Dresses have some news for you. The indie pop duo just premiered a contagious new track that goes by the name of “Gotta Love,” and announced a brand new EP, Sun Shy, that will be released on July 23rd. If you have yet to fall in love with the endearing, pop-oriented sounds that these two create now is the perfect time to give them a listen. Their songs pull the listener in with melodic vocal hooks on top of upbeat instrumentation that should supply the perfect soundtrack for the summer ahead. They will be celebrating the release of the Sun Shy EP at Backspace on July 26th as well as supporting Owen and Laura Stevenson and the Cans in Santa Ana on August 2nd and in Hollywood on August 3rd. You can pre-order the release on Itunes here and keep an eye out for tour dates and all Dresses news on their website. – Benjamin Toledo

NTNT has a sound that can be hard to define, simple yet complex, with something for the casual listener as well as the music critic. One of the most intriguing aspects of NTNT’s music is the lyrics and soul that goes into each song. Dustin Brown was kind enough to answer a few question for me in the midst of the chaos of working on a new EP. I had the pleasure of asking him a bit about the music he crafts, and the upcoming EP slated to debut later this year. Read the full interview here – Cory Huennekens

Colin talked with Nathan from Tango Alpha Tango about thier new album, songwriting process and why they are drawn to the music they make. Check out the full interview here and be sure to get to Doug Fir this Saturday night to celebrate the release with Tango Alpha Tango, Minden and Violet Isle. 

This Saturday night the Star Theater will showcase of some of the most prominent acts in Portland’s ever-expanding garage rock scene, headlined by the Wooden Indian Burial Ground’s explosive energy, psychedelic tones and unwavering experimental drive. Since the release of their self-titled LP the group has played nearly every venue in town, toured the nation and signed to Brooklyn-based Mon Amie Records. A passion for their art is stitched within their songs, holding together the most chaotic moments and pulling them in a progressive direction. Wooden Indian Burial Ground will receive support from And And And’s racing rhythms, the hazy tones of Grandparents and Summer Cannibals’ dynamic hooks. All that for five bucks? Why wouldn’t you check this one out? -Benjamin Toledo

Alela Diane has readied her latest self-release, About Farewell, on her own label, Rusted Blue Records. Ten years ago her first self-release, Forest Parade, marked her expression that is a season of eternal autumn; dreamy layers of acoustic strums are backed with brassy elements, and her voice is an earthy alto with occasional high-rise songbird pitches. On Farewell, a cleansing rain of Alela’s poetry accost disappointment and the roots of her weariness. The color and light that flickers through is her empowerment to make ardent, definitive decisions and statements, especially the hardest ones concerning love and letting go. Her album release show at the century-aged Old Church will be a revival if you seek calm from the constant sense of  urgency outside. Holcombe Waller opens, and Alela is accompanied by a string trio and friend Heather Broderick (Horse Feathers, Efterklange) on flute and piano. Also, there is the surreal option of having a beer while viewing from a church pew. – Brandy Crowe

"A vision blurred through colored glass

The white washed walls of summer’s passed

The smoldering I do recall

The hopeless fade, the way we fall" 

What can we say about Fringe Class and their new EP, Fringe Class Forever? One might liken it to a slab of butter, melting atop a mountain of flapjacks. It’s a curious combination of pulsating beats and sounds with silky vocals woven into the rich tapestry of notes. “Flower Pigeons” was first up on the playlist. Your ears will feel like they’re relaxing in a hot tub with a glass of bubbly. The vocals and keyboards are welcoming and easy to listen to and the overall character of the song is simply fun and wonderfully happy. “Tidal Waves” was a track that I particularly enjoyed with its slower and hypnotic pace and the bass line standing like Atlas, holding the song in the beautifully drawn out lulls. The title track, “Fringe Class Forever” is MTV worthy. Simply a well constructed and catchy song; you can hear elements of funk beneath the veneer of the 80’s. The vocals stood out on this song as well, with an almost disco edge giving the song added character. Fringe Class Forever will definitely be added to my “frequently listened” list. Fringe Class will be having an EP release party at Backspace hosted by PopOtter Entertainment this Friday at 9pm. Look ‘em up on Bandcamp, see ‘em live, tell a friend and pass it on. Sharing is caring. – Cory Huennekens

The Builders and the Butchers, often celebrated for their good ol’ ramshackle, gravediggin’ folk may just prove themselves even more moon-shiny and raucous this time around, as "Dirt in the Ground" sonically proves itself so. This band of merry wild men – fronted by the ever-artful squealer and boisterous shouter, Ryan Sollee – have a habit of fructifying thwacking knee slaps and pounding feet during their rollicking hootenannys. If that’s not reason enough to come out to Mississippi Studios this Saturday to celebrate TB&TB’s newest, Western Medicine, and shout-a-long, junkyard style like you know you’re itchin’ to, you should probably just stay home. – Morgan Talkington

1939 Ensemble play a soundtrack that beguiles mystery and a feeling of underlying excitement. Jose Mendeles (former drummer for The Breeders, among others), and David Coniglio (School of Rock, Mongoloid Village) take their respective percussive talents to collide and connect the vibraphone and live drums, creating shifting beats and celestial electronic buzz. The music may take the listener into a cinematic space, perhaps being aloof in a swanky parlor of the past, or orchestrating strategic getaways (think Orbital’s "The Saint"). They have been gaining attention with their full length, Howl & Bite, which Pitchfork calls "industrial art deco", and of course, they were awarded The Deli Portland’s Best Emerging Artist of 2012. They are the cerebral apertif for the fellow instrumentation of Emily Wells on Thursday, June 20th at Doug Fir Lounge. – Brandy Crowe

It’s probably been a while since you’ve heard some good space rock. The soft vocals and drawn out guitar chords that have righteously ruled over the West Coast will take over Bunk Bar tonight. WL has formed a sound similar to the ones we were familiar with in the 1990s and progressed the rock into a fuzzy time warp that sounds like a band you’ve never heard before. The dreamy and beautiful vocals pair with crashing drums beats that create a lot of emotion throughout the songs. They are not quick punches in the face, rather long windowless car rides on a hot summer night. You can experience these sounds tonight for the low cost of 3 dollars, show starts at 9. – Colin Hudson

Siren and the Sea has a way with honest music. Cristina Cano’s voice, haunting and unflinching, walks from song to song with the self possessed confidence that comforts you as uninhibited lyrics escape her lips. Stephanie Woods, the other half of this mighty duo, keeps the time and layers lonely harmonies over Cano’s crooning. The combination has resulted in a collection of songs that will startle you with honesty and beauty. This Wednesday, June 19th Mississippi Studios will be hosting Siren and the Sea along with There Is No Mountain and Sam Cooper. A lineup like this is sure to fill Mississippi Studios with the lucky Portlanders who are getting turned onto this slightly darker folk sound that is at once honest and mysterious – like a dream you remember perfectly but won’t quite make sense. Show starts at 8:00pm and tickets are $6 at the door or online. – Joy Pearson

Portland duo Muscle and Marrow were gracious enough to meet up with The Deli Portland to talk a bit about their past, influences, and to play a chill inducing acoustic take of "Golden Sun," a new track off of a forthcoming album still in the works. And where else to play pretty, gloom tinged music than an ancient, sun-splashed graveyard? Muscle and Marrow play Backspace Thursday, June 13th. Read the full interview here.

Marisa Anderson is not a psychic consultant and medium from Scarsdale, New York. Stupid google. She is a musician who dropped out of college at 19, set to walk across the country and didn’t stop wandering for 15 years. She is kind of like what I’d imagine listening to if I were on a long, sultry walk on my way to bear my sticky palms to a mystical voodoo clairvoyant somewhere deep in the reeds. Anderson is the sound of somewhere woozy and southern, where the air is fat and steamy and where real, lonesome, booze-kissed music drips out of the pores of the natives like some bittersweet birthright. She’s a born picker – a soloist who is staggeringly at one with the guitar and lap steel. Even if live solo guitar shows aren’t your thing, I assure you that this is your chance to hear those forever longed for, never quite found, Delta-blues of yore in person. We’re lucky to have her home, in our blanched northwestern atmosphere on the bloated edge of summer, this coming Sunday the 16th for her record release show at Mississippi Studios with Dragging An Ox Through Water. Go feel it. – Morgan Talkington