friday (that’s tonight!) at Backspace. The self-titled full length out on the awesome analogue advocates, Apes Tapes, is sopping with the wet synthesizers of decades gone past – it’s like you dragged the glitzed keyboards of 1985 through the guttural amplification of 1993, borrowed a Price-affected whisper falsetto, borrowed a bassline from your most recent awesome night in bed, and shook it up with the hormones of a roomful of 15 year old boys who might actually know what they’re doing. There’s a lot there, isn’t there? See it live. Try not to lose it. No no. Just lose it!

BBQCHICKENROBOT.com Presents Adventures! With Might! from BBQCHICKENROBOT on Vimeo.

Friday April 15: The beeping and booping of a thousand angry thunderclouds converge: Adventures! With Might TAPE RELEASE! with Pocketknife and Spesus Christ @ Backspace. 9pm, $5, ALL AGES!

A long weekend ate the first half of This Week’s Menu. But thankfully, as always, there are too many shows to choose from this week. What’s on our plate tonight? The Ocean Floor, with their slightly off-kilter (in the vein of Destroyer), charmingly folky tunes will open for captivating Icelandic songstress Olof Arnalds at The Woods. Along with Jordan O’ Jordan, this one promises to be a night of fantastically folky goodness. –mh

the ocean floor – inner ear from Isaac Royffe on Vimeo.

 (also, Soul Night @ Rotture is tonight! Oh snap!)

 

The ever whelming sounds of Typhoon crash ever the more concisely wild on their latest release, A New Kind of House. The five tracks from this army of a band break slowly across your ears with a not-quite-gentle but definitely-still-fragile sound, starting with just whispers of the song "The Honest Truth", which grows like a battle drum made of glass, shattering into a yell-along choir after the gracious call to arms: "Be kind to all your neighbours because they’re just like you and you’re nothing special." Horns trace the echo of everyone screaming, fading quickly into "Summer Home", which swells slightly with fadingly crying strings that lead back into more choral harmonies. The whole EP slowly breathes and breaks, shifting between balladesque pianos, weeping strings, and a barrage of brass layered like years of moss trying to hide the ghostly and giant oak it calls home.

A New Kind of House is out on Tender Loving Empire, with a release show to match at Doug Fir this Friday with &&& and Brainstorm! Check out Matt Ross’s video for "The Honest Truth" and just try to tell me that you won’t be picking up this EP. – Mike Harper

 

I caught The Rural Alberta Advantage a couple years back at Backspace, and they genuinely captured my heart, channeling the homespun air that their name evokes. Hints of Jeff Mangum hide in the back of Nils Edenloff’s voice, not to be left alone by the sweet cooing of instrument-hopping Amy Cole. A booming cavern of sounds at times (think Arcade Fire, if they only had 3 members, but still sounded like they had at least 6), and a not more than a calm sing-song at others, The RAA lends an open field of sounds to their live performance. Their newest release, Departing, takes the next step away from Hometowns (doesn’t that seem perfect?) and blooms with a brighter energy while still hanging on to that storytelling swell that makes The RAA what they are. You’ll dance and sing along to "Stamp" as much as you’ll quietly take in the subtle call-and-response of "Goodnight". Playing the Doug Fir this time around with another one of my favorites, Aan, and a newer obsession, Lord Huron, the night is sure to be a deep breath of swelling notes. Peep their video on This Week’s Menu, go to the Doug Fir on Saturday. You’ll be a calmer and happier person for it. –Mike Harper

 

Considering that I may have listened to this EP 20 times already, I almost don’t know where to start with Thug Life Nicole. Hosannas have outdone themselves in four songs.The tracks of their latest EP wisp through your ears like fog in the clouds, perching softly on the harmonies of your heart with the reminiscence of a forgotten Brian Wilson B-side. "Cccloud" floats waywardly around the unbearably genuine lyrics "I wouldn’t hurt you if I could, but we both know of course I would/but I’d be happy just to see you" steadfast and streamlike until it opens up to barreling drums that drive your heartbeat into the floor that’s melted beneath your feet. "Walroos" achieves a haunting, somehow universal tip-of-the-hat to everyone’s Beatlebound days of yesteryear, veiled behind anecdotes of reversed guitar tracks travelling in stereo from amp to amp, held aloft by the whisper of violins. A bridled cacophony seeps from "Islandz" before facing the wall of subtle synth and heavily breathing drums of "Obsolete People" – the shortest track of the four that captures the mood of the EP itself: a short and heavy orchestra of carefully layered moments that burst through the air like the heavens have spilled down with thunder and lazing sunlight all at once. 

Perhaps one of the finest points of this incredible release is that it’s free. You can experience Hosannas tonight at Holocene at The Rumble with Hello Electric and Vanaprasta tonight for free. If you can’t make it tonight you can also catch them at Rontoms for free on Sunday. -Mike Harper

 

Anyone interested in seeing Seattle’s Fences with Greylag this Saturday April 9th at the Roseland? The Deli Portland has a pair of tickets with your name on them! Absolutely free! Just leave a comment and tell us why you want to check out this awesome show and you’re in the running. We’ll pick a winner on Thursday and you’ll be in with your friend swooning to the genuine songs of Fences. Catch him singing here with Sara Quin! You don’t want to miss this one! Comment away! Don’t forget to leave your email address so we can contact you if you’ve won!

 

I really thought the sun was going to stick around for a minute. But what am I thinking? It’s only April. As they say: "April showers, bring more showers, until it’s August, then it’s sunny for another couple of minutes, maybe." Or something like that? On our plate this week to fight the drear:

Monday April 4: Electronic music drum circle? Worth checking out! Battery Powered Music @ Backspace. 8pm, $5

 

Tuesday April 5: Do yourself a favour and go to this show. Tuesday is the perfect day to be melted into the floor by way of carefully soaring vocals. Hosannas new album has been on repeat at my house for the past week and a half and it’s as glorious as you’d expect from these brothers. Just go to The Rumble with Hosannas, Hello Electric, and Vanaprasta @ Holocene. 8:30 pm, FREE!

 

Wednesday April 6: Guidance Coulselor, Ghost Animal, Blast Majesty, MSG, Invisibly Boy @ Holocene. 8:30 pm, $5

 

Thursday April 7: Ghost Animal, Vacant Fever, Cousins, Duzheknew @ Ella St. Social Club. 9pm, $3

 

Friday April 8: Typhoon, And And And, Brainstorm @ Doug Fir. 9pm, $12

Saturday April 9: RAA came through town a while back and destroyed Backspace with their own brand of subdued choral awesomeness. I doubt they won’t do it again. Not to mention Lord Huron and Aan. There is no question as to where you should be tonight. Rural Alberta Advantage, Lord Huron, Aan @ Doug Fir. 9pm, $12

 

Sunday April 10: A definite toss up (for me at least) – Lightning Bolt @ Holocene for $12, or Pigeons @ Mississippi Studios for free. I’ll flip it, you call it!