FROM BIGNESS

Archers - Door To All Marvels

It takes from '90s indie guitar bands, Television and 60s pop, which is why "freewheeling" (as an adjective) doesn't feel right to describe this jam from Portland's Archers. Actually, it's perfect: angular melodies and big chunks of guitar jostle for space under the vox, possibly supplied by Chris Cantino of RQ faves Saudade (could be his bro Michael?). Like Saudade, Archers build their sound so masterfully you tend to not notice how technically accomplished these dudes are, and it's not easy to make this magnitude of shredding and time signature fuckery unobtrusive. YET THAT IS WHAT THEY DO. Just try to not pump your fucking fists all over the place.

[Archers MySpace]

MONSTER CHAIN

Saudade – I Have Come To Claim My Throne

I’m ridiculously fucking excited to finally get a listen to the debut album from Saudade, the Portland duo who are better than anyone else in the world at dragging insane levels of beauty and heartache from layers of terrifying ambient noise. It’s a monstrous world Saudade conjure up in their mostly instrumental tracks; it feels like music from beyond the frontiers: sonically, psychologically, whatever. You could draw lines between this and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but there’s an unpredictability that separates Saudade from GY!BE’s controlled, classically informed bleakness: this feels like freefalling, exhilarating and ghastly. I could be uninformed, but really, it feels like there’s not anyone else in the world that walks this line between sound art and visceral, immediate music.



Lookouts’ Journal is out November 10 on Arena Rock Recording Co. It’s one of the best albums of 2009.

[Saudade MySpace]

PROVIDENCE

Saudade – Hidden Talented

Oh fuck, EVOCATIVE. This is some hazed out space-age shit, like getting high through a motherboard in 2200. Pretty fucking creepy, too: the white noise builds and builds and the whole time there’s this melody way up high that’s all noble and righteous yet out of reach, like the human spirit facing the apocalypse or a lone astronaut adrift in a galaxy of evil. Wha? Sorry, I can’t stop thinking about how much better all my fave sci-fi flix would be if Saudade scored them. Also how much more traumatic. Did anyone see 28 Weeks Later? That movie would’ve been a shitload better if there was more Saudade and less Muse. ALTERNATIVE REFERENCE POINT: this track reminds me of TWO of my favourite Brian Eno songs: the vibe makes me think of Chance Meeting by Roxy Music and the melody is all The Fat Lady of Limbourg off Taking Tiger Mountain. PS, this song is beautiful. Portland stop ruling.

[Saudade MySpace / website]

[Forthcoming LP through Arena Rock Recording Company]

Lau Nau – Ruususuu

Incidentally, Saudade have this killer blog where you can download a bunch of compilations they put together. This song was on one of them and it’s fucking mental, like Hanne Hukkelberg if she chilled the fuck out for once.

[Lau Nau MySpace]