On Assignment
Minden Migrates West with Magic Music by Ryan J. Prado
MUSIC
WHEN A BAND decides to leave their a miracle,” says Burge. “It’s a leap of faith, hometown, take their project to more fer- where you can either be rewarded or you can totally fail.” tile environs, and pile into the Minden Exotic Cakes ought to bail the same house to live together, it’s Thurs Sept 13 band out of any pessimism about probably best not to be coy about Doug Fir your motivations. 830 E Burnside their move. The album’s silky smooth caress of trippy funk and “I think the big goal is to grab someone’s attention who has the solid-gold pop is deceptively honest—and ability to project us to greater heights polished to the point of glam on invigoratand put us in the ears of more people,” ing cuts like “This Whole World Loves says Minden vocalist and primary song- Me” and “Gold Standard.” With the record’s release and upcoming writer Casey Burge. So it is with Minden, a six-piece stoner- shows booked, Minden can’t afford to look soul crew that’s brimming with droopy- back now. Besides, they’re visibly excited eyed, dance-ready panache and scruffy to be taking root in a new city. “People kept asking us, “Why would charisma. During a recent visit to the band’s new Northeast Portland home— you move to Portland?” says keyboardist dubbed Minden Manor—the band wore Dan Talmadge. “We say that a lot of times their ambition on their sleeves. Luckily, when we’re on a hike or somewhere totally they’ve got the chops, the sexiness (in the beautiful, or we book another cool show: form of glittery spandex, mustaches, and ‘I’m just wondering (sigh) why would anylots of melody), and the sense of humor to one wanna move here?’” “The BBQ around here is kind of weak, back it up. The band moved from Kansas City though,” adds Burge. in June, but they’ve already played a handful of shows here. After releasing two seven-inches back home, they arrived in Portland armed with a completed debut album, Exotic Cakes. In Kansas, the band was selling out shows at an increasingly narrow batch of venues, but hit the ceiling regionally. It was time for a change in scenery. “Our plan was to move away from our hometown and bank on MINDEN Another kitty?! Yay!!! :)
Don’t Throw That Out Yet
Bob Mould Enters the Silver Age by Morgan Troper
MUSIC
EVEN IF you’ve only marginally followed rial is more complementary than anything Bob Mould’s career over the last decade or else in Mould’s solo canon from the last 20 so, you’re aware the songwriter has veered years. And thankfully, this stylistic reverslightly off the straight, smoldering pop- sion doesn’t seem like mere amenable pandering either, as Silver Age is punk trail he blazed with Hüsker Bob Mould also, perhaps not so coincidenDü and Sugar—much to the disWed Sept 19 tally, the most organic-soundmay of fervent fans of his aggresWonder Ballroom ing record Mould has released sive material. Beginning with 128 NE Russell in ages. The fi rst single off the 2002’s befuddling electronica misstep Modulate through to 2009’s intro- record, “The Descent”—whose music spective, acoustic-oriented Life and Times video was shot in Portland, I might add— (with an occasional grand slam in between, is perhaps the greatest pop gem Mould’s notably a few songs off 2005’s Body of Song), penned since his glory days with Sugar. Thematically, the album tends to slip Bob Mould had ostensibly chilled out quite a bit. Even the select cuts that did feature into some awfully dark territory: The lyrhis signature sonic walls—and I do mean ics in opening cut “Star Machine” read walls—of gutsy, overdriven guitars sound- like a dissertation on the ephemeral naed submissive and lackadaisical compared to ture of fame, and parts of “The Descent” seem like Mould acknowledging his intheir antecedents. His latest release, Silver Age, is prob- evitable death. The ferocious guitars and ably the closest we’ll ever get to a fourth Wurster’s galvanic drumming compleSugar record, and I’m personally more ment these sentiments marvelously, and than satisfied with the results. It’s no sur- offer a drastic—but welcome—contrast to prise, then, that Mould is playing both Mould’s last few solo records (although the this latest record and his alternative rock Who-esque rock ’n’ roll tribute “Keep Bemasterpiece Copper Blue back-to-back in lieving” and closer “First Time Joy” are their entirety on his upcoming tour (with among Mould’s sunnier compositions). On an all-star band, featuring Jon Wurster of the title track, Mould sings that he’s “nevSuperchunk on drums and Jason Narducy er too old to contain his rage,” and that’s from Split Single on bass). This new mate- cause for celebration. September 13, 2012 Portland Mercury 31