Saturday night I found myself tucked away in a cramped corner of a packed Habesha Lounge. Part Ethiopian restaurant, part bar, and part venue, Habesha is a quaint spot full of variety and colorful characters, and the bill that night was built to match. 

Comprised of Grandhorse, Tomten and Dedere, the line-up was a diverse one. The show functioned as a tour kick-off for Grandhorse and Dedere, who will be hitting the road for the next 10 days. As for Tomten, Saturday night's show served as the tail end of a mini-tour where they hit Spokane, Boise, and Portland.

_{Dedere at Hebesha} 

First up was Dedere, playing a heavy brand of post pop complete with pensive, melancholy songwriting. The band -- who traditionally has been a three-piece -- played as a four-piece, featuring a second guitar to help round out their sound. Dedere played a few songs off their new record which is in the works, with some stand-outs being "Hollywood Future Plans" and "Sacramento".

  

_{Tomten at Habesha}

Seattle's Tomten came next, which was quite a departure from what we had just heard. My brain was having trouble adjusting to the crazy shift in tone from the first act to the second. Where Dedere ripped our hearts out, Tomten gazed at our hearts from afar and sat in fields with them. Tomten played their light, catchy style of baroque pop in the vein of acts like Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura, and even early, psych-poppy Rolling Stones. Their single "Pipe Dream Boy" was particularly striking.

_{Grandhorse at Habesha} 

Grandhorse closed the night out with a set full of psych-pop jams. The majority of the set was newer material, which is a bit slower and dreamier than the stuff off their debut album, Portraiturefolio. It's still coated in the same lush, gooey, hazy tones, but it's almost as if it was stretched out like a big ol' psychedelic taffy. It all strikes a nice balance, though, giving the set upbeat, danceable portions ("Short Drive With A Kidnapper") as well as introspective, jammy tracks to daydream to ("Port Townsend" for example). All in all, a fitting ending to a night showcasing a rich variety of styles.

Check out the rest of the photos from the show here! 

- Alexie Shishkin

Fanno Creek is one of Portland’s best bands. Unfortunately for the forseable duration of the calendar year, we will have to get along without the band's live performances as they go on hiatus to catch up on real-life shit. April 2nd at Mississippi Studios marked their farewell (for a while) show. 

Tour-tight Animal Eyes opened to an already substantial Wednesday night crowd. Seattle’s Tomten followed with an exciting dream pop set, joined by Radiation City’s Matt Rafferty on guitar.By the time Fanno Creek started the room was ready. All night friends and fans poured into the crowd to send off the local folk-pop rockers in style. Tonight the band was joined by Ryan Neighbors of Hustle and Drone on synthesizers and Ryan Wiggans of And And And on trumpet, adding elements of grit to their pretty arrangements. Their sound thrives on driving beats and unexpected rhythmic deviations, paired with catchy melodies and tight pop harmonies. Whether you’ve seen them as a duo, trio, four piece, or ten piece, Fanno delivers--and tonight was no exception. 

The empassioned crowd added a huge layer of energy to Fanno's live set--singing along, clapping when asked, dancing and screaming at all the right places. They ended the night with a fitting encore of “Don’t Go Away,” allowing fans to sing along their woes over the band taking time off.

 - Chandler Strutz

Photos by Todd Walberg

Baroque pop band Tomten debuted their most recent LP, Wednesday's Children, last week. It is their second record, the first being 2010's self-released Tomten.

By and large the group cultivates a musical aura that does not depend upon contemporary indie music tropes. Their sound is clearly and unabashedly linked to the sonic influences of 1960's and '70's pop music - think The Kinks or Big Star for just a start.

Organist, guitarist and lead singer Brian Noyeswatkins steers the ethereal ship through patient, emotive songs that do not waste a single note. Bassist/vocalist Lena Simon, lead guitarist/vocalist Gregg Belisle-Chi, and drummer Jake Brady join him in forging a unique set of delicate but confident tracks on Wednesday's Children.

The eponymous song "Wednesday's Children" is an elegant anthem which feels like a folk song that fell out of a dream. This is a consistent characteristic in their sound: each song conjures its own private universe which the listener is sweetly invited into. "So So So" is a great example of a track that puts Lena's voice on full display; Jake's subtleties on the set and Gregg's reverb-laden guitar parts are critical additions.

Wednesday's Children is available on vinyl and compact disc via Flat Field Records in local record stores and online.

- Cameron LaFlam

 Watch Tomten perform "So So So" below: