Eidolons

Sounds Like: M. Ward, The Silver Jews, Portland
Why You Should Care: Jangly, freaky guitar driven folk has never EVER steered you wrong.

We're not gonna lie...the band Eidolons couldn't be more Portland if they tried. In a recent writeup on The Deli the foursome was described as having been "...formed out of the misty forest campus of Lewis & Clark College, a mutual love for the Silver Jews, a baffling band-wide fluency in Chinese, and a shared experience studying Gray Wolves for four months in a remote Alaskan town.", and...well...that just about speaks for itself doesn't it?

What it doesn't tell you though is that there is a depth to Eidolon's music that goes far beyond wolves, Chinese or Patchouli. A lot of thought and heart has been put into making these arrangements work, and just when you think you've got a bead of where this band is going, they shift gears to drop a "Cosmic Special" on your ass and leave you floating across the universe, or at least into the lonely pines of the Pacific Northwest.

Check out the track "Hopeful Antiquarian" off of Eidolons excellent EP Wolf Den, and let us know what you think. But why stop there? The entire album is available FOR FREE on the bands website, so take the plunge, and pray that you don't get as addicted to this band as we've become. - Chunky Glasses

[FREAK FOLK] Eidolons’ mood often seems to be a copy-pasted variation of the loping spontaneity first made famous by Pavement. But unlike so many would-be Malkmuses, the folk entrepreneurs of Eidolons have managed to capture the sensation, essential to slacker rock’s success, that anything can and probably will happen. Now, just as in the early ’90s, the key to sounding off the cuff is hard work. Founded by four Lewis & Clark College students back in the stone ages of 2010, Eidolons has released three EPs in its short lifespan, using each to further refine its mixture of laconic rock and weirdo folk. Though the group’s best moments come from its quieter offerings, both of last year's EPs manage to offer plenty of indie-rock specimens that swing well above their weight class. - Willamette Week

Formed out of the misty forest campus of Lewis & Clark College, a mutual love for the Silver Jews, a baffling band-wide fluency in Chinese, and a shared experience studying Gray Wolves for four months in a remote Alaskan town, Eidolons exudes the kind of sophisticated, however slightly bent, lyrically-driven sensibility that is often prevalent in the musical offerings of the greater Northwest. More than just another singer-songwriter act though, this freak folk four-piece can kick things into gear with plenty of volume and tempo throughout their latest, lengthy 7-track Wolf Den EP. In that sense, the disc contains a certain kind of urgency and playful efficacy, one that belies the more subdued melancholy of frontman Dan Byers cooing (as evidenced by lead-off “Hopeful Antiquarian” and standout “Colorado”.) It’s this eccentric blend of loud and soft, along with adept songwriting, at times akin to fellow Portlandians Quasi, that makes this a group to watch in 2012; a year in which they look to get their hands dirty with another self-released EP, plenty of house shows, and a national tour in the summer. - The Deli Magazine