02 Dec

Posted at 19:58h in Live Shows by

For the most part, we get a pretty good range of bands that stop in lil’ old Portland on the way to-and-from Seattle and San Francisco. Heck, sometimes more esoteric bands make this their only West Coast stop. “Why?” you ask. Probably because we have a large and supportive community of open-minded music lovers here. You see, once it starts raining all we have left to do is sit inside, make things, and listen to music! Here’s my list of favorite shows I saw in Portland in 2018 (in date order):

  • Built to Spill at Mississippi Studios (above)
  • Wolf Parade at Crystal Ballroom
  • Destroyer at Wonder Ballroom (featured image)
  • Luna at Wonder Ballroom
  • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Mississippi Studios

  • Shame at Doug Fir (above)
  • Hypersloth at Mission Theater

  • Iceage at Mississippi Studios (above)
  • Belle & Sebastian at the Oregon Zoo
  • Blood Orange at Roseland
  • Parquet Courts at Wonder Ballroom
  • Shannon and the Clams at Wonder Ballroom

  • My Bloody Valentine at Roseland (above)
  • Black Moth Super Rainbow at Wonder Ballroom
  • Gruff Rhys at Doug Fir
  • Fucked Up at Mississippi Studios (updated 12/11!)

All photos ©2018 Smells Like Pop/David Bailey

23 Nov

Posted at 21:45h in Interviews, Videos by

Actor and comedian Jason Mantzoukas (you may recognize him from his hilarious, high-energy stint as Derek on “The Good Place”) goes shopping at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles and shows you what’s in his bag, including some amazing virtual products. I was amazed by the range and depth of his music suggestions, and I’m looking forward to checking out some of his more obscure (at least to me) recommendations. Bonus points for calling-out both Destroyer and My Bloody Valentine!

23 Nov

Posted at 20:50h in Videos by

Deerhunter has an album track record that’s tough to beat. From “Cryptograms,” their 2007 debut, to the already three-years-old, “Fading Frontier” there’s not a misstep in the bunch. The Atlanta-based band has always challenged the conventions of what makes a great pop-rock record (or art-rock record), so I was excited to see and hear them introduce the first single from their latest record, ‘Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared’ out January 18, 2019 on 4AD. On first listen, I thought Deerhunter had gone mainstream, but repeated plays reveal the dark and beautiful textures under the surface. Lurvely!

27 Sep

Posted at 21:23h in Videos by

Whenever Dan Bejar’s band Destroyer releases a new album I feel like a giddy little kid at Christmas. Sadly, their new record, “Ken” won’t be out until October 20th, but they have put out a couple of singles that I’ll be playing non-stop until then. The beginning of the single “Tinseltown Swimming in Blood” could easily be the opening riff of a new New Order song which isn’t too surprising given Bejar’s published penchant for the post-punk pop group. Even the cascading drum fills that close the song remind me of the tribal drumming of New Order drummer, Stephen Morris. Check out the video and let me know what you think. On a more somber note, Sky’s Grey catches Bejar in a mellower downbeat mood. Looking forward to this release!

22 Sep

Posted at 18:49h in Videos by

We’ve seen !!! quite a few times now and are always blown-away how great they sound live. Capturing that energy on their albums has been somewhat elusive, barring a few especially slamming songs (Steady as the Sidewalk Cracks for one). Since their label gave them some money for a video, they went like Bill O’Reilly and decided to “Do it live!” with very nice results. Play loudly.

03 May

Posted at 00:12h in Playlists by

To start things rolling here at the new Smells Like Pop, we decided to go with something a little personal, and well, precious (to us). Here’s a “Kids’ First Playlist” that we made especially for our daughter when she was less than 10 years old for her first boom box. It’s full of happy, peppy songs. And then it ends a little mellower, because “Hey, calm the eff down already!”

01 Apr

Posted at 18:58h in Videos by

Just stumbled across this video of Thee Oh Sees playing live on KEXP. We saw them on this tour at the Doug Fir and it was amazing. I had a perma-grin plastered to my face watching drummers, Dan Rincon and Ryan Moutinho play in almost perfect synchronicity. The sound was like a water canon pummeling you non-stop in the chest. Apparently, Moutinho left the band, so this video has only Rincon on the skins though he plays so fast he might as well be two people.

04 Jan

Posted at 18:07h in Album Reviews by

As usual, my list of “favorite” albums of the year is just that – a list of what stuck with me most throughout the year, and not necessarily what my brain thinks should be the best albums. Hopefully, these 10 recordings will stand the test of time.

Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Most-hyped record of the year finally worms its way into my brain and reveals itself to be “all that”

Typhoon – Whitelighter
Most underrated album of the year from Stumptown big band – almost every song a classic that begs you to sing along

Savages – Silence Yourself
Ferocious songs and serious attitude come together for an album that’s almost as a great as their live show

Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin
Sounding like the Fall’s bratty grandchild playing catchy pop songs wrapped in sloppy hooks, and all no longer than they need to be

Cate LeBon – Mug Museum
Icy and hot, restrained and heartfelt, retro and modern … an album of contradictions from my favorite Welsh singer-songwriter

Radiation City – Animals in the Meridian
Hey! You got 70s AM rock in my vintage stereophonic lounge music. Hey, you got vintage stereophonic – well, you get the idea. These great PDX tastemakers all taste great together.

The Knife – Shaking the Habitual
Percolating, ping-pong splatter-beats and over-processed synths anchoring songs of gender dysphoria – what’s not to like?

ARP – More
Brian Eno and Kraftwerk walk into a bar. Musicality ensues … minimal, edgy, pretty and discrete

Yo La Tengo – Fade
Meditative and sincere with songs pared to their essence and then set on a hypnotic “repeat” for a tranquil, yet uplifting album

Deerhunter – Monomania
If I could magically join any band, this might be the one. Not an immediate “winner”, but the distorted mind-bending songs slowly create a solid whole that will eat your brain!

The Honorable Mentions: Robyn Hitchcock – Love From London, Wire – Change Becomes Us, Yuck – Glow and Behold, These New Puritans – Field of Reeds, Neko Case – The Worse Things Get blah, blah, blah, My Bloody Valentine – MBV, David Bowie – The Next Day, Washed Out – Paracosm, The Blow – The Blow, STRFKR – Miracle Mile, Jacco Gardner – Cabinet of Curiosities, Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II, Superchunk – I Hate Music, Courtney Barnett – The Double EP, James Blake – Overgrown, Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City

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