Our girls Swan Island and Alela Diane received some very kind words from the good folks at Pitchfork this week.

John Motley reviewed Swan Island The Centre Will Hold, saying:

“Swan Island have packed their debut with songs that are incendiary and dynamic without lapsing into cliché. For all of the classic rock influences that inform the band’s sound, the group demolishes standard structure with songs that refuse to stay in one place for very long. […] If Swan Island’s music at times borders on chaos, it is an exacting and tightly orchestrated version of it– one that numbers them among the Northwest’s most promising new bands.” [link]

Meanwhile, Stephen Deusner chimes in with a (four star!) track review of Alela’s deeply sublime “The Rifle”:

“Diane wisely keeps the storytelling vague and impressionistic: Her grave intonations (especially about “too many heavy boots”) and the ominous backing vocals imply violence occurring just beyond her words, something too horrible to express directly. This strategic reticence, however, gives the song its particular power as it demands repeat listens.” [link]

Click here for more Swan Island info, and here for Alela.