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{"id":26280,"date":"2018-12-14T11:45:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T16:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/?p=26280"},"modified":"2018-12-15T17:13:05","modified_gmt":"2018-12-15T22:13:05","slug":"playing-seattle-10-underground-gems-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/playing-seattle-10-underground-gems-of-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"PLAYING SEATTLE: 10 Underground Gems of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seattle rock outfit Thunderpussy during a typically raucous performance. Photo by Victoria Holt, c 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
As much as 2018 was a good year for Seattle’s established music names – shout-out to Brandi Carlile for “By The Way, I Forgive You” and its six (!) Grammy nominations – it’s been surprisingly phenomenal for fresh voices and indie artists on the rise. Bear with me as I get sentimental; here are ten underground gems from Seattle artists in 2018.<\/p>\n
Marlowe (L\u2019Orange & Solemn Brigham) – *Marlowe<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n*
Marlowe<\/em> is the break-out album from a new duo of Seattle-based beatsmith L\u2019Orange, and North Carolina-based rapper, Solemn Brigham. L’Orange is known for his nostalgia-soaked tracks, looping obscure vintage radio finds like an old-school crate-digger. Over those, Solemn Brigham raps conscious lyrics with that easy-yet-aggressive flow reminiscent of Kendrick’s early mixtape days.<\/p>\n
<a href=\"http:\/\/lorange360.bandcamp.com\/album\/marlowe\">Marlowe by Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham)<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Red Ribbon – <em>Dark Party<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Red Ribbon’s <em>Dark Party<\/em> is aptly named. While melancholic and cynical, the release is unexpectedly upbeat and fun to dance to, achieving a combination of dark and light that is often-attempted by musicians but rarely well-executed. Each song on <em>Dark Party<\/em> is a new psychedelic, trance-world, accented with new age flute, droning, and reverb-y guitar. Like a spiritual guide, Emma Danner’s soothing, slow-simmering vocals lead the listener through.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3697209225\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/redribbonmusic.bandcamp.com\/album\/dark-party\">Dark Party by Red Ribbon<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>ParisAlexa – <em>Bloom<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>ParisAlexa’s <em>Bloom<\/em> captures her rise on the Seattle scene. After many appearances at local events over the last few years, ParisAlexa has a sizable and devoted following of fans and critics alike, including the covetable support of KEXP, who recorded her in a live session in April. <em>Bloom<\/em> is a coming of age portrait, depicting ParisAlexa in a raw, sensual state, claiming her newfound womanhood. And it’s saturated with the echoes of neo-soul artists like Bilal, Erykah Badu, and pop singers like Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=4118165526\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/parisalexa.bandcamp.com\/album\/bloom\">Bloom by Parisalexa<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rat Queen – <em>Worthless<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Born of the quirky, colorful musings of two best friends, Jeff Tapia and Daniel Derosiers,\u00a0Rat Queen’s “Worthless” is all about quick and twisted little ditties that pack a juicy pop-punk punch. Tapia’s growling and dominating vocals match Derosiers’ playful energy on drums, turning what could’ve been a just-for-fun party album into something anthemic: the chronicles of twenty-something punks and misfits just getting by in a changing city.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=4043457282\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ratqueen.bandcamp.com\/album\/worthless\">Worthless by Rat Queen<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bad Luck – <em>Four<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If noise-jazz could be your thing, brace yourself. Bad Luck, the tenor-drums duo featuring Neil Welch and Chris Icasiano, is an explosive, dynamic organism of sound experimentation. With a mic-ed sax, Welch creates wide swathes of atmospheric sound that converse with Icasiano’s energetic and impressive percussion. <em>Four<\/em> is (you guessed it) their fourth release since 2009.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=579040544\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/store.badluckband.net\/album\/four\">Four by Bad Luck<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leeni – <em>Lovefool<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Leeni, also known as Prom Queen, is a wizard synth-pop producer and singer-songwriter who made national news a few years back for her clever mash up of the themes from ’90s TV show <em>Twin Peaks<\/em> and Netflix hit <em>Stranger Things<\/em>. Leeni’s 2018 release, <em>Lovefool<\/em>, is akin to that mash-up; one moment dark and brooding, the next bright and manic. Creating dreamy mirages of ’80s synth and ethereal singing, <em>Lovefool<\/em>\u00a0gets lost in lush, velvety soundscapes.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=566733551\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/leeni.bandcamp.com\/album\/lovefool\">Lovefool by Leeni<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Steve Tresler and Ingrid Jensen – <em>Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though largely unknown outside of the area, Seattle has a rich legacy with jazz music and education. Our high school jazz bands consistently win the prestigious <a href=\"https:\/\/academy.jazz.org\/ee\/\">Essentially Ellington<\/a> contest, and we have been home to jazz musicians like Quincy Jones and Ernestine Anderson. Local saxophonist and teacher Steve Tresler teamed up notable Canadian jazz trumpeter Ingrid Jensen to record <em>Invisible Sounds<\/em> as a tribute to jazz music legend Kenny Wheeler, who passed away quietly in 2014. The album is a spirited, expansive, and gorgeous merging of two of the most powerful Pacific Northwestern voices in jazz.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pHYpyERFzuw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chemical Clock –<em> Plastic Reality<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Plastic Reality<\/em> will be the final release from Chemical Clock, a experimental jazz group made up of local avant-garde, jazz, and funk musicians who met during their time in the University of Washington’s music program. Their third album, <em>Plastic Reality<\/em>, is chock full of manic synth patterns and angular melodies that build into thunderheads of sound. It’s a triumphant culmination of a decade making boundary-pushing music together.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2977791510\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chemicalclock.bandcamp.com\/album\/plastic-reality\">Plastic Reality by Chemical Clock<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thunderpussy – <em>Thunderpussy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thunderpussy’s self-titled full-length is a glam rock firestorm. In some ways, the band picks up where artists like Heart left off, as a self-possessed all-women rock group that oozes sensuality, musicianship, and sheer power on their own terms. They put on a hell of a live show, too.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2tIQTpNpZBU\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Car Seat Headrest – <em>Twin Fantasy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The brainchild of Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest is probably the biggest artist on this list. 2018’s <em>Twin Fantasy<\/em> is a completely re-recorded version of an album he put out in 2011 and follows 2016’s <em>Teens of Denial<\/em>, which was named one of Rolling Stone’s 50 best albums of 2016. <em>Twin Fantasy<\/em> doesn’t disappoint either; Toledo has maintained the self-deprecating awkwardness that makes him so relatable and revelational as a indie rock singer-songwriter.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2880677590\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/carseatheadrest.bandcamp.com\/album\/twin-fantasy-2\">Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As much as 2018 was a good year for Seattle’s established music names – shout-out to Brandi Carlile for “By The Way, I Forgive You” and its six (!) Grammy nominations – it’s been surprisingly phenomenal for fresh voices and indie artists on the rise. Bear with me as I get sentimental; here are ten […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":26314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6732,8233],"tags":[8289,5479,4280,8295,8294,8292,8291,8288,804,8287,8290,2599,8293,3376],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/20160723VictoriaHoltPaste_Thunderpussy02-e1544911620896.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26280"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26330,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26280\/revisions\/26330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}