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.

Tagged as:

indie, indie rock, shoegaze, tooons, post-punk
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Swimmer
The Standard
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Wire Post to Wire
The Standard
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Albatross
The Standard
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August
The Standard
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Top Tracks

1	Red Drop	10
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6	Even Numbers	7
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7	Play The Part	6
9	Not Asleep	5
9	Closed Room	5
9	A Black Machine	5
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13	A Certain Dream	4
13	Absent Miles full track	4
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Freakaz wrote:
July 2009

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:
June 2009

LyricS??? GigS???

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Enviouz wrote:
April 2009

Discovered them today, they have a really nice sound! :)

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thekillingspree wrote:
March 2009

Ah ah! Great new pic! :)

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thekillingspree wrote:
March 2009

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:
February 2009

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:
January 2009

OK, got a copy of 'Swimmer'. Definitely not as good as 'Albatross'....

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morningside24 wrote:
December 2008

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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arnie019 wrote:
October 2008

My favorite song by them is "Lines"

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chakrabird wrote:
October 2008

Loving the new album. It's simply amazing. Favourite songs so far are Lines and Sunday Eyes, but just great all way through and worth the wait.

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thekillingspree wrote:
September 2008

One of my favourite bands! Still have to get "Swimmer", though. I'm listening to "The Quiet Bar" right now. Such a lovely song... Such an amazing album (August)! The Standard are definitely a true underrated musical gem.

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whataday wrote:
September 2008

The new album is fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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banchy85 wrote:
August 2008

can anyone hook me up with either "promise", "the standard" or "wire post to wire" would greatly appreciate any help

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chakrabird wrote:
June 2008

Is the new album out? I can't find it anywhere :-(

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GG_NextMatt wrote:
June 2008

SO RIDICULOUSLY GREAT! I ordered Wire Post to Wire on vinyl.

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whataday wrote:
May 2008

Where is the new album????????????????????????????

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aisambivalent wrote:
January 2008

U.S. tour spring 08. woohoo denver!

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banchy85 wrote:
December 2007

anyone have any of there albums promise the standard or wire post to wire by any chance?

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albertrose wrote:
December 2007

great new songs at myspace

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banchy85 wrote:
September 2007

hey does anyone have there albums promise, the standard or wire post to wire and wanna share with me i would really greatly appreciate it

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