THE DELI

Once one of if not the biggest genres of the ’90s, R&B was known for being the go-to soundtrack for making love and karaoke jams. R&B has been making a comeback lately, with many artists of a younger generation turning to the styles their parents loved (and possibly used to bring them into the world) to drive their musical creations. Portland’s arena for the style is pretty open, but local young’n TYuS wants to make sure we "never forget" him.

The title of his album, Never Forget is fuilled with tracks that incorporate the best of the new wave of trap beats and the sensual, archetypal sounds that serve as nostalgia for most of us. He must be doing something right since he’s now signed to Warner Brothers Records, but his more DIY approach to romantic hip hop is something we all can’t help but appreciate. TYuS doesn’t play around Portland much but whenever he does, panties are sure to drop.

In all the ways modern bands call back to classic styles, there seems to be one  group whose elements aren’t as directly in use or recognized. Of course, The Beatles can be considered a band influential to everyone, whether direct elements and nods can be heard in an act’s songs or not. But one of Portland’s newest outfits, Necklace, take it to another level by creating soundscapes that call back to the group that invented fandemonium.

Not much is really known about Necklace, and they seem to like it that way. Little active online presence makes for a mysterious air about the band, leaving current and potential fans with some tweets, a couple of tracks and a series of gawdy but enjoyable pic art to use as profile pictures. Looking past their aesthetic, Necklace produce modern indie based in ’60s pop. Their lyrics are driven by sarcasm that slightly offsets the lighthearted feel to their sounds, but somehow the package works as a whole. We’re excited to watch them grow into one of the more bigger acts in town.

*photo by Eric Evans

All the little bits of sunshine we’ve the last couple days have been absolutely amazing, but the newest video and album from our favorite sunny shoegaze/ocean grunge outfit Sea Fuzz makes this Vitamin D daze we’re all in even better.

The perfect follow up to 2015’s self-titled EP, Sky Gazing is just the record we need going into the warmer months, boasting sounds reminiscent of rocking out to crashing waves while relaxing on the shoreline. Take the first single and video to come from the album, "Garuda Dreams," a gazed out track heavily led by forceful drumming and chaotic cymbal hits as an example. The track’s light drenched sound is due in part its mixing, with the Om‘s drummer Emil Amos contributing to it.

"For this song, I was privileged to seek out the help of one of my favorite musicians of all time, Emil Amos, to help with the mixing and mastering," says Ben Heckler, the soul of Sea Fuzz. He goes on to say: "I gave the track to Amos and he completely transformed it, adding the perfect amounts of lo-fi grittiness to the vocals, guitar and drums. He really understood the aesthetic from the get-go and he knew precisely what the song needed to remain heavy and powerful, yet dreamlike."

Watch the trippy video for "Garuda Dreams" below. Sea Fuzz will be playing some shows locally and in Europe in support of Sky Gazing, out on Spirit Goth. Stream the album on Sea Fuzz’s Soundcloud and Bandcamp pages.