Culture Cheat Sheet: Music

Stumptown Soundtracks: A Hard-Rocking Portland Playlist

These heart-racing tunes will help fuel your anger about rising rents, social ills, or fluoride.

By Fiona McCann November 14, 2016 Published in the December 2016 issue of Portland Monthly

Pomo 1216 pop casette tapes playlist nft1th

1. Wipers, "Doom Town"
The sonic manifesto of Portland punk

2. Red Fang, "Prehistoric Dog" 
Portland’s other wolf song

3. Neo Boys, "Give Me the Message"
Pioneering proto-riot grrrl 

4. The Exploding Hearts, "Thorns in Roses"
The most tragic band in Portland history

5. The Dandy Warhols, "Bohemian Like You"
That song

6. Dead Moon, "54/40 or Fight" 
Howling at the horizon

7. Crackerbash, "Song for Lon Mabon" 
Early-’90s political angst, full blast

8. Tragedy, "Vengeance" 
Band name + song title = The youth are ANGRY

9. Dharma Bums,"Pumpkinhead" 
State-of-the-art Northwest pre-indie, circa 1990

10. Heatmiser, "Sleeping Pill" 
An alt-rock lullaby

11. Sleater-Kinney, "Light Rail Coyote" 
A Portland punk’s itinerary

12. Floater, "The Sad Ballad of Danny Boy"
Things are not looking good for this guy 

13. Summer Cannibals, "Something New"
Fuzz rockers’ post-break-up anthem

Share
Show Comments