PDX Magazine
(April 2006 Issue - Upcoming Live Music p.37)
Nick Jaina, Tractor Operator, Dragging an Ox Through Water
Acme
April 6, 10pm
In a show that exemplifies Portland's thriving independent artist community, guitarist Nick Jaina (of the Binary Dolls) yields jazz-laden numbers with dynamic pop sensibilities. His solo release, Snakes & Umbrellas, was recorded on a cross-country excursion, unveiling ruminating and arduously radiant lyricism. Tractor Operator's Eric Jensen sings of a bedraggled rural frontier as seen through a darkened lens of a four-track. With thick beats and real life elements including a series of impromptu sneezes, TO's self-titled release on Smells Delicious Records has been gaining a lot of buzz around town. the label has also just released Dragging an Ox Through Water's first in a series of three 7" EPs titled The Truth is a Burrowing Animal LOL! Solo musical head Brian Mumford's sound is an ascendency of a multitude of influences ranging from Neil Young to Xiu Xiu and exists in a seemingly lurid dreamstate. With all of these artists sharing an involved lo-fi approach to music, the bill is one of extreme intimacy resulting in a new and unique genre which has been cultivated in Portland and has begun stretching infinitely outward. --AD
