Big Duck

From the offices I'm leasing on NW Third and Glisan, a polka-dotted Datsun's broken-down. The offices are bar stools at a bygone Old Town tavern. The Datsun is youth, recklessness, lust for life-traits that make an idealized, overly romantic version of love so desirable, and also attributes that, sans brakes, make deep connection so frustratingly unattainable. Such is a typical quip from the diverse, uproarious full-length debut album by Portland's Big Duck. The 10-song collection draws comfortably from post-punk, blue-eyed soul, chicken-pickin' country and anthemic rock, and exhibits a skilled but shambolic sound honed via 8 years of high-energy live shows. Featuring Dylan Esmonde, Robbie Aldworth, Chris Fanshier and Jay Boss Rubin, Big Duck is a bonafide original, homegrown in Rose City.