Sculpting songs that range from carnival-sounding track “Traveling Salesman” to the haunting transitions of “Where The Wild Things Are”, Patrick Watson demonstrate a sophistication in musical arrangements that give their sound a deeper, almost seductive sound as demonstrated on the title track “Wooden Arms” and the opening song “Fireweed”. The band also create songs that appeal to a larger, pop tune-loving audience. To that end, catchy songs such as “Man Like You” and “Big Bird In A Small Cage” fit the bill perfectly. Band members in addition to Watson include guitarist Simon Angell, bassist Mishka Stein and percussionist Robbie Kuster.
“Tracy Waters” – Patrick Watson from Wooden Arms (2009)
“Fireweed” – Patrick Watson from Wooden Arms (2009)
“Man Like You” – Patrick Watson from Wooden Arms (2009)
Portland’s Viva Voce‘s newest album, Rose City, reportedly written and recorded in less than a month, is a welcome departure from 2006’s applauded Get Yr Blood Sucked Out. On Rose City, original band members and husband-and-wife team Kevin and Anita Robinson recruited new members to provide a fuller, more engaging sound. And it worked – very well.
Besides Viva Voce being one of the best underrated female vocalist bands in recent years, Rose City is, for the most part, one of 2009’s overlooked album jems – surprising because it is a wonderful record featuring an array of well-crafted dark tracks like the alt rock of “Devotion”, the pleasant harmonies of “Octavio” or the spacey and lovely melodies of “Midnight Sun”.
“Octavio” – Viva Voce from Rose City (2009)
“Devotion” – Viva Voce from Rose City (2009)
Other popular indie husband-and-wife bands include Low, Yo La Tengo, Mates of State, White Stripes and Quasi.
White Rabbits 2009 release It’s Frightening is anything but scary; instead, the album is full of catchy, melodic songs wrapped in a rich array of instruments, including piano, tambourine, percussion, mandolin and guitars. While It’s Frightening could be forgotten once the best indie albums of the year lists come out in a few months, there are definitely some stand-out tracks worth checking out, such as “Percussion Gun”, “Right Where They Left”, “Company I Keep” and “They Done Wrong/ We Done Wrong”.
“Percussion Gun” – White Rabbits from It’s Frightening (2009)
“Right Where They Left” – White Rabbits from It’s Frightening (2009)