Sounds of the Pacific Northwest and Beyond!

By Jason Hunter

Seaweed - Weak (1992) and Four (1993)

eaweed recorded two classic LPs for SubPop - Weak and Four. Weak had that dirty crunch synonymous with the Seattle sound -a potent mix of metal and punk. What set their sound apart on this album was the big, sing-along chorus heard on "Recall", "Baggage" and "Taxing". The follow up record Four sandblasted the sludge away resulting in harsher, crisper guitar tones and more varied tempo from song to song. "Oversight" has remained one of my all time favorite songs with its hazy, soaring breakdown in the middle. I didn't hear too many punk bands try that at the time and it was transcendent.

The Softies - It's Love (1995) and The Softies (1996)

Their name says it all - The Softies - two ladies singing about heartbreak and mistreatment, strumming along without a need for basslines or a drum. It sounds so precious and saccharine. What keeps this from being sickening is the bite, anger, and cold tones of a hard lesson learned tucked in behind the two guitars. "Charms Around Your Wrist" is packed with some of their sharpest critiques of hypocritical friends while "Count To Ten" is year's worth of mistreatment crushed into 3 minuites and 14 seconds. It's not all bitterness though - "It's Love" and "Snow Like This" are cheery songs that keep the albums from becoming a total downer.

The Spinanes – Strand (1996)

For me this is a perfect record both sonically and lyrically. Rebecca Gates weaves tales out random details that let you put it together as whatever story you want. A long time ago I decided that this is a record about the first flush of loving someone. Nothing better exemplifies this than a line from "Lines and Lines" - Tell you I love you, there's no one else I'm thinking of and all the hands that clasp mine are no match for your burning touch". I love the smokey, inviting sound of Rebecca Gate's voice and the ringing, twisting guitar lines. I love the chaotic drum work Scott Plouf. I love the little production details like how Scott picks random lines and words to harmonize with Rebecca Gates and the mini suite of guitar feedback that introduce "Lines & Lines" as well as the extended minimal drum beat that introduces and outros "Maddening". "Valency" made the rounds on 120 minute back in the day and while it packs the hardest punch, those soft whispers of Rebecca Gates will leave its lipstick stain on the collar of your mind.

Sleater-Kinney

S-K were an amazing and rare band. What started out as a love for their punk blister and critique of society turned to a fascination with their unique sound - vocals and guitar number one (Corin Tucker), vocals and guitar number two (Carrie Brownstein) and with the addition of Janet Weiss for their third LP, drums and harmonies. Each artist doing something different yet all of it propelling songs forward. Nothing better illustrates this than "One Beat". Every new release brought something new to their sound and something to challenge the listener with. Sometimes I got it right away (Call The Doctor, Dig Me Out, All Hands On The Bad One); sometimes I had no idea what the hell I was hearing (The Hot Rock, One Beat, The Woods) and in the case of the latter it would take many months before it sank in. What I loved most about S-K is that their entire canon was challenging, introspective and of high quality. Of all the band I've obsessively followed they are one of the few who still excites after all these years.

Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra

Sun Ra was a jazz artist that believed he was from outer-space (actually born in Philly). He wrote many songs about it and released about as many albums as there are stars in the sky. Each year some label releases about 3-6 albums comprised of unreleased material or long out of print recordings. I'm always excited to hear about new releases because you never know what version of Sun Ra you may get. Even though Sun Ra is pegged as an avant- garde Jazz figure, he recorded so much more. Yes, there is the scronk and screach, but there is also the Big Band version, the Moog and Organ version, and the out-there Jazz version. If you've got an itch for something that sounds like it was recorded on another plant, you can't go wrong with Sun Ra.