Spanish for 100, "Wallace" b/w "Wanting" (out now, self-released, spanishfor100.com): Old-school indie rock with dueling guitar parts, harmonized vocals, and intricate progressions. "Wallace" is the more rocking side of the seven-inch, bringing to mind Archers of Loaf, while "Wanting" is a slow burn of a ballad featuring a delicate vocal line that builds into a rocking climax. DL (Sat., Dec. 17, Sunset Tavern)
Stres, "Nothing Feels Like Home Anymore" (out now, self-released, stresisit.bandcamp.com): Local producer Josh "Stres" Bolof was inspired by Darlene Love's classic "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" to write a sad-sack holiday carol of his own, which employs humming synths and sleigh bells to create an enveloping atmosphere of pure blue loneliness. Some slowcore sample of Love's pining vocals would fit in perfectly. EKT
Eric Krebs
Anomie Belle just released her fifth LP.
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Chris Cornell.
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3924 Airport Way S.
Seattle, WA 98108
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Region: SoDo
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*Terri Tarantula, Night of the Leapist (out now, self-released, territarantula.com): Seattle music veteran (she drummed for the Walkabouts and fronted Transmissionary Six) Terri Moeller's second solo release as Terri Tarantula. In the vein of Sam Phillips or Portishead's Beth Gibbons, Moeller's distinctive voice and idiosyncratic phrasing drive the spare, piano-and-drum-machine arrangements. JMG (Fri., Dec. 22, Comet Tavern)
True Dream, The Night Again (out now, 4x4ever Records, TheNightAgain.com): Slinking, cinematic pop with clever post-production from the mind of local musician Danny VanHollebeke. The songwriting is inventive, the structures pleasantly unorthodox. VanHollebeke's voice tends to fit the backdrops best in falsetto, but, as the focus is spread fairly evenly across many elements, the songs hold up well. TH
*Various artists, Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly #26 (out now, self-released, ballofwax.bandcamp.com): Another stellar effort from Ball of Wax guru Levi Fuller that pays tribute to another great Northwest compilation master, Harry Smith and his Anthology of American Folk Music. Local artists like Moondoggie Kevin Murphy, Virgin of the Birds, and Jeremy Burke put a modern spin on these classic tracks, making it a great stocking-stuffer for Americana fans of all ages. MDL
The West, Don't Make a Sound (out now, self-released, bandthewest.com): The West's debut EP consists of four high-energy tunes propelled by active bass lines and some relentless drumming by the Blakes' Bob Husak. The middle two songs—the exhortative "It Was Disco and It's Over" and the entreating, keyboard-driven "Call Me a Liar"—are the best ones. EKT (Thurs., Dec. 8, Comet Tavern)
Zero Down, Looking to Start a Riot (12/16, self-released, myspace.com/zerodownrocks): With a hair-tingling passion plucked right out of the '80s, this album resides somewhere between unshaven, armpit-stain punk, grungy fanboy metal akin to Avenged Sevenfold, and hair-hair-hair metal. JW (Fri., Dec. 16, Sunset Tavern)
LOCAL LABELS'OUT-OF-TOWN BANDS
Bleached, Searching Through the Past (out now, Suicide Squeeze, facebook.com/hellobleached): This two-song 7-inch featuring sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin is a low-fi, energetic, bubbling affair with enough spunk and spark to qualify as dangerous. And danceable. Definitely danceable. JW (Tues., Feb 21, Tractor Tavern)
Adam Cappa, The Rescue (out now, BEC, adam cappa.com): Cappa digs enough of a hole with his three-song EP to give the impression that he has depth, but the empty radio hooks and I-wish-I-was-in-OneRepublic piano trills prove hollow. JW
*Bobby Charles, Bobby Charles re-issue (12/15, Rhino Handmade/Light in the Attic, lightintheattic.net): The high point on this gem from 1972 is "I Must Be in a Good Place Now," which ranks high among the criminally underappreciated singles of its era. Charles never enjoyed even the moderate stardom of, say, Harry Nilsson, but the tunes here share Nilsson's way of being comforting without being gratuitous and catchy without being grating. Put this one on repeat. CK
KJ-52, Collaborations/Behind the Musik/It's Pronounced Five Two (out now, BEC, kj52.com): This triple pack, containing music from 2002 to 2008 by Tampa Christian rapper KJ-52, features clean-cut vocals for those yearning for Eminem without the references to murder, stapling balls, or murder. JW
Tender Forever, Where We Are From (out now, K Records, tenderforever.com): This seven-song LP is Portland-by-way-of-Southern-France laptop musician Melanie Valera's fourth release as Tender Forever. The rhythmic songs are strong rallying cries for independence and perseverance; the chanty title track is a standout. EKT
This Will Destroy You, "Black Dunes" (out now, Suicide Squeeze, facebook.com/thiswilldestroyyou): This bleak and dreamy single from self-titled "doom gazers" This Will Destroy You is holiday hangover–approved. A slow-tempered build with a satisfying climax, it's the perfect soundtrack for your epic walk to the coffeepot when you may or may not still be impaired. It's a gift that keeps on giving, as it also features Holy Other's "Woman in the Dunes" mix as the B-side. MDL
Wolves at the Gate, We Are the Ones (out now, Solid State, wolvesatthegate.com): This album bridges the gap between people who want their faces melted with raw emotion and those who embrace clean vocals, pretty guitar pluckin', and angsty yelling. It's niche metal at best, cautious about pulling listeners in either direction. JW
