Stranger reader Josh writes in with a correction to this week's Stranger Suggests for Wednesday night's Dirty Projectors show:

There's a scene in the addenda to Dave Eggers's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius in which the author, while kayaking, is overwhelmed by the sight of a killer whale leaping, Free Willy—style, out of the ocean in close proximity. That scene is all I can think of when trying to describe the impossible ebullience with which Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth yelps the words "Bitte orca!" halfway through the recent album of the same name, over an avalanche of avant-Afropop guitar. The album is a revelatory balancing act, as Longstreth's confounding arrangements coalesce again and again into irresistible melodies. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, 709-9467. 8 pm, $15, 21+.) Eric Grandy

Writes Josh:

I can't imagine that more than ten people will notice or remember, but the whale described in the "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making" section of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius wasn't a killer whale, but a larger unspecified variety of gray whale that lifted a kayak while breaching rather than simply stunning while leaping in the distance. Anyway, it's a great story and a nice album. Thanks for the excuse to revisit both to confirm my recollections.

This sort of thing is probably why Longstreth went to Yale and I didn't.

A weirdly persistent misspelling of local music/pet-control/art-heist concern the Abodox as Abadox made me unable to locate the band's web presence during a rather hectic last week, which was then used as the "jump-off" for a light-hearted Up & Coming preview:

Monday 8/31
Abodox, the Sugar Skulls, Sleepy Workers

(Comet) When they're not battling deadly stray pit bulls or trying to "liberate" art from local taverns, the men of Abodox make music. Music with no web presence whatsoever. Metal? I'm going to guess metal. (Billmates the Sugar Skulls and Sleepy Workers both managed to erect MySpace pages, and they're, respectively, Zappa-inspired synth-and-violin art-core spastics and dour, bluesy post-punk with muddy and meandering instrumental passages.) Anyway, the Comet might want to keep an eye on that big red neon "C" tonight, in case those Abadox guys happen to "really appreciate" it. ERIC GRANDY

So, yes, the Abodox, when spelled correctly, has a myspace page. Mea culpa. (And, yes, they are decidedly metal.)

We regret the error.

(And FYI, tickets are still available and for $10 extra you can go on a pre-show nature hike. Neat!)

Manson contacted Spector shortly after the producer arrived, dispatching a guard with a note. "[Manson] said he wanted him to come over to his [cell]," Spector's wife, Rachelle, told the New York Post. "He said he considers Philip the greatest producer who ever lived."

Certainly Manson has a right to an opinion. Though his clan, the Manson Family, are known as killers, they were also conceived as a music group. Before launching the murder conspiracy that killed Sharon Tate, Manson and his followers recorded songs with the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson. Terry Melcher, who produced the Byrds' Turn, Turn, Turn, was another acquaintance — and a target — of the group.

Smithsonian Folkways ought to throw some money at that project. It's straight down the lineage of California folk-psych pop, with a weird zag over to white prison songs. America can listen to records by Robert Pete Williams. Why not Spector and Manson?

No, not about my "silken hair" (although that too), but when our esteemed Public Editor says, "I honestly do not want to know what Ms. Grandy thinks is being communicated with the phrase 'dirty MP3 trunk-rattle'." I wouldn't know either, as that phrase should have read, "dirty MPC trunk-rattle," (as it now does online) and was meant to convey a sort of hip-hoppiness in Animal Collective's recent productions, which I gush about with all my feminine charms here.

We regret the error.

It's now corrected on the web, but earlier this week I made the error of attributing a rap (on "Something New") performed by P Smoov to Rik Rude, his partner in the Fresh Espresso project. P was not at all pleased by that error, which resulted from a lack of adequate production info for the unreleased Glamour album. The unstoppable Smoov kindly provided me with this information yesterday:

FRESH ESPRESSO - "GLAMOUR" (debut album released on OUT FOR STARDOM)

1. Espresso - All Lyrics/vocals written and performed by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

2. Diamond Pistols - Chorus by RIK RUDE and P SMOOV. Verse 1: RIK RUDE, verse 2: P SMOOV. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

3. Big or Small - Chorus and Bridge by P SMOOV. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Additional female vocals by SARAH SMALLEY. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

4. Vader Rap - Chorus and Bridge by P SMOOV. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

5. Something New - Chorus by P SMOOV with backup vocals by SARAH SMALLEY. Verse 1+2 by P SMOOV. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

6. The Lazerbeams - Chorus by P SMOOV. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

7. Right Here - Chorus by P SMOOV. VERSE 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

8. Girls and Fast Cars - Chorus by P SMOOV and RIK RUDE. Verse 1 by RIK RUDE Verse 2 by P SMOOV. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

9. Elegant - Chorus by P SMOOV and RIK RUDE. Verse 1 by RIK RUDE Verse 2 by P SMOOV. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

10. Gigantic - Chorus by P SMOOV and RIK RUDE. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

11. We Desire What's Real - Chorus by RIK RUDE. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV. Trumpets by Luke Lenentine

12. All Around the World - Chorus by P SMOOV and RIK RUDE. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

13. Show Me How You Do - Chorus by P SMOOV. Verse 1+2 by RIK RUDE. Beat Produced by P SMOOV

14. Coffee Talk (Feat. MR LIF and GRIEVES) - Chorus by P SMOOV, GRIEVES, and MR. LIF. Verse 1 by MR LIF Verse 2 by P SMOOV Verse 3 by RIK RUDE Verse 4 by GRIEVES. Beat Produced by P SMOOV.

There it is! Also, tonight, Friday night, is P Smoov night. He performs in Fremont with both Fresh Espresso and Mad Rad. Fresh Espresso will be on stage at the High Dive at at 11:00 pm, and Mad Rad at Nectar at midnight.

As for Sylvain Debusschere, who is mentioned in the Up & Comings preview for Mad Rad's show tonight, he is a young Parisian who is a big fan of P Smoov's work. I will write more about him in the future.

The image, which is by Ben Blood, is from P Smoov's Myspace account.

In this week's review of Japanthers's latest album Tut Tut, Now Shake Ya Butt, I erroneously referred to drummer Ian Vanek's older brother and CEO/CFO/Janitor of Montana-based label Wantage USA as Matt Vanek. His name is in fact Josh Vanek (I was likely thinking of Japanther's bassist Matt Reily at the time). We regret the error.

(Thanks to Jeff for the correction.)

Japanther play tonight at the Funhouse, 9:30pm, $7, 21+, with TacocaT, Mosquito Bandito, and Problems

Man, I had a hell of a time reviewing Police Teeth's new album, Real Size Monster Series this week (you can read the whole review here). Where I think I may have most failed the local punk rock quartet is in the comparison department, where I perhaps questionably deployed Q and Not U, Braid, and Piebald (fucking Piebald, a band I haven't even listened to in maybe six or seven years, so really I'm just going on shaky memories with that one) in an attempt to get at the Seattle band's sound. Oh, and Bow + Arrow. (Also, not included in the review: "I Made Out With You Before You Were Cool" has a pop punk bridge that's total Sicko.) I don't know, maybe some of those aren't so far off as far as they're deployed in the review, but I turned the piece in with the nagging feeling that the perfect reference points were still just on tip of my tongue. So, I put it to you gentle readers of Line Out: What the fuck are Police Teeth reminding me of?

Whatever it is, I just want to make clear, in case the review didn't already: I am really, really feeling this record. The production sounds a little muddy in the low to mid range, but the songs are great—seriously searing, pissed-off punk rock fuck yous at their finest. I have yet to see Police Teeth live—they're playing tonight but I unfortunately won't be able to make this show either—but they are now in my to-do pile in a major way. I have a feeling these songs sound like 100-proof fire live.

The Manchester band’s peak came on “The Presence,” a rare example of spectral gothic dub. (Other than Dif Juz, who else sounded like this?) It appears in all of its 13-minute glory on Live on a Hot August Night EP (Factory Benelux, 1981). The video below halves its duration, but you can still get the gist of the song’s brooding splendor (the Martin Hannett production rules).

Thanks to my brother for reminding me of this (mostly) unknown pleasure.

...Not playing at the Katy Perry concert tonight.

Last week, Idolator reported that Alphabeat had dropped off the Katy Perry tour. Music nerds groused in their comments, and I capped my U&C for tonight's show with the following lament:

And why the hell are Alphabeat off this bill now? I would've gone just to see them.

But our ever-scrupulous fact checkers got word from the Showbox that, despite Idolator's announcement and Aphabeat not having any tour dates listed on their website or myspace, that the band was still on the bill. So, the ending was amended to:

I would go just to see Danish wonky popsters Alphabeat, though.

Which is technically still correct—I would go, if they were they actually playing. But then, on Tuesday, after the paper had gone to print, the Showbox sent an email confirming that, yes, Alphabeat were off the bill, to be replaced by some band called Daylights, whose myspace page has banner ads featuring the douchey-looking band for Coca-Cola and Miller.

All of which sausage-making is terribly boring and not really important, since the show is sold-out anyway, but still, I can't be the only person who was considering braving that terror just for the sake of those adorable Danes, and it's as good an excuse as any to post the above video.

(Also, let it be known: for every time something like this happens, which is like once in two years, our fact-checkers save my ass several times a week on stuff as potentially embarrassing as confusing Al Green for Marvin Gaye—really, fireable offense type stuff—so, thank you, fact checkers!)

wtf grandy? no YACHT? you fail.
Posted by YACHT CLUB

First of all, we're all informal friends on the internet, right? Addressing people by only their last names makes one sound like a gym teacher.

Second, I assume we're talking about YACHT's sole 2008 release, "Summer Song," (although I guess we could also be talking about his early '08 work designing manilla envelope sleeves for the then new macbook air), which song was "originally recorded as a love letter to tourmates LCD Soundsystem," according to press materials that also state, "YACHT is as surprised as you are that DFA wanted to release the song."

I'll post the video of the song below, and it is a pretty great, home-grown-in-Portland video [update: Jason Josephes points out that said video is a nod to Tapeheads, which I deeply regret having still not seen in 2008], with its comically amateur video director within the video literally throwing everything at YACHT that his non-existent budget allows in an attempt to make them more (exciting?) than they are, hoping that something sticks, and actually kind of neon tar-and-feathering them in the process.

But I didn't put the song in my Best of 2008 clusterfuck, because, really I maybe listened to it once in 2008 before preparing this post. It just didn't do it for me (and, also, I've just heard the sinlge and not the b-sides). I definitely hear the love letter to Sound of Silver angle in the bass, the "live"/acoustic percussion, the reverby vocals, but to me it all lands more as pastiche than homage—it's YACHT got innocuous. (As a side note, YACHT's "Platinum" and LCD's "Get Innocuous" have almost the exact same synth groove.) Listening to it again, it's a fine enough summery dance jam, and it's growing on me even, but I still don't quite yet buy YACHT as this cool, collected repeater of dance floor mantras as opposed to his old overenthusiastic spaz, but maybe I'll be better convinced by their forthcoming album, See Mystery Lights, in 2009.

In last week's Up & Comings, I wrote:

So, the Killers are Mormons, and the Mormons funneled shitloads of money into passing California's anti-gay-marriage amendment, Proposition 8. Of course, it would be unfair to dismiss the Killers just because of the actions of their bigoted, crazy-talking church (Did you know Jesus Christ visited America's Wild West? It's true!). It would be plenty fair, though, to dismiss the band because their few great singles are now two full albums behind them ("When You Were Young" was just okay). Their latest, Day & Age, was produced by Les Rythmes Digitales/Jacques Lu Cont/Thin White Duke mastermind Stuart Price, so it sounds sharp enough, but it's just more new-wave rehash, lazy rock, and radio-ready power balladry—well worth boycotting solely on its own merits.

Today, the Stranger received this email from someone at Universal Music Group (emphasis, but not underline, added):

Subject: ERIC GRANDY ? research, maybe ?

FYI...
The Killers are not ALL Mormons.
The lead singer (Brandon Flowers) is.
None of the other members are.

It seems entirely ridiculous you would make such a blanket statement about the band regardless. They had nothing to do with the Mormon money that backed Proposition 8. Also, FYI, they just put out a new Christmas song for RED, featuring Elton John and Neil Tennant. I have a hard time believing those two artists would be comfortable working with a band that you seem to imply has connections to hate.

Nice plug and point taken (although, technically, I argued to not dismiss the Killers because of Mormonism and Prop 8 but rather because their new album blows). That preview should've read:

So, the Killers' Brandon Flowers is Mormon, and the Mormons funneled shitloads of money into passing California's anti-gay-marriage amendment, Proposition 8. Of course, it would be unfair to dismiss the Killers just because of the actions of their frontman's bigoted, crazy-talking church (Did you know Jesus Christ visited America's Wild West? It's true!). It would be plenty fair, though, to dismiss the band because their few great singles are now two full albums behind them ("When You Were Young" was just okay). Their latest, Day & Age, was produced by Les Rythmes Digitales/Jacques Lu Cont/Thin White Duke mastermind Stuart Price, so it sounds sharp enough, but it's just more new-wave rehash, lazy rock, and radio-ready power balladry—well worth boycotting solely on its own merits.

My sincere apologies to the Killers, Flowers, Universal Music Group, Elton John, and Neil Tennant. But not the Mormon Church. And not the gays—you all are still an abomination in the eyes of God and his son, Wild West Jesus.

Some addenda to this week's preview for tonight's These Arms Are Snakes show at Chop Suey:

These Arms Are Snakes, Trap Them, Narrows
(Chop Suey) To my mind, the best thing These Arms Are Snakes ever did was buy that first Kaoss Pad back around 2003. (Full disclosure: TAAS bassist Brian Cook has written for The Stranger.) On their debut EP and parts of their first full-length, frontman Steve Snere's screams and shouts were smeared across the sonic field, doubled back on themselves, distorted and modulated and distended beyond recognition, made instrumental rather than lyrical. It was a claustrophobic sound as menacingly psychedelic as it was technically hardcore, and it suggested a lot of untapped possibilities. (It was also a fun live trick, although Snere and company are more than antic enough onstage without it.) The band still indulge some disorienting dub tendencies, but with this year's Tail Swallower and Dove, TAAS have settled into more standard though still searingly executed post-hardcore. I just miss the overwhelming bad-trip vibe of their early days. ERIC GRANDY

Regarding TAAS's relationship with the above mentioned Korg Kaoss Pad, bassist and Stranger writer Brian Cook says:

Steve actually currently rocks two of 'em. He's phased them in and out of the act throughout the years due to them breaking or getting lost/stolen and him rarely having money to replace them.

So perhaps some of that preview is needlessly past-tense (although, the last time I checked in with the band, they must've been broke/broken, because they were sans pad). Additionally, last night, friend and Line Out commenter Lee texted:

TAAS had the KP2. The KP1 came out around '99.

He didn't add, "...dumbass," but it was kind of implied, to which I would rejoin, "nerd." And now you know everything there is to know about These Arms Are Snakes and the Kaoss Pad.

Since it followed a front-to-back run-through of one of the Girl Talk albums, I assumed it was another pre-recorded mix.

But no! Apologies.

Here's the setlist, thanks to Pretty Titty's personal memory, which only seems to lack the wonderful LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige, Beats International, Soul II Soul, and Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock bits we're sure we heard.

Primal Scream : "Come Together [Andrew Weatherall Remix]"
Santogold : "You'll Find a Way [Switch & Sinden Remix]"
Ward 21 : "Think Twice"
Baby Cham : "Tic Toc"
The Game : "Let's Ride"
Ultramagnetic MCs : "Ego Trippin'"
The Clash : "Guns Of Brixton"
Black Sabbath : "The Wizard"
Dillinger : "Cocaine In My Brain"
South Rakkas : "Real Hot"
Toddla T : "Fill Up Ma Portion"
Grandmaster Flash : "White Lines"
Mr. Oizo : "Two Takes It"
Inner City : "Good Life"
New Order: "Confusion"
Rocker's Revenge : "Walking On Sunshine"
Liquid Liquid : "Optimo"
Jungle Brothers : "I'll House You"
Young MC : "Know How"
Duran Duran : "Wild Boys"
Daft Punk : "Da Funk"
Dizzee Rascal : "Dance Wiv Me"
Madonna : "Like A Prayer"
Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam : "Head To Toe"
Blondie : "Heart Of Glass"
Morris Day & The Time : "The Walk"
Raw Silk : "Do It To The Music"
Chaka Khan : "Fate"

Update: Cosby writes in the comments.

When you thought you heard rob base and dj e-z rock, it was likely the mr. oizo track that heavily reinterpolates the lyrics from 'it takes two'.

That sounds right, but I may also have confused/combined it with "Blow Your Head," one of Diplo's new productions he played later in the evening, which seems to use a lot of the same Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock samples.

There are two glaring omissions in this week's Up & Coming concert listings: Swedish hypemachine it-girl Lykke Li (pictured above, with shoes) and French hypemachine it-girl (ca. 2007) Yelle.

How did this happen? Well, somewhere between dropping acid with Of Montreal and time-travelling with Brian Wilson, these international ladies slipped through the cracks. Our apologies. But since these acts owe so much of their buzz to the Internets anyway, maybe it's only appropriate that we address them here on Line Out.

Lykke Li's Youth Novels was produced by Peter Bjorn & John's Björn Yttling, and some folks have pointed out that it kind of sounds like the female vocals from that band's "Young Folks" stretched out to album length. The album is pleasant and poppy enough, though, with a couple undeniable gems, the below, "Dance, Dance, Dance" being one of them:

But, and this is the techno-dork/DJ in me talking, where these tracks really come alive is in the remixes, specifically the Dada Life remix of "Dance, Dance, Dance," the Loving Hand remix of "Little Bit," and both the Metronomy and Fred Falke remixes of "I'm Good, I'm Gone." Also, she closes out her live shows with a cover of "Can I Kick It?" Yes, she can.

I've previously written about Yelle here and here, but basically, Yelle is a delightful, dirty-talking French electro-pop cartoon character. Observe:

Yelle plays Neumos Monday, October 27th, 8pm, $15, all-ages, w/Passion Pit, Funeral Party, & DJ Colby B

Lykke Li plays Neumos Wednesday, October 29th, 8pm, $15, all-ages, w/Friendly Fires

Tonight, Olympia almost a cappella dream pop ensemble Lake play an all-ages show at 2020 Cycle with Desolation Wilderness and Hoquiam. I review their new K Records album, Oh, The Places We'll Go in this week's album reviews:

One of the distinguishing oddities of Olympia is Capitol Lake, a man-made reflecting puddle scenically situated between downtown and the Capitol Building up on the hill. It was immortalized in Beat Happening's "Our Secret," although you probably wouldn't want to go swimming in it, not even with Calvin Johnson. Young K Records ensemble Lake may not take their name from this particular body of water, but they certainly share some of its perfectly composed calm and antique charm.

Lake are a soft-rocking glee club whose cool, almost a cappella dream pop and lyrical doo-wop wouldn't sound entirely out of place in 1951, the year Capitol Lake was dredged out of some mudflats. They're also archetypically Olympian, a loose collective whose fluctuating membership draws from a pool of singers, songwriters, and musicians that includes members of Kickball and Swimming, and the prolific Karl Blau, who recorded Oh, the Places We'll Go at Anacortes's Department of Safety. (Speaking of prolific, Lake have supposedly recorded a dozen albums' worth of material, although this is only their third full-length.)

The album is book-ended by the title track and its sequel (as well as a brief instrumental coda), two placidly optimistic Seussian anthems whose coed vocal harmonies; swinging drumming; deep, bobbing bass; and accents of piano, guitar, horns, and hand percussion all pleasantly recall Vancouver, BC, contemporaries No Kids (both are fans of Fleetwood Mac). That resemblance is even clearer on the gorgeous "Blue Ocean Blue," with its airy female vocal lead and its spare rim shots, cowbells, and hand claps. Lake chart a fairly steady course across the album, trading off vocal duties, slowing down a bit for the dark, jazzy "Minor Trip" and the echoing, synth-inflected "On the Swing," picking up the tempo for the melancholy dance number "Counting." This Lake is as welcoming to dip into as it is postcard picturesque.

A correction: Lake's debut album, not Oh, The Places We'll Go, was recorded at the Department of Safety.