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.
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  • Swimmer
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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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  • pedros2507

    Q-Tip + Nas + Common [2]

    February 2012
  • tyrealg

    Q-Tip + Nas + Common

    February 2012
  • danzero

    brad1894: exactly my thoughts!!

    July 2011
  • brad1894

    i enjoy their music , but they have to amend their name, it is almost impossible to search for their stuff online

    May 2011
  • thekillingspree

    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).

    February 2011
  • morningside24

    Any new material on the horizon? 'In Waves' is my favorite track.

    September 2010
  • Tobilius

    Such heartfelt and mannerism-devoid music is very rare. They're awesome and I hope they're going to release more albums

    August 2010
  • omarrois

    Soudns ok, but not great !!!

    August 2010
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