Douglas Martin ghostwrote Dee Dee King’s “Funky Man” It’s appropriate that Dee Dee Dum, head Dum Dum Girl and aesthetic inspiration for introverted, gothy kids the world over, named her 2012 EP End of Daze. There’s the obvious narrative of Kristen Gundred’s mother passing away and the feeling of living in a storm cloud while […]

Jonah Bromwich bleached his hair black to write this review. End of Daze is the Dum Dum Girls third EP. It’s their fifth release overall. In other words, they are no longer a new band. That’s a trying time for any group, especially for one led by a volatile personality like Kristin Gundred, a.k.a Dee […]

Somebody, somewhere best beware of Jimmy Ness‘ crew. Do I sense a funk revival? “Trippy Mane” is the best recent ad-lib, TDE are the coolest black hippies around and Dam Funk has been making undeniable cosmic jams for years. Maybe we won’t be wearing flowery headscarves anytime soon, but these two Seattle ladies are definitely […]

Google Search “Myth” by Beach House and the first results are breathless posts from ABC News, Huffington Post and Complex. The “articles” belie an already-established point: Beach House have transcended the small indiesphere and become big enough to be the recipient of a three-day long Hipster Runoff binge uncorking the word “lamestream.” I’ve always liked […]

Shabazz Palaces, dropping the video for my favorite track off Black Up. Their raps have always seemed divined from some esoteric and secret scroll stashed in one of Haile Selassie’s hidden archives. So maybe it’s fitting that this video is half in Amharic and aims for the dopest Ethiopian vibes that the Pharcyde once spoke […]

Douglas Martin once went by the name Ray Ray Nickel. Dee Dee Penny is nowhere near as divisive as she could be. She’s the rare musician in indie rock to seemingly have it all. The unfettered admiration of the lo-fi/garage sticker set and the intrigued curiosity of mainstream-alternative media. She’s an outstanding curator of influences […]

Douglas Martin does not recommend Male Bonding as an adhesive. In spite of being repeatedly referred to as such, Nothing Hurts (/2010/05/10/douglas-martins-dirty-shoes-male-bonding-gets-to-the-point-and-fast/)– Male Bonding’s forty-yard dash of a debut record– was not lo-fi. All the hallmarks were in place, though: the gnashing guitars, the skittering cymbals, the ear-piercing feedback. But those aspects were delivered with […]

At this moment, Douglas Martin is reenacting the song “Homecoming.” After the wild artistic success of Shabazz Palaces’ Black Up— not to mention the signing of Shabazz friends and collaborators, Seattle space-rap / R&B duo THEESatisfaction– it’s hard to turn a skeptical eye at the idea of Sub Pop being a burgeoning destination for some […]

For today, you can call Douglas Martin, Ishmael. Within the first minute of Black Up, Ishmael Butler conjures an incredibly loaded image. “I cried with Mooch at Papi’s wake / Snuck an extra slice of cake / When the pigs came ‘round to make they case / I looked them dead up in they face […]

Photo by Alex Crick “Noir not withstanding.” Black Up. You don’t need to take tips from Shabazz Palaces’ titles to become aware that their music is murky, lampless Seattle rap (no Mix-A-Lot). When you dwell in a permanent mist, songs often assume a suffocating bass and aggression (see also: London). But unlike most of their […]