Blanket Music
Encyclopedia
Blanket Music is a jazz-influenced indie-rock band from Portland, Oregon
. Led by Chad Crouch, the owner/operator of Hush Records
.
and Esperanza Spalding
joined the band on vocals, the band releasing second album Move the same year. Cultural Norms was released in 2004, featuring new member Mike Johnson and guest appearances from Chris Funk and Jenny Crouch of The Decemberists
. It was described by Pitchfork Media
writer Chris Dahlen as Crouch's "most compelling album". Their 2006 double-album The Love/Love Translation features a disc of Blanket Music originals plus a second disc of covers of songs originally be bands associated with Hush Records.
During their tenure, the band has released five pressed records, as well as an eAlbum—a free digital download, something that Hush did several times for their acts who had a release ready but not the money (or motivation) to press and sell the disc.
The band's track "Stand to Love" was used in the soundtrack to James Westby's 2008 film The Auteur.
The band were often compared to Belle & Sebastian
, with Crouch's vocals often likened to Stuart Murdoch
's.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Led by Chad Crouch, the owner/operator of Hush Records
Hush Records
-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
.
History
The band formed in 1999, to perform at a wedding reception. Mixing jazz, rock, bossa nova and pop music, the band released debut album Nice in 2000. In 2001 Corrina ReppCorrina Repp
Corrina Repp is a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and maker of quiet music based in Portland, Oregon. Her albums I Take On Your Days and It's Only the Future were released on Hush Records, while The Absent and the Distant was released on Mark Kozelek's personal label Caldo Verde...
and Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding is an American multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions...
joined the band on vocals, the band releasing second album Move the same year. Cultural Norms was released in 2004, featuring new member Mike Johnson and guest appearances from Chris Funk and Jenny Crouch of The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
. It was described by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
writer Chris Dahlen as Crouch's "most compelling album". Their 2006 double-album The Love/Love Translation features a disc of Blanket Music originals plus a second disc of covers of songs originally be bands associated with Hush Records.
During their tenure, the band has released five pressed records, as well as an eAlbum—a free digital download, something that Hush did several times for their acts who had a release ready but not the money (or motivation) to press and sell the disc.
The band's track "Stand to Love" was used in the soundtrack to James Westby's 2008 film The Auteur.
The band were often compared to Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
, with Crouch's vocals often likened to Stuart Murdoch
Stuart Murdoch (musician)
Stuart Lee Murdoch is a Scottish musician, and the lead singer and songwriter for the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. The majority of his childhood was spent a stone's throw from the birthplace of Robert Burns in Alloway, Ayr until he left school and attended university in...
's.
Members
- Chad Crouch - Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Programming
- Greg Lind - Drums
- Jez Miller - Bass
- Ross Seligman - Guitar
- Dave Depper - Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Slide Guitar, 12 String Guitar, Keys
- Mike Johnson - Rhodes Piano, Piano, Vocals, Keys
- Corrina ReppCorrina ReppCorrina Repp is a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and maker of quiet music based in Portland, Oregon. Her albums I Take On Your Days and It's Only the Future were released on Hush Records, while The Absent and the Distant was released on Mark Kozelek's personal label Caldo Verde...
- Vocals - Esperanza SpaldingEsperanza SpaldingEsperanza Spalding is an American multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions...
- Vocals
Albums
- Nice - (2000, Hush RecordsHush Records-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
) - Move (2002, Hush RecordsHush Records-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
) - Cultural Norms (2004, Hush RecordsHush Records-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
) - The Love/Love Translation (2006, Hush RecordsHush Records-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
)