a summer trip : go ‘in absentia’ with pegasus dream

It's about this time of year that Pegasus Dream likes to drop a gloriously intricate electronic and psychedelic bomb on Portlanders.

Releasing their debut album in August 2010, the duo of JT Lindsey and Andy Carlson is now solidly a trio with the addition of drummer and producer Jeff Bond. And the three are back with a fresh, five-track EP of jams so perfect for the summer nights that'll hopefully soon be upon us.

With Bond behind the controls at his studio Clangor Den, the polyphonic layers on In Absentia feel much fuller and richer than the previously home-produced Pegasus Dream efforts. But the distinctive Ratatat-meets-MGMT style of PegDre is still intact with indelible melodies that shift instantaneously after being imprinted upon your brain. And as the falsetto vocals mimic the high-pitched synths, all five songs are ripe with electronic flourishes that are enchanting enough to make you dance whether you're driving with the windows down on a sunny day or listening late into the evening on the porch.

Listen to the title track "In Absentia":

In preparation of the new EP's release via SoHiTek Records on July 10th, keyboard player and vocalist Carlson got together with friend and artist Lindell Serrin, who also designed the artwork for Pegasus Dream's debut album Painting Pantheons, to create a subtly interactive website and online experience for In Absentia.

"Lindell and I actually collaborated on this project over the span of a few months," Carlson says. "We wanted the art to reflect the more organic/analog sound of the EP. We spent a lot of time researching and sharing art direction that we liked that we felt would fit our style. We also wanted to make sure the art reflected the more sophisticated nature of the songs."

With Serrin crafting simple line vectors that resemble triangular teepees, winking eyes, and tribal-esque patterns, Carlson worked alongside manipulating pixels for print and web, generating vaguely otherworldly photographic illustrations.

"The typography and symbols are meant to represent the mythology we feel has always played somewhat of a role in our music," Carlson explains. "I programmed the website and took the photography, while Lindell did the type work the disc print layout. The website and the CD were designed side by side, neither was an afterthought. The website is like a CD in an all-digital form."

As PegDre looks to celebrate the release of In Absentia with a show at the Doug Fir on Friday, July 13th with Aan and Forest Park, they've planned a few treats for attendees. The band has partnered with a custom bracelet website, Wearshare, to create limited edition In Absentia bracelets. Each canvas bracelet will have a QR code that will link people to a free download of the new EP. Plus, the first 100 people through the Doug Fir's door will also receive a free CD copy of the record.

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Read the rest on OMN.

fast forward : apes tapes cassette label turns one

Cassette tapes championed by local tape labels have helped the industry-obsolete format make a resurgence around Portland over the last several years.

Although the anti-digital, pro-physical format may lack the quality, fidelity and longevity of vinyl or digital incarnations, it retains a portability and an idiosyncratic classicism as the diminutive, teethed spools move tape from reel-to-reel in a ritual manner. Not quite vintage at this date, but retro in some circles, tapes still brim with nostalgia for all those children of the '80s and early '90s when the mixtape was the same format that ignited gangsta rap careers, catapulted DJs from the streets to clubs to MTV, and may have won over Molly Ringwald in your dreams, or even your real life sweetie, with the perfect mix. Plus, these days all that minuscule magnetic tape can come housed in quiet the variety of neon colors.

As of late, it's been a conscious choice for Portlanders to establish record labels that serve as manufacturers and distributors of tape-recorded music, and one of the rising players in the current scene, mostly due to their curation and connections, has been Apes Tapes.

One year old this fall, Apes Tapes will celebrate their first birthday and the release of Mixed Ape 3 (a 16-song compilation tape, also available digitally, that features cuts from the below performers as well as Aan, And And And, Support Force, Youth, Rico All The Time and more) at Holocene on Thursday, November 17th with Onuinu, Adventures! With Might, Vanimal (reunion performance), XDS, and Pegasus Dream. Plus there will be a surprise DJ and three surprise, guerrilla mini-sets from specials guests--one of which we can reveal: DoublePlusGood!

"Continually exploring what it is to be an artist and an artist-run label, walking the fine line between musician and businessperson, maximizing quality and quantity, often with little-to-no money, the label is as much a project as the music itself. It is the epitome of the DIY Portland music scene, and that’s what makes Apes Tapes important."

OMN spoke with Apes Tapes founder Cameron Spies (also of Radiation City) about the label's history and future and caught up with a few of the bands featured on Mixed Ape 3 plus performing at Holocene to answer some questions on their involvement as well. But before that, watch Onuinu's "Ice Palace" directed by Andrew Sloan:

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Read interviews with Apes Tapes' Cameron Spies and the performers on OMN.

pegasus dream releases debut album at rontoms

As the festivities of PDX Pop Now! wind down Sunday night, August 1st, an unofficial after party will be ramping up at Rontoms with Pegasus Dream celebrating the release of their first album, Painting Pantheons. Playing alongside Astrology (featuring members of Panther and Copy/Atole) and XDS, the gig is free and will showcase the debut of an album that’s been three years in the making from Spokane to Portland.

Since the last time OMN spoke with Pegasus Dream in late April, they’ve returned to their core duo of JT Lindsey (guitars, samples, vox) and Andy Carlson (keys, vox) parting ways with former drummer Mikey Dane, as he moved back to Spokane, but picking up producer/drummer Jeff Bond (Diamond Liars, Asphalt Thieves) as a live drummer at Superfest 2.

Running just over 35 minutes, Painting Pantheons retains the tones of influences like Ratatat but without the droning repetition that can bore; rather Pegasus Dream’s debut manages to remain anchored in a poppy aesthetic but with enough experimentation and reigned in psychedelia to wander and tease the right extremes without taking the plunge.

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Read the rest and listen to a new track from Painting Pantheons on OMN.

pegasus dream finds home

Three and a half years since its inception, Pegasus Dream is close to finding a home. Close to finding their sound and close to finding the right place to unveil it.

Portland is that perfect home.

“It’s great to see everything coming together in the next few months,” says keyboard player and singer Andy Carlson, “especially in a place like Portland where there’s actually room for people to be excited for it.”

Growing from one to three in as many years, the changes have been gradual, contemplated, and absolutely necessary for the developing band. But finding the right environment for their growth has been tantamount.

Hailing from Spokane, WA, Pegasus Dream began as a solo, experimental electronic project for guitar player, producer and singer JT Lindsey. A year and a half ago when Lindsey started playing shows in Spokane, he added synth player Andy Carlson to the mix.

Mingling around the local music scene, the duo got to play with all the top indie rock and electro acts that rolled through town, like Starfucker and Helio Sequence, but beyond those opportunities, there were very few local bands they wanted to share the stage with.

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Read the rest on OMN.