Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you ponder the case of the mysterious bones of Multnomah Falls. See that Constantines photo up there? Now see that clown dressed in green who is just standing there bored, arms crossed, while the rest of the crowd is losing their shit ? I hate that […]
Ezra Ace Caraeff
Ezra Ace Caraeff is the former Music Editor for the Mercury, and spent nearly a third of his life working at the paper. More importantly, he is the owner of Olive, the Mercury’s unofficial office dog. His writing has appeared in The Fader, The Stranger, The Onion's A.V. Club, ESPN's TrueHoop network, and countless fanzines that are thankfully long out of print. He makes a mean tofu scramble and yes, Ace is really his middle name.
Posted inMusic
Once More With Feeling
Pure Country Gold
Pure Country Gold takes “debauchery” to brand new heights.
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Young Lions, Old Lions
The Constantines Get Older, and Better
Years back the Constantines sang the words, “Oh, young lions, this is your kingdom,” and I believed them. I put faith in those lyrics in a way that I seldom do with any other musicians—living, dead, or Canadian. My adoration for this Toronto-based band transcended, and trivialized, any other relationship I have had with another […]
Posted inSports
Goodbye Jarrett Jack? Blazers 2008 Draft Coverage
See this fellow? That’s Kevin Pritchard, GM of the Blazers, and if the past few years are any indication, he is about to have one hell of a day. Today is the NBA draft and after yesterday’s prying open of Paul Allen’s wallet, the Blazers now have 5 picks. That is far too many picks […]
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Shaky Hands Shed Light on Lunglight
The Shaky Hands have released some information and artwork (If you can decipher that rorschach-esque cover art—you win a prize!) on their upcoming full-length Lunglight, which will be released on Holocene Music and Kill Rock Stars. A band so big that they need two labels. Supposedly “slightly darker” than the stoner summertime pop of their […]
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Portland Indie Rock Used to Attract Tourists
Attention all indie rockers with lots of paid vacation days: Why go to Hawaii on vacation? Their local bands suck. Instead, why not come to Portland? That’s more or less the concept behind the Travel Portland (a non-profit tourism board paid for by hotel taxes that encourages Portland travel) “Portland Rocks” offer. This tourism package […]
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This Week’s Mercury Music Section
Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you curse Japan for having the world’s greatest vending machines. Au goes pop. Well, sort of. It’s experimental pop music and it is quite excellent. Way better than that experimental funk-metal record I made that no one bought. MP3: Au – rr vs. d Journey to […]
Posted inMusic
This Week’s Mercury Music Section
Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you curse Japan for having the world’s greatest vending machines. Au goes pop. Well, sort of. It’s experimental pop music and it is quite excellent. Way better than that experimental funk-metal record I made that no one bought. MP3: Au – rr vs. d Journey to […]
Posted inMusic
Pay What You Want for Feed the Animals
Mercury favorite—and not-so-favorite—Girl Talk has just unleashed his new album Feed the Animals under the pay-whatever-you-want system made popular by Radiohead. You can download it for free (320 kbps MP3s), pay $5 for the fancy FLAC files, and if your pockets are deep you can drop $13 (this includes shipping) for the bigger files and […]
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Friends Like This
Au’s Love Letter to Friendship, Pop Music
It’s pop music, but without compromise. That, as far as anyone can accurately gather, is the impetus behind Verbs, the absolutely flawless sophomore album from Au. Much like Friend and Foe, last year’s dramatic skewed-pop declaration courtesy of the boys in Menomena, Verbs raises the stakes with an album so decadent, layered, and textural that […]
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Once More with Feeling
CD Reviews
It’s a great week for Portland music. With more than a half dozen local releases seeing the light of day this week alone, it’s a bit of a challenge to keep up, so that’s where we come in. While you bask in the mighty rays of Portland sunshine, we’re squirreled away in the darkness, reviewing […]
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Starfucker Sings About Something Called “German Love”
When I hear about “German Love,” I immediately think about Hasselhoff fetishes, those sexy scenes in Das Boot, and my German safe word (“Uwe Ochsenknecht”). But when local band Starfucker—posing above with a Celtics-colored basketball in loving tribute to the long struggle of NBA champion Brian Scalabrine—sings about “German Love,” things are far less creepy. […]