As if you needed any more evidence that Portland's music scene is on fire, PDX Pop Now! have just released the track listing for their latest (and possibly greatest) compilation featuring some of Portland's finest. Now in its fourth year, the 2007 PDX Pop Now! two-disc set is their most diverse compilation yet, offering a nice mix of acts that are well-known (the Decemberists), on-the-verge (the Shaky Hands), and up-and-coming (the Hugs). And despite the "pop" in the title, almost every kind of genre is represented, from metal (Black Elk) to jazz (Evolutionary Jass Band) to klezmer (Klezmocracy) to hip-hop (Ohmega Watts).

Here's the track listing:

DISC 1 01 Swim Swam Swum – “Without Your French” 02 Lips and Ribs – “Battle in Nagoya” 03 Modernstate – “SSMF” 04 Menomena – “Wet and Rusting” 05 Syndel – “Lemme Hear It” 06 World Court – “Maps” 07 The Hand That Bleeds – “Shattered Love Trance” 08 The Ocean Floor – “A Simple Adventure” 09 Laura Gibson – “Come by Storm” 10 Mirah and Spectratone International – “Community” 11 Evolutionary Jass Band – “Phyllis’ Frindge” 12 Old Time Relijun – “The Tightest Cage” 13 Black Elk – “Toss You to the Wolves” 14 Ethan Rose – “Ceiling Song 3 (Excerpt)” 15 Lifesavas – “No Surprise” 16 Alela Diane – “Up North” 17 YACHT – “See a Penny (Pick it Up)” 18 Starfucker – “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second” 19 Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) – “Culling of the Fold”

DISC 2 01 Junkface – “ATAMAKATAHIZAASHI” 02 Kristin Hersh – “Blackstone” 03 Sweater! – “Mediterranean” 04 Panther – “How Well Can You Swim?” 05 Ohmega Watts – “4 Days in Geneva” 06 Run On Sentence – “Carrie Pt. II” 07 Exploding Hearts – “(Making) Teenage Faces” 08 Derby – “If Ever There’s a Reason” 09 The Hugs – “North” 10 Eric John Kaiser – “L’Odyssee” 11 Ferocious Eagle – “Bastards” 12 The Better to See You With – “Garden” 13 Hungry Mob – “To the People” 14 Klezmocracy – “Hava Netze B’machol” 15 Wilding & AED – “Broken Branches” 16 The Robot Ate Me – “Empty Feelings” 17 Alan Singley – “Never Knew” 18 Nice Boys – “Johnny Guitar” 19 31Knots – “Sanctify” 20 White Rainbow – “Mystic Prism” 21 The Shaky Hands – “Soul”

The compilation will be available from CDBaby (or at your favorite local record store if you're lucky enough to live in Portland) starting Tuesday, June 19. For those of you who just can't wait, here's a track from the comp from Starfucker, one of my favorite acts from the up-and-coming category.

But wait, there's more! PDX Pop Now! is also a three-day music festival featuring 50 Portland bands. This year's festival is scheduled for August 3-5 at AudioCinema, and for the first time one of the event's two stages will be outdoors. So if you're planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest, early August might be a good time. The lineup should be finalized in the next month or so. Check PDX Pop Now!'s website for updates.

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portlanddan says:

is kristin hersh in portland?

Posted about 1 year ago | Delete

fistula spume says:

Oh how cool. I want this. I love comps like this. Yay Portland. Love it there. Cool post. Do any Portland record stores do mail order? :)

Posted about 1 year ago | Delete

kellywatchthestars says:

portlanddan, this was news to me too. Apparently Kristin Hersh moved here back in spring 2006.

fistula spume: excellent question! I can't can't believe that thought did not occur to me! The two big independent record stores in P-town are Jackpot Records and Music Millennium, both of which appear to do online sales. If you don't see it listed on their websites, I'd just give 'em a call. But not until June 19!

Posted about 1 year ago | Delete

A friend once told me that I make Aretha Franklin faces when I sing. I guess that means I got some soul, or at the very least I have mastered the art of moving my neck with attitude.

I really dig Aretha Franklin. I mean, Jesus, she's the freakin' Queen of Soul. But whenever I put on an Aretha classic like "I Say a Little Prayer" or "Think," I find myself singing along not with the diva herself, but with the supporting vocalists. I fantasize about wearing matching blue slinky sequined dresses and flawlessly executing synchronized dance moves with my fellow back-up singers. (Okay, and flaunting a stiff bouffant hair-do as well.) Although I'll gladly sing them all, if I had to choose just one Aretha song to accompany my delusions of back-up singer grandeur, it would be "I Take What I Want."

I think it's because the call-and-answer style vocals commonly employed in Aretha's gospel-influenced songs are so inexplicably appealing to me. It's one of a few of my musical magic buttons - techniques that always seem to "get me." Others include the strategically-placed dramatic pause (an excellent example of this is contained within Ben Folds' "Gone") and well-crafted harmony (which explains my obsession with Weird Al's polkas). I have no idea why I find these things so satisfying; they just never fail to put a smile on my face. Perhaps other MOGgers have such weaknesses?

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Mike the Knife says:

I'm sure we all have our own little triggers (tight harmonies, unexpected key changes, soulful grooves, etc.). But seriously, the next time you sing "Think" at the karaoke bar, please post a clip...

Posted about 1 year ago | Delete

Rawkkiddo says:

I agree with Mike, for me its hand clapping in songs as well as horn sections. As for the singing thing, I make faces but not in a good way

Posted about 1 year ago | Delete

kellywatchthestars says:

Not a good chance of that happening, Mike, but I'll keep it in mind. Singing is usually confined to private venues like my house and car.

Hand claps! And snaps! These make me happy too, Rawkkiddo, but not as consistently.

Posted about 1 year ago | Delete