The Standard
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In the summer and fall of 1999, the small crowds who caught The Standard’s early performances around Portland, Oregon, knew they were hearing something different—music at once both challenging and engaging, built around surprising chord changes and abrupt shifts in tempo, moving seamlessly from lyrical keyboard passages to blistering guitar hooks, with vocals that ranged from elusive and haunting to intimate and heartbreaking.
The air in those rooms was charged, electric, and no one was more surprised by the sudden surge of energy than the four members of the band itself, who’d come together accidentally, each with wildly differing musical backgrounds and influences. Drummer Rob Duncan had learned his driving punk rhythms from Portland indie bands in the mid-90s; bassist Rob Oberdorfer had recently been playing in esoteric art-rock experiments; Jay Clarke, on keyboards, had studied classical and jazz and had a fondness for ambient music; and Tim Putnam combined a rootsy, poetic songwriting style with big, catchy guitar riffs.
Over the next five years, the band released three full-length albums, all recorded by veteran producer/engineer Jeff Saltzman, each making significant strides in maturity and complexity. Along with a growing reputation for intense live shows, the recordings brought critical acclaim and won over a loyal audience, as well as earning the respect of the many musicians The Standard have supported on tour, bands as varied as Wire, The Shins, The Clinic, Slint, and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.
Over the next five years, the band released three full-length albums, all recorded by veteran producer/engineer Jeff Saltzman, each making significant strides in maturity and complexity. Along with a growing reputation for intense live shows, the recordings brought critical acclaim and won over a loyal audience, as well as earning the respect of the many musicians The Standard have supported on tour, bands as varied as Wire, The Shins, The Clinic, Slint, and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.
Shouts:
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Top Albums
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Swimmer
The Standard
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Wire Post to Wire
The StandardBuy- Download Album
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Albatross
The StandardBuy- Download Album
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August
The StandardBuy- Download Album
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Shoutbox
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danzero wrote:
brad1894: exactly my thoughts!!
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brad1894 wrote:
i enjoy their music , but they have to amend their name, it is almost impossible to search for their stuff online
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thekillingspree wrote:
No one wondering about new material from these guys since September 2010? Wow... Well, I really hope they're still alive and up to something (new).
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morningside24 wrote:
Any new material on the horizon? 'In Waves' is my favorite track.
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Tobilius wrote:
Such heartfelt and mannerism-devoid music is very rare. They're awesome and I hope they're going to release more albums
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omarrois wrote:
Soudns ok, but not great !!!
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Mecoptera wrote:
Wonderful. Absolutely love Albatross.
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NolanF wrote:
Wire Post to Wire is one of the best albums of all time
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pobodys_nerfect wrote:
amiestreet.com This website has their albums "Albatross" and "Wire Post To Wire" on it for like under $3 a piece. I personally love this band to death, I wish I could find more indie rock bands who sounded this good. It's funny though because everyone else I recommend them to dislikes them and yet I cannot understand what they see in bands like Neutral Milk Hotel or the Arcade Fire. Oh well different strokes for different folks I guess. I can't wait for a new album!
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Raccoonology wrote:
where can i find this?
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banchy85 wrote:
can anyone hook me up with either "promise", "the standard" or "wire post to wire" would greatly appreciate any help
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mediathink wrote:
This and is remarkably underrated. Please check these guys out. Tense, melodic intricate, bold. Don' let th quirky vocals put you off. If you like Radiohead, The Dismemberment Plan, Divine Inspiration, The Sea And Cake, and/or Jeff Buckley listen. "Hotel" and "The Swimmer" are good starts but seek out "Red Drop" and especially "Metropolitan".
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Freakaz wrote:
erm...somehow all the stuff in the videos section seems to be wrong. There's not a single video that would be somehow connected to the band.
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eL_aBeLo wrote:
LyricS??? GigS???
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Enviouz wrote:
Discovered them today, they have a really nice sound! :)
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thekillingspree wrote:
Ah ah! Great new pic! :)
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thekillingspree wrote:
Yes, I also love August, probably my favourite. But I reckon their best album so far was "Wire Post To Wire". All the others sound the same, but "Wire Post To Wire" has something different about it... The Swimmer is OK, but it's definitely not The Standard at their best.
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kidsmoke91 wrote:
I gotta say, I haven't heard Swimmer yet, but I wish they'd produce something more along the lines of August again.
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morningside24 wrote:
OK, got a copy of 'Swimmer'. Definitely not as good as 'Albatross'....
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morningside24 wrote:
I just got 'Albatross' and I am very impressed. At first I thought of The National, but this is less anthemic and more textured and tense. I'm going to try and get a copy of 'Swimmer' now.
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Recent Activity
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SickDeathCity, JoshCIVM, japsi7 and 3 other people added The Standard to their libraries. Sunday morning
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fusionshows added The Standard to the lineup of The Dangerous Summer at Mac's Bar. August 2011
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mfwetu, PlumPromotions and 10 other people added The Standard to their libraries. July 2011
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thisfred tagged The Standard with ‘sxsw 2006’. October 2010
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juchma added The Standard to juchma’s library. October 2010
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fusionshows added The Standard to the lineup of Automatic Loveletter at Mac's Bar. September 2010
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benewton and ROCKDRIGO5403 added The Standard to their libraries. September 2010
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Porieux wrote about The Standard in Slice of Life, pt. 1. September 2010
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Porieux wrote about The Standard in a deleted journal. September 2010
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SIlenceandSound, itznotmetrashee, DraganAlexander and 2 other people added The Standard to their libraries. June 2010
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