Do The Right Thing by AgesandAges and Dirty Flag by Arkomo

What is your ideal concert ticket? I must admit, I cannot be more excited for Lady Lamb the Beekeeper opening for Typhoon in March. Last year I promised myself I would see Lady Lamb in concert if she ever swung by DC, but with Typhoon, one of my favorite bands? I am crawling in my skin with anticipation. While DC often gets great lineups, the Pacific Northwest is a mecca of amazing bands who all seem so supportive of each other. It's common for me to writhe in envy when I see some of the shows gracing Seattle's presence. Modern Kin with Radiation City? Cataldo with Hey Marseilles? I wish.

Portland's AgesandAges is following up 2011's Alright You Restless, with a new album, Divisionary, set to release on March 25th. I'm currently stuck on their current single, Do The Right Thing. While I found the song almost obnoxiously preachy upon first listen, I decided to listen again. For some reason, this song has a knack for hitting the right heartstrings and cultivating earworms. There's a simple lesson the song is trying to convey: "do the right thing, do it all the time, make yourself right, never mind them, don't you know you're not the only one suffering." The lyrics are a mantra that will not leave my mind. With a large-band, pop-folk sound, that anyone could find easy to listen to, in addition to the positive moral taught, I vote everyone streams this track and uses it as inspiration in their day to day lives.

AgesandAges is heading up north to Seattle on January 19th to play with Typhoon and on February 28th for an album release show. The opening act for the album release show is Arkomo, whose track Dirty Flag, is another heavily played song in my current rotation. See, Seattle really does get the best power lineups.

Dirty Flag is experimental without being hard to connect to. While not normally my style of music, delicate harmonies, soft beats and too many techniques to count keep the song fresh and unique. Picturing a flag, slightly dampened with age, waving in the air, sometimes smoothly, sometimes jagged, could be thought of as an accurate visual description. Arkomo is a solo project from Sam Anderson, who is the cellist in Hey Marseilles, among other Seattle area  music projects. Obviously, Anderson has a wide range of talent and it's great to hear something so different.

Listen to Do They Right Thing on Soundcloud and Dirty Flag on Soundcloud or Bandcamp. If you're in the Seattle area, catch the two at their show on February 28th at BARBOZA.
 

[Mix] I Bleed Emerald and Blue

I'm about an hour away from throwing on my Seahawks shirt and partaking in a little Superbowl party with friends. This is serious business, guys. My homecity hasn't experienced a major championship sports win since 1979, courtesy of the Seattle Supersonics, a team that is no longer ours. After a humiliatingly depressing loss in 2006 in the Superbowl to the Steelers, I'm crossing my fingers and dotting my I's that the Seahawks prevail tonight.

Outside of a fantastic sports team, Seattle is home to an astonishingly amazing music scene, one I miss every.single.day. While every other music blogger is hosting Superbowl-themed posts today, they're mainly just featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. I know. Is that what Seattle music has been defined to? Don't get me wrong, I love myself some Macklemore, but there are endless artists that also deserve a little recognition while Seattle is on everyone's mind.

1. No Ordinary Cavemen by Head Like A Kite

2. Dead of Night by Hey Marseilles 

3. Seer by Motopony

4. Fireworks at Night by Campfire OK

5. Honest Songs by Noah Gundersen

6. She Was Only In It for the Rain by Rocky Votolato

7. Beacon Hill by Damien Jurado

8. Uptown by The Local Strangers

9. Get On That Train by Bradford Loomis

10. Changing by The Moondoggies

11. Reservoir Park by The Dutchess & The Duke

12. Turn Off This Song and Go Outside by The Lonely Forest

13. Some Postman by The Presidents of the United States of America

14. Reach Out and Touch Someone's Hand by Cataldo

15. Windowsill by Pickwick

16. The Town by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

17. River of Love by U.S.E.