Helvetia - You shot past the moon scapegoat (2023)

 

Living in the near-mythical central New Jersey, a geographical location whose existence is hotly debated amongst state natives, I find myself frequently bemoaning my departure from Portland Oregon some 5 years ago. In fact, my decade living there in and of itself feels near-mythical - a life of reckless enjoyment full of intoxicants and rock music. Such a stark contrast to my life now...

The only thing gratuitous in my present life, however, is my commute to work. So much time on highways affords my ample time to listen to new music, at least. More often than not I seek new music from my old, Pacific Northwest home. 

Enter Helvetia, a Portland band who many know and love, especially if familiar with the group Duster, as both groups feature the musician Jason Albertini. Helvetia seems to be Mr. Alertini's personal outlet as principal songwriter and singer. 

Many of the releases are mp3 only, including this most recent release, You shot past the moon scapegoat. This was my entry to the bands discography, which spans nearly 18 years with over 20 releases (including split EPs with Built To Spill, which Jason Albertini was also a member of recently). 

This is a party that I am very late to.

I clicked with this music immediately. It's lo-fi and sounds as though it's made in a home studio. The songs have plenty of hooks and range from indie folk to more abrasive and noisy pieces. The song structures range from conventional to unconventional. There are themes of experimentalism and playfulness in much of the music on this release - a theme that extends throughout Helvetia's prolific and, frankly, stupefyingly brilliant discography. While trying to drum up comparisons to other bands/artists, I'm tempted to throw out references to Built To Spill or Pavement or even Velvet Underground - but even that doesn't quite do Helvetia justice. Mr. Albertini is of a class all his own, one that is more in line with the mad genius of R. Stevie Moore who is similarly lo-fi, experimental, and obsessively prolific. 

So highly recommended it got me off my ass to write a blog post after a long departure. 

16 songs.

Helvetia - You shot past the moon scapegoat

Punk Loon - Authentic Nature Sounds With Music (2018)

Throughout the 1990's a Wisconsin-based record label called NorthSound released tons of CDs and cassettes with focus on the unlikely pairing of nature sounds with calming musical genres such as classical, new age, and jazz. This niche genre would eschew the normal venues where music was sold, instead dominating the rotating kiosk market commonly found in businesses like bookstores, gift shops, and even mom-and-pop hardware stores. The label put forth now-forgotten records with very literal titles such as "Pan Flutes By The Ocean", "Symphony For Whales", and "New Age Wolf". 

Several artists would prove prolific for this label, including one Robert W. Baldwin who released an impressive 40 titles for NorthSound and it's sister label, Nature Quest. Over the course of a decade, his contributions included the aforementioned "New Age Wolf", but also releases melding various musical stylings with calls of the iconic duck of the northern US and Canada: the common loon. "Classical Loon", "New Age Loon", and perhaps his most popular release, "Jazz Loon", all made their way to the marketplace (remarkably, all in 1992) with the NorthSound imprint. 

In 2018, 4 musicians out of Portland, Oregon set out to add their own unique twist to the releases of Robert Baldwin, with a release called Punk Loon. In much the same way, the music is simply field recordings of a loon played over punk rock. The band features several members of Portland's art and music scene who are more recognized for their other bands such as Landlines, The Woolen Men, Lithics, and Nucular Aminals. 

Let's face it: animal/nature sounds over music is pretty silly and reserved for listening by folks who'd rather marvel at the strangeness over enjoy it for it's musical quality. But this release challenges that at least for me, because the music is what I like. Not to shit on the loon, I love the sound of the loon. Punk Loon, whether they realize it or not, may have started the reemergence of the nature+music genre with this release. I, for one, look forward to future potential releases such as "Hardcore Gorilla", "Goth Chicken" or "Garage Crickets". 

The possibilities are endless. 

Punk Loon - Authentic Nature Sounds With Music

Roselit Bone - Blacken & Curl (2014)

Fourth of July is here and it's time to blow shit up and cook dead things as we celebrate the surprisingly esoteric concept of "freedom". Some of us may actually feel some patriotism today, or  even bother reflecting on everything that lead to the current state of things. But most will use the day off as an excuse to drink themselves into a stupor under the guise of national pride, letting the troubles of yesterday drown in the swimming pool while tomorrow perpetually worries about itself.

My own pessimism over the topic reinforces my love for the gothic americana of Portland band, Roselit Bone. Singer/songwriter Joshua McCaslin paints bleak imagery of a world that is dry and desolate on opening track "Slow Hot Death", where everything we thought would save us, in the end, didn't.

"Our idols will be melted down or crushed, as we pray to them to turn back the tide. Our hearts will fall like rocks into the dust, when we learn that they were never on our side."

This is a repeated theme in Black & Curl, where idolatries of religion and love are painted as uncertain crutches. The music has range on the country spectrum, much more now that the group features a several new members. This is a departure from Roselit Bone's previous configuration as a guitar and drum duo. Here the sound is lush and full, complete with a pedal steel player and horn section: an addition that lends a cinematic quality to a group that was already something quite special to witness live (see also their live record Live At Ella Street Social Club record).

I almost never gush over lyrics but those written by McCaslin are perfect for this style of music, he's like a rabid poet of the prairie. Everything is stronger about the music on this release... and even though I've said before I'll say it again here: this is the best band in Portland right now.

Roselit Bone - Black & Curl

Formica Man - Formica Man (2011)

Here's a Portland band who fit the phrase "flash in the pan" better than any other I can think of. Formica Man was formed by members of other bands including Karen and The Parenthetical Girls. They played dissonant, loud music and their live sets took about 15 minutes, if that. If you were lucky enough to attend one of their shows, you might have had the pleasure of hearing one of singer Aubrey Hornor's jokes in between songs (one that sticks out in my memory Q: Why did Al Capone flirt with the idea of becoming an optometrist? A: He wanted to help people, see?) 

Before their tragic demise, they spent a few hours recording the music below. For awhile, it looked like these tracks, which were recorded by Nick Bindeman (Eternal Tapestry), were never going to get the praise they deserved. But soon enough they won the attention of Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), who mixed the end product found here. Perhaps some of you were lucky enough to see them open for Deerhoof during the southern leg of their fall 2012 tour. For the rest of us who missed it, the songs are available either as a free download or for a measly $5 you can pick up a copy of their super limited 7" and a free t-shirt.

Or go to their Book of Faces page and give them a thumbs up.

For fans of Erase Erata, Boredoms, or The Dog Faced Hermans.

Formica Man - Formica Man

The Woolen Men - S/T (2012)

Here's the new release from Portland's hardest working band, The Woolen Men. A few months back I posted their first tape, Pavilion, which came out in 2009. Three years later, they're up to their 6th or 7th tape, I think. This is definitely the second one to drop in 2012.

That's a lot of numbers.

They are simply a great band interested only in writing some of the catchiest pop songs possible. Their songs are well-crafted and reminiscent of The Kinks, Guided By Voices, The Clean, and Camper Van Beethoven.

This release comes as the band readies themselves for a small west coast tour. It's "name your price" for the month of August only, so grab it for free or toss them some coinage.

And if they come to your town, get off your ass and go see them, for chrisakes. Tour dates below.

The Woolen Men - S/T

August 15 - Portland @ Holocene w/ Wymond Miles (of Fresh and Onlys)
August 16 - Eugene @ Wandering Goat w/ Autumn's Done Come, Father Figure
August 17 - Oakland @ TBA
August 18 - San Diego @ TBA w/ Mad Kiwi, Lame Drivers
August 19 - LA @ TBA w/ Corners, Buffalo Eye, Radios, Lame Drivers
August 20 - SF @ the Knockout w/ Lame Drivers
August 21 - Sacto @ Luigi's Fungarden & Slice w/ Charles Albright, Apache Dropout, Lame Drivers
August 23 - Portland @ Record Room w/ the Bugs, Lame Drivers

Roselit Bone - Live at Ella Street Social Club (2012)

In a city with so many musicians, it's surprising how uniform the music can sometimes feel. The venues, who only seem interested in booking indie/garage/punk bands, get the lion's share of blame. But, truth be told, so are the people that go to those venues ...those who'd rather feel their adrenaline surge than have their ears and, whatever's left in-between them, stimulated. 

This is why Roselit Bone, who play minimal gothic country with twinges of punk, are kind of a Portland anomaly. They often find themselves playing to these crowds and the audiences are usually more polite than ecstatic, which is a shame because this duo is something pretty special. 

Here's a live set they recently played in downtown Portland at a tiny venue called the Ella Street Social Club. One of the first things you'll notice is frontman Josh McCaslin's forceful, bellowing vocal delivery as he spits lyrics like "there are figures in the shadows of the seeping mist, that find you choking on your sorrows and the smell of piss". On other songs he's the opposite of this, crooning melodically over guitar lines that hint at Josh's skill at the instrument, which is most apparent in the ballad "My Coward Heart", a mellifluous song about the yearnings of a parasitic love. The crooning continues on the song that shares the band's name, where we're transported to a tragic scene as war has exiled a couple, "love me like you love the ocean, love me like you love the open sea, there are horses on the road and my legs are weak, love me, and stand up to meet them". 

This is not your bubbly, teenage love note … this is some epic shit.

Lyrics go on to weave images of desperation, death, and self-loathing. The songs are dark, but aren't completely without optimism. In the fantastic closer, "In My Egg", the narrator sees a pitiful old man crossing a bridge and thinks, "I hope I am not him one day, and that I still find some beauty - in the yellow lamplight of decay - in a dirty, rainy city." Well, maybe that's not very optimistic... but, as Anne Frank said, "Where there's hope, there's life."

Roselit Bone play around with folk and country traditions but inject it with dust, blood, gasoline, and tears. It's loud and rageful, it's quiet and solemn … it's probably one of the few bands, not just in Portland but in any city, keeping the flame of the oil lamp lit for this musical style and I cannot urge you enough to give them a listen.

Roselit Bone - Live at Ella Street Social Club 

Archers - Eggy Tape (2011)

I'm old and I want to drink when watching bands, not stand next to giggly teenage girls flirting with pepperoni-faced Bieber impersonators. This year, however, I may have to go to Portland's annual, all-ages summer festival called PDX Pop Now! judging by all the great music that's on the festival's accompanying 2012 compilation (being released sometime in early June, in case anyone's interested).

Archers is one such band. Their music harkens to late 70's/early 80's punk and power pop, but with both an amplified tenacity as well as 60's rock influence. Really engaging and accessible punk rock and I can't believe I haven't listened to them until now. At times they sound like The Nerves, other times The Wipers. There's also elements of The Who in here. The Soft Boys are also a definite influence, and at times the vocals seem to almost channel Robyn Hitchcock.

This is a great 6 song ep they put out on Eggy Records, an awesome label run by a member of another great local band, The Woolen Men. It looks like the tape itself is sold out, but if you like their stuff, there's a link on the righthand side of their bandcamp page to buy a limited edition 7" for $5... when I bought mine there were only 9 left.

Archers are deserving of the attention they're getting in town, and I hope to catch them live soon.

Archers - Eggy Tape

The Woolen Men - Pavilion (2009)

There's no debate that a tomato straight off the vine tastes monumentally better than those from the supermarket produce aisle. In the same vain, music straight from the "bedroom" carries with it something you can't get from mainstream music. There's an intimacy that escapes the refined output from major label studios... low budget recordings are more authentic. It's easier to attach humanness to it and, for that reason, it's more palpable. You can close your eyes while listening to a Guided By Voices record and almost smell the musty basement they recorded it in, because you've been in basements before. Few of us have ever been in a recording studio... who knows what one smells like? 

The Woolen Men are a prolific Portland 3-piece whose lo-fi recordings are all recorded live. They've been around for about four years and, during that time, have played over 70 shows and released 5 cassettes, most of which have been released through member Raf Spielman's well-established tape/vinyl label, Eggy Records. Each member takes turns writing songs and singing, akin to Sebadoh, but here the end product sounds like power-pop meets garage. Guided By Voices comes to mind, as does Camper Van Beethoven. In interviews the band sites the 80's-90's New Zealand band, The Clean, as being a big influence... which is evident in the immediate appeal of their songs. David Kilgour's pop prowess isn't lost on The Woolen Men, and you can be sure that the songs on this, their first tape, will get you hooked.


"Land of Laughs" and "Today" sound like power-pop classics from some band that time forgot. 

This video is for a great cut from a later release.


Music straight off the vine ...probably my favorite band in Portland right now. If you like what you hear, be sure to visit Eggy Records or their bandcamp page and toss them a few dollars. Three songwriters who share that knack for writing melodies that make you immediately nostalgic for certain times, places, and/or people.


The Woolen Men - Pavilion

Still Caves - Static Lips (2012)

I attribute my affection for garage rock to being a jaded and ornery 30-something. By the time some reach this age, the idealism of the late teens/early 20's mindset is a once vibrant garden since entangled and suppressed by an invasive ivy called "conformism". After school, you'll need work and, chances are, it'll suck and you'll have to dance like a damned monkey to get it. Bad break-ups, grandparents passing away, demoralizing assclown politicians, and colonoscopies just 20 short years away? Ah yes... the 30's are a tattered stage where the dramas of love, work, health, and debt are played out by several lonely, jobless, and alcohol-addicted clones of yourself. 


Then there's all that Taco Bell you keep putting on your credit card.  


Some say bad addictions can be replaced with healthier ones and, while I personally haven't given up my Gordita Supremes, garage rock has become a reliable crutch for a world that makes the mind weary.  


Enter Portland band, Still Caves. They seemingly came out of nowhere and immediately found themselves playing with up-and-coming Portland bands like Psychic Feline and recent K Records signee Nucular Aminals. After hearing their dirty and dismal two-chord garage, it's no wonder. All the elements are here: lo-fi recordings; guitars crunching through tube amps; vocals awash in caverns of cold reverb; and the steady pounding of a well-worn floor tom. "Great Recession" and "No Company" chug along with such gritty voracity you'll have to clean gravel from your ears. And while the EP opens with a shimmering, melodic anthem ("Dutch") worthy of lemonade and sunny drives on hot summer days, don't be fooled. The bulk of Static Lips is whiskey-soaked garage rock heard through a heavy downpour.


Still Caves are here to cure what ails you. 6 songs I'll surely be driving around to, regardless of the weather or beverage at hand.


Still Caves - Static Lips

SexyWaterSpiders - Black Gold (2010)

When I moved to Portland, Oregon, one of the first things I noticed were the bumper stickers and signs everywhere that read "Keep Portland Weird". Over the course of that first year, Portland's weirdness revealed itself in many ways, usually in the form of costumed pub crawls and costumed (or naked) bike rides. At first I was intrigued by the weirdness; then proud. I even participated in a pub crawl dressed as a lumberjack in hot pants. But everyone gets to the point where Portland's weirdness becomes embarrassing and/or annoying, as it has for me 6 years later.

Listening to SexyWaterSpiders, though, I've become intrigued again. 

A Portland by way of Salem trio, SexyWaterSpiders play an adolescent, bluesy psych rock. They don't take themselves too seriously, and they don't want you to take them too seriously, either. This point is made evident by their 10 minute forays into new age psych pop and cheesy power metal. Actually, all the songs on Black Gold have a tongue in cheek sneer through which the tongue is more directed at the listener …almost to test your patience and ask "why so serious?"

First listen aside, they aren't just a weird Portland band. They're a breath of fresh air in a city that's nearly choking to death with conventional rock bands uninterested in testing the boundaries of their own "coolness". That said, there is something undeniably cool about them. Their songs are good and at times evoke the likes of Jon Spencer, Royal Trux, Railroad Jerk …even The Fugs. And while they may not be as garage or punk as those groups, the SexyWaterSpiders approach their music with a similar playfulness that escapes a lot of musicians these days.

Loosen your buttons.

SexyWaterSpiders - Black Gold