Music Blog

A very promising musical, if not weather, weekend is in store! Quasi, Explode Into Colors!, Blitzen Trapper, The Devil Makes Three, Kimya Dawson, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Low Anthem, Ioa and Black Prairie are among the notables playing Portland shows for the final weekend of the month. Go and partake, and take these along for the ride...

1- Right off the bat, the big one of the week: the first song released from The National's upcoming High Violet, out May 11th. On the heels of the tune they unveiled on late night TV a couple of weeks ago, this one seems to follow a similar "sorft of epic" formula, with a nod to the band's homeland in the title. In case you missed it, The National joined us a couple of years back in-studio for songs from their previous release, Boxer.
► The National- "Bloodbuzz, Ohio"

2- Also big this week was the first track from Blitzen Trapper's upcoming Destroyer of the Void, out June 8th on Sub Pop. The Portland band's certainly stayed busy, touring and recording what seems like non-stop over the past two or three years-- the new album comes on the heels of 2008's Furr and last year's Black River Killer EP. Catch the band perhaps playing some new songs at this Sunday's You Who at the Kennedy School in Portland; in the meantime listen to their past visit to our studios here and here.
► Blitzen Trapper- "Heaven and Earth"

3- Truly elated that Teenage Fanclub is at long last returning later this year. The announcement came this week that the Scottish power-poppers would be back in June with their first release in five years on Merge, entitled Shadows. And it sounds delicious...
► Teenage Fanclub- "Baby Lee"

4- Also returning soon: Philadelphia's Dr. Dog. Shame, Shame is out April 6th and doubles as the band's debut for Anti, which puts them in the deservedly heady company of acts like Tom Waits, DeVotcKa, The Weakerthans, Billy Bragg and Jolie Holland, to name but a few. In case you missed them bringing it in a big way at last year's Pickathon and MusicFest NW festivals, they're back in town April 23rd at the Wonder Ballroom.
► Dr. Dog- "Stranger"

5- Finally: also out in April and on Anti is the first release in fourteen years from the legendary Roky Erikson. He's joined forces with Will Sheff and Okkervil River (people are calling it Rokkyvil River) for True Love Cast Out All Evil, an album of mostly unreleased songs that span Erikson's 40+ year career. Expect some rollikking.
► Roky Erikson- "Goodbye Sweet Dreams"

To the weekend then!

Tagged: mp3