Childhood Friends (CD Release), Marmits, Doctor Moss
[GOTH ROCK] Ilima Considine and Jake Rose, the duo that makes up Childhood Friends, will be the first to dispel the myth that they "go way back." As a matter of fact, the two met just a couple of years ago, when Considine did the usual Craigslist searching for a fellow musician who'd be able to complement her dark, nasally vocals and goth sensibilities. Rose's frustrated, fucked-up and fuzzed-out guitar lines impressed Considine and voilà! Marriage! No joke. Think of New Order's darker drum machinations, throw in a little Smashing Pumpkins and some atonal chaos and you've got Childhood Friends, which releases new album Key Party tonight. CHANDLER FREDRICK. 8 pm. Chaos Cafe & Parlor, 2620 SE Powell Blvd., 546-8112. Cover. All ages.

From The Metro Spirit:

AUGUSTA, GA - If early reviews are to be believed, then the cracked vocals and nearly atonal instrumentation on Childhood Friends' Key Party come as a result of novice-level musicianship and an inability to move beyond what may have been interpreted as the trappings of lo-fi studio mastering.

I, for one, bite my thumb at these people. I DO BITE MY THUMB, SIR!!!

No, really…I'm bleeding.

My penchant for self-referential filler aside, the fact of the matter is that every bent-to-the-breaking-point note, every discordant wash of treble-heavy feedback laid down by Jake Rose, and every feral, counter-rhythmic vocal that achingly crawls its way out of Ilima Considine's haunted house pipes carries with it some measure of intent, no matter how stark or disconcerting.

As a whole, the album is a tundra: frozen, beautiful, and unsettling. The pair of My Bloody Valentine-copping tracks ("Used to be Good," "Because I Wanted To") that open the affair abruptly give way to the minimalist arrangement and metronome-like drumming of "Never Do That to You." Further on, "Lonesome Trails" comes pretty close to being a conventional ballad, though the duo just couldn't resist the urge to throw in some uber-distorted ambience with about a minute to spare, and "Pollen (One for the Road)" is by far the creepiest thing I've heard in a long time (as in "Man, I really miss my girlfriend, but there's also a serial killer in a clown mask behind me").

Though it ends on a significantly brighter note with "Spy Song," (which could easily have been a track on last year's Mirah remix album), Key Party is ultimately a dirge, and chances are you'll find yourself gazing inwards as much as at your shoes.

by Josh Ruffin, Metro Spirit

They got everything right, except for that Leon is not a girl:

http://neovox.cortland.edu/archives/2008/05/childhood_frien.html

Childhood Friends: Key Party
by Matthew Jones, SUNY Cortland, May 20, 2008

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The Pacific Northwest seems to breed insane amounts of creativity. Childhood Friends is a duo based out of Portland, Oregon and they are no exception to this rule. Childhood Friends is made up of multi-instrumentalists Ilima Considine and Jake Rose. Their new release, Key Party, is a very well produced, very different sound. It's refreshing to see a band that takes chances with all the typical cookie-cutter bands out there today.

The opening track is called "Used To Be Good" and it is extremely reminiscent of a band called Radiohead (maybe you've heard of them) in its overall feel and texture. The next track is called "Because I Wanted To" and it opens with a lively drumbeat and Considine's signature vocals. "Never Do That To You" opens with a walking bass line and a synth background that takes you into a dark alley…and you aren't quite sure if you want to be there yet. That is, until, Considine's voice comes in and makes you want more.

"Lonesome Trails" contains more of Considine's unique vocals but I'm not sure if it gets the same message across that the rest of the album so far has gotten. "Underwater Castle" is quite possibly their best song because of its uniqueness. It sets the bar VERY high for the rest of the record because it isn't like anything you've heard so far on the album and with the exception of one or two songs, unfortunately, it doesn't quite reach that level again. "Happy" showcases Rose's voice which is quite good; however, there seems to be sound effects of someone being tortured in the background as part of the track that takes a lot of the focus away from the vocals. I would love to stop being redundant but in "Werewolf Song" Considine's vocals are once again haunting. This is the band at it's absolute finest, both musically and emotionally.

"Mrs. Jack" takes a turn downhill. While it's understandable that Childhood Friends is experimental, there seems to be an amateur musician playing an out-of-tune fiddle in the background. "Pollen" is a very good song to try and pick up the pace of the album since the decline in quality songs after "Underwater Castle". Lastly, "Spy Song" kicks in with a very lively drumbeat and a haunting guitar riff. This is a very good way to end a decent album.

Guitar – 7/10
Bass – 7/10
Drums – 8/10
Vocals – 8.5/10
Lyrics – 7.5/10
Creativity - 9/10
Overall – 7.8/10

Leon Rose Considine was born February 8 at 5:08 in the morning at Providence Hospital in Portland. He looks a little like both his parents and has blond hair and blue eyes, like Jake. He was 8 lbs 2 ounces at birth, and has since gained 11 ounces and one inch in length, making him 21 inches. He's a cute little guy and the doctor says he's very healthy. We're very excited that he's part of our family.

Jake and Ilima

This time no ice, no blood. In fact it was a very productive day, as we laid down the main tracks for "Underwater Castle," "Spy Song," and "Lonesome Trails." We paced ourselves on fine Prohibition Ale by Speakeasy and some very strong barleywine by Mad River that was 10.8 % alcohol (compare to the Partywrecker by CbP). It made the two hours of Beavis and Butthead episodes we watched at the end of the day just that much funnier.

P.S.
Jake will be playing his first show of solo material, this Saturday the 9th at Ash Street, that is if Ilima isn't giving birth that night. The delivery could be any day within the next two weeks.

We just returned from another intense day of recording in Corvallis with the immortal Fade 13.

He lives on a hill in Corvallis with its own set of weather conditions.  The bottom of the hill had fine driving conditions but when we reached his castle, there was enough black ice that the car began to slide backwards downhill when placed in park.  After safely re-parking, I slipped in the street and landed flat on my back, head cracking against the pavement.  Was severely confused for about a half hour, maybe more... and a few hours later, while feeling the bump, found my hair was sticky with dried blood.

We still got in about eight hours of recording time and finished laying down tracks for three songs.

We love you Fade!  Our blood has been shed on your property.

Ilima

We trekked to Philomath, OR yesterday to begin recording our next album "Key Party," at Roseberry Recording with our producer Jeff Beck aka Myron Fenner aka Fade 13. In the dusty basement studio, nicknamed The Dungeon, we had access to eight synths, drum pads, a 24 track digi-recorder and other wonders. We fed our host Noah's bagels and drank Willamette Valley Pinot and Indian coffee. Then we got down to work and finished recording and most of the mixing for "Used to be Good," which seems to have potential as a single. We also laid down demos for the other songs. We watched two episodes of "Flight of the Conchords" and people's reactions to "Two Girls One Cup" on YouTube and called it a night.


Jake

"Super-Producer" Fade 13

We anticipate a double release around Valentine's Day 2008 of "Leon" and "There is No Love in Germany"

although Jake thinks we should call it "There is No Love in Utah".  Please vote on this in the comments- because if you don't vote, we can't ignore your opinion.