Tim's Track Of The Day

I don't remember how I discovered this, but I'm glad I did. It's "Tunnelvision," by Here We Go Magic, which is the solo project of folk singer-songwriter Luke Temple. It's a great song for doing things; I love songs that feel like they never stop moving forward, as I always imagine driving through one of Seattle's many freeway tunnels but never reaching the end. The video captures that feeling pretty well:

Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision

St. Patrick's Day/Kells Aftermath - Stout Pounders

Hey Y'all

Sorry for my extended absence - its been a crazy couple days. Yesterday, especially, as I worked 16 hours shift at Kells, the hands down busiest bar in Seattle, on St. Patrick's Day, bar backing for the main bar. 16 hours with no breaks, on my feet, not having eaten a single thing all day, running back and forth through a totally packed bar, lifting kegs of beer shoulder height, all while wearing dress clothing and a tie. I think I'm going to die now, so I'm going to be a real asshole and just post some of the music played live last night that helped me make it through the night.

The Stout Pounders, a local Seattle Celtic Folk band, rocked the main stage for the a good part of the evening. Their mix of traditional instruments and modern rock swagger was highly reminiscent of the work of The Pouges, and they did a great job getting the afternoon crowd moving. They played an excellent mix of traditional and non-traditional folk music, as well as folk renditions of alternative music such as Nirvana's "Come As You Are" and Flogging Molly's "What's Left On The Flag." I had a chance to meet the lead singer Darin briefly, and he was a characteristic and energetic force for the band.

Stout Pounders - MS|OS

Review: Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Frightened Rabbit released their newest album on March 1st, and the cheetah was lucky enough to score a cop (thank god for imports, yeah?). And its good. Its very good.

One of the hardest things about their last album, for all of its brilliance, was that the entirety of the album depended on the repeat of the same structure. A good structure at that, and an interesting way to make the album as hard hitting as it ultimately was, but the adherence to this theme was undercut by the unbelievable quality of the first song "The Modern Leper." It made the album hard to access when they perfected the format on that first shot. And while songs like "The Twist" took cues from LCD Soundsystem, among others, to experiment and make the album one of the finest of 2008, and the decade as a whole, the album never entirely clicked as a whole.

So what to think about this new effort? How can it stack up against an album whose biggest flaw was that one of its songs was too good? The answer is - reverse the format. Explore different themes. For as similar as something like Frightened Rabbit will always sound to American ears, it couldn't be anymore different. Like opposing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the the only thing that makes them so different is how similar they are.

This album is, in certain places, simply bigger. Almost like a Snow Patrol or a Coldplay, and I mean that in the kindest sense, this album sounds like Frightened Rabbit shooting for the edges of a stadium, writing songs that use their essential intimateness to skyrocket their album to the most essential and meaningful of places. Songs like "The Loneliness and the Scream" and "Skip the Youth" perhaps emphasize this the most, with choruses whose chants reach almost anthemic levels.

None of which is to say that that Frightened Rabbit has traded any of their defining intelligence or speed of emotion to create The Winter of Mixed Drinks. Whereas the last album took a microscope to one man's crises of emotion and loss, an examination of the self-loathing and pain of that situation, here we see Scott Hutchinsen look at ideas such as escape, freedom and rejuvenation. This is an album where we see our hero learn to accept to move on, acutely aware of what he felt but with a new direction to send his attention. The lead singles most acutely bring this to the listener's attention, "Swim Until You Cant See Land" sounding like the protagonist doing exactly what the title describes, before finally finding the realization he needs to move his psyche forward. "Nothing Like You," which is as close to "The Modern Leper" as the album comes, as potentially depressing as the title sounds, contains lyrics as simple and as poignant as "She was not the cure for cancer."

So here we are. An album with a wider range, one that flows smoother than their last effort. But one which never quite reaches the emotional rawness of The Midnight Organ Fight. I cant say that this album is as good as their last effort, but I can definitely say that I like it as much.

((cheetah loves))

Frightened Rabbit - MS|OS

Frightened Rabbit - No One Like You

The Dutchess and the Duke + The Cave Singers @ The Empyrean in Spokane!

The Empyrean is the one place in Spokane where the hidden hipster scene comes out of the woodwork. Up until November of last year, "The Empyrean" was across town in an ex-lamp shop, but had to move out for the same reason that The War Room in Seattle fell on hard times: Washington state bitching about the fucking sprinkler systems. So it moved into a building known locally as "The Big Dipper," which is owned by some 70-year-old ex-hippie and which has sat dormant for...my entire life. And I have no idea why it hasn't been used until now, because it's an amazing venue...and after a nice acoustic show by The Dutchess and the Duke (I think they had an equipment malfunction so they had to play unplugged), Spencer and I totally got to sit in what is basically a loft directly over the stage for the entirety of The Cave Singers' set:

The Cave Singers!!

And here are some shots from The Dutchess and the Duke:

(The Duke)

(The Dutchess). Hell yes. They both finished bottles, if you're wondering...

All in all, I was impressed. The venue and both the shows far exceeded expectations, and it was a lot of fun having such intimate access. I hope now that The Empyrean has resumed operations at this new (and better) location, Spokane will start attracting more shows like these. God knows the city needs them.

And if you like chill indie folk, both of these bands are worth a look. D&D is more intimate, while The Cave Singers sound as if David Gray went indie. Check them out!

The Cave Singers- MS

The Dutchess and the Duke - MS