The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: Band of the Week

Larceny and Lace-Pope Hats

Bree McKenna — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:16:03 -0700

White Woods

The 7" is my most favorite format. Sure, you have to hang pretty close to the record player, but listening to new bands in one or two song increments is always the perfect sampling experience. Ingenious local label Suicide Squeeze continue an all-killer/no-filler lineup for their amazing singles series (which has included King Tuff, Bleached, Dirty Beaches, Wax Idols, Nu Sensae). This week, they have a new split out with Atlanta's best beer-soaked basement punks the Coathangers and the catsuit-core rockers Heavy Cream. I haven't heard my favorite Coathangers' record Larceny and Lace in a while, but I've listened to their new "Merry Go Round" song like five times already just this morning.

Also, soon to be padding my 7" carrier box is the new White Woods—a side project brought on by Coathanger guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel. But unlike the non-stop southern party of the Coathangers, White Woods offers up a darker side with slower mystical pop songs that remind me more of reading Aleister Crowley in the forest then it does of shot-gunning beers.

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New Trash Fire Songs Up!

Bree McKenna — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:50:06 -0800

There are many injustices in our modern world, including and not limited to: getting your crappy shoes soaked in a puddle and having to walk around for hours in wet socks, the music of Taylor Swift, chocodiles getting pulled from the Hostess shelves all over the country, and perhaps the most horrible—the remaking of the greatest ever cold-war action film, Red Dawn.

But luckily you can at least warm yourself under the bridge with Trash Fire, a new grunge-punk-pop collaboration featuring prominent members of Schoolyard Heroes, Grand Archives and Noxious Fumes. "These are songs Jonah and I wanted to write when we were 16," explains their guitar player Austin, which explains the irresistibly catchy/infectious '90s punk influence. You can catch their next show Comet on December 23rd with the Constant Lovers, where they will premier their full 19-minute set. Until then, here are two of their first demos recorded at Red Room Studios by Christian Morris.

Poor Choices by Trash Fire

Trash Fire by Trash Fire

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LA Weekly Takes Stabs at Hipster Music, Listmaking

Sean Jewell — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:41:26 -0700

Here's a list of shit I'm tired of:

1. Lists.

2. The "hipster" label for everything people don't like, but aren't creative enough to describe any other way.

That said, this is a pretty good run down of bands that I'm just fed up with hearing/reading about. If you can get through the critiques without taking it personal, the writers have made some funny points, even about my beloved Bright Eyes.

LA Weekly goes on a list of the worst weekly magazines, btw.

Short list:

1. Bon Iver — So true.
2. tUnE-yArDs — Their music is like a dog whistle to Chuck Klosterman.
3. Arcade Fire — Music writers: use the word "anthemic" one more time, wouldja?
4. Bright Eyes — Dude has been making music since he was like 10, maybe he should take a break?
5. Grizzly Bear — Grizzly bore, am I right?
6. Beirut — You listen to them, because I'm not gonna.
7. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti — We had this already, it was called Robert Smith, he had black hair, was actually interesting, and had a talented band called The Cure.
8. The Airborne Toxic Event — If ever a band name said STAY AWAY, it's this one.
9. Beach House — Yawn. The cucumber sandwich of bands.
10. White Rabbits — Percussion is just one element you can use, guys.
11. Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes — A very happy Manson Family special.
12. Pomplamoose — Like a flash mob of suck.
13. The Decemberists — The Hazards Of Loving someone so dramatic.
14. Wavves — No, pop punk is not cool after junior high.
15. Death Cab For Cutie — Bremerton! Woot!
16. MGMT — GFYS.
17. fun. — wrong.
18. Sleigh Bells — I can't really stand to sit through a song of theirs, so I couldn't say.
19. TV On The Radio — Wait, what the? Fuck LA Weekly.
20. The Black Keys — #1 on my "Success: You're Doing It Wrong" list.

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RE: The Men Announce New Album

Jackson Hathorn — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:59:35 -0800

I'm on an airplane right now (That's flying in the sky—this is some crazy shit!) and decided to splurge on inflight WiFi and check out Line Out for the first time during my extended vacation, since I've largely been off the grid.

Plenty of critically lauded indie albums were released in 2011, many of which I never listened to, like Destroyer's Chinatown (why bother when there's an entire discography of Steely Dan and Michael McDonald?) or the new one from Bon Iver (when I moved to Seattle and matriculated at U.W., the only person from my small town who had gone to school there told me to prepare for "incredible excitement and fun, soul-crushing despair, self-loathing, huge amounts of arrogance and ego-inflation, life-doldrums, death-of-self, and a lot of beer." For Emma, Forever Ago soundtracked the first winter of all that, and I'm a little scared to listen to Bon Iver again.

But the one that tops of my list of albums I refuse to listen to, is Leave Home by the Men, and I might skip over their new one in 2012 too. Why? Because they stole their name from my mom's band in the early 90s. Seriously, here's the video to their Polydor single "Church of Logic, Sin & Love." My mom is the blonde-haired lady bassist wearing sunglasses who doesn't smile (and NOT the blonde-haired lady guitarist wearing sunglasses who doesn't smile). Her star turn is at around the minute and a half mark in the video, when she refuses to laugh at the lead singer/songwriter wearing a ridiculous hat in a diner.

So tell me Line Out readers who have now (hopefully) listened to both of the Mens, which one is better? I won't be mad if you choose young Brooklyn upstarts over my mom, and maybe once I'm on the ground, (did I mention that I'm flying in an airplane right now, on the Internet, and drinking scotch? Yes, I've had a few Glenlivets.) I'll check out these dudes who chose the same dumb name as my mom's old band.

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The Mighty Return of the Physics

Charles Mudede — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:18:22 -0700

I will write about the Physics' new album album Love Is A Business at greater length in the near future. But for now, I highly recommend that you check out some of the tracks available over here. Though the record contains lots of great hiphop, the tune that's been humming in my head since I first heard it two weeks ago in a Belltown gallery is "Red Eye." It's a rich and melodic stew of beats, hooks, and rhymes. The Physics are the new lovers.

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All Eyes on Dank

Charles Mudede — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:21:32 -0700

I saw her last Friday at the last Corners show at the Rendezvous:

Her names is Lisa Dank and her set for a show that included Black Stax, Q-Dot, Brotha Brown, and DJ Mr. Hill was unexpectedly entertaining. How to describe her? Maybe like this: Where Anna Oxygen came to an end, Dank picks up and reboots with a terrific amount of punk/funk and sexual energy. She is fearless and raw. She intimidates me. She satisfied me.

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This Is Breezy Lovejoy

Charles Mudede — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:39:33 -0800

Something fresh from THEESatisfaction's blog, Black Weirdo:

After all of this time (two decades!), LA's underground (which is the first underground) is still alive and kicking.

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Deep Hot Pink and Inexhaustible Drummers

David Schmader — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:25:16 -0700

Like many of my colleagues, I spent the best part of last night getting clobbered by My Bloody Valentine, and I agree with and appreciate all the informed gushing that precedes this post.

All I have to add are two questions:

1. What's up with the hot-pink-red color that devours the cover of Loveless and soaked last night's stage show and essentially presents itself as the would-be color-equivalent of Kevin Shields' spirit animal? Clearly it represents something important, but it also makes me queasy, and repels me in way that none of the music does.

2. Who knew the drummer for MBV worked so fucking hard? Jesus fuck he was amazing.

(Photo by Kelly O.)

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Meet This Week's Band of the Week: Kids and Animals

Megan Seling — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:24:32 -0800

Their name is Kids & Animals, and they come from Seattle, WA. Their main influence is apparent by just one listen to the song "46th Street":

Hear that? They totally love Modest Mouse. This is a live performance, the mix is a little shakey, but they're not bad. They have a couple more songs available via MySpace too. They're a little loose, it's not perfect, but maybe the reason I like it is because they sound like the band I would've wanted to have when I was a kid and first started listening to Modest Mouse and Built to Spill and all that. Or maybe I just like it 'cause they have a lot of cute pictures of animals where the album art would go.

They're playing the Skylark Cafe January 4th with Black Whales, who I love and adore (and who have a free EP available at blackwhales.com).

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Mad Rad Is All That

Charles Mudede — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:34:33 -0800

The talk of the town?
Mad Rad is that talk that seems to be all over town. The day, Monday; the place, Flowers on the Ave: I hear two pretty ladies going on and on about the wonderfulness of the local trio. The day, Wednesday; the place, Mecca Cafe on Queen Anne: I get into a heated conversation about Mad Rad with an old friend and hiphop producer. I say yes; he says no. I say P Smoov (Mad Rad's beat man) is the real deal; he says P Smoov is not the real deal. I present Rik Rude's mixtape as evidence of P Smoov's realness; he denies Rik Rude's realness altogether. We part on more or less friendly terms. The day, Thursday; the place, All City Coffee in Pioneer Square: Two baristas begin talking up Mad Rad. Both are of the opinion that the trio are the it, the now, the happening. One of the baristas orders me to go to their next show. It's a must that I do this. So much passion. Such commitment. How long will this fever last?

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