Our Music Critics' Picks For September 19-25
by Stranger Things To Do Staff
School has started and autumn is here, and if you're an adult, nothing is different. We suggest you leave work and go to one of the music shows happening around town this week so you can feel alive again. The variety of performances range from the ultimate celebration of an eternal jazz icon, to the revamping of every Delia's catalog trend you missed from the '90s, to the queen of country floating down from her cotton candy rhinestoned cloud to grace us with her presence. Check out our music calendar for more on these events, and anything else you could hope to see.
SEPTEMBER 19
17th Sister City Jazz Day
This show, featuring the live performance of renowned jazz vocalist and pianist Masae Nagashima, Kobe's 2016 Vocal Queen, celebrates the 17th Sister City Jazz Day. Seattle celebrates this holiday in conjunction with Kobe, Japan's sixth largest city known for its namesake beef, hot springs resorts, and annual jazz festival. Band members supporting Ms. Nagashima include Bill Anschell on piano, Jeff Johnson on bass, and Greg Williamson on drums.
Before Giants with Heartwork
Here’s a heap of contemporary, progressive thrash metal for them kids who just LOVE some serious growlin’, hollerin’, and boucin’! Both Before Giants and Heartwork play 1990s-era “metalcore”—a turgid mix of pop punk’s melodic passages, lots of starts and stops, maybe some rapping, tinny guitars, all driven by double bass drums which sound like a skipping CD. Anyway, as an old ’80s hardcore kid, I’m always confused to see these groups (self) labeled “post-hardcore,” because in its codified “extremeness,” it doesn’t come across as confrontational, but rather it feels like parody, maybe even bubblegum. Of course, historically, bubblegum has always been the most accessible sounds for its target audience and in this case mostly suburban middle-class teens and Christian kids. MIKE NIPPER
Garbage, Cigarettes After Sex
I interviewed Shirley Manson last year, and she said she can still kill a party completely by walking into it. (I’m still struggling to believe it.) She also said that the new album had four possible titles. I don’t know who came up with the title Strange Little Birds, but it’s apparently the band’s nickname for weird fan letters. Aside from the pro forma single “Empty,” much of the new album comes off a bit less sounds-in-a-vacuum and a bit more desperate, a bit more hesitant about actually interacting with the world. Just a bit. It’s not like the signature sound’s gone. But that surface slickness sounds worn away in places, like a perimeter breached, honest strong emotions deciding on fight and/or flight. ANDREW HAMLIN
Warpaint, Facial, Goldensuns
The last time I saw Warpaint was at Bumbershoot 2011. They were still touring on the back of the previous year’s hit indie debut, The Fool, and they really grabbed me with their trippy desert folk and bouncy rhythms on that sunny September day. In 2014, their self-titled follow-up LP took a dive into more down-tempo and contemplative moods, sounding far more solitary and standoffish than many were used to. Now six years removed from their initial successes, Warpaint have announced their new album, Heads Up, which will be out on September 23, and have released its first single, “New Song.” The festival-poppy track is built around production that sounds like it was tossed off an Odesza side project. They still boast the hypnotic, echoey vocals that were partially responsible for drawing me in, but have moved even further away from the seductive, tweaked soft-rock sound that gave them life. TODD HAMM
SEPTEMBER 20
Sigur Ros
Question: First man to put a bow (as in for a violin, not for impaling deer at a distance) across an electric guitar? On film, at least, the answer is Jimmy Page, during a performance of “Dazed and Confused.” That moment when Page pulls the strings, right before the bow begins to fray, that’s when so-called “post rock,” or at least the version of it propagated by Iceland’s Sigur Rós, was born. It’s the first time, maybe the only time, that rock escaped sex and reached into pure aesthetic bliss. Sigur Rós play aesthetic bliss, in their own melancholic way. They do so with a bow and do so rarely these days, which makes this evening with them a treat. For this tour, Sigur Rós will strip down to a core trio and plan to debut some new songs. JOSEPH SCHAFER
The Specials with The Far East
Who knew second-wave British ska would have such legs? Here we are, almost four decades out since the Specials’ 2 Tone’d 1979–1981 heyday, and they’re still playing big venues in the United States—although without founding member and key composer Jerry Dammers. The Specials’ self-titled debut album is an exemplar of punk-infused ska with indelible hooks plus inventive covers of Rufus Thomas’s R&B party jam “Do the Dog” and Toots Hibbert’s careening “Monkey Man.” Some fans think follow-up More Specials is just as good if not better than the first one, but it has nothing on it as momentous as the gravely skanking 1981 single “Ghost Town.” It’s a moving expression of urban dread and desolation, but shot through with spasms of nearly absurd jauntiness, which tilts the song into genius. “Ghost Town” remains one of the greatest hit singles in any country at any time. Encore! DAVE SEGAL
SEPTEMBER 21
Diminished Men, Fundamental Forces, Moraine
For ten years now, Diminished Men have been one of Seattle’s best bands. I say this every time I write about the long-running trio, hoping that it will increase their fanbase. So far, my advocacy hasn’t nudged Diminished Men much higher in people’s consciousness, but I’m not going to stop now. The group’s problem might be their tendency to rarely employ vocals, but that’s a strength in my book. What Diminished Men—drummer Dave Abramson, guitarist/bassists Simon Henneman and Steve Schmitt—excel at is eerie, ominous jazz rock that evokes myriad noirish cinematic scenarios. Their music occupies that strange zone where electric-era Miles Davis, Ennio Morricone’s ’60s and ’70s soundtracks, surf rock, and Can at their Tago Mago-est intersect. It’s no surprise that Alan Bishop’s Abduction Records issues their records; Diminished Men reflect Bishop’s omnivorous impulse to hybridize various styles into distinctive compositions. There’s much mystery in Diminished Men’s sound—as well as in their relative lack of notoriety. DAVE SEGAL
Dolly Parton
Much as it pains me to have to remind the world, Dolly Parton is not stupid! She’s not a dumb blonde! She figured out a long time ago that sculpting herself into a dumb blonde would sell. So she sculpted. And she sold. And she still sells. But peer beneath the cake-face makeup, and you’ve got a songwriter, a record producer, and a woman who’s figured out how to stay on top. She was 70 last January. I wish I knew more about her new Pure and Simple album, but I will trust that a woman who once covered Collective Soul and Led Zeppelin to astonishing effect within one album will find a way. ANDREW HAMLIN
Research: Randomer & Hodge
The ever-on-point Research crew comes through again with another stellar bill. London-based Randomer is a prolific producer/DJ for great labels like L.I.E.S., Clone, and Hemlock, where he’s proved himself an unorthodox generator of flagrantly polyrhythmic techno/bass-music fusions. His uncanny ability to forge weird sounds into club-friendly configurations is highly inspirational. Fellow Brit Hodge (aka Jacob Martin) is very much in synch with Randomer, as you can hear on their joint 12-inch, Second Freeze/Simple As, which is one of the greatest singles of 2016. Strange percussion orgies and rhythmic anomalies ensue when Hodge gets into the studio or behind the decks. His whip-smart subversions of dubstep, techno, garage, and drum ’n’ bass never fail to engage. DAVE SEGAL
Steve Gunn with Nap Eyes
If cosmic folk-slinger Steve Gunn had only collaborated with 74-year-old guitar virtuoso Mike Cooper, that would be enough, but the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Philadelphia musician has several fine studio recordings to his name (he’s also collaborated with Kurt Vile and Michael Chapman). Like Cooper, Gunn leans more toward the folk than free-jazz or avant-garde end of the spectrum. While his intimate singing keeps his songs tethered to the earth, his 12-string mastery, which incorporates raga and drone, ranges from the pastoral to the stratospheric, evoking folk legends like John Fahey and Bert Jansch. For this tour, Gunn’s joined by Nathan Bowles (drums), James Elkington (guitar, lap steel), and Jason Meagher (bass), three of the eight players who appear on Eyes on the Lines, his excellent Matador debut. KATHY FENNESSY
An Intimate Evening with Storm Large and Le Bonheur
Enjoy the smooth power of singer Storm Large with her loyal band, Le Bonheur, as she takes her high-energy show of American classics, Broadway ballads, and rock goddess anthems to the Triple Door.
SEPTEMBER 22
Mad Professor with Kid Hops
Dub is not the same all the time! And Neil Fraser, aka the Mad Professor who’s been at it since circa 1982, isn’t the same all the time, either. Judging from recent work, though, he likes to bend kazoo and melodica notes until they sound off, just a little bit alien. And echo, lots of echo. Even more echo than is typical for dub. I figure Fraser called one of his records Escape to the Asylum of Dub to signify how he remembers more than one dictionary definition of “asylum.” I’m reminded of Douglas Adams’s Wonko the Sane, who built an inside-out house with the plumbing and bedroom on the outside, because he thought the whole world was one big insane asylum. Go to this and take a Wonko look outside. ANDREW HAMLIN
Moondoggies 10th Birthday Party Show
The Moondoggies celebrate ten years of life and music together with two nights of shows at the Tractor. The Thursday show features Lonely Mountain Lovers and Pampa, while Friday showcases The Jackalope Saints and Great Spiders, with Moondoggies headlining both nights.
Studio 4/4: Roman Flügel & Heidi
A key figure in German electronic music for more than two decades, Roman Flügel came to prominence in the mid 1990s via the forever-bangin’ rave-anthem masters Alter Ego and then blew minds with his crafty IDM/techno fusions as Eight Miles High, Soylent Green, and Ro 70. Flügel’s stuff under his own name has veered toward nicer, more overground tones and melodies, as exemplified by 2011’s Fatty Folders and 2014’s Happiness Is Happening, but he still keeps his essential oddness intact. Reassuringly, the guy who cofounded the important left-field techno and house labels Ongaku Musik, Klang Elektronik, and Playhouse has never fallen off, as a recent Boiler Room DJ set at the Robert Johnson club proves. DAVE SEGAL
Youryoungbody, Nightspace, DoNormaal, Lilac
Insert your life into the dark dream world of Youryoungbody, Nightspace, DoNormaal, and Lilac, all of whom are sure to bring heavy synth work, swirling electronic pop and trip hop, and very witchy vibes to your ears, brain, and butt (because you'll also be shaking it).
SEPTEMBER 23
Coltrane Birthday Celebration
Celebrate the life and legacy of jazz icon and American songbook legend John Coltrane with a 90th birthday show in his honor. Performing Coltrane's compositions as well as works inspired by him will be saxophonist Richard Cole and his quartet, with Bill Anschell, Phil Sparks, Matt Jorgensen, and Julian MacDonough.
Echo & The Bunnymen
With no new album to promote for this tour, pillars of 1980s alt rock Echo & the Bunnymen should pack tonight’s set with hits, and the Bunnymen have all the best hits, like infectiously jangly radio smash “Lips Like Sugar” and the mysterious “The Killing Moon,” which infamously darkened the Donnie Darko soundtrack. Their first four albums are now considered ’80s classics, with surreal lyrics and celestial, jangle-delic guitars—romance-drenched riffs planted firmly in the clouds. The Bunnymen carved out an utterly dreamy, psych-infused post-punk aesthetic in the same hyper-romantic realm as the Church or Psychedelic Furs. There are few acts throughout post-punk history to achieve the Bunnymen’s level of moody gorgeousness, and with 12 studio albums and 30 singles in their catalog, Echo & the Bunnymen have a wealth of material with which to stun us. BRITTNIE FULLER
Foals with Guests
Oxford, England, five-piece Foals make a self-sharpening indie calculus of rock music. As a singular image, Foals' sound is an aircraft-carrier-sized flying machine made out of razors that produces snowflakes. It's piloted by painter Chuck Close, and each snowflake jettisoned is different from the next. Inside this floating fortress of cold steel is a clockwork maze of automated razors, ice shavers, and blades. Gears of cutlery spin in logarithmic rotations, forming snowflakes by the million. TRENT MOORMAN
Guerilla Toss, Nail Polish, Charms, Miscomings
One of New York City’s most galvanizing rock bands, Guerilla Toss roil in the sort of brainy post-punk/no-wave brine as groups like Fire Engines, Contortions, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Check out Guerilla Toss’s mistitled 2013 album Gay Disco for one of the most weirdly wired and fantastically spastic works of the last five years. The well-mined post-punk/no-wave revival rarely sounds this exhilarating. Seattle trio Miscomings make the sort of cantankerous, unnerving noise rock that denizens of this increasingly frustrating city need, and they do so without completely banishing melody from the equation. Their 2016 EP Bag of Knives gives you a sense of Miscomings’ caustic, urgent bulletins from the underground. DAVE SEGAL
NAO with Guests
London producer/vocalist Nao’s stark brand of funk skews just weirdly enough to cut through the bland gauze of modern R&B. Her conventionally pretty voice bears the heavenly soprano timbres of the sainted Minnie Riperton, contrasting wonderfully with the staunch low-end foundation and clipped, clap-enhanced beats. Nao’s 2016 debut full-length, For All We Know, is loaded with classy, minimalist funk showcases that simmer soulfully like D’Angelo circa Voodoo and sometimes like Jamie Lidell during his Multiply days. Based on this evidence, it seems certain Nao could do a killer cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing,” too. She’s a rare talent. DAVE SEGAL
Tangerine, Fauna Shade, Snuff Redux
Local indie-pop act Tangerine provide anti-gray solace with their beach-ready, '60s-inspired pop that interlaces sugary female vocals with twangy, bursting flickers of guitar and even more tambourine. Tangerine's songs instantly bloom inside your earspace and stay there. BRITTNIE FULLER
SEPTEMBER 24
14th Annual Stranger Genius Awards
For the 14th year in a row, The Stranger will recognize local talent and accomplishment in art, performance, literature, film, and music, awarding a total of $25,000 to some of our region's most dedicated and exciting artists. Of that, $5,000 will go to a visual artist. The three nominees this year are Barbara Earl Thomas, Mario Lemafa, and Rob Rhee. This party is spectacular, whatever happens. I don't know of anywhere else you can go to watch film, music, art, performance, and literature artists in your own city hang out together. And admission is free. See you there. JEN GRAVES
Art Garfunkel: In Close Up
American songbook legend and general beloved weirdo Art Garfunkel brings his decades of folk-pop experience, myriad of chart-topping hits, and literal thousands of miles walked and the memories therein to the Pantages stage.
Jeff Greinke & Friends
Along with Pacific Northwest musicians like K. Leimer, Marc Barreca, and Rob Angus, Jeff Greinke led a low-key revolution in ambient music—too low-key, to be honest. But over the last few years, labels like RVNG Intl. and Leimer’s resurrected Palace of Lights have brought back into circulation some of these artists’ long-lost gems from the 1970s and ’80s. Greinke boasts a consistent canon of enigmatic, atmospheric works that at their best waft and murmur in the same sonic vicinity as Brian Eno and Jon Hassell’s peak efforts. Many try to compose pieces that are at once calming and unsettling, but few do it with more refinement and gravity than Jeff Greinke. DAVE SEGAL
SEPTEMBER 25
The Monkees
The Monkees have been playing shows and making records man-down style since 1969, when Peter Tork left the band for the first time. The Micky Dolenz-Peter Tork-David Jones lineup kept them working steadily from their MTV reunion in 1986 until Jones’s death in 2012, with occasional visits from Michael Nesmith, the elusive “Y” to their CSN. Then, Nesmith began touring with Dolenz and Tork, much to the joy of fans who had been waiting to hear him sing the old numbers one more time. Their 2013 performance at Benaroya Hall was one of the most ecstatic, life-affirming shows I have ever seen by any band, least of all a Beatles simulation manufactured for television that went on to have a perverse interaction with the second half of the 20th century and accidentally invent an entirely new non-binary distinction for understanding works of art. This time around, there will be no Nesmith. It will just be Micky and Peter and a backing band (plus a lot of good video). It’s hard to imagine how they can fill the two empty pairs of shoes that will be on the stage. But it’s impossible not to marvel at the stamina of the troupers singing and dancing around them. SEAN NELSON