- Ben Moon
- Lost Lander
Another week, another Mercury music section. We ordinarily crack wise here, but it's an incredibly strong week for local releases and shows, with great new records from a bevy of Portland acts. So let's dive right in.
Lost Lander's debut DRRT comes with a fold-out planetarium. We fully expect that future releases from this great new Portland band will include a lodestone, a zoetrope, signal flares, a Swiss army knife, and an ocarina.
LISTEN:
Lost Lander - "Afraid of Summer"
We assume Laura Gibson wanted to name her excellent new album after a town that shares her initials. And the lucky winner in this selective process turned out to be La Grande, Oregon. (Better luck next time, Los Gangeles.)
LISTEN:
Laura Gibson - "La Grande"
The Golden Bears' second record, Write It Like You Find It, is just as good as their first (which was terrific). Recorded at home in their basement, it's a 12-song ode to domesticity and rock and roll—and it turns out those two flavors go together extraordinarily well.
LISTEN:
The Golden Bears - "Come to Be"
Neal Morgan is a singing drummer. But his intriguing new album In the Yard sounds nothing like "In the Air Tonight."
LISTEN:
Neal Morgan - "Fathers Day"
Welsh band Los Campesinos! have grown from precocious youngsters into a grownup band. Don't worry: Their diary-like songs are still as heart-on-the-sleeve as ever.
LISTEN:
Los Campesinos! - "Hello Sadness"
And a lapful of Up & Comings as well.