Friends For Life Records - PDX2011

So a kid I met a while ago has a label based out of Portland called Friends For Life that is putting out zines and tapes. He was telling me that he is going to be putting out some new jaints from Carrion Spring and Leaster Freemon in the near future, so when those are out you should pick them up if you are into those bands. They just put out a compilation/teaser/sampler whatever that is similar in idea to the 75:24 compilation put out by Tickle Butt. They put it up for free download but also put this shit on tape, which is the labels first release. Friends For Life are also doing a distro, and if you buy this sampler you get a free hand screened Oker cd.

PDX2011 is a compilation tape made up of 14 bands that are all friends from the Portland area. The Tracklisting is as follows:

1. Carrion Spring - Scumfuck Angel
2. Wild Guess - Card
3. Cower - Exit 296B
4. Forest Park - Portland
5. Desert of Hiatus - In The Spirit of The Spirit That Will Tell Us Why We Exist
6. Kotten Dik - I Had A Dream Once
7. Zoogirl - B-Day
8. Duck. Little Brother, Duck!
9. Sloths - Seasonal Depression
10. Girlfriends - Brobocop
11. Pardee Shorts - Livejournal Pt. 2
12. Logs? (labeled as "Friends For Life Records") - 4
13. GrandFather - Song 3
14. Oker - 1

Alright so all the bands on this compilation are good enough to give the album at least one complete listen. Alot of genres are on this release, and you may very well not enjoy some of the songs. I think that out of all the bands on here the ones that really stuck out for me were Sloths, Cower, and Oker. I have the Oker cd and have been meaning to post it up here, but this song is so good. I'm calling it so hard: Oker is going to be a big deal, and I hope it is sooner rather than later. As for Cower, I had heard about them alot from people and this was my first time listening to it and I was disappointed with the fact that I couldn't really get into it. On the other hand, like Cower I have heard alot about Sloths, and that shit blew me away. Was not expecting that at all and I really really dig it. Kotten Dik is tight as shit too.

Overall this is a super solid compilation. I think that everyone, no matter what their preferred style of music is, will be able to find some shit on here that they really enjoy. Alot of dope stuff going on in Portland and it seems like no one is really giving them too much attention on a national scale. Some real talent is kicking it in PDX these days and I'm stoked on all those dudes right now. Really good people, really good times, please please please download this and then buy it from FFL's big cartel. Only like 125 of these things are going to be made and if you wait around you probably aren't gonna be able to get your hands on this shit. Keep a look out for Friends For Life Records in the tape and zine world. Word.


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PDX2011