There’s a natural tendency among some people (definitely not myself) to avoid things that would otherwise be described as “pleasant.” No, I don’t like fireplaces; they make me too comfortable and the smoke pollutes my delicate lungs. What makes you think I’d want to move to Southern California? The weather there is an incessant mixture of sun and more sun. “Give me torrential downpours with my sun, or give me no sun at all!” said Patrick Henry, a Founding Father whose general moroseness concerning the weather seems to have been overlooked by most (well, all, considering I just made up that quotation) history books. Like I said, these aren’t perspectives that I necessarily adhere to — just a demonstration of the general partypooperish nature of some people.
As far as music is concerned, even I have a tendency to avoid obviously “pleasant” artists — instead opting for the complex and inaccessible, as an unconscious way of challenging whatever preconceived notions I have of what constitutes “music.” At the same time, I (and I’m sure many others) have a sincere appreciation for bands like Seattle’s Poor Moon, who seem to remind everyone of the virtue of relatively straightforward songwriting. Poor Moon is Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls), Casey Wescott (Fleet Foxes, Cystal Skulls), and brothers Ian and Peter Murray (The Christmas Cards), and after a certain amount of time spent performing at “intimate” Seattle house parties under a variety of playfully nonsensical names (Rabbit Kingdom, Cookie Mask, Peppermint Mask), they’ve finally made it official and signed with Sub Pop. Their first EP Illusion is due out March 27, and they’ve already got a fairly extensive North American tour etched into their calendar. Prepare to be mildly contented.
Illusion tracklisting:
01. Illusion
02. Anyplace
03. People in Her Mind
04. Once Before
05. Widow
Dates:
03.20.12 - La Jolla, CA - UCSD (The Loft)
03.22.12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
03.23.12 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of The Hill
03.24.12 - Arcata, CA - Arcata Playhouse
03.25.12 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
03.27.12 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
03.28.12 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
03.29.12 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room
03.30.12 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
03.31.12 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr.
04.02.12 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Centre
04.03.12 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
04.04.12 - Evanston, IL - Space
04.05.12 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
04.06.12 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel
04.07.12 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
04.10.12 - Portland, ME - Space
04.11.12 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
04.13.12 - Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
04.14.12 - Washington DC - Black Cat Backstage
04.18.12 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
04.20.12 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
• Poor Moon: http://www.facebook.com/thepoormoon
• Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com
