Portland, Oregon of the first part of the naughties is like the Seattle of the early 90’s or the Athens, Georgia of the early 80’s – it is churning out some of the best bands in the world right now. The Decemberists, Modest Mouse, The Dandy Warhols and The Gossip are all based out of Portland, and that’s not to mention the hundreds of lesser known acts that call this little corner of the Pacific Northwest home.

One of those lesser known acts is Blitzen Trapper, who must win some sort of prize for best band name. This sextet has been generating lots of buzz amongst the cool kids at Stereogum and Pitchfork and have recently signed to Sub Pop. I’ve got about a half dozen free tracks over the past few months, but it was “Sci-Fi Kid” (courtesy of KEXP) that turned my crank this morning with its sort of garage psychedelia sound that transitions into synth heavy carnivalia. “Wild Mountain Nation”(from Stereogum), the title track from their most recent record, features Led Zeppelin guitars with a refreshing country twang reminiscent of “Hot Dog”. Good stuff out of the Northwest – enjoy!

MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Sci-Fi Kids”
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Wild Mountain Nation”

“Wild Mountain Nation” is available from eMusic, and Amazon.

The latest Portland based act to catch my ear is The Helio Sequence, a duet composed of Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel. “Keep Your Eyes Ahead” – their fourth LP, and first in four years, was released in January on Sub Pop.

It was the folky, Dylan inspired “Broken Afternoon” that caught my attention on Word Magazine’s free CD, but this track seems to be the exception rather than the rule on “Keep Your Eyes Ahead”. For two mild mannered looking Oregon boys, The Helio Sequence have a big ole sound. Weikel used to drum for Modest Mouse and you can certainly hear the Mouse’s, and some of their Portland contemporaries, influence in Helio Sequence’s latest.I’m not typically a big fan of heavily synthesized music, but Helio Sequence use the keys effectively to establish a loping rhythm that complements but doesn’t overshadow the vocals and guitar. Likewise, there is a fair bit of studio wizardry to generate the swirling, multi-layered, texture that comes through on “Keep Your Eyes Ahead”. Again, it’s not intrusive and serves more to enhance Summers’ and Weikel’s musicianship than hide their failings. Check out “Broken Afternoon” and “Captive Mind” from the new record.

MP3: The Helio Sequence – “Broken Afternoon”
MP3: The Helio Sequence – “Captive Mind”

The Helio Sequence’s “Keep Your Eyes Ahead” is out on Sub Pop and available from Amazon and .