Blanket Music is a jazz-influenced indie-rock band from

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. Led by Chad Crouch, the owner/operator of

Hush Records Hush Records is a Portland, Oregon based record label founded by Chad Crouch. Background Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called ''Portland, Or''. The following year, ...

History

The band formed in 1999, to perform at a wedding reception. Mixing jazz, rock, bossa nova and pop music, the band released debut album ''Nice'' in 2000. In 2001

Corrina Repp Corrina Repp is a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and actress from Portland, Oregon and now lives in Los Angeles. Her albums ''I Take On Your Days'' (2001) and ''It's Only the Future'' (2004) were released on Hush Records, while ''The Absent and t ...

and

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award. A native of Portland, Oregon, Spalding be ...

joined the band on vocals, the band releasing second album ''Move'' the same year.Dahlen, Chris (2002)
Blanket Music ''Move''
",

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

, May 12, 2002, retrieved 2011-05-13Shepherd, Julianne (2001)
Up & Coming: Blanket Music, Noise for Pretend
, ''

Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. Contributors and staff Editor-in-chief: Wm. Steven ...

'', November 29, 2001, retrieved 2011-05-14 ''Cultural Norms'' was released in 2004, featuring new member Mike Johnson and guest appearances from Chris Funk and Jenny Conlee of

The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy ( lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), Nate ...

.Mason, Stewart
''Cultural Norms'' Review
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2011-05-13 It was described by

writer Chris Dahlen as Crouch's "most compelling album".Dahlen, Chris (2005)
Blanket Music ''Cultural Norms''
,

, January 11, 2005, retrieved 2011-05-13 Their 2006 double-album ''The Love/Love Translation'' features a disc of Blanket Music originals plus a second disc of covers of songs originally be bands associated with Hush Records. During their tenure, the band has released five pressed records, as well as free digital whole album download. The band's track "Stand to Love" was used in the soundtrack to James Westby's 2008 film '' The Auteur''. The band were often compared to

Belle & Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...

, with Crouch's vocals often likened to Stuart Murdoch's.Edwards, Michael (2006)
Blanket Music The Love/Love Translation
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Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', April 2006, retrieved 2011-05-14Felt, Hunter (2004)
Blanket Music: Cultural Norms
,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, December 8, 2004, retrieved 2011-05-14Davis, Kevin P. (2006)
Blanket Music: The Love/Love Translation
,

, June 8, 2006, retrieved 2011-05-14

Members

*Chad Crouch - Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Programming *Greg Lind - Drums *Jez Miller - Bass *Ross Seligman - Guitar *Dave Depper - Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Slide Guitar, 12 String Guitar, Keys *Mike Johnson - Rhodes Piano, Piano, Vocals, Keys *

- Vocals *

- Vocals

Discography

Albums

*''Nice'' - (2000,

) *''Move'' (2002,

) *''Cultural Norms'' (2004,

) *''The Love/Love Translation'' (2006,

)

EPs

*Blanket Music/Noise for Pretend - ''Split EP'' (2001,

)

References

External links

Hush Records official websiteBlanket Music artist page on Hush Records
{{Authority control 1999 establishments in Oregon Indie rock musical groups from Oregon Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups from Portland, Oregon