Music Fest NW Night 4

Saturday night was a night of rock and roll and lasers. I started the night out at Pioneer Square seeing local rock stars Starfucker. The guys were stoked to be playing at the square and their performance showed that. They played all the great hits like "German Love" and "Millions." They have a bunch of shows throughout the year so check here to see if they are coming to you. You don't want to miss them.




The next show I wanted to see was The We Shared Milk, but instead my car got a flat tire and I missed the entire show getting the spare on. So after that mishap I went over to Bunk Bar to see local Portland band Mission Spotlight. This five piece indie country rock band was a real treat to watch and drink a beer to. They have such a great sound with their slide guitar and blend of post-rock and country music. The slide guitar plays my heart strings and his voice sounds almost god-like. Check out their new album called Everything That Floats.




Next up at the Bunk Bar was Seattle duo, My Goodness. And my, did they rock so freaking hard! These guys might just be my new favorite band. They play an awesome blues-rock that reminds of early Black Keys. My Goodness is another reason why rock 'n' roll isn't dead. Check out their bandpage here and watch the bad-ass video of their single "I've Got A Notion" below.



The last band that I caught was Sad Baby Wolf. Started by Marty Crandall and Neal Lanford, former The Shins/Flake Music members, this post-rock outfit totally rocked out the Doug Fir Lounge. Super high energy lo-fi post-rock mixed with catchy choruses and riffs, these guys are worth a listen to. They also had really cool finger lasers that were fun to play with. I'm really stoked to hear more from these rockers from Albuquerque, NM.



Check out the photos at our website KillingSasquatch.com

Top 50 Albums of the Year Part 5 of 5: The Top 15 Albums of All Year

Welcome to the final installment and last post of the year. This year has been a treat, there has been so many great albums, it was hard to choose what was the best of the best. Even though I have listened to a lot of albums this year, I know I have missed out on some good stuff. So if you think that there should be a record on any of these lists then please leave a courteous comment on my posts. In the end it's really not the number that counts, it's how the music makes you feel, and that's how I base this list off of. So as I sign off for the rest of the year I would like thank everyone who reads this and I hope that you are sharing all this great music that I am sharing with you. Happy Holidays to you all and I hope to see you all next year.

15. Cults - Cults

Cults - You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults

14. Sleep ∞ Over - Forever

Casual Diamond by Sleep ∞ Over

13. Neon Indian - Era Extrana

Hex Girlfriend by MGMTNeonIndian

12. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Trembling Hands by Explosions in the Sky

11. Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair

Gauntlet Hair "Keep Time" by DOJAGSC

10. White Denim - D

White Denim - Bess St by ProspectPark

9. Panda Bear - Tomboy

Panda Bear: Slow Motion by -gaga

8. Starfawn - Starfawn EP

12,000 B.C. by Starfawn

7. Real Estate - Days

Real Estate - Municipality by DominoRecordCo

6. Delicate Steve - Wondervisions

Delicate Steve- Don't Get Stuck (Proud Elephants) by The FADER

5. Starfucker - Reptilians

Starfucker - "Millions" by terrorbird

4. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - An Echo From The Hosts That Profess Infinitum by subpop

3. Pure X - Pleasure

Dry Ice by PURE X

2. Peaking Lights - 936

Hey Sparrow by Peaking Lights

1. Washed Out - Within and Without

Washed out - You and I by iroel

So there you have it. It is ok if you disagree, let me know what your favorites are in the comments box.
Honorable mention to the incredibly talented Purity Ring for their 7" release this year.
Killing Sasquatch will be back next year to bring you even more music so stay tuned. Thanks again.

Top 50 Albums of the Year Part 1 of 5: Pop

So another year is coming to an end, and that means best music lists will be popping up everywhere including Killing Sasquatch. I'm going to do it a little differently. I'll have 4 categories of great music then a top 15 list at the end.

So to start it off is the world renown genre of pop. Pop music is music that everyone can enjoy, no matter where you are from. It always has a catchy beat with lyrics and themes that embodies people's emotions. I feel like these albums have not only embraced those ideas, but pushed popular music into a great direction. This list is alphabetical order.

Alexander - Alexander

Alexander - Awake My Body by tosbagasırtı

The Antlers - Burst Apart

The Antlers - I Don't Want Love by Transgressive Records

Atlas Sound - Parallax

Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita by stopshakehoneygo

Big Troubles - Romantic Comedy

Big Troubles - Misery by Slumberland Records

Cults - Cults

Cults - Go Outside by underhisempire2

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - It's A Corporate World

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Morning Thought by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair

Gauntlet Hair - Top Bunk by felixnicklas

Hooray For Earth - True Loves

Hooray for Earth - True Loves by memphisindustries

Jared Mees & The Grown Children - Only Good Thoughts Can Stay

Hungry Like A Tiger by Jared Mees And TGC

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83 - Wait by Reike

Portugal. The Man - In the Mountain In the Cloud

Portugal. The Man- So American by MMMusic

Starfucker - Reptilians

Bury Us Alive by starfucker_usa

Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation

Cannons by Youth Lagoon

The Half Year Review

So it's July now, which means half of this year is over already. So here is the best of all the new releases this year, in no particular order.
Definitely one of the best hip-hop albums I have heard this year is Shabazz Palaces' Black Up. It's some of the most creative music I've heard. These guys challenge modern day hip-hop. Though not everyone will enjoy it, you must acknowledge the fact that it's something that you don't hear very often.

Starfucker's album, Reptilians, is another great album that was released in March. It is one of my favorite electro-pop albums of all time. They do a great job of mixing synth keyboards and acoustic guitar with the vocals. It's just a really good dance party all on one disc.

The best instrumental album is by far the new Explosions In The Sky. The whole album is a soundscape of guitars and more guitars and some keys too. This is a must own album, especially if you like intricate guitar work. Check out the first track, "Last Known Surroundings" from their sixth album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.
And of course May saw the release of Fleet Foxes' second album, Helplessness Blues. This is a great vocal album, I would like to hear more drum influence, but I feel like they focused on harmonization and acoustic guitars, which sounds amazing!

Another great release this year was The Antlers'  Burst Apart. There's something about Peter Silberman's vocals that makes me want to love everything. Plus the music is really good too, there's more electric guitar than their last album, Hospice. 

My favorite album this year is a tie between Jeff The Brotherhood's We Are The Champions, and Starfucker's Reptilians. I haven't been able to not listen to either of them, and every time I hear a song from them I want to listen to the rest of the album.
All of these albums are must buy! They are so good. Check my other posts for more great albums from the first half of the year.
The second half of the year has some great stuff in store. Washed Out is coming out with his debut full length, new Neon Indian, The Shins, Modest Mouse(?), Blink-182, No Doubt, Muse, and so much more.