• The whisper campaign around HI TIGER's second record has begun. Titled Fags and English Majors, the art punk four-piece's sophomore work drops next summer — early track "Meat" (hitiger.bandcamp.com) retains the dark, haunting edge of the debut while nodding toward new house-y terrain. We're pumped.• Way back in January we Tabbed about PHANTOM BUFFALO's Tadaloora, the fourth full-length from the long-respected indie-pop quartet. Now it's here, with pre-orders for the record beginning this week. The Buffalo's well-documented musical attributes aside, this group are especially distinguished by the visual-art talents of its band members — particularly the trademark species of characters drawn by frontman Jonny Balzano-Brookes. The band conceive of Tadaloora as a fantastical island, and their drawings, animations, and graphic "video game" explorations (courtesy of local gaming company Dirigo Games) have given the experience of their record dimensions that far exceed the limits of a traditional album. The more we think about it, it's possible Phantom Buffalo could be onto something big here: instead of traditional listening experiences, albums of the future might very well become immersive, experiential, visual, and interactive, with collaborative and integrated elements that spread across several different platforms. Hmmm . . . we'd better quit it. We're beginning to sound like Wired! Phantom Buffalo's fundraising campaign for Tadaloora ends this Friday, September 21 — visit microcultures.fr to contribute or spend time on the island.
• Dozens of local musicians, filmmakers, and audio people have pooled efforts for MAINE ACADEMY OF MODERN MUSIC and the Playing for Change Foundation recently, creating a powerful music video for the DOMINIC AND THE LUCID song "Be In Love." Assembled from cover versions of the song played a collection of notable Portland acts, the video contains cameos by the FOGCUTTERS, KENYA HALL, JASON STEWART, the MALLETT BROTHERS BAND, CHAS LESTER, and many more. Helmed by a production team that includes David Meiklejohn and a similarly impressive cast from Portland's burgeoning film scene, the video gets a premiere September 22 at a MAMM/PFCF benefit event at the Asylum from 5-8 pm.
• SIDECAR RADIO, one of Portland's mighties, are splitting up, concluding a ten-year run with a show November 16 at the Big Easy. Read Sam Pfeifle's take on the matter here.
