PDX Pop Now! Reveals 2007 Tracklist, Announces Release Show
Yep, this afternoon the folks at PDX Pop Now! released the tracklist for the fourth edition of their yearly two-disc comp of local Portland musics. Expect to see the discs on the checkout counters of record shops (and beyond) on June 19th for a mere seven bucks. The Pop Now! folks are also having a release show at the Hawthorne Theater on June 8th with Hungry Mob, The Better To See You With, Strength, The Hugs, and Ashes to Ashes (all-ages of course).
The group, which compiles the comp mainly from submissions, calls this year’s release its “most diverse yet.” Given the breadth of music that Portland has to offer, I’d reply “Good effort PDX Pop Now, good effort.” I like that it’s got a sample of one of Ethan Rose’s stunning Ceiling Songs, some Old Time Relijun, one of my favorite the Robot Ate Me songs, “Empty Feelings,” and some other rad stuff. It also has a “rare Decemberists demo.” If you just peed yourself, send us the dry cleaning bill and we’ll be sure to thumbtack it to our wall.
I think if you gave this disc to a non-Portland music fan, they’d probably start packing pretty quickly. Anyhow, you be the judge:
Disc 1
01 Swim Swam Swum – “Without Your French”
02 Lips and Ribs – “Battle in Nagoya”
03 Modernstate – “SSMF”
04 Menomena – “Wet and Rusting”
05 Syndel – “Lemme Hear It”
06 World Court – “Maps”
07 The Hand That Bleeds – “Shattered Love Trance”
08 The Ocean Floor – “A Simple Adventure”
09 Laura Gibson – “Come by Storm”
10 Mirah and Spectratone International – “Community”
11 Evolutionary Jass Band – “Phyllis’ Frindge”
12 Old Time Relijun – “The Tightest Cage”
13 Black Elk – “Toss You to the Wolves”
14 Ethan Rose – “Ceiling Song 3 (Excerpt)”
15 Lifesavas – “No Surprise”
16 Alela Diane – “Up North”
17 YACHT – “See a Penny (Pick it Up)”
18 Starfucker – “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second”
19 Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) – “Culling of the Fold”Disc 2
01 Junkface – “ATAMAKATAHIZAASHI”
02 Kristin Hersh – “Blackstone”
03 Sweater! – “Mediterranean”
04 Panther – “How Well Can You Swim?”
05 Ohmega Watts – “4 Days in Geneva”
06 Run On Sentence – “Carrie Pt. II”
07 Exploding Hearts – “(Making) Teenage Faces”
08 Derby – “If Ever There’s a Reason”
09 The Hugs – “North”
10 Eric John Kaiser – “L’Odyssee”
11 Ferocious Eagle – “Bastards”
12 The Better to See You With – “Garden”
13 Hungry Mob – “To the People”
14 Klezmocracy – “Hava Netze B’machol”
15 Wilding & AED – “Broken Branches”
16 The Robot Ate Me – “Empty Feelings”
17 Alan Singley – “Never Knew”
18 Nice Boys – “Johnny Guitar”
19 31Knots – “Sanctify”
20 White Rainbow – “Mystic Prism”
21 The Shaky Hands – “Soul”
Yeah, same logo. I like it too.
MikeLovesYou
says:Amazing list. Is the Shaky Hands song “Soul” unreleased?
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 12:22 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkValusint
says:Just wanted to note that admission to the CD Release show on June 8 at the Hawthorne Theatre includes a free copy of the comp. We’re so excited for everyone to hear this stuff! Wahoo!
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 1:36 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkWilliam
says:This tracklist is kind of dissapointing. Colin Meloy? Mirah? Old Time Relijin? Lifesavas! Menomena even. I don’t know how PDX POP “NOW” they are. In my trivial opinion, they should be dedicating things like this to artists who are not already national acts. Portland, and in some cases, the entire country has known about, and been listening to too many of these artists for some time now. They’re music will have plenty of opportunity to be released elsewhere on other records. Why are we giving these artists this additional exposure that is pretty unneccessary, when there are countless, AMAZING bands in Portland, who are yet to be heard by more than a small circle of folks?
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 7:58 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkBen Hubbird
says:That Starfucker song is SO HOT RIGHT NOW.
Unfortunately this year’s comp suffers from the same weakness that ultimately doomed last year’s effort: NOT ENOUGH SONGS BY THE MORALS.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 9:52 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkSlaptacular
says:Thank god unknown bands like The Decemberists are finally getting a little exposure.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 10:35 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkMARK BAUMGARTEN
says:Ben. I heard you got arrested recently. What’s up?
On another note, I know this might be in bad taste, but do the Exploding Hearts belong on this comp? I thought that the comp was meant to celebrate what’s going on in Portland right now.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 10:49 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkCASEY JARMAN
says:Actually, I had the same question, Mark. Not about Ben getting arrested, that’s new to me– I mean, the Exploding Hearts were a fantastic band, but it seems an odd choice.
Mike: Pretty sure “Soul” is unreleased, yeah.
There’s a lot of great stuff on the comp (perhaps they’ll let us use a couple for cuts of the day) and I’m really glad to see some hip-hop on the list. I think having big bands on the list is important because that’s the selling point for a lot of people (and then they get to hear Swim Swam Swum and Hungry Mob, etc.), but that balance might be a teeny bit off for my taste this year. I’d have liked to see a few more left-field choices. But then, I doubt I’m the target audience!
If Cary or other PDXPOP volunteers are around, they’d probably be happy to answer this: What is the major goal of the compilation each year and what makes it successful in the eyes of the folks who put it together?
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 11:05 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkI.T.
says:There is a total disconnect between the CD and the festival. How many of the acts on the comp will actually play the festival?! The Decemberists aren’t going to play the festival so why are they on the comp? I realize you gotta break even on CD sales–and putting nationally recognized artists on the comp helps–but I think PDX Pop Now! would sell almost as many CDs even if they did not have the usual roster on the CD. I’m also bummed not to see Boy Eats Drum Machine on the comp–I hope they play the festival.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 12:11 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkjragel
says:I, like hundreds of other PDX artists, would have loved to be on the comp last year and this year—but there’s way too many rad acts and not enough space, which is a good dilemma to have. I understand why they have nationally established cats on there—getting the disc out on a regional/national level is better for everyone involved.
I think it’s key for us ‘b-siders’ to remember that these are dedicated volunteers who have to make some tough calls. also, it’s good for us up-and-comers to keep desperatation at bay and simply try again next year, not to mention be happy for killer artists like starfucker and junkface, who lead off disc 2. hell yea! with some dedication we’ll all crack the comp eventually. just trying to encourage a bit—hope this isn’t soapboxing…..
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 12:46 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkMARK BAUMGARTEN
says:Gotta love that Jonny Ragel.
Hey, when is there going to be a Local Cut comp? Aren’t you guys approaching your first anniversary?
(I would be willing to take my royalty payments via PayPal)
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 1:23 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkAMY MCCULLOUGH
says:The Shaky Hands’ “Soul” is the last song on their self-titled EP. I’m not sure if that’s still available in stores at all; maybe someone else can help answer that. As for the list this year, I’ve gotta say I find it a bit underwhelming, too. I agree with Casey that having nationally recognized acts on the comp will help the less-known Portland bands reach a larger audience, but shouldn’t the songs by the bigger bands at least be exclusive (like the Decemberists track)? Does it seem odd to anyone else that an album track from the new Menomena is on there? I mean, if those acts are meant to draw a broader range of fans in, including songs those fans probably already have isn’t going to help. And, yeah, it may be in bad taste, but it seems like posthumous tributes aren’t really in keeping with the concept of “now.” And, of course, every comp could use at least one track from the Morals!
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 1:50 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkMICHAEL BYRNE
(post author) says:“Good effort” not “great effort.” The lack of leftfield selections of the comp, save a for a few token tracks (Ethan Rose, White Rainbow), is disappointing. I feel like there was a significant community omitted from this. Believe it or not, we have a techno scene in Portland.
But, I also don’t feel like I can go much further in this criticism without a clear statement of goals for the comp. Maybe those folks didn’t submit. Or, I guess maybe I should take the “Pop” more literally than I have been.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 1:59 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkBrent Bell
says:Brent from PDX Pop Now! here. I’d like to accept Casey’s invitation to address some of the questions raised here.
As one member of the organization, I’ll state that with the PDX Pop Now! compilation we try to 1) offer a diverse and quality sampling of music from the Portland community and 2) create a product that sells and helps us fund our festival. Some of you have kindly pointed out already that we are a completely non-profit and volunteer-driven organization. While we do receive cash and in-kind sponsorships from local businesses, these are not enough to cover the sizeable costs of mounting and promoting a completely FREE and ALL AGES three-day music festival and producing auxiliary events like the recent Parkrose Middle School show. Far from hoping just to break even with the compilation, we depend upon the profits from sales of our album and so - in addition to their being awesome and important members of Portland’s music community - the inclusion of “name” bands like The Decemberists, Menomena, Lifesavas, and so forth.
As others have correctly pointed out, we’ve always solicited and used music from Portland artists with a national profile and some level of name recognition - your Shins and Thermals, your Quasis and Gossips - to help sell the compilations and also to help draw attention to the less well-known artists included on them - the Junkfaces, the Starfuckers, the We Quits, and on
It’s true, The Decemberists (as a full band or as represented by frontman Colin Meloy) have been included on every PDX Pop Now! compilation, and no, they don’t really “need” the relative sliver of additional exposure that the inclusion may provide them. They’re on the comp because we asked them to be, and bless ‘em, they always oblige with unique contributions, including the “Culling of the Fold” demo that they went out of their way to clear with Capitol Records for us.
Ideally, we would receive exlusive, unreleased selections from the “name” bands (like The Decemberists track and the Mirah contribution, from an album that won’t be released until August) but the “name” bands who do offer to contribute something don’t always have such tracks to give. Last year, Menomena had an “unreleased” track to offer up while this year they did not; however, they have a new album from which they were willing to give us a song. And while many people have heard of Menomena, not all have the album. We’ve heard a lot of anecdotal evidence about Portland residents and visitors perusing the compilations at record store counters and remarking, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of The Decemberists,” or “I’ve heard of M. Ward,” or The Thermals or Menomena, and they then pick up the comps and have to chance to actually hear these groups - along with the bands of which they’ve never heard.
I can understand the issue with Exploding Hearts. With the recent release of Shattered, the b-sides and rarities collection, the band generated a new round of national attention and remembrance. We looked into the possibility of using one of the songs and were offered “(Making) Teenage Faces,” an incredible slice of power which, when paired with the great track we received from Nice Boys, we think honors the group’s undeniable talent and points to its legacy. And it’s not our first such track; we posthumously included the Spooky Dance Band on our ‘05 comp.
As for the perceived lack of leftfield selections on the comp, I guess we’re pretty happy that the lovely slice of ambient from Ethan Rose, the epic tribal pyschedelia of White Rainbow, the rollicking jazz of the Evolutionary Jass Band, the howling metal of Black Elk, the industrial blast of noise from The Better to See You With, the 8-bit explosion from Lips and Ribs, and the driving Klezmer-jazz of Klezmocracy all found their way on. We determine much of the tracklist from listening and voting blindly to artist submissions (over 300 this year) and usually have left a small space in which to curate for diversity where we thinks it’s needed, if at all; our voting results this year yielded, we think, a pretty diverse batch of music. In addition to the “pop” or rock sounds of bands like The Shaky Hands, Derby, and The Hugs, we have, along with all the other styles mentioned above, folk, laptop pop, hip hop in a few different veins, and more. We do agree that there are numerous excellent and varied music communities (techno, and others) that could be better represented on the compilation and we’ll continue to work on this, but - and I could be wrong here - while this year’s compilation may not unconventional enough for some people, I suspect it will not be “pop” enough for others.
There’s no pleasing everyone.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 4:33 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkSerena
says:Even if the CD line-up does not match the festival line-up — Who Cares?! The festival is a blast and the bands that play are always great. Just recalling the set by 50 Ft. Wave last year makes me grin!
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 4:47 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkCASEY JARMAN
says:Agreed. The fest is always dope. Here’s to it being extra-dope this year at Audiocinema. And I think this disc would be a great introduction to Portland for someone who just got off the boat here. Fo shizzy.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 5:09 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkAMY MCCULLOUGH
says:Thanks for posting such a thoughtful and informative response, Brent. I’m sure I’m not the only reader who appreciates hearing things from your end.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 10:55 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkCASEY JARMAN
says:Yeah, thanks Brent! Sorry, I totally missed your post earlier. I think you’re right about not pleasing everybody, and it’s true there’s definitely left field stuff here. I think I’ve just been doing LocalCut for long enough that my idea of “name” bands and li’l bands is outta whack. In my world, folks like Alan Singly and Laura Gibson are rock stars, but they’d probably beg to differ. Well, Laura would. Alan would probably verify the fact that he is, indeed, a rock star. Then he’d serve me up an excellent chocolate treat. Anywhoo, as always we are in awe of you pdxpop folks for putting both the comp and fest together. There’s nothing else quite like it.
Posted @ May 24th, 2007 at 11:21 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkJQ
says:Damn, they totally left out Portland’s thriving psychogrindabilly post-ambient tubacore scene. That’s it, I’m not going this year. Harrumph.
Posted @ May 25th, 2007 at 9:33 am (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkValusint
says:Cary Clarke from PDX Pop Now! here. First of all, thanks to everyone who chimed in with enthusiastic, supportive words. I really do appreciate that. We really are just trying to help celebrate the great work that Portland’s musicians are doing by throwing a spotlight on a limited cross-section of that pool every year. Brent did a terrific job addressing individual questions and concerns professionally on behalf of PDX Pop Now! I’m going to offer some opinions here that are, to be clear, mine alone, not necessarily representing those of the rest of the board or volunteers. I apologize if my tone gets preachy or argumentative (as well as for the size of this server-eating post) - it’s just that I feel very passionately about what we’re trying to do.
Now, people are welcome to not agree with our aesthetic choices - that’s cool. But, given the fact that probably only one person posting to these comments so far has even heard the comp so far, sitting in speculative judgement at this point to me seems a bit absurd. I think when they hear how great the songs on the comp are, the malcontents will see where we’re coming from. Personally, I think this is the best comp we have ever done. There just seems to be an incredible degree of myopia here, and that’s what concerns me. Allow me to explain.
The primary criticism in these comments appears to be that we’re too heavy on established, or known bands this year. Basically, my response is that only someone who follows the Portland music world avidly enough to want to post to a website dedicated to it would think something like that. Where I work, at a school in Portland, I can guarantee you that almost no one (including the ones in their 20s) will have heard OF ANY of the bands on the comp, let alone have actually listened to them. Of my coworkers, maybe one will have heard of The Decemberists, and a few will remember the names The Shaky Hands, Alela Diane and Syndel from when they played at our school (I work at Parkrose Middle School where we just had them play, along with Soul P). The idea that a track from “Friend & Foe” is so well known as to not be of interest to anyone is ludicrous. Sure, the Portland hipster crowd knows the Menomena catalogue backwards and forwards, and so do some Pitchfork readers, but most people in Portland do not. Some of these folks will have heard the band’s name before, from kids, or friends, or mentions in one of those “Portland as music Mecca” kinds of news stories, and maybe a few of them will pick up the comp, because it’s cheap, and discover what they sound like, along with 39 other Portland bands. Maybe my one coworker who has heard of The Decemberists will pick one up as well for similar reasons. As crazy as it may sound to people who know local music well, many people have not discovered Menomena, or, honestly, even The Decemberists. Those who have will find 38 other tracks to explore.
The numbers are probably about the same for the 800 or so students at my school. At most, a handful would know The Decemberists. I would honestly be surprised if even one had heard of Menomena or any of the other bands. This comp is for them as much as it is for Portland music insiders. This comes back to the “Pop” in PDX Pop Now! being about pop in the sense of “populism,” not a genre distinction.
And you know what, we badly need those people as yet unfamiliar with local music. Reaching out to them is one of the reasons that PDX Pop Now! got started to begin with. People in the community complained 4 years ago, and still do now, that we see the same faces in the audience at shows in Portland night after night. Mostly they are musicians’ faces, coming to scout or support other musicians. But these faces are not nearly numerous enough to sustain the community, in either a spiritual or economic sense. Amazing bands play to three people all the time. Some people may disagree, but I think the more local folks we can get interested in local music the better. If you think everyone has heard Menomena and The Decemberists, I suggest you spend a little more time with people outside of your own demographic. But I would be surprised if even the most club-going, album-buying Portland music enthusiast didn’t find something new to love on this comp.
Putting aside for a minute the argument that we need marquis bands to attract those less knowledgeable about local music (which is absolutely true and explained thoroughly by other below), I’d like to explore the criticism that we have too many big names. Really? Like what? Speaking as someone who spends a lot of time listening to, searching out, and thinking about local music, I can say that I had never heard of 7 of the bands on the comp before their names were revealed at the end of the blind listening part of the curation process. That’s nearly a quarter. Add to that, then, some bands that I had heard OF before, but never actually listened to. Throw in some who I had heard before, but never previously liked. Then include some old favorites with awesome new songs. And then, yes, the marquis names (but who really belongs on that list to begin with, other than The Decemberists and Kristin Hersh? We’re already down a level of “known-ness” when we consider Menomena or Mirah. Old Time Relijun isn’t “now”? They’ve only been in town for about a year, and some albums (even awesome ones) on an independent NW label does not a household name make - even a hipster household name.)
I also want to remind everyone that - with the exception of the anchor acts like The Decemberists (whose track is a rarity, and a great one) - these tracks are listened to blindly and voted on blindly. This process mostly determines the tracklist. This means that we are not sitting down and deciding which bands are best, but rather that each track is listened to and judged on its own merits by volunteers and the board. At the end, as Brent said, we take a broader, name-revealing look at what we’ve selected and try to correct by including genres that we’ve missed. We would never claim to have represented all of the amazing music made in town - you can’t do that with 40 tracks - let alone 100 (and, realistically, people wouldn’t listen to that many). At the end of the day, each of the songs on this comp are there because the collective mind of about 40 people decided they were fucking great. As far as diversity goes, we have certainly never done better. What metal have we included in the past? We have more hip-hop than ever, and a couple of representatives from oft neglected traditional styles of music. What jazz (or jass) have we had on before? I can count 3 languages on the comp off the top of my head. Really, we’re trying folks, and I believe we’re succeeding. I mean, look at the comp release line-up : Hungry Mob, The Better to See You With, The Hugs, Strength. Have you seen these bands play together before? I haven’t even seen all of these bands play, period.
I think that Brent sufficiently explained The Exploding Hearts - a great band that many (including myself) essentially missed when they were around, who have a posthumously released (and therefore probably last) new collection from the past year. Absent newly discovered works, this year was probably our last chance, because of the new release, to document this great local band in good faith. Though they didn’t record their comp track this year, the release of the album on Dirtnap made The Exploding Hearts part of the musical culture of this year, and I bet many people (future fans) are primed to hear them with the press that record got that weren’t before. I think it would have been likewise fair to include Elliot Smith…
As for the genres, styles and communities we missed - well, this is where I ask everyone to help us improve. We get the word out that we’re accepting submissions as best and as widely as we can, from flyering, to myspace, to word of mouth, to email lists, to message boards. We get to a lot of musicians, but some people we don’t reach, and some are unresponsive. Everything we receive will be listened to fairly, so help us get out to those neglected corners next time around.
We have never made any claims about the comp line-up having any kind of relationship to the festival line-up. Together, however, they do provide a richer, more varied picture of the given “now” year than either could alone, and the financial relationship expounded upon below is crucial.
Some of the bands on the comp are largely unknown, just moved to town, play underappreciated styles of music, are underage, or some combination thereof, and therefore have a hard time getting heard. I can assure you that these musicians would not complain that there are too many “big” bands on the comp. In fact, compared, to previous years, I think there are fewer major names, something we can get away with a little bit more as PDX Pop Now! has begun to be more of a trusted and recognized entity.
I don’t mean to sound bitter or jaded here at all. On the contrary, I am shocked by how bitter and jaded some others seem to be. The lack of perspective here is dizzying. I think we have done a very good job of discovering quality new music, and hopefully that will help the people who make it, and bring joy to those who hear it. That is certainly part of the PDX Pop Now! project, as it were. But putting one track by a band on one comp is not enough. One of the things that Portland has been notoriously bad at over the years is having a sustained relationship with its musicians. You expect this kind of disposability in LA, but somehow you’d think that the cultural attention span of the most music-minded people in a town as notoriously interested in locality as Portland would be longer. This is one of the reasons that it is legendarily difficult for a band to “break” in Portland, and why many local bands who can sell out any other major city in the country will play to 30 people in Portland.
PDX Pop Now!, both with the comp and the festival, attempts to expose great, new undiscovered music every year, but we also try to include artists that we and others have loved before that have continued to do what we think is great work, to cultivate a real, lasting relationship between them and their city, as well as to help the new crop of fresh faces. Everybody who hears the comp will hopefully discover new music to love, whether they are hardcore local music nerds, or recent transplants looking to discover some of what’s going on in Portland. Ideally, this will enrich the artistic dialogue between musicians, expand and diversify the group of people participating in and enjoying local culture, and improve the overall climate of artistry in town. We have a lot to be excited about here, and we’re just trying to facilitate that.
And, in the end, if you think we should be doing something differently, please please please come work with us to change it in the future. Our ranks are always open. In the meantime, I think if you give it an honest listen, you’ll love this year’s comp as much as we do.
Hope to see you at the comp release on June 8 at The Hawthorne Theatre,
Cary Clarke
Posted @ May 25th, 2007 at 2:36 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkPDX Pop Now!
www.pdxpopnow.com
ttc
says:Hi folks. I just wanted to speak to the idea of how easy it is to have your perspective skewed by the beautiful city in which we live.
see ya at the festival.
Posted @ May 27th, 2007 at 12:16 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalinkI have been here for eleven years and just a few months ago i finally had a little bit of a reminder of how small we are. I applied for a job that i was completely excited to be able to get. I was so convinced i would get it. It turns out that the person who did is all over my iTunes (like 4 albums worth), in other words: a friggin’ rock star. hmmm, i guess geniuses gotta eat.
The folks at POPNOW, and LOCALCUT have done an amazing job building a community for us all to learn about and enjoy. Let’s keep it up, maybe one day the rest of the world will know about these talented people that still have to serve us, answer phones, cook our food, and whatever else it is they have to do to support their craft.
lane
says:i would just like to say that my project, the ocean floor, has only played two shows here and is having an awful time finding shows. i think that this comp clearly listened to the song and must have chosen it on its own merit because i promise that not one person on this message board has ever heard my music. and i’m so excited and honored to be a part of it. i have absolutely no connections and simply sent my cd in. thank you very much, pdx pop now, for being much more objective than i could have possibly imagined.
Posted @ May 31st, 2007 at 11:35 pm (May 23rd, 2007) | Flag this Comment | permalink