Swamp Meet in the City

Portland’s own Hillstomp has found a way to blend Northwestern sense of place with the sludge and balm of a Louisiana swamp. The duo’s new album, titled Portland, Ore., out now on Fluff & Gravy Records, is a 10-track work that ebbs and flows, jives and stomps and howls, riots and then takes a nap. It begins with a rather heavy twosome — “Santa Fe Line” and “Life I Want” — that showcases the band’s ever-growing ability to find beauty in mosquito-bitten disarray. As headers, these two tracks work perfectly to situate the listener in Hillstomp’s world: a noisy, trance-y, punkabilly sludgefest.

Immediately afterwards we’re thrown into a surprisingly tender moment with “Undertow,” a saucy little banjo rag that departs from the dirt and grime of the album’s opening section. The song is a clean-cut optimist’s dream, but the upbeat calm that swells from beneath (almost channeling Sam Beam of Iron and Wine) is deceiving on first listen. The end leaves you wondering whether to be happy or sad. And this is where the first touch of Northwestern sentiment creeps in: It’s raining outside but I don’t care. It’s sunny outside but I’m too hot. It’s bittersweet, baby.

From there, Portland, Ore. flows like an odd summation of the first three songs. Tracks four through 10 take the raucous swamp rock found in tracks one and two and add it to the balladic feel of track three. The result is a damn fine album with some good heavy hitters. Nothing exemplifies the fusion of muddy and moody quite like “Henry O My Henry,” a percussive, de-tuned romp in some mythic, crust-punk-ridden forest. It’s a loose electric slide to the end with “Meet Me At The Bottom,” which sounds like Muddy Waters had a baby with The Builders And The Butchers. And hey, in the end you just can’t wait to hear these tracks live. The energy is far too strong for it not to be good. So congratulations, Hillstomp. You’ve done it again.

Hillstomp plays 9 pm Thursday, April 24, with Left Coast Country and 9:30 pm Friday, April 25, with Cambrian Explosion at Sam Bond’s; $8 Thurday, $10 Friday.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!