Bands to watch

Ylang Ylang
Music-wise, it seems like everything Charlie Salas-Humera touches turns to gold. Ylang Ylang is his new project with bassist Ricci Swift (Patterns), drummer Jake Morris (Joggers, the Shaky Hands) and violaist/organ player Caroline Buchalter (Spooky Dance Band). The band is still in its infancy, but already it looks like the group is going to be a hit.

Thus far, there are two songs up online—”Haunted Seeds” and “This Time No Fascists Appeared.” WhileSalas-Humera’s previous band Panther (which broke up in December of last year) may have been a little less-than-accessible for some, Ylang Ylang is all balance and smooth energy. Salas-Humera’s voice and guitar riffs are as enticing as ever, meshing perfectly with rolling drum lines that never overpower his delicate almost-falsetto or, for that matter, rob any other part of this amazing lineup.

Swift’s bass lines stand out as an anchor for the band’s instrumentation, while Buchalter’s viola is a welcome addition, adding to the psychedelic feel that’s already present in the band’s guitar and echo-y vocals. As mentioned above, this band is still very new and there isn’t a lot of information out there right now. The group is scheduled to play a show on June 10 at Mississippi Studios with Loch Lomond though, and it’s rumored that the band is working on solid material and possibly recording some in the near future.

Fake Drugs
If you’re familiar with local avant-pop act Starfucker, than you’ve probably already heard about Fake Drugs, the new project from Keil Corcoran and Shawn Glassford.

Fake Drugs combines all the best parts of the local electronic scene with elements of Joy Division in their vocals and a less psychedelic Black Moth Super Rainbow feel in some of its instrumentation. The lyrics get a little drowned-out in all the synth and bass, but lyrics really don’t seem to be the intended focus of the band’s music anyway.

What this band does accomplish that many others haven’t in local electronic music is a clean, well-executed sound that still manages to hold enough grit to keep it interesting.

The band’s debut album, Drake Fugs, is out now on Old Wave records, a label Corcoran recently started up with Ian Anderson of Guidance Counselor and other friends. Anderson was briefly a part of Fake Drugs at its inception, but has since left the band due to time constraints and previous commitments from other musical projects.

Deelay Ceelay
Oh the elusive Deelay Ceelay. For a while, the band was playing a lot of shows. Then it went on tour this summer with Starfucker (yeah, the group dropped the name PYRAMIDDD. Thank god.) Then, the members said they were going to stop playing shows to focus on recording their album, but that didn’t happen because, apparently, they have a hard time saying no. Finally though, the group did go into hiding and is currently hiding out underground in their studio finishing up its first full-length album.

Listening to Deelay Ceelay’s recordings will never give you a sense of who the band really is. To fully experience this band, you have to check out its live shows. The duo of Chris Lael Larson seem to function as a conjoined, double-drumming machine, kicking out a combination of expertly arranged drum beats set to ethereal electronics. The group is also known for several remixes it has done of the Beach Boys, Jay Z and even a little Starfucker.

What also makes the band’s live show such an important component in understanding it is the video work done by Larson, a visual artist in his own right and studio artist at Wieden + Kennedy. He’s shown his photography and video pieces both locally and nationally and manages to perfectly compliment the band’s music with mind-blowing visuals that, when combined with its music, never fail to consume the senses.

With recording finished on 15 tracks, and mixing beginning soon, the band’s full-length album is slated to come out sometime in the fall or, as Larson puts it, “Before it gets cold again.” The band is also working on a project with choreographer Noelle Stiles, with Larson providing visuals, Kelly writing the music and Stiles dancing. In between then, the band will be playing a show at the Tigard Public Library, and has recently been confirmed to play this summer’s second Superfest!, a festival celebrating local electronic music.