There's a lot of great bands in Portland, and some of them go quite unnoticed while doing great work and influencing others. Sugarboom are one of those bands, dutifully playing hypnotic sets to loyal fans and recording and releasing their latest record all on their own. Except for one track recorded at the Cockeyed basement studio, they rented time at a rehearsal space and tracked the loud parts onto their 8 track (with the help of Pond's Charlie Campbell) and then overdubbed and mixed the CD at home. It sounds great to me, and the fact that the songs are poppy, fun and dreamy doesn't hurt any. (Strawberry Fields, 1624 Stark, Portland, OR 97214)

Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.

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