A much needed celebration of female power, Girl Fest is back with a showcase of some of Portland's best female musicians of the moment. Hosted by the soulful Blossom, this year's installation of GF touches on a few different genres, including jazz, folk and hip hop, to me enjoyed by all ages.

Coco Columbia has been a local love we've grow to appreciate more and more, with her refreshingly modern and eclectic take on jazz. Her voice, along with her production, have become indicative of the variety of other music scenes the city provides.

Other upbeat offerings come from some of the only female rap artists in Portland's market right now, including Karma Rivera. Taking a beat and fully making it her own, Karma's rhymes give the best of relatable expression and fun quips. Building off of that, duo Neka & Kahlo mix angelic bedroom pop with hip hop that results in a trappy type R&B that we need much more of.

Courtney Noe could easily dominate the pop charts with her retro ballads and after the Fish Eye EP, we've been dying for more of Haley Heynderickx's acoustic folk.

Thankfully Girl Fest 2017 is still happening tonight at the Crystal Ballroom. It's an all ages show, including some performances from young artists involved with local youth music nonprofit My Voice Music, so bring all your loved ones out for a night of true female empowerment.

Emo revivalists Radler have dropped their debut full length, Cool, today via Match and Tinder Records. The new foursome, who adamently denounce the traditonal macho culture, use their aggressive take on emo pop to convey a message of fluidity and unity, while still lyrically touching on other relatable subjects.

The icy streets have unfortunately postponed the album's release show, which WAS supposed to occur tonight at Black Water. When it's rescheduled for, we're not sure.

As for now, give Cool a full listen below. It's available to digital download for free for the first week it's out, so nab it for the low cost of nothing while there's still time. Tapes are available for purchase on Radler's Bandcamp page or at their next show.

 With their self-titled debut, Colbis the Creature have released an EP, perfectly balanced between the catchy and the provocative.  Seeming to fully understand the importance of tension-release, combining tasteful dissonance with memorable vocal melodies, Colbis offers their new fans a record meant to be played loud and disruptively.  If intelligent lyrics are your thing, Nick Caliendo will gladly oblige with solid offerings throughout, although the highlight is closing track "James Dean".  Join these suburban Boston boys at O'Brien's Pub on 1/18 with Nox and Snowhaus. -Brian Varneke

 Released by local DC label Sister Polygon records, Cigarette’s “warm shadows” is a dreamy mix of 90s shoegaze and the music of 2009’s chillwave summer.  But it’s not just nostalgia for dated genres that keeps their music interesting, Cigarette uses lush string and brass orchestration to add an extra nostalgic aesthetic to their music.   

Catch Cigarette with Governess and Scanners January 18^th at Black Cat. 

After recording her first EP A Nü Start on an iPhone at her home in South Philly, No Thank You, a.k.a. Kaytee Della-Monica, has teamed up with The Superweaks' Evan Bernard (recording) and Chris Baglivo (mixing) for her first full-length album. And apparently, Lame-O Records likes what its family members have been working on. The DIY Philly label has recently brought Della-Monica into the fold, signing her to its impressive, growing roster. No Thank You's forthcoming LP Jump Ship is scheduled for release on February 24. Check out the lusher-sounding, new version of her lead single, "Juicy J," below! (Photo by Pete Murray)