Emerald Media Group’s Board of Directors has selected Jack Pitcher as the Emerald’s 2017-18 Editor in Chief. He will begin the position in June.

Pitcher has worked with the Emerald as a senior news reporter since September 2016. He started as a copy editor before moving into his position on the news desk.

Pitcher is a sophomore business administration major and media studies minor at the University of Oregon.

“I’m really excited to work on building next year’s staff in the coming months,” said Pitcher. “I want to work on reporting the big stories about UO and making the Emerald the best it can be.”  

Pitcher was running against two other candidates who EMG Board Chair Ben Schorzman said were “really smart” and impressive, but Pitcher stood out.

“What set Jack apart in one respect was his maturity. We really loved his realistic approach,” said Schorzman. “Even though he’s a sophomore he comported himself well to the board.”

Schorzman and the board think Pitcher’s background as a business major will be helpful in leading the newsroom.

“You don’t need to have a degree in journalism to be a journalist. He’s got great instincts,” said Schorzman. “As an editor, you also have to have a focus on the business side … So, he’s already got a leg up on that.”

One of the elements Schorzman liked most about Pitcher was his attunement to investigative journalism. “[Pitcher spoke about] growing the investigative reporting that the Emerald does and, in the changing news environment, thinking about what makes good journalism,” said Schorzman.

Some of the plans Pitcher wants to work on involve “expanding the news desk and our content output from there,” he said. “[And] having a rigorous copy editing system.”

Emerald news editor Noah McGraw has worked with Pitcher closely and has seen his growth as a news reporter first-hand. “Jack has in my opinion a really, really strong idea of what news is and how a newspaper should function,” said McGraw, “and he’s constantly demonstrated that to me.”

“He was the star reporter for us when he first came on and he moved over from the copy desk, and within a term he was a senior reporter,” said McGraw.

Until June, Pitcher will continue working on the news desk and will shadow current Editor in Chief Cooper Green.

“I’m just excited to work with everyone next year and get us started on a great note in the summer,” said Pitcher.

The post Jack Pitcher selected as the Emerald’s 2017-18 Editor in Chief appeared first on Emerald Media.

The Emerald took home a National Pacemaker Award on Saturday, an award naming it one of the best college newspapers in America for 2015-16.

National Pacemaker Awards are unofficially known as the Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism. Pacemakers are awarded in the categories of newspaper, online, yearbook and magazine.

The Emerald has won three newspaper Pacemaker Awards before — in 1996, 2009, 2013 — and now a fourth in 2016. It has been a finalist for multiple newspaper and online Pacemaker awards in the past as well, including this year.

National Pacemakers are awarded by the Associated Collegiate Press at the annual college media convention; the most recent was held in Washington D.C. on Oct. 20-23.

The Emerald’s Sept. 26 issue was also named seventh in the Best of Show competition at the convention.

This year, other University of Oregon associated Pacemaker winners include Ethos Magazine and FLUX Magazine.

Beginning their reign of lo-fi, power-pop glory in the early 2000s, The Thermals have easily become Portland’s hometown sweethearts. The trio of close friends returned to Eugene for the first time in two years last night at HiFi Music Hall to play an energetic and well-welcomed set.

The band is touring in support of its seventh studio album We Disappear, which came out on March 25 through Saddle Creek Records. The LP serves as a polished return to form: a tightly-sealed power-pop package glued together with the same existential angst, thoughts of death and questioning of authority that the band has carried with them since their origin, but this time with a little more underlying seriousness.

With the 10 year anniversary of their critically acclaimed album, The Body, the Blood, the Machine, coming up in August, it’s clear to see just how far The Thermals have come since their small, pacific northwest start.

On the way back down from the high of a national tour and opening up for Bernie Sanders at his rally in the Moda Center, The Thermals still brought same amount of modesty they have had with them from the start, with drummer Westin Glass even snapping a few photos of local band Snow White during their opening set.

Though playing to a relatively small crowd, Snow White started the night off strongly with their signature dreamy, psych-rock styling, complete with the band’s intense stage presence with frontwoman Lauren Hay biting into a rose and letting the blood red juice drip down her mouth.

Along with Snow White, fellow Portlanders Summer Cannibals also opened the show. With more audience members slowly trickling in, Summer Cannibals appeased the crowd with their straightforward, hard and fast rock n’ roll before The Thermals took the stage.

In addition to The Thermals’ regular trio (drummer Westin Glass, bassist Kathy Foster and lead singer/guitarist Hutch Harris) Summer Cannibals’ lead singer/guitarist Jessica Boudreaux also joined the band for the night. Boudreaux played lead guitar and added in splashes of guitar solos, creating a fuller sound than that of Thermals guitarist Harris playing both lead and rhythm guitar parts by himself, as is normally done in live shows.

In tow with Thermals’ setlist classics like “Now We Can See” and “Here’s Your Future,” the band also played a hefty mix of new songs from We Disappear like “My Heart Went Cold,” “Hey You” and “Always Never Be.”

The band ended its set with an encore of audience favorites like “No Culture Icons” and “A Pillar of Salt,” lending to a moderately-sized mosh pit in the middle of the music hall.

Regardless of the band’s travels, album sales and accomplishments, The Thermals have continuously shown that they’re not ones to let fame go to their heads, and it’s clear that their fans in Eugene adore them for that.

Listen to The Thermals’ “Hey You” from We Disappear below:

The Willamette Valley Music Festival only happens once every year—and you should take advantage of it since it’s all free. Here’s the low-down on some of the bands you’ll regret not going to see.

Evergreen

by Meerah Powell, @meerahpowell

Makayla Meador, the electronic producer Evergreen, didn’t always know she was going to be a DJ. But one day, everything just clicked.

It was the morning after attending an electronic show in Portland two years ago, she was having breakfast with her aunt, uncle and best friend. Meador’s family asked her friend what she was planning to do after college. She said she wanted to be a neuroscientist.

They turned to Meador, then a student pursuing a degree in communications and media studies at Lynchburg College in Virginia, and asked her the same thing.

“You know what I actually want to do?” she said to them. “I think I want to be a DJ.”

Meador decided to relocate back to Eugene, and she began producing music. She holds close ties to the Eugene-area music scene, playing frequently at house shows and local venues. Meador currently makes music mixes for the local radio station 104.7 KDUK every other week.

“I’m really inspired by super peppy [music],” said Meadow. “I call it, like, rainbows and butterflies and unicorns music.”

This energetic type of music influences Meador’s production and the way she performs.

“I try to have a really energetic performance,” said Meador. “I know a lot of DJs just kind of stand up there and bob their heads. I want to be as engaged as the crowd is and connect with them on that level.”

Catch Evergreen at 5:45 p.m. at the Garden Stage. Listen to her music here.

Trucks Go Easy

by Meerah Powell, @meerahpowell

Trucks Go Easy has been a band set on having a good time.

The blues and southern rock-inspired group, formed in 2012, came from meek beginnings.

“I’m sure one of the first things we did together was play music in a dorm room,” said Trucks Go Easy drummer Taylor Jones. “I’d hit sticks on the ground and play on canteens for a makeshift drum set.”

Along with drumming for Trucks Go Easy and other local band, Pancho + The Factory, Jones was a part of planning Willamette Valley Music Festival two years ago.

“I was the festival coordinator for WVMF 2014,” said Jones. “I worked with a partner to plan the festival: book artists, plan cultural workshops, schedule events, work with campus organizations, develop a marketing campaign and all the odd jobs that come with planning an arts and culture event.”

Though working with WVMF in the past, this will be the first year for Jones and the rest of Trucks Go Easy to perform at the festival.

“We are excited to be on a stage with professional sound and lights — up from the underground,” said Jones.

The band has played the Eugene house party and venue circuit heavily since their formation.

“We have set up so many house shows at this point,” said Jones. “But really, Trucks is a down-and-dirty band, and we are excited to perform anywhere and everywhere.”

Led by wavy, psychedelic guitars and oscillating, funky bass, “down-and-dirty” is a pretty spot-on description of the band’s style. It’s easy to tell Trucks Go Easy is a band filled with soul.

“I love playing with these guys, because we all have a great time on stage together,” said Jones. “It’s easy for us to have fun, and I think that translates to and engages the audience.”

Catch Trucks Go Easy at 2:45 p.m. in the Memorial Quad. Listen to their music on bandcamp here.

Out & About Music Series

by Craig Wright, @wgwcraig

The Out & About music series is a new addition to the Willamette Valley Music Festival. Throughout the weekend, artists will be invited to record acoustic versions of their songs at campus radio station KWVA. The videos of these performances will later be available on YouTube and through WVMF’s social media

“I think it will give people an opportunity to see a different aspect of the bands, a different side to them, the different sounds that they can produce, their versatility,” said Aidan D’Angelo, the Out & About coordinator. “Also it will give [the performers] a nice video to show potential promoters or bookers recordings of the bands.”

The first series will be recorded on May 7. This is the first year of the Out & About series, but D’Angelo hopes it will be an ongoing part of the festival.

“Next year when we’re booking the WVMF, we’re going to be asking bands perhaps to come in during the fall and winter terms to kind of start promoting the festival, and also work with KWVA whenever they bring a band into their studio for their live sessions,” D’Angelo said.

Out & About performances will not air live on KWVA, but all stage performances at the WVMF will be broadcast live on the station.

The Nouns

by Daniel Bromfield, @bromf3

About a year ago, The Nouns were a formidable and rising presence on the Eugene music scene. The live hip-hop ensemble attracted an enviable following within months of forming, playing in Portland and winning Cozmic Pizza’s Phi Psi Battle of the Bands.

But they seemed to vanish, laying low and playing only occasional small gigs.

Mohammed “BigMo” Alkhadher, the band’s rapper and frontman, attributes this to lineup changes following “difference of opinion,” though he’s mum about the detail.

The new members of The Nouns are Alvin Johnson on keyboards and Alistair Gardner on the drums. Both members play in other projects: Johnson in Soul Vibrator and Alvin & the Chipfunks, and Gardner in Era Coda.

“Alvin has added so much to the composition of all the songs,” said Alkhadher. “And Alistair’s a machine on the drums. It’s phenomenal how good he is.”

This new lineup has been eating up gigs. They’re playing at Willamette Valley Music Festival, and the following Friday they’ll appear at Hamstock on the University of Oregon’s Humpy Lumpy Lawn. Thanks to their recent win at the Ethos Magazine’s Bandest of the Bands, they’ve got a spot at the Campus Block Party on June 3.

Among the other prizes at Bandest of the Bands was six hours of recording time at Ninkasi Studios, which the band intends to take advantage of to record an EP before Alkhadher graduates.

When asked about whether his graduation spells the end of The Nouns, Alkhadher was optimistic.

“The distance can make things harder,” he said. “But every opportunity we get, we’re all gonna rock together.”

Catch The Nouns at 5:15 p.m. at the Memorial Quad. Listen to their music here.

The Zendeavors

by Daniel Bromfield, @bromf3

Things are going to be tight for the Zendeavors when they travel from their homebase of Portland to Eugene to play the Willamette Valley Music Festival.

For one, drummer Jason Miller is currently in South Africa. He’s attending AfrikaBurn (South Africa’s answer to Burning Man) as his girlfriend works for the Peace Corps in nearby Lesotho. Secondly, they haven’t practiced with their new lineup yet. They’ve got a new guitarist, Chris Kirkpatrick, but he hasn’t been in the studio with the other five members.

“I didn’t want to play guitar anymore,” said singer-guitarist Andrew Rogers. “I wanted to focus more on vocals and performing. So we talked to him, and he was sick, so now we have a five person lineup and it’s a fuckin’ party.”

Their WVMF performance will be their first with Kirkpatrick. In order to show him the ropes, the band will practice extensively the night before the show — it’s the only time Miller can do it once he gets back from South Africa.

“I’m gonna give Jason a big, old hug and a kiss and then we’re gonna go on down to Eugene. We’re probably gonna drive to Eugene and eat burritos and play music all night,” said Rogers.

This isn’t the first lineup change the Zendeavors have seen as of late. The group started out as a three-piece consisting of Rogers, Miller and bassist Andrew Poletto, who met at the University of Oregon and have since graduated.

In 2014, they added saxophonist Ted Schera, whose sound was more central to this year’s self-titled debut than guitar. Perhaps Kirkpatrick’s presence will change these dynamics again.

“It’s gonna be next level,” said Rogers. “The beginning of the next level of the Zendeavors. It’s very good, it’s very fun, it’s very antsy.”

Catch the Zendeavors at 12 p.m. at the Memorial Quad. Listen to their music here.

From first listen to Next Thing, it’s clear that 22-year-old New York musician Greta Kline – or Frankie Cosmos – writes straight from the heart. Known for her adherence to DIY culture, releasing more than 40 bedroom-recorded demos and EPs through her Bandcamp since 2011, Frankie Cosmos easily retains the charming feeling of a self-produced release even though her newest album, which came out April 1, was produced professionally and released by Bayonet Records.

Musically, Next Thing follows Frankie Cosmos’ usual styling closely. The fifteen-track album is short and sweet, running just under a half-an-hour, with no one track running over three minutes. The LP holds close to light and upbeat indie pop akin to other up-and-coming artists like Quarterbacks and Eskimeaux.

Though similar to past Cosmos releases, Next Thing’s production value easily sets it apart from its lower quality demo siblings. Instead of sticking to the sole acoustic guitar that led the majority of Frankie Cosmos’ Bandcamp releases in past years, Next Thing makes good, yet still subtle, use of electronic elements – specifically electronic keyboard and synthesizer – adding hints of dreaminess in songs like “Fool,” “Outside With The Cuties” and album opener “Floated In.”

Though musically pop-driven and pleasantly upbeat, lyrically the album is a lot heavier than it initially puts off.

“I don’t know what I’m cut out for,” Frankie Cosmos sings timidly in the opening line to “Tour Good.” This line itself pretty entirely sums up what Next Thing is all about – a modest take on navigating the complexities of young adulthood and close relationships, both externally and with oneself.

Though the LP’s subject matter is dense and undoubtedly subjective in nature, Next Thing comes off as easily relatable – whether or not you’ve experienced the specific, personal anecdotes that Frankie Cosmos regularly brings up in her songwriting.

A regular theme within Frankie Cosmos’ music is that of uncertainty and self-doubt. This comes across in Next Thing explicitly in songs like “Too Dark,” the LP’s fifth track and a re-recording from a release called affirms glinting that Cosmos put out online in 2014.

“When I know I’m not the best girl in the room / I tell myself I’m the best you can do / Do I belong? Do I belong? Do I belong?” Cosmos sings breathily in a slightly nervous, yet siren-esque croon in a way that makes it so you can almost imagine her wringing her hands together.

Though Next Thing tackles vast and very affecting topics, it does so in an incredibly lovable way, touching on delicacy through Cosmos’ floating vocals and playful instrumentation, such as the modestly fun guitar solo in “If I Had a Dog.”

Together, the musical, lyrical and emotional aspects of Next Thing melt together to reveal a childlike innocence and curiosity as well as a mature sense of perseverance and self-discovery.

“The world is pretty big / it’s cool we fit on it,” Cosmos sings in “Embody,” a sentiment that makes it clear that Frankie Cosmos wants you to realize that although life comes with a lot of ambiguity, it’s still pretty awesome that we’re living it.

Watch the music video for “Outside With The Cuties” from Frankie Cosmos’ Next Thing below:

“Success for my buddies, success for my friends” serves as the opening line to “Harvey,” a track from Alex G’s 2014 LP DSU, and success is something that both Alex G and his current tourmates of the band Porches, are coming to know well.

Though Porches has been receiving recent praise for their newest LP Pool through being featured in Harper’s Bazaar and gaining a Best New Music stamp from Pitchfork, and Alex G has been written up in publications like SPIN and Rolling Stone, both artists began their claim to fame with great modesty – releasing their music on websites like Bandcamp and garnering a small, yet dedicated fan base.

As they’ve gained more recognizable popularity in the last few years, both artists are perfect examples of why it’s important to pay good attention to the underdogs. Those small fan bases has been growing and evolving over the years, as have both artists’ music. Both Alex G and Porches have had a knack for seamlessly curating different musical styles from release to release.

Alex G’s earlier releases, such as his EP PAINT, are filled with mostly lo-fi, disjointed and demanding electronic tracks;the more polished Beach Music (2015) is an indie-rock extravaganza with experimental elements. Porches’ dark yet sentimental journey of Slow Dance in the Cosmos (2013) is distinct to this year’s release Pool, a flowing, intense, electronic record.

One thing remains solidified for both artists: their ability to latch onto the hearts and souls of their listeners.

Whether or not you’ve directly experienced the heartache or homesickness, or pure and unabashed joy that both artists’ songs readily touch on, it’s impossible not to feel emotionally connected to them while listening.

Alex G and Porches have both recently been signed to Domino Records for their most recent album releases, and have teamed up for a nationwide tour.

The artists will hit Portland, at Analog Theater (720 SE Hawthorne Blvd) on Thursday, March 24. Show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door. All ages. Tickets can be purchased online here.

Watch the music videos for Porches’ “Be Apart” and Alex G’s “Kicker” below.

House shows are a hot commodity in most music scenes, and Eugene is definitely not excluded from that trend.

Though house shows stereotypically involve a-whole-lot of sweat, spilt beer on carpet and the potential for noise complaints and/or broken family heirlooms, David Bazan’s Living Room Tour brings forth a totally different ambiance for an evening of live music.

Bazan will be returning to Eugene for his sixth living room show in town since 2009.

Bazan formed the now-defunct Seattle indie band Pedro the Lion in 1995, and is known for his intensely personal, and mostly melancholy, songwriting. Now working on solo material, for the past few years – instead of booking venues or clubs, Bazan has been frequently playing modestly sized house shows in various cities around the nation.

The setup is simple. Whenever Bazan, or any other artist apart of Undertow Music Collective, announces a tour, fans throughout the country volunteer to turn their living rooms into makeshift venues for a night. Once the location is set, tickets go on sale and the location of the show is only revealed to the concert-goers after tickets are purchased.

Most shows vary in capacity from anywhere from 20 to 50 people. Depending on the living room, adequate seating may be provided, but bringing a pillow or cushion is always a safe bet.

Bazan has played more than a fair share of both living room shows and venue shows in Eugene, and throughout Oregon, over the years. Yet the intimate and exclusive feeling of his Living Room Tours manages to both keep dedicated fans coming back and to help get more people involved in the DIY-esque planning of live music events.

David Bazan will be playing a living room show in Eugene on Monday, March 21. Show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. All ages. Location is revealed when ticket is purchased. Tickets can be purchased online here. 

Watch a KEXP studio performance of David Bazan performing songs of his former band, Pedro the Lion below:

The Portland-based, indie-electronica four-piece STRFKR has gone through a slew of name changes since their 2007 inception.

STRFKR dances along with the audience (Meerah Powell/Emerald)

The group began their reign under the straight-forward and explicit moniker “Starfucker,” then briefly went by the name “Pyramiddd” – perhaps in an attempt to welcome in a more family friendly appeal – but then decided to turn to a happy medium with STRFKR, which phonetically sounds the same as their original naming but is maybe slightly easier to digest visually.

Unlike the name changes, the group’s sound, an incredibly danceable and incredibly fun indie-electronica hodgepodge, has not differed too wildly since their debut album, Starfucker, was released in 2008. The fan base, however, has grown exponentially since their beginnings.

STRFKR has played a lot of larger-scale shows in its nearly-10 years of existence. From touring electronic music festival Mad Decent Block Party to Sasquatch Music Festival, the group has shared the stage with well-known electronic artists like Pretty Lights, Big Gigantic and Diplo.

On Wednesday, February 17, though, STRFKR returned to their small-venue roots to play a sold out show at WOW Hall, and attracted a lot of dedicated fans.

Although it was a relatively chilly evening, a line of concert-goers wrapped around the corner of 8th Ave. and about halfway down Lincoln St. with more than a half-hour to spare before the doors to WOW Hall opened.

A moderate-sized crowd packed the front of the stage to hear the openers for the night: Portland electronica artist Fake Drugs and New York synthwave producer Com Truise.

Fake Drugs, a solo artist with only electronic tracks and a guitar, started off the show with a surprisingly concise, 20-minute performance. Though playing a short set, he gained positive audience response with his easily danceable, catchy tracks.

Portland artist Fake Drugs opens the show (Meerah Powell/Emerald)

Com Truise, in contrast, played a vastly longer set of almost an hour. The glitched-out, ’80s-influenced artist played a variety of his more popular tracks such as “VHS Sex” and “Ether Drift.” Led by grimey, bassy synthesizer and powerful electronic drum tracks, Com Truise played through a variety of technical difficulties and finished his set strong even after his projected visuals failed.

Com Truise performs at WOW Hall for the first time (Meerah Powell/Emerald)

As Com Truise wrapped up his set, the concert hall began to fill to capacity, but it wasn’t until about 30 minutes later when STRFKR finally entered the stage. Although the audience became a little antsy during the waiting time, the band gained an extremely warm welcome from the all-ages crowd.

STRFKR is a band about visuals. From confetti guns to crowdsurfing astronauts to blow up dolls being thrown into the audience, anything can happen when STRFKR performs live, and pretty much everything did at this WOW Hall show.

#STRFKR and dancing astronauts.

A video posted by Meerah (@yoyo_byebye) on Feb 18, 2016 at 12:15am PST

Along with their variety of props, the stage was backlit by multiple panels of LED lighting that were illuminated rhythmically with the music, as well as projected visuals.  

One of STRFKR’s dancing astronauts shoots smoke across the stage. (Meerah Powell/Emerald)

STRFKR regularly welcomes people dressed like astronauts to dance on stage during their live performances. (Meerah Powell/Emerald)

Props, like blow-up dolls, are a regular occurrence during STRFKR shows. (Meerah Powell/Emerald)

STRFKR filled its set with both new and old favorite tracks such as “While I’m Alive,” from the most recent LP Miracle Mile (2013), and “Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second” from its debut self-titled (2008). The group also put its own spin on a few song covers like Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me,” and New Order’s “Blue Monday.”

Although the group has gained a good amount of name-recognition and fame over the years, seeing the band play its heart out on a intimately small stage might just beat out any festival performance. STRFKR is a band that strives to make its audience happy through both the music itself and through live performances, and this was something that came through clearly to every fan packed into WOW Hall.

Listen to STRFKR’s newest single “Never Ever,” below:

The annual Eugene Record Convention was on its 26th year of operation back in 2014 when its founder Bill Finneran passed away from cancer. Luckily for local vinyl lovers, Finneran’s legacy has not ended and the annual gathering of vendors and shoppers alike will be continuing on as the Eugene Record Show.

The show will be filled with “an army of dealers with zillions of used and new records, 45s, tapes, CDs and other musical rarities spanning all genres, eras, tastes and obsessions,” according to the Facebook event, and will be taking place this upcoming Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Hilton Eugene (66 E. 6th Ave).

The show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an entry fee of $3. There’s also an early bird option for those who want to make sure they get first-pick from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for an entry fee of $15.

Though it’s a ton of fun, browsing a huge record convention for the first time can be stressful and intimidating. Here are some helpful tips and tricks in navigating the Eugene Record Show.

• Budget, budget, budget.

Record conventions are incredibly exciting, but they are also very risky for music-lovers who are strapped for funds. With a bevy of different vendors and crates upon crates of precious vinyl and merch, it can be easy to mindlessly spend money that should be going to, arguably, more important things (i.e. rent, utilities and groceries.) Therefore, budgeting beforehand is an absolute must. Although records are all fine and good, you can’t necessarily live in a house made of them.

Also: be sure to bring cash. Although most vendors have card readers, you don’t want to risk missing out on that one release you have been searching for all because you forgot to stop at the ATM.

• Make a list.

Whether you’re a skilled music-shopping fiend or a newbie trying to start a collection, in a room packed with hundreds of people, it’s very easy to forget what in particular you’re looking for. Therefore, you should have a prepared list of some of the specific albums you’re looking to obtain in order to ease the doomed feeling that you might have forgotten something crucial. Either bring a physical, written list or type up a memo in your phone.

For those who already have a relatively large collection, music collection websites such as Discogs can be very helpful in keeping track of what you already have and don’t need to end up accidentally buying twice.

• Bring a bag.

Who knows how much stuff you’ll end up buying? But why risk not being able to carry it all? Make sure to bring a large, strong tote bag or backpack to carry the goods – emphasis on large. Some average-sized tote bags are only about 10 or 11 inches wide, not large enough for 12 inch albums, so make sure to double check your bag’s dimensions. Also, make sure whatever bag you bring is comfortable on your body – a bag of records can get very heavy very quickly. If you decide to bring a tote rather than a backpack or crossbody bag, just make sure you can hold it on your shoulder rather than in solely in your hands; you’ll definitely need both hands to browse everything quickly so keep that in mind.

• Bring a buddy.

Obviously this tip can be argued solely for friendship’s sake, but it can also be part of your music-searching strategy. There’s a lot of material to search through, so let your friend know what in particular you’re looking for and make sure to keep an eye out for their favorites as well. When you have a game plan together, you can split up and head to different vendors. Keep in mind the room is relatively large and crowded, so it might be wise to designate a meeting place.

• Get there early.

If you’re trying to seriously find some goods, make sure to show up early. Luckily, since the record show is on a Sunday, pretty much all parking in the downtown area will be free, but it doesn’t hurt to secure a close spot. Over the course of the day, hundreds of shoppers are browsing through and buying music that you might really want. So, keep in mind that the early bird catches the worm (or first-run vinyl rarity). If you’re extra intent on getting first-dibs on the options, there is early admission (from 7 to 10 a.m.) available for $15. So, grab a coffee and get going; in all honesty, no one would mind if you came in your pajamas.

• Walk around before you buy.

When you enter the room, do a lap or two around the perimeter first before diving in. Figure out what table is selling what before setting your sights on a particular one. This will make it easier to plan your trajectory rather than just aimlessly wandering around and potentially finding a vendor at the end of the day that you would’ve preferred to look into at the beginning. Keep in mind that many vendors may have the same albums, so make sure to price check on your initial walk-around as well.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

For the most part, a lot of the vendors at the show are selling from their personal collections and therefore know their inventory like the back of their hand. Likewise if you see a shopper carrying a stack of records you’re interested in, ask them which vendor(s) they bought them from. Remember, everyone is there for the same reason: because they love music. You might run into someone very knowledgeable, so don’t be afraid to speak up. Who knows, you could leave with some new friends as well as some new tunes.

One of the best things about music is its ability to paint a picture, to pull on the strings of nostalgia and elicit specific images and feelings unique to each listener. New York artist Porches (Aaron Maine) has always seemed to do this with ease, and the ambiguous imagery continues on his second studio album, Pool.

In Porches’ first album, Slow Dance in the Cosmos (2013), Maine makes use of a mix of live instrumentation, through both electric and acoustic guitar (see the songs: “Skinny Trees” and “Xanny Bar”), as well as a dash of electronic elements — bassy synth and electronic drum tracks (“After Glow”). Maine created the sound that is now so inherently Porches in Slow Dance: a dark, ominous, intensely emotional sound that still brushes against tenderness and intimacy.

In Pool, which came out on Feb. 5, Porches amplifies this very distinct, visceral style of songwriting by turning the tables: adopting a slew of electronic music elements and forgoing live instrumentation, with only a few, sparse exceptions, like the saxophone in “Shaver” and guitar in “Car.”

The overall picture that Pool paints isn’t necessarily concrete, but mostly draws forth imagery of pure darkness contrasted with some sort of vibrancy — imagery that tangentially connects the dark elements of Maine’s musical style with the warmer melodic and lyrical content.

When listening to Pool, it is easy to picture a dark, smoke-filled club with neon lights muffled by the haze, or driving past city lights late at night, something included in the music video for “Hour.” 

Regardless of what the specific imagery is, Porches’ music has always had the ability to latch on to its listener and portray something much bigger than just a composite of sounds.   

Pool‘s opener “Underwater,” is led by airy synthesizer and groove-heavy, Tame Impala-esque bass. Even though it’s easy to pick out other artists’ influences in the instrumentals of “Underwater” and other tracks on the album, as soon as Maine’s unmistakable croon enters, it’s clear that this song couldn’t have been crafted by anyone else.

Though Porches’ use of solely electronic elements is cold and mechanical in some ways, Maine’s personal and passionate songwriting easily warms it. Maine’s girlfriend, Greta Kline (aka Frankie Cosmos), adds floating, echoing backing vocals on many of Pool’s tracks that pull in a sense of affection and closeness that can sometimes be difficult to generate in electronic-pop music.

Pool sticks to its namesake, providing a fluid, immersive mass of songs. The release also serves as proof that regardless of what musical styling Porches chooses to undertake, the feeling and overall vibe produced will undoubtedly be Porches.

Pool seamlessly grasps at delicacy and intensity in equally forceful attempts, making it a clearly enjoyable release from first listen, and one sure to linger on after the last song.

Watch the music video for “Hour” from Pool here: