Hello, my name is Alex, and this is my first post on PDXBands.com. Matt Mair Lowery Pangs has been kind enough to extend an invitation for me to join the blogging fray.

I live in NW Washington State in the small town of Anacortes, and I help to run a creative space/music venue here called The Department of Safety. I grew up in Portland and my family still lives there, so I've got deep PDX roots, yo.

Just wanted to share my personal thoughts on Pixel Revolt, since Matt is obviously deeply in love with it. You know, I've also loved JV for a while and I really enjoy the vast majority of his musical catalog, as well (wait, I mean, I love his music, and I like him as well). However, after listening to Pixel Revolt a few times, I feel like there is something missing. Although the lyrics are great and the arrangements quite different from what he's done in the past, I long for some of the sounds of Vanderslice past. The big drums, the distorted guitars - the noise that results from hitting the tape hard. You know, burying the needle, peaking in the red? It's not there for me. I like that stuff, messy distortion and huge drums.

However, it's not like JV isn't conscious of this. Check out this quote from a recent interview with Splendid:

"Splendid: So I wanted to ask you about some of the people you worked with on this album. One of them is Scott Solter, who I know you've worked with quite a bit in the past.

John Vanderslice: Yes, he's my engineer and he's my guide. He's my adviser and in many ways he's the producer of the record. He's the one pushing me to go in certain directions. We had a lot of intense dialogues about how to make a record together. Before I just made records on my own, and I was never really pushed out of my zone. Scott is a very savvy and skillful guy, and he knows how to make his sale. He can definitely win me over. Looking back on the decisions that he pushed me into, starting with Four Tracker, I really did see that this guy knows what he's doing, and I started to trust him a little more. This record probably had most to do with him of all the records I've worked with him on.

Splendid: How so?

John Vanderslice: He does not tend toward distortion and distressed sounds as much as I do, and he's also not as sloppy as I am. I really like a lot of sloppy takes. I like when you can hear the musicians figuring out what they're playing. I'm a fan of that.

Splendid: But your record is really clean..."

Ah, see now? There it is. It's not John, it's Scott! He's responsible for the clean sheen of this record! That being said, I am really glad that people are liking it and many props to John and Scott for trying something different. But you know, I miss those sloppy, distorted sounds. I shed a tear, and listen to "Life And Death Of An American Fourtracker" in memoriam.

In other news, TV ON THE RADIO is playing a show in Anacortes on the same night of the Vanderslice show in Portland! Friday, September 30th! It's their warmup show for their big tour with Franz Ferdinand, and you can see them for about a third of the cost - $10 at the DoS compared with $30 tickets for the rest of the tour.

For more info and to buy tickets online: www.departmentofsafety.com/venue/schedule.html