[PORTLAND MUSIC] Why shouldn’t the navel-gazingest city in
the country have a compilation of its current bands covering important
bands from its past? We’ve got our own TV show, after all.
Rudeness aside—don’t take the critique too seriously; I run a local music blog—Let it Rain actually serves as the handiest primer on Portland’s musical past since those I-5 Killers
compilations of the early ’90s. While the new comp, a fundraiser for
PDX Pop Now! pasted together by PPN! and the Oregon Historical Society,
leans heavily toward the doom-rock of Portland’s heyday, it also enlists
a pretty nice cross-section of the contemporary scene’s talent, from
singer-songwriter Kyle Morton (Typhoon) to disco big band Ancient Heat,
to serve as translators.
While the obvious
choices here are nice—Red Fang doing the Wipers’ “Over the Edge”;
Portland Cello Project covering Elliott Smith; the Angry Orts’
Heart-esque rendition of Quarterflash’s “Harden My Heart”—the curveballs
are where the real fun is at. Two odes to Fred Cole bands stand out:
Kelli Schaefer shows her tough side (and earns some scene cred) by
rocking the Lollipop Shoppe’s “Mr. Madison Avenue” while Grouper’s
fuzzed-out, apocalyptic and pretty much unidentifiable take on Dead
Moon’s “Demona” is perhaps the album’s most striking song.
Grouper covers Dead Moon's "Demona"
There are more recent
cuts, too: Alan Singley’s Arrow of Light does a jazzy version of
Quasi’s “It’s Hard to Turn Me On” while Nick Jaina does his best Danny
Seim impression on his acoustic version of Menomena’s “Rotten Hell.”
Both find less-than-obvious melodies to focus on and celebrate.
As a record of a time and place that seems to always be longing for the same place in another time, Let it Rain
performs its task more than admirably, and the comp makes a nice
closing chapter for the Oregon Historical Society’s Oregon Rocks!
exhibit. And, frankly, I’m stoked that no one did “Louie, Louie,” which
is kind of a stupid song.
SEE IT: Kelli Schaefer, Napalm Beach and Ancient Heat play the Let it Rain release show Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave. 6 pm. $10 with CD. All ages.
Putting aside Mr. Jarman's fair assessment of "Louie Louie" being "kind of a stupid song" it must be clarified that a local band, Muscle Beach, did in fact cover this dubious track for the "Let it Rain" PDX Pop Now! fundraiser, albeit as a digital download listed upon the plastic wrapper of the CD distributed that evening. The Muscle Beach cover bravely fuses the melody of "Louie Louie" with the lyrics of Meredith Brooks "Bitch" and is titled "Louie Louise (I'm your...)". Lest it is forgotten forever, this very strange, and dare I say brilliant "cover" can be found at the following URL: pdxpopnow.org/OHScomp
Putting aside Mr. Jarman's fair assessment of "Louie Louie" being "kind of a stupid song" it must be clarified that a local band, Muscle Beach, did in fact cover this dubious track for the "Let it Rain" PDX Pop Now! fundraiser, albeit as a digital download listed upon the plastic wrapper of the CD distributed that evening. The Muscle Beach cover bravely fuses the melody of "Louie Louie" with the lyrics of Meredith Brooks "Bitch" and is titled "Louie Louise (I'm your...)". Lest it is forgotten forever, this very strange, and dare I say brilliant "cover" can be found at the following URL: pdxpopnow.org/OHScomp
Sounds interestingly rambuncious. Is there any way to get a hold of this online? Id love to get a better idea of the whole compilation.