CK Dolan

Night Divorce is the debut EP from Portland band Somber. Its seven tracks bleed together like one long dream sequence, but they sound stuck—thrashing against the walls, caught between worlds. “At the time we were writing Night Divorce, I was having a particularly bad period of night terrors and even sleep paralysis,” says vocalist/keyboardist Myrrh […]

JUPITER PHOTO BY NASA/GABRIEL FISET, RYAN ADAMS PHOTO BY RACHAEL WRIGHT Though alt-country heartbreaker Ryan Adams is best known for writing sprawling Americana epics—most recently on his 16th solo record, Prisoner, a breakup album chronicling his divorce from Mandy Moore—it’s time to address the fact that two years ago, without warning, he logged onto Twitter […]

HALF WAIF Wed 6/28 Doug Fir LANDON SPEERS Just a couple of weeks ago, Nandi Rose Plunkett—who sings and plays keyboards in the alt-country outfit Pinegrove—penned an essay for Esquire titled “Don’t Call Me the Girl in the Band.” It’s her response to the on- and offline misogyny that constantly reduces her to “a useless […]

Ryan Adams vs. the planet Jupiter: A rivalry for the ages.

<img src="https://media2.fdncms.com/portmerc/imager/u/large/19122086/1498606473-tacocat.jpg" alt="TACOCAT Thurs 7/13 Mississippi Studios” title=”TACOCAT Thurs 7/13 Mississippi Studios “> TACOCAT Thurs 7/13 Mississippi Studios Michael Lavine Candy! Aliens! These are two critical components of Tacocat’s 2016 record Lost Time. This title references a recurring phenomenon in the X-Files, and its opening track “Dana Katherine Scully” pays homage to the ’90s TV […]

GLASYS Hunter Paye Last month, Portland musician Gil Assayas (AKA GLASYS) posted one of his “solo jam videos” to Reddit. “This is the most multitasking I’ve ever done,” he wrote. “Would love feedback!” He didn’t expect this feedback would come from one of hip-hop’s most legendary performers. “HO. LY. SHIT!” commented T-Pain from his alternative […]

(SANDY) ALEX G Songs about hot dogs… or ARE they? Tonje THILESEN “Is the truth trapped behind iron lock and key?” asks Alex Giannascoli on “Guilty,” the closing track of his excellent new album, Rocket. When it comes to his music, the answer is a resounding yes. Six years ago, the Philadelphia-based musician began releasing […]

JAPANESE BREAKFAST Thurs 6/22 Holocene Ebru Yildiz Last year, Philadelphia-based musician Michelle Zauner released her debut LP under the moniker Japanese Breakfast: Psychopomp, nine glittering pop songs that pass like an electric storm, with blinding flashes of nostalgia, grief, and momentary joy. In 2014 Zauner’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, so she moved home to […]

LA LUZ Wednesday 7/5 Mississippi Studios Andrew Imanaka Seattle doesn’t have much in the way of waves, but the city produced one of surf rock’s all-time greatest bands: La Luz, the beloved quartet known for their twangy guitar riffs and doo-wop harmonies. They released their debut LP It’s Alive in 2013, and shortly thereafter were […]

With his music, (Sandy) Alex G does not want to kill the magic.

AMINÉ Nikolaus Popp Aminé sure is having a good month. On June 5 the Portland rapper’s breakthrough single “Caroline” was certified triple platinum, on Tuesday he was named a 2017 XXL Freshman, and this morning he dropped a brand-new single, “Turf,” featuring R&B legend Charlie Wilson, plus an emotive live video shot in his neighborhood […]