January 27, 2012

Portland musician Laura Gibson creates soulful, vintage folk on new album La Grande

The Pioneer Log arts

Photo of the Week

BY FLYNN CASEY
Photographer

The Fuzz Box:

Matt Carlson melds ambience with scientific experimentation
A music column devoted to bridging the gap between Palatine Hill and Portland

Photography is more than just the way I see reality. When I take a photograph, I look for subjects that will reflect and abstract light in different ways as an attempt to comment on photography and light as a contemporary artistic medium, similar to what the modernist painting movement did with the qualities of paint. This photo was taken on a snowy day near my home in Maryland. The lines on the ground are the footprints of my friend and I as we walked out of the woods and across the field in the foreground.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUNDCLOUD.COM

Watzek Celebrates Dickens Bicentennial

BY ALIX FINNEGAN
Staff Writer

ILLUSTRATION BY ZIBBY PILLOTE

BY KEVIN MUHITCH
Staff Writer

BY ZIBBY PILLOTE
Editor-In-Chief

Portland sweetheart Laura Gibson returns with sounds listeners have come to expect on her fourth album La Grande, out Jan. 24. The singer-songwriter from Coqullie, Ore. writes songs that play off of indie rock tropes and simple folk melodies; her haunting, tonal voice sets her music apart from other cutie-pie songstresses. La Grande (pronounced luhgrand) plays on older folk singing and musical styles, whereas Gibsons past releases have stuck close to cotemporary folk sounds. Listening to the album all the way through, the listener feels as if they are wandering through an old abandoned town, in search of a drink or some soul who can point them in the right direction. Listening to La Grande is like watching dust particles settle on a windowsill; at first it might seem familiar, borderline boring, but once you observe (or in this case, listen) long enough, you realize theres a lot more going on.

Charles Dickens is ironic, quick-witted and skilled at creating an entire world. Every class, every lifestyle, and every age are represented. Hes amazing at persuading us that even the simplest characters are fascinating and worth getting to know. And so we love him and we love them, said Paul Merchant, William Stafford Archivist Special Collections Associate and one of the curators of an exhibit at Watzek Library celebrating Dickens two hundredth birthday. Located in the entryway to the Heritage Room, the exhibit was put together by Merchant, English faculty members Pauls Toutonghi and Andrea Hibbard, undergraduate and Dana Bronson (13). The text was designed by Jeremy Skin-

ner, an Archives Coordinator. The collection centers on five of Dickens best-known works: Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Our Mutual Friend, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and A Christmas Carol. Other parts of the exhibit discuss the illustrators that brought Dickens stories to life, serial publication (a form of publication Dickens helped popularize) and copyright and piracy issues in nineteenth century America. Highlights include a first edition copy of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and an unauthorized edition of David Copperfield that is one of only three in the world, as well as a visual display of the 24 illustrations from Oliver Twist. Compiled by Bronson, the collection of etchings contributes to the exhibits aesthetic allure, which Merchant described as visually appealing

and visitor-friendly. Much of the exhibit comes from Merchants personal collection, which hes been compiling for many years. Some of the collection, however, was acquired in recent years, with the knowledge that Dickens two hundredth birthday celebration would be coming up. Inspiration for the collection primarily came from Toutonghis Novels of Charles Dickens class, which is being taught this spring. The five novels on display are also the five considered in his course, so the exhibit supplements Toutonghis class as well as providing an introduction to Dickens work for those less familiar with it. A small celebration was held Jan. 13 to open the collection. The exhibit was introduced by the curators, followed by cake and readings of excerpts from Dickens.

THE EDGE OF VISION:

The Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art hosts a new exhibit featuring abstract pieces by twenty international photographers. The exhibit will remain open through March 18.

Abstraction in Contemporary Photography

We have counted our days in planks and rails/ we have kept our spirits in the dancing halls.
The title track is an upbeat, percussion-heavy number that acts as a kind of anthem for movement West. When weve shaken the dust from every boot and spur/ we have counted our days in planks and rails/ we have kept our spirits in the dancing halls, Gibson croons. Its hard not to tap your foot along with this number, a dirty down-home dancehall stomp. Overall, the album is a wellrounded addition to Gibsons discography. It shows some experimentation within what Gibson knows best: catchy folk-pop. Gibson will be performing her new album at Music Millennium. Music Millennium (3158 E Burnside), Thursday, Feb. 2, 6 p.m. All ages, free.

PHOTOS BY LARISSA BOARD

Portlands underground music scene has blossomed this winter. With the newfound presence of musicians such as Matt Carlson, Cloaks and Tunnels, as well as the continued evolution of Pulse Emitter and Super Minerals, the city seems to be growing in a new direction. While influences of Kraut and Kosmische continue to be mainstays amongst many of our citys artists, they seem to be reaching for copies of Conrad Schnitzler records rather than those of Can. While these evolutions are fairly obvious to those aware of the current synthesizer trends, it seems things are moving even further beyond these realms. While artists such as Emeralds and Oneohtrix Point Never have served as a kind of revival of the sounds of new age music, Portland seems to be giving birth to a movement of pure science. Evidenced by Matt Carlsons latest release on Draft Records, there seems to be an interest in a kind of meticulously conceptual brand of noise music. Through ditching the intensive loud jams and worn down tape loops, Carlson created a brand of slowly evolving, yet deeply abrasive music. Carlson is definitely onto something with his modular synthesizer work, which pushes past Portlands Kosmische revival. While his new LP Particle Language is as academic as early Cluster, it also represents a fully developed sound. He creates an atmosphere of abstract tones that most synthesizer gurus would be incapable of even deciphering. By remaining deeply entrenched in ambience while evolving into a state of scientific experimentation, Particle Language is easily the most mature work out of Portland to be released in the past year. As displayed in an episode on Portlands public access TV show Experimental Half Hour, Carlson has a deep interest in the bizarre and creating new worlds of both entertainment and artistic spectacle. He effectively maintains a dialogue between the hobby-obsessed underground and the world of academic music through experimentation and innovation. Carlson is quickly putting his name atop the list of the most interesting musicians on the west coast.