The Oregon Coast is a beautiful place, with an enjoyably somber air to it for majority of the year. Now that summer is coming to an end, there's one more opportunity to enjoy the coast at its brightest. 

In its inaugural year, StackStock Music Festival takes some of the most popular and pleasant artists coming out of the Pacific Northwest and stages them in Cannon Beach, backdropped by rolling ocean waves at the Haystack Gardens.

Coming from hospitality company owner Ryan Snyder, StackStock's sole purpose is to "bring rock to the town with the rock" and that, he's done well. In collaboration with Live Wire! Radio's Kate Sokoloff and local booker Alicia J. Rose, the trio nabbed some in town favorites like the choral pop of Ages and Ages, harmonic folk from duo Wonderly and some latin-influenced guitar sounds from the Edna Vazquez Acoustic Trio. A dream pop flare will come from Pure Bathing Culture along with some pretty rocking folk ballads from a solo headlining set from Colin Meloy, the lead singer of The Decemberists. An interactive pop set from the OK Chorale PDX will get the festival crowd going as well.

"The North Coast of Oregon is not really on the tour schedule for big name touring acts like Colin Meloy or Pure Bathing Culture," says Snyder. "STACKSTOCK is my way of sharing this incredibly unique music with the community here and our visitors alike."

Saturday's StackStock runs from 1-9pm. Advance sale tickets are $40 and $50 the day of. For directions, ticket purchasing and more information, head to www.STACKSTOCKFEST.com.

Úlfur, the post-rock project of Úlfur Hansson, readily reflects the artist's native Iceland. At times, his songs are as desolate and expansive as the country's central highlands, a trait shared in the music of some of his fellow Icelanders, like Sigur Rós or Ólöf Arnalds.

However, Úlfur's blend of electronic and acoustic instruments (some of which are homemade like his SEGULHARPA, an electromagnetic harp) never feels alienatingly robotic or inhuman. Úlfur's music is a nuanced reflection of the natural world. Since his move to NYC, his music has exchanged its wilderness sensibility for dreamier, folk-like soundscapes. Make sure to check out Úlfur's new single "Fovea" from his upcoming album Arborescence, available next month. --Amanda Ogea

Brooklyn avant-rock group Late Sea's new music video "Ring the Bells" is a collision of ominous visuals and orchestral textures, a cryptic narrative steeped in mystery. The music video tells the story of Jewish-Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Composer and vocalist Izzy Gliksberg describes Spinoza: “His story lies not only in his hermetic, esoteric, mind boggling philosophy, but also in his expelling from his community and what he suffered from being faithful to his thoughts and dreams.” The stunning cinematography of "Ring the Bells" is no less than brain-teasing and perplexing, and paired with the gorgeous, simple horn and string arrangements, the video is beautifully captivating. - Geena Kloeppel