TWO LOONS SONG ON ANTI-VALENTINE'S DAY PLAYLIST

"This Seattle band is known for their dreamy, noir pop. This song ['Toxic Shellfish in the Sun'] is the pinnacle of their genre, with a haunting string line, lead vocalist Sarah Scott's smokey vocals, and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Kochmer's musical buildup. Not to mention, it's a wealth of quotable lyrics; it doesn't get anymore accurate when comparing a dying love to a toxic shellfish burning in the sun.

"Key lyric: 'I'm so tired of grieving, the death -- of something we never had.'"

Mint Male

Curious? Read on:
Audience members are invited onstage to ask questions of the musical "oracle". The answer is elicited by the spinning of a carnival wheel, which selects one of the band's songs. The band plays the chosen song, and with the help of "Professor" Jones, the audience, and the musicians who wrote the song, discusses how the song's lyrics or message answer the question. The readings might be humorous or moving - sometimes both at once, or more - but surprisingly, never irrelevant.

This version of Radio8Ball is especially fascinating as the guest band itself uses such oracular methods to write their lyrics. So, expect the unexpected!

Date: Thr Feb 14
Place: Capitol Hill Arts Center (12th & Pine)
Time: Cocktail Party 6 pm, Show 8 pm, After-Party 10 pm
Ages: Show is All Ages; Bar is 21+

Sexy, just too sexy to even mention, almost erotic, really! These are the words that immediately come to mind when addressing Two Loons for Tea's beautiful work. "Nine Lucid Dreams" is this Seattle-based duo's third album and it's like their "Simple Things", the big breakthrough for Zero 7. It starts in style with an incredibly gorgeous track, "Sunset Room", sure to insufflate fresh air into any toxic brain.

It's impossible not to fall in love with Sarah Scott's voice and Jonathan Kochmer's gently layered music patterns. The diehard downtempo fan will probably be surprised by these often acoustic, somehow voice-centered numbers but, as "Consuela" comes in, the agnostic jaw will probably drop like autumn leaves in Canada. This rumba-inspired track feels so beautifully out-of-place it will tuck you in as if it were your grandmother getting you ready for a nights sleep.

"Monkey", the second and thus decisive track, brings in a bagful of styles from the jazzy ambience to the trip-hopped folk rock. It should work pretty well as electronic music for the hearing impaired – the vibe is so intense and rich the deaf would at least sense it in the back of their mind. But, above all, Two Loons for Tea will end up setting the mood for beautiful, sunny afternoons spent in the park with the headphones on.