Here in otherwise secular Portland, during the month of March, we celebrate St. Patrick, the man who brought Christianity to Ireland. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland too, or at least that’s what I was taught as a child in County Cook, in the then-Irish Republic of Chicago, where they still dye the …
I miss my brilliant English pals. Jonathan Waller is one of the sharpest and most talented gentleman on that island. He’s one of the few people I would consider not debating on National TV, because he’s so charming and witty, and he has that quintessentially British ability to cut you and you don’t even know it… You …
After living in Japan and a long stint signed to Sony, Rie Fu (pronounced Ree-ay Foo) returns with a new sense of musical freedom. The video for ‘Mirror’ follows the life of a young girl seemingly alone in London. Rie describes it as: “A powerful story with a very intriguing ending, representing the spiritual existence …
Well, cruel Heathcliff, this was the first of several Kate Bush covers to come to my attention (see Running Up That Hill, below). We’re in the middle of a bona fide Kate Bush revival and that’s great news. Natasha Hemmings does a nice job on this cover. “Wuthering Heights” is not an easy song to …
Angel Cage strikes like Banksy in the night, spraypainting trenchant thoughtbombs on the street wreckage of our minds, making us wish we were so clever, and then dancing away, leaving us to weep inwardly at the disposable nature of everything. They’re guerrilla Shirley Manson. I was going to say “guerilla Garbage,” but you might have …
Wales 2019 Continues: This is lovely. Give it a listen immediately. The home videos on the music video are delightful. “This song is about looking forward to someone very special visiting,” says Welsh singer-songwriter Dan Amor. “We spent a lot of time on the fade out of this track, layering the diminishing vocal with increasing …
Look for audiobooks at SXSW. Here’s how the band describes themselves on their Youtube page: “If you’re going to call your band audiobooks, you’d better get your stories straight. Evangeline Ling and David Wrench have great stories. Their songs are full of them – discombobulating observations over discomfiting oscillations. There are woozy fly-on-the-wall accounts of …
FEMME is Laura Bettinson, formerly of Dimbleby & Capper. Truly positive pop. London based. This is still my fave. My dear friend Roger (The Gig Slut) is in this at 1:22. Dy – Peter Dysart
Easily my favourite thing this week with Peter Dysart Freaking Out by Big Thing I love bands that follow songwriting formulas just long enough to set hooks. But that’s where I start looking for the bubbles boiling in pot and the smell of deviated recipes that send wafts of wonderful sounds up to my ears. …
Los Campesinos formed at Cardiff University (Still Counts).
No one believes me when I tell them that the finest wines in all the world come from Wales. No one, that is, except the national tourism board of Wales. Apparently they and I have the same tastes when it comes to grapes. 15 Welsh vineyards you probably never even knew were there – Whether …
Oregon and Wales have a great deal in common. Both are ultramodern coastal states/provinces. Both places favor progressive ideas and political solutions. Marijuana is legal in both Oregon and Wales (Oregon: Definitely Yes. Wales: Soft maybe. Depends on who ya talk to.) And of, course, both places love Football. In Oregon we call it soccer. …
East Portland Blog has been featuring the excellent music of Wales for a long time now. Perhaps the best example of this is seen in the coverage and analysis Peter Dysart gave to the Joy Formidable in East Portland Blog as far back as 2010. This made EPB an early, even an eccentrically early, adopter …
Ilu finds influences in the chiming linear sounds of Faust IV, the classic album by Krautrock pioneers Faust and in the New Wave and early New Romantic movements. Also, certain flourishes found within ‘Systems Of Romance’ by Ultravox can be heard in ilu’s delicate, yet bold and unafraid second single ‘Jaanus’ (above). Ilu has chosen …
Imagine (Bears and) Dragons — the Magic of The Joy Formidable’s Aaarth A review by Peter Dysart For several years now, The Joy Formidable have been one of the hardest working and most enjoyable bands on tour. The places they’ve toured have covered the globe and the places they’ve called home have moved as well. All along the way they’ve acquired a solid and faithful following and some lasting friendships. That exposure to …
Hitch, A Wild Ride or Hitch, A Musical in 13 Parts A review of The Joy Formidable’s Latest Album By Peter Dysart As a preface, this album was released six months ago and from the week of its release, I’ve been listening intently. As the band’s third full release, Hitch was immediately a bit of …
Are We Falling In Love?
A review of The Joy Formidable’s cover of Badalamenti and Lynch’s Falling.
By Peter Dysart
I’m typically not a huge fan of covers, especially if the original song was a classic already. I will make exceptions, though.
By Peter Dysart It’s been a blustery overcast morning. The steady rain has formed rivulets and puddles all over the lawn. Hot cup in hand, I’ve opened the email and click on a link to a new song. Within seconds of sound waves pushing a few bars of The Joy Formidable’s stompy new Aruthrol single …
By Peter Dysart ‘My favourite habit,’ as I’m calling them now, have returned with new music and an interesting new project. It was about a month ago that I received word from the band that they had a new project in the works, and that something would be arriving soon. The Saturday before last I …
It’s been an exceptional year in music, so I’m breaking with tradition to create a “best of” list of sorts. My 2013 list includes nine favourites, actually. Why only nine? It was nearly impossible to name a tenth and leave off everything else, so I’ll leave it there. Subjective though these lists may be, one …
What started out easily enough as an interview with The Joy Formidable this year ended in a fantastic journey. This past spring, I sat down with Ritzy and Rhydian of The Joy Formidable to have an open and frank discussion on the state of affairs in their world and the music business in general. With …
I can’t recall the last time a song had me at a single listen. No, that’s not true. I do recall and it just so happens it was from same band. So what is it, exactly, that’s going on here? “This Ladder Is Ours” is the third new release from TJF and the second song …
Going on three years now, my favourite band has been The Joy Formidable and I have done little to hide that fact. They are easily one of the highest energy and emotionally satisfying acts on tour and the gigs are mounting, each one better than the last. One hardly notices that their debut album is …
I had no idea that “The Wave Speech” from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas had been given a name and taken on a life of it’s own amongst Thompson mavens and literary academics. I had wrongly assumed that I was the only one to find beauty in these six paragraphs and to excerpt them …
The Joy Formidable’s most recent US tour has been a huge success by the looks of things. They have been playing some new songs, notably ‘Silent Treatment’ brilliantly captured here by Paul Gormley. Paul’s a mate of mine and a TJF nut, as evidenced from his nipping over from the UK to NYC to catch …
I met with The Joy Formidable this past December prior to their last show of the year at the Vogue Theater in the Broad Ripple, Indiana. With my better half in tow, Pam and I sat down to a lengthy discussion with a band on what has been a very long and successful year for …
So much has already been written about The Joy Formidable that its nearly cliché to discuss the band’s size, sound, attitude, relationships, or comment on all the attention they’ve recently been paid by other musicians, the press, or the late night show circuit in America. However, one common theme that keeps being bandied about is …
So, you’re driving about town and this song comes on the radio, and you’re thinking — this is one of the best f*&$ing rock songs I’ve heard in a long long time. But then the DJ doesn’t tell you what you were listening to, so you keep recycling the lyrics in your head over and …
The Joy Formidable have been an EPB favorite for a long time now. Here’s Mike Hughes on a recent show: “I know I’ve been banging on about The Joy Formidable for the last two years. I’ll try to be objective. Let’s do that comparison thing. The moment they walked on stage tonight at Koko, the …