Let's just say that if you were to Google "Aviation Records", you wouldn't even make it to the second page of results before being invited to visit the website for the National Aeronautics Association or browse through a Wiki entry for the history of man-induced flight in the modern era. (Full disclosure: A Google for "Tyrannosaurus Records" has us interspersed with results having to do with that other Tyrannosaurus Records, and it is not long before you get to slobbering Marc Bolan fan-sites--that's just how it is for us little guys.)
But we're not talking aeronautics, feats of supersonic flight, or albums you listen to while on a plane. As usual, we are talking about severely under-appreciated musical awesomeness. Once again, we are talking about musicians in the Pacific Northwest making beautiful sounds in our own backyard. Aviation Records (www.myspace.com/aviationrecords) has built a solid reputation in the area with releases that are by turns frantic, haunting, complex, cheery, and left-of-center. Including, but certainly not limited to, the following...
S : Sadstyle (10 Year Anniversary Re-issue) -- S is the recording moniker for Jenn Ghetto, also known as a member of Carissa's Weird and other projects. The re-issue of Sadstyle represents the ultimate version of an album that is surely an undisputed classic to anyone who owned it when it was originally released. It relates to the singer's other work in a similar way to how Elliott Smith's solo work related to his earlier recordings with Heatmiser: stripped-down, confessional, emotional, honest. Around '99 was when I first heard the term slow-core as a way to describe deceptively layered, largely downtempo music in this vein; for all I know, it was coined to describe this album itself. It is breathtaking. Standout track: "sure, i'd love one" - a previously unreleased gem that accomplishes a huge amount of music in just under 4 minutes.
The Spinning Wheels : The Great Outdoors -- The Spinning Wheels encompass a stunningly unique sound that washes drum- and bass-heavy rhythms in buckets of high-energy keyboard riffs and shiny, harmonic vocals. Hailing from Portland, this band evokes the sounds of Built to Spill and The Anniversary, but never ceases to make a sound that could only belong to them. A truly exciting band. Standout track: "Allergy Season" - tightly-wound and jammy, but all within the confines of a verse-chorus pop structure.
See Me River : The Great Unwashed / Time Machine / Self-Titled -- If you are not familiar yet, get nice and cozy with the work of SMR. A singular Seattle band in terms of overall scope, songwriting, and stylistic reverence, this band can do anything it wants to. They can tell a story that breaks our heart ("Ed Jackson"), they can call to mind the Talking Heads ("Far Above My Head"), they can tell the future ("2021"). This is a seriously amazing band for serious music-lovers. Standout track: Yes. Literally, all of them.
Again, this is only a sample of what is available from this local indie label. There is plenty that I just don't have the time to get into right now, but I wish I could. In a later post, perhaps. The point is: check it out! Find! Listen! Love! Share! Legally.
As ever and for always,
your resident dinosaur. roar.
--TRx
...did I mention you can get all these and more at TRx? Kind of makes the finding part easy, huh? ; )
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