Music

Better all the time

Get these Beatles reissues into your life
In 2006, Apple/EMI released the Beatles-soundtracked Cirque du Soleil companion piece Love , which mashed together songs from the band's repertoire in stunning remastered sound.

By ZETH LUNDY | September 08, 2009

Review: Jesse Fuller | Move on Down the Line

Fledg'ling (2009)
If you were a real hip folkie circa 1961-'64, chances are you were into the inimitable Jesse Fuller.

By GUSTAVO TURNER | September 09, 2009

Review: Whitney Houston | I Look to You

Arista (2009)
It's tempting to wonder whether super-producer Clive Davis, in another of his music-biz machinations, arranged for Whitney Houston to whiff last week on Good Morning America , which is reported to have altered Houston's vocals for broadcast after she sounded hoarse during her Central Park mini-concert.

By MIKAEL WOOD | September 09, 2009

Review: Wild Beasts | Two Dancers

Domino (2009)
It would be easy to overuse singer Hayden Thorpe's ebullient falsetto and dilute its campy majesty. Wild Beasts, a dreamy English quartet with a penchant for licentious lyrics and showy flourishes, know better.

By MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY | September 09, 2009

Review: The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker | Burn It Down

OuttaSight (2009)
These Nashville-based high ministers of retro-groove — known for their muscular live sermons — broaden their gospel on CD #2.

By TED DROZDOWSKI | September 09, 2009

Review: David Dallas | Something Awesome

Dirty Management (2009)
In the 1990s, every rap album had mellow bangers buried in the tracklist.

By CHRIS FARAONE | September 09, 2009

Machigonne Festival wrap-up

Sibilance
The MACHIGONNE FESTIVAL was a major success, despite the best efforts of Hurricane Danny.

By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | September 02, 2009

Music Seen: Roots and Tendrils

Worth the drive
Belfast as a destination just got more desirable with the addition of Roots and Tendrils. Nestled downtown, the light from the plate-glass windows and lush landscaped front lawn complete with brilliant colored chairs and lawn sculptures invite anyone heading down to the stone's-throw-away waterfront to peer inside.

By SONYA TOMLINSON | September 02, 2009

Glorious bastards

Deerhunter's path from divisive buzz band to indie royalty
Few bands could serve as a better case study on the influence of Internet hype on mainstream media and popular acceptance than Deerhunter. Before the band "broke" in early 2007, to a glowing Pitchfork review of their album Cryptograms , the Atlanta four-piece were virtual unknowns nationally.

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | September 02, 2009

What of the Beatles?

Jazz, pop, and circumstance
Spouting off during downtime in an interview with jazz drummer/composer Steve Grover, I once put forward my ill-researched idea that the third song is almost universally the best song on a great album.

By SAM PFEIFLE | September 02, 2009

3 Inches of Blood | Here Waits Thy Doom

Rough Trade (2009)
An outsider would peer into the ridiculous world of 3 Inches of Blood — which is inhabited by orcs and advancing scimitar-wielding hordes — and giggle.

By DANIEL BROCKMAN | September 02, 2009

M.O.P. | The Foundation

E1 (2009)
M.O.P. were en route to hip-hop's greatest track record.

By CHRIS FARAONE | September 02, 2009

Taken By Trees | East of Eden

Rough Trade (2009)
Truth be told, I get a little crumply whenever I hear of Western indie types going off on East-bound inspirational jaunts.

By MICHAEL BRODEUR | September 02, 2009

King Cannibal | Let The Night Roar

Ninja Tune (2009)
King Cannibal is the latest incarnation of the artist formerly known as Zilla, a mixtape prodigy (check the supremely eclectic mid-'00s One Foot in the Fire, One Fist in the Air , if you can track it down) who managed to impress even the jaded Warp Records honchos a few years back.

By GUSTAVO TURNER | September 02, 2009

Beat Circus | Boy From Black Mountain

Cuneiform (2009)
The subjects of the stories sung on this second installment of Beat Circus's "Weird American Gothic" trilogy attain greater awareness of family, culture, and the world by voyaging across schisms in perception.

By BARRY THOMPSON | September 02, 2009

Music Seen: [dog] and [pony]

Coming to a computer near you, anytime
Let's face it — it's hot, we're poor, and we're lucky to be stealing our neighbor's wireless. When you can't muster the energy to go out in these dog days of summer you can go to the best attended venue not only in Portland, but worldwide: the Internet.

By SONYA TOMLINSON | August 26, 2009

Holy Boys and Sea Captains

Sibilance
• The HOLY BOYS DANGER CLUB are making a real go of it. They've made a video for "Criminal," off the Lessons for Liars EP from earlier this year. GUY MANLY VIDEOS , who crafted the Cambiata documentary, did the filming. Check the brand-new www.holyboysdangerclub.com to take a peek.

By PORTLAND MUSIC PHOENIX STAFF | August 26, 2009

Second summer

Catching up with discs missed
Summer's over, the kids are getting back to school and I'm loath to turn the seasonal page. The music's been terrific. New discs by Spencer and the School Spirit Mafia, Grand Hotel, dilly dilly, Samuel James, and Gypsy Tailwind have highlighted the depth and breadth of our local talent and the return of shows on the pier has reminded many of us just what a great summer town this can be.

By SAM PFEIFLE | August 26, 2009

Rock of wages

Huak intertwine politics, sentiment, and decades of influences
Huak are the rare local band who, in the two-plus years they've been playing regular gigs, sound bolder and more self-possessed every time you see them.

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | August 26, 2009