TED TALKS PRESENTS: TED LISTENS EP.4

THE SONG: "Television Man"
THE BAND: Naomi Punk
THE ALBUM: Television Man
THE LABEL: Captured Tracks

Three-piece, Naomi Punk have made their way from Issaquah to Olympia to (where-else) Brooklyn, out of which they just released their latest LP, Television Man off Captured Tracks. Since their arrival onto the rather visible label (home of Demarco), the band has engaged in an interesting struggle to preserve their underground, DIY ethos (just check their website and you’ll understand). Front-person Travis Coster is quite vocal about this conflict – stating in a recent interview, “There are 17-year-old kids coming up to me asking me how to get signed to Captured Tracks, and I’m like, “Dude, the last thing you need for playing punk music is getting signed to a record label when you’re 17 years old.” The band makes conceited effort to keep things "real," which comes through in their unrefined, rather caustic music.

“Television Man”

As a bass player, I can’t help but wince when listening to the bands who lack them… With that out of the way, if there's a band that can put bass players out of work for good, I would certainly venture to name Naomi Punk.
“Television Man,” the album’s title track, is (so far) the song that intrigues my ears most. It begins with an initial build-up: the snare pounds on beats 2 and 4 while the guitars alternate same-note slams on the rest of the counts – a simple, effective hook that’s completely thrown right when it’s fully established. The tune transitions into the very reason why it caught my ear in the first place – the rhythm play.
The majority of the track is built upon an uncountable drumbeat – a porous, repeated pattern full of accentuated negative space over which jagged, nimble guitar work overlays. The added (or dropped) beats throughout the form put your ears on edge and though this makes for potential to dismiss the tune as self-indulgent “math” punk, the effect is stimulating and not dismissive, compounded by the chorus, which pulls you back with heavy, synchronized drum/vocal/guitar parts. Front-person, Travis Coster’s vocal brings propulsion via his sneering tenor qualities akin to No Age- the lyrics, however, were practically indecipherable. Didn’t bother me.
We've still got some copies in the shop so come check 'em out!

10/16: OV Presents Widowspeak @ The Echo!

We're excited to be co-presenting Widowspeak at The Echo tomorrow night! Pure Bathing Culture will be supporting. It's going to be a great time!

Here's what our friends at The Echo had to say about each band:

Widowspeak: 

Widowspeak is an American band comprised of Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas, known for its dreamy, western-tinged take on rock and roll. The outfit formed in 2010 and released two singles in 2011 (Harsh Realm, Gun Shy) followed by a debut album (self-titled) in the summer of that year, all on Brooklyn label CapturedTracks. Widowspeak was praised for its reverential spaciousness, Hamilton’s haunting voice, and Thomas’s spindly, Morricone-esque guitar lines; both drawing on 1950’s pop ballads and 1970’s psych, creating languid call-and-response melodies. The band then toured extensively, wearing in their warm, nostalgic sound.

The Swamps is the newest release from American swoon lords Widowspeak. It arrives as bridge between the duo’s sophomore album, Almanac, and an as yet untitled third studio record. Here the band’s characteristic sonic landscapes, haunting harmonies, and layers of delicate guitar-work usher in a new chapter in their dark and dreamy catalog. Inspired by the light-choked wetlands of its title, The Swamps brims with songs about fears of stagnation and the pitfalls of nostalgia, but never relinquishes Widowspeak’s melodic optimism.

The Swamps will be released October 29, 2013 on Captured Tracks

Pure Bathing Culture:

Daniel Hindman and Sarah Versprille began writing songs together in 2009 while living in Brooklyn, NY. In 2011, the duo packed up their lives, moved to Portland, OR and realized that it was time to put a name to the batch of songs they'd been working on--Pure Bathing Culture was born. Through various serendipitous connections, multi-instrumentalist and producer Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian) heard their early demos and immediately invited them to record with him at his National Freedom Studio in Cottage Grove, OR. The fruits of this recording session comprise their self-titled EP, an elegant collection of four beautiful songs, constructed with smooth melodies embodying the nostalgia of soft soulful 80s pop but with a freshness all of their own.

OV will be selling tickets for this show, so be sure to stop by shop!
$10 (adv) / 8:30 pm/ 18+