Top 5 Guantanamo BaywatchEverything you want in a name. You can almost picture David Hasselhoff in a bright orange hazmat suit, right? The ManimalhouseSometimes, genius is as simple as sticking one letter i ...   More

Music Stories Adam Hurst Elegy(Ash Records) [MELLOW CELLO] You’ve probably seen him at the Portland Farmers Market, various outdoor festivals, and other gatherings around town: straw hat, perched on a stoo ...   More

Music Stories Fake Drugs Fake Drugs(Old Wave/High Scores And Records) [DANCE-POP DELIRIUM] You only need to look at the cover of Fake Drugs’ self-titled debut to realize the band doesn’t take itself ...   More

Music Stories Andrew Oliver Sextet 82% Chance Of Rain(Oa2 Records) [ELECTRIC JAZZ] With his Kora Band and Portland Jazz Composers Orchestra, hard-working young keyboardist Andrew Oliver has become a mainstay of ...   More

Music Stories Nick Jaina A Bird In The Opera House(Hush) [ROCK POETICS] It’s a shame Nick Jaina’s new album doesn’t come with a lyric sheet. More than any other local songwriter, Jaina songs be ...   More

Music Stories Marv Ellis Mental Picture Machine(Self-Released) [VIBE MUSIC] Positive, laid-back hip-hop isn’t any less palatable or critically acceptable than the hardcore rap that takes up most of the spa ...   More

Top 5 Breakfast tacosHave two more beautiful words ever been stuck together?BatsThousands of them! They hang out under a bridge, then fly around at dusk. Whee!SwagWe’re trying to find day parties spo ...   More

Music Stories Mimicking Birds Self-Titled(Glacial Pace) [SOFT PSYCH POP] I don’t envy the task of transforming Nate Lacy’s spiraling, naturalist and homemade acoustic pop songs into fully produced al ...   More

Top 5 Duke Ellington, Money JungleDuke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach having one of the most powerful musical conversations ever. It’s a very powerful trio.Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah UmFor me ...   More

Top 5 PDX Speedwagon (Charmparticles and Jonah), “More Than a Feeling”Boston’s coke-and-backseat-sex anthem gets the local treatment. Love it.Gentlemen, “Power of Love”Huey Lew ...   More