The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Megan Seling

Listen to Sean Nelson's New Solo Album (Really, Do It)

Megan Seling — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:24 -0700

When you're done blasting the new Gaytheist record into your brainz, have a listen to Sean Nelson's new solo album, Make Good Choices, on NPR.com. It'll be out June 4th on Really Records and it is so great—I haven't listened enough to pen an official review just yet, but the first go 'round reveals the same wit and charm Nelson always has, with the tiniest bit of vaudevillian vibes and whirls of ’60s pop.

I mean, I'm an unapologetic Sean Nelson fangirl, so do with that opinion what you will, but you really should give it a listen. Now. Do it now. (Sorry, I'm so bossy.)

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The New Gaytheist Record Is Out Today!

Megan Seling — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:28:01 -0700

Happy album release to the band with the best name! The Gaytheist record, Hold Me...But Not So Tight is out today and you can have a listen right here:

Hold Me...But Not So Tight by Gaytheist

Is the album cover cute or creepy? I vote cute.

Gaytheist will be at Black Lodge on June 7 and the Capitol Hill Block Party on July 27.

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RVIVR's Poptimistic Punk Gives Me Heart-Fuzzies

Megan Seling — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:25:00 -0700

The Beauty Between by RVIVR

(Vera) Stand back, dudes, I'm about to turn into a spastic fangirl, because Olympia's RVIVR are one of my VERY FAVORITE bands right now. ALL CAPS. I've listened to their new album, The Beauty Between, at least twice every day since it was released last month (and by "twice" I mean "10 times"), and it has been more effective than my antidepressants. Their blasting, poptimistic punk-rock songs have helped pull me out of an unexplainable spring rut, giving me the same heart-fuzzies I had when I heard Operation Ivy's Energy as a teenager. It's the ultimate example of why I started listening to punk rock in the first place—nonpandering lyrics about how shit can suck, maybe it'll get better, maybe it won't, but we'll get through it together. For further esteem-boosting, check out their cover of Shellshag's "Resilient Bastard." It is required listening for those moments in life when you've read one too many internet comments.

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Yo La Tengo

Megan Seling — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 -0700

If you are a Yo La Tengo fan, you CANNOT MISS THIS SHOW. by Megan Seling

Yo La Tengo fans, you cannot miss this show! There will be no opening band; the entire evening is all about Hoboken’s best subtly playful and mellow rockers. There will be two sets, one acoustic, one electric, and while the band gives the most attention to their latest (and great) album, Fade, recent set lists posted online show that they also throw some love to older albums like And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. Expect a couple covers, too—maybe Devo or the Stone Poneys. It’s gonna be so great! (Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave, showboxpresents.com, $20 adv/$22 DOS, 9 pm, all ages)

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The Round: Daniel Blue, River Giant, and Mary Lambert

Megan Seling — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:21:43 -0700

(Fremont Abbey) There's a reason there have been 95 installments of the Round—it's consistently awesome. Every month since 2005, Fremont Abbey has brought together musicians, poets, and painters for an earnest evening of collaborative art making. Something magical happens when talented individuals are all thrown together in front of a small but appreciative crowd. I've seen a haunting Nirvana cover and a joyous XTC cover. I've been hypnotized by brushstrokes, watching local painters spontaneously create as the live music inspires them. I've heard some impassioned, smart spoken word that made me reassess the often-disregarded art form. Even if you aren't familiar with any of the names involved when you first walk through the door, you'll leave with lasting impressions.

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The Second Round of the NHL Playoffs Starts Today!

Megan Seling — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:16:47 -0700

Well, Slog, some of you were very wrong about who's gonna win this year's Stanley Cup championships. In a poll at the beginning of the playoffs, over 17% of you voted that the Canucks would get the Cup but—ha ha!—they are out! They were swept in the first round.

The Wild, the Ducks, the Blues, the Islanders, the Canadiens, the Capitals, and the Maple Leafs were also all eliminated (and oh man, that Leafs/Bruins game last night was INTENSE). But onward! There's a Cup to win! Here's how the second round shapes up:

Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers

So now it's time for a new poll! I still think it's gonna be the Penguins and the Blackhawks, but man, the Sharks were looking great in their series, too, so who knows. Now, given the teams that are left, who's gonna win the Cup? Is your team still in the running?

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Very Important Milkshake News

Megan Seling — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:30:46 -0700

This is a Rachel's Ginger Beer milkshake from Cupcake Royale in Ballard, and it is great.

Me. I took this photo.
YUM.

Two things: 1) It's a little pricey—over $8, since you're buying a milkshake and a Rachel's Ginger Beer (you get the left over ginger beer, too), but it's large enough that you could definitely share it with a friend. 2) This one is made with CR's vanilla ice cream, but Cupcake Royale also currently has a honey snickerdoodle flavor as well as an orange hibiscus sorbet that would probably be AMAZING and really refreshing when blended with Rachel's Ginger Beer.

Read more about milkshakes (and teeth pulling!) here.

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Beth Orton's May 30th Show at Neptune Has Been Cancelled

Megan Seling — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:13:35 -0700

STG, the show's promoter, says ticket refunds are available at point of purchase.

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Well, This Pop Punk Cover Show Should Be Great

Megan Seling — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:52:22 -0700

I will be out of town later this week, so I'm going to miss this show and I am SO BUMMED. You have to go and mosh and/or pogo in my place.

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Superchunk Announces New Album!

Megan Seling — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:32:02 -0700

Their 10th (!) studio album, I Hate Music, will be out August 20th. Here's the album trailer:

And a little more info, by way of press release:

I Hate Music will be released on CD, LP and digital. The limited-edition deluxe LP will be pressed on colored vinyl and include a bonus 7-inch containing two non-album tracks, along with an I Hate Music stencil. Both the standard and deluxe LPs will be issued on 150-gram vinyl and feature a die-cut sleeve. All pre-orders in the Merge store will come with an I Hate Music poster, the first 200 of which will be signed by the band.

You can pre-order the album here. And, as you probably know, Superchunk are playing Bumbershoot September 2nd. Tickets are available here.

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Meet Dust Moth, Featuring Members of Eighteen Individual Eyes, These Arms are Snakes, Shift, Undertow, and Sparkmarker

Megan Seling — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:54:39 -0700

Holy Seattle supergroup! Back in February Trent Moorman introduced us to Dust Moth, a new band featuring members of Eighteen Individual Eyes, These Arms are Snakes, Shift, Undertow, and Sparkmarker. The band has had a couple clips on Bandcamp for a couple months now, but if you haven't made it out to one of their three or four shows, you can finally get a full-sized bite of their sound via this new video for "Selector":

Selector from Dust Moth on Vimeo.

Dust Moth play the Rendezvous tomorrow night and Barboza on May 15th.

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Cruel Summer: Laura Stevenson Talks Feminism, Depression, and Sugary Pop Music

Megan Seling — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:03:14 -0700

Laura Stevenson plays the Sunset Tavern tomorrow night with Field Mouse and Seapony! Tickets are still available here.

There's something about Laura Stevenson's music that makes it impossible for me to stop listening to her songs. Last year, I played her song "Master of Art" hundreds of times in a matter of months, and this time around, on her latest record, Wheel, my drug is the first single, "Runner." It sounds like the epitome of summer—the chorus captures the same bright bitterness of "Vacation" by the Go-Go's, while Stevenson sings over and over, "This summer hurts." It's the same kind of relationship I have with summer. I love it, and I hate it.

Elsewhere on Wheel, Stevenson continues the evolution from acoustic folk songs to more explosive anthems with injections of horns and piano—new layers reveal themselves with every listen. I chatted with Stevenson while her band made the long trip from Houston to El Paso.

You used to be billed as Laura Stevenson and the Cans. I was going to ask you where the Cans went, but then I read your interview with Larry Livermore, where you pointed out one of the reasons you dropped it was because people kept making boob jokes.

That was the thing that annoyed me from the get-go, but I was like, "I'm going to try to overcome this."

Did you see Grimes's recent blog post about the things that she's no longer going to put up with as a female musician? She doesn't want to be infantilized; she's tired of reviews calling her a waif or a fairy... all these cute words. I feel like it's something that isn't talked about much in the music industry. Does it ever still feel like it's a boys' club out there?

Definitely. Especially the infantilizing thing. It's so ridiculous, because no matter what I do, my voice is called "cute." Even if I'm saying something hideous and sounding as ugly as I can, I'm still called cute. I had a party at my apartment, and this young couple said to me, "We listened to your music! It's really cute." They were guests in my home, so I couldn't be like, "Get the fuck out," they were my roommate's friends, but how shitty! Your life's work is fucking cute? Would you say that to Beethoven? Like, "Real cute sonata, Beethoven." It makes you feel small, and you shouldn't have to feel that way, especially if you're an adult human being who's making something honest.

Helms Alee Covering Heart's "Magic Man" Is the Best Thing to Happen to Music All Week

Megan Seling — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:53:58 -0700

HOLY SHIT, HELMS ALEE.

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Cruel Summer: Laura Stevenson Talks Feminism, Depression, and Sugary Pop Music

Megan Seling — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:19:33 -0700

Laura Stevenson plays the Sunset Tavern tomorrow night with Field Mouse and Seapony! Tickets are still available here.

That was the thing that annoyed me from the get-go, but I was like, "I'm going to try to overcome this."

Stop Eating Dessert: You Should Drink It Instead!

Megan Seling — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:26:09 -0700

KELLY O
THE BANANA-SPLIT SHAKE AT LUNA PARK CAFE: Whoever thought of this is A GENIUS!

Tears came out of my eyes as I pulled the blood-soaked gauze out of my mouth—I couldn't feel anything on the lower half of my face, but the fresh wounds in my gums, where my wisdom teeth used to be, were still trickling a tinny-tasting stream of blood that all the water in the world couldn't rinse off my tongue. Blech.

After getting all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, I stayed hunkered down in bed and survived on a diet of over-the-counter painkillers, Netflix's terrible reality TV shows (Bridalplasty, dudes—seriously), and liquid meals for several days. Within the first 24 hours, I had already grown tired of juice, soups, and chalky Odwalla protein shakes. I was dying to eat something real, something that stuck to my bones and satisfied my sweet tooth.

This is when I fell in love with the milkshake all over again. I'd been so distracted by eating dessert that I completely forgot that sometimes the best way to spike your blood sugar comes through a straw! The milkshake is the bright side of having to have four large teeth yanked out of your face.

Whether it's a traditional strawberry shake from Dick's Drive-In ($2.15) or a boozy smoked-chocolate-and-whiskey concoction from Ballard's Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery ($13!), as long as real ice cream is used, it's nearly impossible to make a bad milkshake. (A mediocre milkshake, sure, but certainly not a bad one.)

Cloud War: Songs About Stories

Megan Seling — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:19:00 -0700

Sun Runner by Cloud War

(Crocodile) Before hearing even a note of Cloud War's music, I'm intrigued by their songwriting process. The band's frontman, Barry Uhl, writes stories before he writes songs, and only after a collection of stories are written do they get turned into lyrics and put to music. They're like a ragtime-y Decemberists. You can hear the results of their literary approach for yourself at cloudwar.bandcamp.com.

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Is Daylight's New album, Jar, Great or Terrible? And Why Can't I Decide for Myself?

Megan Seling — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:18:09 -0700

Jar by Daylight

Yesterday a friend of mine tipped me off to Jar, the new album by Pennsylvania rock band Daylight. "I can't tell if this is like great ’90s rock or the shitty ’00 stuff," he said. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure it out myself.

The song "Outside of Me" has a nice, poppy Foo Fighters feel and "Life In a Jar" has huge production that recalls Hum and early Smashing Pumpkins. I dig it! But on some songs—"In On It" (the intro, at least) and "Youngest Daughter," for example—their hard rock sound creeps dangerously close to the 3 Doors Down/Our Lady Peace post-grunge nonsense. (And "Sheltered" is, like, at least 50% "In Bloom.")

Is it good? Is it bad? Is it possible that a band can be both on the same album?

Let's have a poll! And maybe discuss this question: What does it take to successfully pull off a ’90s sound in a post-grunge world without coming off like all those bands who just sounded like assholes trying to cash in on a trend? Can it be done?

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‘Bob’s Burgers’ Live

Megan Seling — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:00:00 -0700

Watch the best show on TV happen live, right in front of your face! by Megan Seling

Bob’s Burgers is the best show on television right now, and tonight we get to see the magic happen live, right in front of our faces! The voice actors from the animated series—H. Jon Benjamin, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz, and John Roberts—will read bits from scripts, answer audience questions, and no doubt be absolutely hilarious, while saying things like “If boys had uteruses, they’d be called duderuses” and “When I die, I want you to cremate me and throw my ashes in Tom Selleck’s face.” Here’s hoping Mirman brings the fart-noise-making megaphone. (Neptune Theater, 1303 NE 45th St, stgpresents.org, $26.50 adv/$29 DOS, 8 pm, all ages, also May 9)

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Laura Stevenson's Summer Mix Tape

Megan Seling — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:55:34 -0700

In this week's music section you can read an interview with Laura Stevenson, the New York-based songwriter responsible for writing some of the most addictive pop songs I've heard in years.

Lyrically, her latest album Wheel can get pretty dark, but musically some of the songs—"Runner" and "Sink, Swim" especially—sound just like summer to me. So with summer songs on my mind, I asked Laura if she could share her own summer playlist with us. Have a listen, and maybe these morning clouds will burn away.

(Glad someone else still appreciates "Semi-Charmed Life," too—doo do do, doo do do doo!)

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Stop Eating Dessert

Megan Seling — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

The Beginning of This Article Is Gross, but Milkshakes Are the Opposite of Gross by Megan Seling

Tears came out of my eyes as I pulled the blood-soaked gauze out of my mouth—I couldn't feel anything on the lower half of my face, but the fresh wounds in my gums, where my wisdom teeth used to be, were still trickling a tinny-tasting stream of blood that all the water in the world couldn't rinse off my tongue. Blech.

Whether it's a traditional strawberry shake from Dick's Drive-In ($2.15) or a boozy smoked-chocolate-and-whiskey concoction from Ballard's Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery ($13!), as long as real ice cream is used, it's nearly impossible to make a bad milkshake. (A mediocre milkshake, sure, but certainly not a bad one.)

And there are dozens of places in Seattle you can go to quench this specific thirst. Luna Park Cafe in West Seattle has an insanely good banana-split shake—it tastes like the last three bites of a banana split, where the chocolate, ice cream, and fruit have all melted together into sweet perfection. At Red Mill, you can get the peanut-butter shake with strawberries added, making it one of the most indulgent PB&J experiences you'll ever have. There's also Full Tilt Ice Cream, Molly Moon's, Scooter's, Lunchbox Laboratory... even Cupcake Royale has milkshakes now! You can literally drink a red velvet cupcake.

But there's one problem with most of these places—sometimes they're really, really busy. Especially now that the sun is shining and we're all climbing out of our SAD-soaked caverns looking for anything that will feel like summer, Molly Moon's often has a line down the block, and on the weekends, Full Tilt in Ballard can be overrun with pinball-machine-hogging children.

Thankfully, you can also make a really good—maybe even the best!—milkshake at home. For inspiration, take a look at local dessert wizard (and Hot Cakes owner) Autumn Martin's new cookbook, Malts & Milkshakes.

Do you need a cookbook telling you how to make malts and milkshakes? Of course not—you buy some ice cream, add some milk or juice, and blend it together with spoonfuls of whatever the fuck you want. Malt powder! Candy bar bits! Caramel sauce! Nerds! Pineapple, strawberries, and chocolate, oh my! But just because you don't need something doesn't mean you don't deserve it. You don't need milkshakes, either, but... wait, yes. Yes, you do need milkshakes.

Anyway, Malts & Milkshakes will inspire you to take your homemade milkshake game to a gourmet level (and if you learn better by example, Martin is teaching a milkshake class this Saturday, May 11, at Hot Cakes—see getyourhotcakes.com for info). The tasty list of shake flavors includes watermelon and lime, salt and pepper, molten chocolate cake, mango rose, and—as if the bacon trend hasn't already gone far enough, and further—there's also a recipe for a bacon-oatmeal-raisin-cookies shake (with homemade bacon-oatmeal-raisin cookies).

As with Hot Cakes' in-house menu, things start to get boozy, too—throw in some whiskey! Add some tequila or brandy! There's even a recipe for a rum-laced chipotle-spice sipping chocolate shake that is supposedly so hot, it had to come with a warning label. More milkshakes should come with warning labels.

When you're ready to eat solid foods again, Martin's book also includes recipes for salted peanut-butter-cookie ice cream sandwiches, apple pocket pies, and Hot Cakes' famous molten cake—but who needs solid food anymore? Milkshakes are the new juice fast.

The one untruth within Martin's book is where she says, in the beginning: "Traditionally milkshakes are served in the classic soda fountain glass, which is 12 ounces. But really, that is a lot of ice cream to consume in one sitting."

Amateur.

*You're welcome for writing a 703-word article about milkshakes without once referencing that Kelis song.

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Cruel Summer

Megan Seling — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

Laura Stevenson Talks Feminism, Depression, and Sugary Pop Music by Megan Seling

That was the thing that annoyed me from the get-go, but I was like, "I'm going to try to overcome this."

Did you see Grimes's recent blog post about the things that she's no longer going to put up with as a female musician? She doesn't want to be infantilized; she's tired of reviews calling her a waif or a fairy... all these cute words. I feel like it's something that isn't talked about much in the music industry. Does it ever still feel like it's a boys' club out there?

One thing that strikes me about Wheel is that there are a couple of songs, especially "Runner," that are really summery and bright, despite the dark lyrics. Are you a fan of summer?

I'm actually an anti-fan of summer. I have a hard time during that season because I never spent the summer just carefree and on a beach somewhere. I get really depressed all year long, but in the summertime it's annoying because I don't want to be going out and having fun—I like to be tucked away and isolated. It makes me feel like I'm wasting my youthful years. Every summer is just, you know, sad.

Are your lyrics fairly autobiographical?

Everything I write is autobiographical, pretty much. I can't really get into the head of someone else and write because I don't know what goes on in their head—I just write for me.

Some artists and musicians do the exact opposite—they don't want to deal with what's in their own head.

I'm too self- centered. I've tried that; Bob Dylan is really good at that. I can't get there—I don't feel like I can be as honest as I want to be. I have enough demons I need to battle right now, so I'm using songwriting to do that. Maybe when I run out of demons I can venture.

A lot of the lyrics have similar themes of spinning, running, turning—there's constant movement that makes everything feel really unsettled. Is that where you were during the songwriting process?

I think so. You know, I'm doing this thing, but what am I really doing? Is my life going to be able to support itself? Those are the total surface questions. And then there's all the crazy What is the meaning of life? stuff. Existential, ridiculous questions that we all have. It's kind of like, if I stop moving, if I stop trying to build this thing, what's gonna happen? I can't stop.

On Wheel, you seem to break further away from traditional song structures. The crashing piano bit on "Bells & Whistles," and the way the horns start doing their own thing−it sounds more unstructured and wild than previous material, which is awesome.

Yeah, I don't like verse-chorus-verse-chorus. It makes me uncomfortable when I hear a chorus a third time. I'm like, "All right, give it a break." [Laughs] Like, Katy Perry's "Firework" is a great song, but she does six or seven choruses! But I would never trash Katy Perry, I think she's fantastic.

You're a Katy Perry fan?

I don't know! I think I am, because I love that record so much—and her movie made me cry. I think I was just emotional, but I really liked the relationship with her sister—I called my sister like, "I'm sorry I'm a terrible sister!" [Laughs] She was like, "What are you talking about?"

Have you see the Beyoncé documentary?

Yes! It's very good, but there's a way-too-long scene where she and Jay-Z are sitting on a yacht singing Coldplay's "Yellow." It's the worst moment in history caught on film. It's so uncomfortably long. Ugh, it's terrible.

You're going to make a summer play-list for us, too. I'm really excited about that. Do you know what any of the songs are yet?

The video version—not the album version—of Christina Aguilera's "Come On Over Baby." It's one of the best songs. Can I put that on there, or is that weird?

No, that's not weird! You like a lot of female pop stars.

I do! I do. I like to sing in the shower, mainly sugary pop music.

What about Taylor Swift?

I have not gotten on that boat yet, but I do like that one song where she talks on the phone in the middle of it. That song is incredible. I don't like the verses, but I think the chorus—that's just genius. It hits some frequency where I'm like, "All right, that's a good song, I want to hear it again."

I bet your tourmates love that.

Yeah, no, not so much.

Laura Stevenson’s Summer Mix Tape

1. The Gerbils, “Sunshine Soul”
Scott Spillane sounds like a little bumblebee in this song. At least I think so.

2. Hop Along, “Tibetan Popstars”
Hop Along is the best band. This song is huge and bright and epic and has so many different movements.

3. Mariah Carey, “Always Be My Baby”
One of my favorite songs of all time—just makes me happy. If I could wear cut-offs and dance to this song all year long I would.

4. Maps & Atlases, “Israeli Caves”
We were on tour with Maps the summer that this record was released and this song was stuck in my head every day.

5. Third-Eye Blind, “Semi-Charmed Life”
As a middle schooler, I spent dozens of hours of my life calling the radio station Z-100 and requesting this song. The bridge rules. The whole thing rules. "I believe in the sand beneath my toes."

6. Toots & the Maytails, “Pressure Drop”
This is the best song ever written. Period. It makes me feel better when it gets so hot that all I want to do is whine about it.

7. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Up Around the Bend”
Every summer my friends in New York have a southern barbecue and this band Creedence Clearwater Revival REVIVAL plays all the hits. They do a great rendition of this one.

8. Bomb the Music Industry!, “Can't Complain”
The whole record Vacation is perfect for summer… but this song is my favorite.

9. The Cranberries, “Dreams”
If I had a convertible this would be the only song I would listen to in the car.

10. ROAR, “Poor Grammar”
Owen Evans is a songwriter from Phoenix, which is the hottest place on Earth. His songs are upbeat but always a little doomy, which is my favorite combination.

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Will the Vancouver Canucks Be Swept Out of the Playoffs Tonight? They Should Be!

Megan Seling — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:26:57 -0700

/hockey rant

Of course the Vancouver Canucks are frustrated—they're down 3-0 in their 7-game series against the San Jose Sharks so if the Canucks lose tonight's game, they're out in the first round.

I was starting to feel a little sorry for Vancouver—I don't want to see them win the Cup, but it's never fun to watch a team get swept out of the first round of the playoffs. My sympathy was squashed Sunday night, though, when they turned into the biggest bunch of hissy-fit throwing babies I've ever seen on ice. And I was reminded: this is why I can't root for the Canucks.

On Saturday, San Jose scored three goals, two of them power play goals within the first four minutes of the third period. Instead of playing some goddamn defense, the Canucks went into full on jerkiest jerks in the world mode—they collected six penalties in the third period. Henrik Sedin was called for blatant hi-sticking, Lapierre got two penalties in a row, one for roughing and another for slashing, and Burrows took two cross-checking penalties himself. GET YOUR POOP IN A GROUP, DUDES.

It was clear San Jose wasn't going to take the bait—they weren't going to fight back. And why would they? They were up 5-1. San Jose played it smart. They outplayed the Canucks, and instead of rising to the occasion, the Canucks collapsed all over themselves, lashed out, and now they're on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

And now Bieksa has the audacity to say the Sharks are embellishing? HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED YOUR OWN TAPES? You are the divingest team in the league. Shut up, Bieksa. You look ridiculous. Now I want to watch you lose tonight.

/end hockey rant

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Thao & the Get Down Stay Down Covering INXS Is, as You'd Expect, So Great

Megan Seling — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:08:47 -0700

And the perfect, sexy soundtrack for a(n almost) summer's day:

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down cover INXS

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Pretend You're In a Movie While Listening to the New Say Hi Songs

Megan Seling — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:40:01 -0700

Say Hi's Eric Elbogen composed the soundtrack for the film Free Samples (starring Jessie Eisenberg and in theaters May 31), and the soundtrack is available today via Barsuk Records.

Stereogum has a free download of the song "Love, Love, Love," and the whole thing is on iTunes. The songs are mostly instrumental (and named after ice cream flavors—cute!), so you can listen and act out your own quirky romantic comedy.

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The Lonely Forest at the Crocodile: Make-Out Sessions, Songs Inspired by Game of Thrones, and Nose-Blowing

Megan Seling — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:45:22 -0700

Beth Crook
Now Now

Remnants of Bumbershoot's prom-themed announcement shows—a collection of seafoam green, baby blue, and yellow balloons and gold and silver glittery stars—were still hanging from the Crocodile's ceiling as Minneapolis' Now Now played on Saturday night. I felt like I was in a scene from a teen movie. Summer had finally arrived in Seattle, the air was perfectly warm, and a majority of the crowd appeared to be more dressed up than your average Friday night showgoer—colorful fashion inspired by blasts of vitamin D. Now Now's tunes, with soft breathy vocals and shimmery guitar (in this week's paper I compare it to the Jealous Sound and Tegan and Sara), sound like a modernized John Hughes soundtrack. I expected a dork in a tuxedo to jump on the stage and confess his love to the prom queen any minute. Alas, the band played on without interruption (but I did see a young couple making out in the back, as would happen in the movies).

Beth Crook
The Lonely Forest

Even though it has 800 years (or so) since the Lonely Forest stepped onto a local stage, the Anacortes-based anthemic rock outfit sounded great. After being holed up in the studio, and then playing nearly every night on tour for the past three weeks, the band was one with their songs—I doubt their instruments have been out of their hands much over the past several months, and it showed, as they took on a setlist comprised of more recent stuff mostly from Arrows and their upcoming album Adding Up the Wasted Hours.

While the songs sound pro, unavoidable tour delirium/goofiness took over during the downtime. As singer John Van Deusen tuned his guitar, guitarist Tony Ruland treated us to a medley of cat meows via his cell phone. Apparently it's what the guys listen to when they're out on the road and they miss their cats. And before the band could hit the loud part in the song "Two Pink Pills" Van Deusen stopped due to a crazy case of the sniffles. After roadie Kevin grabbed a Kleenex box from the green room, Ruland helped Van Deusen blow his nose. It's allergy season. Pollenated boogers are everywhere.

While seeing them live for the first time, my date (hi, Robby!) made a connection that I can't believe I've never made in the past—"They kind of sound like if Jeremy Enigk was fronting Death Cab for Cutie." While I don't agree that the Lonely Forest's music can be so unapologetically compared to Death Cab's, he's dead on with the Enigk comparison. Van Deusen's voice is as rich and impassioned as the Sunny Day Real Estate frontman's—and his lyrics are often just as embattled and personal (when they're not being inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire, the Game of Thrones books, as is the case with one of the band's news song called "Firebreather").

If you missed the show, or if you want to see the nose-blowing for yourself, a video and audio-only recording of the performance is available by downloading a new app, Lively, at getlive.ly.

(Most of...) the setlist is after the jump :

"Far Outer Banks"
"Turn Off This Song"
"Let It Go"
"Blackheart vs Captain America"
"Firebreather" (new song)
"Coyote"
"Last Time I Said You're Name"
"Two Pink Pills" (Sniffles Remix)
"(I Don't Want to) Live There"

I had to leave a tad bit early. If you know what came next, let me know in the comments! I bet it was great.

Beth Crook
Now Now

Beth Crook
Now Now

Beth Crook
The Lonely Forest

Beth Crook
The Lonely Forest

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Win Tickets to See Kisses This Friday!

Megan Seling — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:37:20 -0700

Kisses and Trails and Ways are playing Barboza this Friday night, and we have a pair of tickets to give away!

To enter, just send your first and last name to freetickets@thestranger.com. Put Kisses in the subject line.

Tickets are also still available for $13 advanced, here.

Good luck!

(And, if you need to headbang, there's still time to win tickets to see Black Breath this Wednesday, too. It's gonna be nuts.)

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Justin Timberlake Playing KeyArena January 17

Megan Seling — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:44:00 -0700

Justin Timberlake's 20/20 tour will be coming to KeyArena January 17, 2014. That's a looooooong time away, yes, but tickets go on sale May 17th, so get that credit card ready because tickets start at $90, making the cheapest one $108.39 after service fees. Eek!

Why we don't get a show with Jay-Z, however, I'll never know. What a shame.

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The Lonely Forest (Finally!) Return to the Stage (With New Songs!)

Megan Seling — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:01:00 -0700

(Crocodile) The Lonely Forest spent the winter writing and recording their new record, so for their first Northwest show in a long time, the band will be armed with an onslaught of fresh material. I asked singer John Van Deusen for a hint, and he replied: "It's kind of hard to explain. The new record is called Adding Up the Wasted Hours, and I think the title sums up the overall vibe of the record. We're still a power-pop band, and the music still revolves heavily around the strength of the songs and their melodies. I do think, out of context from the rest of the record, individual songs feel a little naked. Almost as if they need their siblings around to make complete sense." I cannot fucking wait. Opening the show is Trans- labelmates Now, Now. Their new album, Threads, recalls both the Jealous Sound and Tegan and Sara—celestial, soft vocals and shimmering guitar riffs leading to choruses that sound like exploding stars. It's totally gorgeous.

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Mountain Dew Removes, (Sort of) Apologizes for Offensive Commercial

Megan Seling — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:58:16 -0700

Mountain Dew has removed the offensive commercial, which featured and was developed by Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator, but they don't offer up much more than an "Oops, sorry!" in response to the backlash:

Hey guys - made a big mistake we've removed the offensive video from all our channels. #fail
— Mountain Dew® (@mtn_dew) May 1, 2013

On their website they also note that Tyler, the Creator has removed the commercial from his channels. Tyler doesn't agree that the ad needed to be pulled, though. In an interview with Billboard.com he says:

What was the initial idea for the Mountain Dew ads?

Tyler, the Creator: It was just a goat who liked Mountain Dew. He wanted more. The waitress lady got hurt. He got pulled over by the cops, and the lady points out the goat [in the line-up], who obviously attacked her because of the Mountain Dew. And that's it.

I guess people are claiming that it's racist, which... you know, that wasn't even portrayed in that commercial, there's no type of hate being portrayed in that work of art at all — which I'm confused by. But this older black dude, Dr. Boyce Watkins, I guess he found it racist because I was portraying stereotypes, which is ridiculous because, one, all of those dudes [in the line-up] are my friends. Two, they're all basically in their own clothes. It was originally supposed to be just two dudes, but Garrett from Trash Talk came with his friend and other people had showed up, so I just put all of them in that line-up, if you really wanna know the truth. Three, no [commenters] saw that commercial and said, this is racist. Everyone either said, “Wow, this is ridiculous, it's a goat talking,” or they said, “Wow, this is the dumbest, why would they even make this?” So for [Watkins] to nitpick and notice that, clearly shows his state of mind is on some other sh— that I can't comprehend, for him to actually sit there and for him to notice that it's all blacks [in the lineup]. That wasn't my intention.

Read the full interview here. He's either a complete idiot who's oblivious to (or in denial of) the world that exists outside his bubble, or (as some have argued) he's knows exactly what he's doing and he's just very good at not ever breaking away from a very intentional and controversial persona. (I'm convinced it's the former.)

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Look Who's Playing Bumbershoot 2013: Death Cab for Cutie, Heart, fun., BASSNECTAR, Kendrick Lamar, the Breeders, Superchunk, MGMT, Crystal Castles, and...

Megan Seling — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:03:19 -0700

Originally published at 10:30 pm last night, but moved up because LOOK! The Breeders! Superchunk! The Zombies! OH MY!

Tonight Bumbershoot organizers have announced their 2013 line-up and I think it looks pretty great. Confirmed musical acts include Death Cab for Cutie (playing Transatlanticism in its entirety), Heart, fun., BASSNECTAR, Kendrick Lamar, the Breeders, Superchunk, MGMT, Tegan and Sara, Crystal Castles, Allen Stone, and many more.

THE BREEDERS! SUPERCHUNK! HOORAY!

This year there will also be a new, all-ages EDM stage that'll open at 7 pm each night—the line-up for that will be announced in the near future.

Here's the complete list, broken down by day:

Saturday, August 31

Heart, Kendrick Lamar, Crystal Castles, Gary Numan, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, Maceo Parker, !!!, Icona Pop, Joey Bada$$, Washed Out, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Thao + the Get Down Stay Down, Robert Glasper Experiment, Watsky, ZZ Ward, Diamon Rings, the Physics, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Lake Street Drive, Kris Orlowski, Cookie Monsta, Nacho Picasso, Ernie Watts with New Stories, Grynch, Gus + Scout, Davidson Hart Kingsbury, Total Experience Gospel Choir, Hyperfunk, the Flavr Blue, Sean Majors, Dave B, Human Spirit, Matt Jorgensen +451, Down North, Darrius