Buzz about the new songs-in-progress from the influential UK post-punk group Gang of Four has already leaked to the giant online pubs like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. But what some of these sites fail to mention is that there’s a huge connection to Portland, OR. Dave Allen, the bass player for the band, lives in Portland (and truth be told contributes content to this and other music blogs) and is an established voice in the future of the music industry. Initially posted on his blog, Pampelmoose, Allen has let the public in on the genesis of writing, recording and rehearsing potential new material for an upcoming Gang of Four release. Below are three of the latest demos plus a short video of the band in Istanbul earlier this month.

Gang of Four - “Password” (demo) [MP3]

Gang of Four - Fakin’ It (demo) [MP3]

Gang of Four - American Man (demo) [MP3]

Backstage in Istanbul video

So bands still do sign to labels. Portland’s very own Horse Feathers has teamed up with indie label Kill Rock Stars to release their sophomore album I presume. Portlanders can catch them when they play two shows at Holocene on December 5th and 6th.

Horse Feathers - Hardwood Pews [MP3]

I got an email yesterday from Dave Candler who sent along the news that Richard Jankovich of the Burnside Project has remixed Radiohead’s cover of the Björk song ‘Unravel’ under his Pocket moniker. He tells Stereogum “I was feeling really inspired by all this Radiohead activity and was feeling a need to be creative,” Pocket wrote, attaching his souped up version of Thom & Co.’s subtle, spare Björk cover. There’s more of the story here at Stereogum as well as two other Pocket remix MP3s, and you can track back to the ‘Entanglement’ session from the Radiohead live web cast here at Gorilla vs Bear. Dave’s email also says that Richard aka Pocket is moving from NYC to Portland. Listen closely to the track below and you’ll hear the great woman herself.

Radiohead - Unravel [Björk cover] Pocket remix [MP3]

Enjoy ‘Wild Mountain Nation’ from the album of the same name.

Fernando

Two of the finest local songrwriters will be sharing the bill at Dante’s on Nov 30th. Fernando has re-emerged after a long hiatus and based on his PDX performance last week has not lost a step. Lael Alderman, who is poised to release a brand new solo project any minute, has also been on a bit of a tear recently. A show sure to add a little cheer to the holiday season. Details:

Friday, November 30, 2007
Live Music 9:30pm
FERNANDO–
LAEL ALDERMAN–
THE REGULATORS–
$8.00 advance TicketsWest / $8.00 at the door