Dolorean

In 1999 the group Dolorean first took form in the quiet Oregon town of Silverton when guitarist and vocalist Al James enlisted Jay Clarke, a keyboard devotee from Standard, to appear on several understated avant-folk recordings he had made at home. Their debut EP, Sudden Oak, surfaced the same year, after which the duo began performing live. Relocating to Portland by 2001, the band quickly became a steady presence in the city’s literary circles, supplying understated accompaniment for poetry readings and comparable events; drummer Ben Nugent had joined by then. Throughout the following year Dolorean concentrated on laying down its first full-length while recruiting bass player James Adair. Copies of Not Exotic were already circulating among Portland listeners by mid-2002. The album received its official release in November 2003 on the North Carolina label Yep Roc. Violence in the Snowy Fields arrived the next year. After devoting several seasons to composing new material and refining their approach, the band issued its third album, You Can’t Win, in 2007.