Various Artists, Friends & Friends of Friends Vol. 8 (Tender Loving Empire)

It feels like a giant mixtape made by a slightly ADD friend.

By Matthew Singer

[LITERALLY EVERYTHING] With more than three hours of music spread over two discs and 40 songs, Tender Loving Empire's newest Friends & Friends of Friends album encompasses, well, pretty much everything. The annual compilation series celebrates its eighth year of highlighting bands from the Tender Loving Empire label, the greater Portland area and beyond. Vol. 8 feels like a giant mixtape made by a slightly ADD friend. It is a behemoth, first of all, and a nearly impenetrable one at that. It does not flow smoothly, and its chill is nonexistent. For example, disc two opens with the wub-wubbing "Discover" by Boise's own Magic Sword, then directly segues into the Domestics' sweet acoustic ballad "Wait Forever," which would fit on the soundtrack to any rom-com, ever. But TLE doesn't skimp on the hits: Beloved local bands like the prog-rocking Mascaras and established label artists like experimental bluesman Willis Earl Beal also make the cut. The result is, Friends & Friends of Friends Vol. 8 has something for everyone. But really, the easier way to sample the record is probably at the release party, as eight bands—Transistor Send, Bed, Sunbathe (Maggie Morris of Genders), New Move, the Fourth Wall, Catherine Feeny and Chris Johnedis, Snowblind Traveler and Loch Lomond—perform in honor of the compilation.

SEE IT: The Friends & Friends of Friends Vol. 8 release party is at Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., on Thursday, Nov. 19. 8 pm. $7-$8. 21+.

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