A few weeks ago I was telling a friend about Menomena’s song “TAOS.” Much like the rest of the band’s latest record, Mines (Barsuk), it’s vicious, sprawling, confusing, beautiful, spastic, loud and waggish. I was blown away by the song (which made it on to the TDoL Summer Mix). Yet, for the man

In all honesty, Black Mountain could sound like Air Supply-meets-Justin Bieber and I would still love these guys (and gal) based solely on this photo. Fortunately, Black Mountain sounds like neither … though, in all honesty, I have no idea what Justin Bieber actually sounds like, and the use of his name was nothing mo

Yesterday I stumbled on to the Billboard 200 chart. The top five caught my eye, and were as follows: 1. Eminem - Recovery 2. Kem - Intimacy 3. Ray LaMontagne - God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise 4. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier 5. Trace Adkins - Cowboy’s Back in Town Now, that is a motley crue. Upon

Holy shitgaze, it’s been a good year for finding gems outside the good ol’ U.S. of A. Spain’s Montañas, France’s Revolver—now we take a little trip to South America to hear Brazilian four-piece Top Surprise. These guapos go straight for the guileless noise of ’80s practitioners Guided By

“Is this real?” you ask. “Yes, it’s real,” I respond. “And it sure is catchy.” Fun fact: The song’s author, Trade Martin, is a Grammy award-winning producer who scored a Top 40 hit with “That Stranger Used to be My Girl” in 1962. Likely endorsed by Sarah Palin:

You know me, I’m a sucker for a good power pop band. I don’t need experimental or existential—just shiny hooks cranked out by a guitar-bass-drums combo (power trio preferred). Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Jaill is a four-piece that makes rock ‘n’ roll that probably won’t dramatically chan

Is Nirvana one of most oft-covered bands of the past two decades? I know I’ve unleashed my version of “Polly” at every party I’ve been to since 1994. But that’s me. Portland’s Horse Feathers actually bring something new to their interpretation of “Drain You.” The song—wh

There’s a first time for everything, as they say. This Wednesday’s show with Black Whales, Ravishers and Nucular Aminals marks the first time TDoL has done anything with said bands. It’s the first time they’ve played the same bill, probably their first time playing Mississippi Studios. On a completel

It’s been many a black Friday since the last Black Friday on TDoL—things were getting a little too wholesome around here. Portland’s Mary Shelley has jerked me from my no-metal funk (hmm … a little nervous putting the words “funk” and “metal” so close to one another). Named af

I recently scored four records for 9 bucks: 1. Tom Verlaine’s self-titled solo record 2. The Mamas & the Papas 16 of Their Greatest Hits 3. A Touch of Today by Nancy Wilson 4. Rush’s Signals A steal, I tell you! Of those four records, the one that is receiving the most play here at TDoL HQ is also the [...]

Otra noche de rock con tus amigo(s) de Los Dias de Lore y nuestros amigo(s) de The Deli Portland. ¿Si o no? This time we have Seattle pop twangers Black Whales, along with PDX full-on rock outfits Ravishers and Nucular Aminals making some racket at one of my favorite music venues Mississippi Studios. Special guest: Emilian

Summer is finally here in Portland … at least for a few days—’tis the season for barbecues, tubing down the river, bottomless ice chests and summer jams (Jams? JAMZ!). TDoL spent countless hours in a dark room assembling your summer soundtrack for 2010, a mixtape filled with singalongs, un poquito de espa�

It appears as though Ariel Pink is finding his way into a few more homes this year (you want the guy on the right inside your home, don’t you?)—the good thing is nothing’s really changed … save for a new label and an actual recording budget. Perhaps one of the most compelling listens this year, Ariel

La La Land’s The Knuckles are doing something right … must be the water. Their self-titled debut is all over the place, loaded with sad songs and happy jams that are breezy and comforting as a day on the coast. You’ll hear the obvious influences (Grandaddy, The Mother Hips, Elliott Smith)—add to that

Kevin and Anita Robinson, aka the Robinsons, aka Viva Voce, aka Blue Giant have been fixtures in Portland after moving here from Alabama years ago. The husband and wife duo’s songs are pure pop whether they’re couched in country, psychedelic or rock. Blue Giant incorporates them all. The band just released their

I’m not ready to come back to America just yet. So, we travel from France to Sweden to check in with Dungen. The first time I heard 2004’s Ta Det Lugnt I thought I had unearthed some lost psychedelic relic—the warm and crackly guitars, the loose, jazz-influenced drums, the acoustic strums and occasional fl

As we come down from celebrating America’s independence by getting drunk, blowing shit up and barbecuing wieners (all things I wholeheartedly endorse), I shall now whisk you away to a faraway place. Come along, won’t you? A little something for you Francophiles out there—a Parisian band named after a Beatl

I’m not sure what it is about Ty Segall that separates him from the rest of the garage dwellers …  well, maybe I do. It’s simple, you see—as with The Strange Boys and Jay Reatard, Segall sounds like he spends more time on songs than simply trying to look/sound like he comes to us from [...]

Luz Elena Mendoza is a striking woman—6 feet tall, elegantly dressed, thoroughly tatted—otherwordly might be a more accurate descriptor. You definitely wouldn’t miss her in a crowded bar. Her band Y La Bamba makes music that could be qualified as otherwordly. Once a solo project of Mendoza, the Portland se

I like the song. I like the video. I like the song title. I like the band name. What else do you want? addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fthedaysoflore.com%2Ftdol-gives-a-yuck%2F'; addthis_title = 'TDoL+gives+a+YU%28c%29K'; addthis_pub = '';

If you keep up with The Days of Lore, which at last count had just inched ahead of the Joneses, you know that I am a strong backer of Liam Finn. His pops, too. Last year the younger Finn talked to TDoL about a side project called BARB, featuring longtime collaborator Eliza Jane Barnes and [...]

Well, not really. It’s actually mid-June and still raining here in Portland. Fine by me. I like drizzly, overcast days and a perma-pasty complexion … that’s why I eat vitamin D from a Pez dispenser. But it feels sunny since I started listening to Sonny & the Sunsets. Fronted by Sonny Smith, the San Fra

There are a lot of math-y, post rock bands out there that are so interested in wowing you with how flexible their fingers are, or how many stop-on-a-dime changes and odd-time signatures they can pack into one song that it becomes an unruly and long-winded mess … kinda like this sentence. Of course, a lot of [...]

The newish (ancient in blog years) album from Broken Bells has been a fun, somewhat brief listen here at TDoL HQ. I do like “The Ghost Inside” (the handclaps!) … even though it sounds like a Gorillaz song. Read my take on the record here. The sexy, new, big-production video (again, ancient in blog years) f

San Francisco’s These Hills of Gold are just getting started, which is why you’ll find nary a drop of ink on the band. Photos, either. In a world where everybody’s all up in your biz, These Hills of Gold have managed the impossible—maintaining an air of mystery … ya know, like those bands you w

Far came into my life at just the right time. I was pretty much over the overdone meatheadedness of metal (especially the metal clientele), but I still liked to … you know, rock the fuck out. I first saw Far in 1996 opening for Helmet at the El Dorado Saloon in Sacramento. Something struck me about [...]

Because the last TDoL show just wasn’t enough. On Wednesday, June 9 The Days of Lore is teaming up with our friends over at The Deli Magazine to bring a rousing, rollicking, rip-roaring night of music at our favorite funeral parlor-turned-venue The Woods. This time around we’ve got ourselves a crafty little bill

The late-’70s and early-’80s was an interesting period in music—that weird transition from disco and punk rock to hip hop and new wave. Bell-bottoms gave way to skinny ties. Sideways haircuts replaced Afros … and keytars were mysterious and cool. Oh it was a magical time, kids! A lot of great music c

Well, this is exciting news. The Days of Lore will be featured Tuesday, May 18 (that’s tomorrow) on Los Ensemble Economique, which appears on Humboldt State’s KHSU 90.5 FM. The show—hosted every other Tuesday by my friend DJ Ratrace—spins awesome indie rock and weirdo, obscuro songs from all over the

Yes, he had a set of badass metal pipes, but Ronnie James Dio always came across as such a sincere and decent human being. Dio, who had been battling stomach cancer for the past six months, died today at the age of 67. What else can I say, but: \m/. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m [...]