New Music from Morning Harvey

morningharveyMorning Harvey is a five-piece act from Brisbane, Australia, and listening to this track, I think they fit right into the country’s latest musical exports.  You’ll hear a slight nod to the modern blend of psychedelia and shoe gaze, but I also hear evidence of an infatuation with Brit-pop.  There’s even  a soloing piece of guitar work that echoes throughout the end of the track, which is a major throwback, in my opinion, to 90s pop over in London.  Regardless, this new tune is pretty sweet, and hopefully we’ll have more news for you soon about a new release from the band.

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The Mary Onettes Roll Out Another Hit

the-mary-onettes-Gunnar-BjörlingIt’s really been a joy watching the growth and progression of The Mary Onettes.  Their first entry into the indie mainstream was coated in a sort of wash of atmospherics, but they’ve since cleaned some things up.  But, on this new single you’ll see a nod to their past efforts, though the crystalline approach to the vocal delivery is also apparent here.  It’s the best of both worlds, indicating that the band has finally found the perfect formula.  You can grab their latest release, Portico, next Tuesday via Labrador Records.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02-Naive-Dream.mp3]

 

Dig This Gay Single

gayNo. This single is not gay; it’s an inanimate object, silly.  Gay is the name of the band, who hail from Denmark.  It’s definitely a song with a different feeling than other worldly music goings-on.  For one, the guitar is just this distorted ringing sound, emphasized by the electronic programming that’s used to fill the background.  But, the vocal performance makes this song ridiculously catchy, and that’s precisely the reason I picked it out for you to jam with today. This track is the A-Side to the band’s new 7″, which will have a physical release on March 4th via Zoo Music.

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SXSW 2014 Interview: Coeds

coedsWith our SXSW interview extravaganza, it’s only fair that we do some coverage of up-and-coming Austin acts who are making a name for themselves, right? Today we’re going to bring you a bit of info on the act Coeds.   They’ve previously popped up on our radar before with some coverage from B. Gray, bu we wanted to go a little further in-depth for their SXSW preparation.  Click on for responses from the band’s Meredith Munoz.

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New Music from Dylan Shearer

12 Jacket (3mm Spine) [GDOB-30H3-007}I thought Dylan Shearer was a great secret, and after spending a lot of time with his last effort, Porchpuddles, I was happy to keep it that way.  But, like all great things, you can’t keep them to yourself for long, which is great for Dylan.  He’s signed on with Empty Cellar and Castleface to do a joint release for his new album, Garagearray (what’s with the lack of spaces?). Dylan’s one of those artists that I think doesn’t need a lot of discussion about the tracks details and what not.  Once you listen for a few times, you’re hooked. It’ll see a release on April 15th; be prepared to have yourself a new favorite artist.

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Greg Ashley – Another Generation of Slaves

ashley-lpRating: ★★★★½

The past few weeks I’ve been listening to Another Generation of Slaves pretty non-stop.  When it came down to the arbitrary rating system, I wavered between a 4 and a 5, then settled on the now visible 4.5. While those numbers may mean little, all I can say as I write is that Greg Ashley has left us with a record that, at this point, is the best collection of songs I’ve heard this year.

“East Texas Plain” is a brilliantly solemn ballad.  It opens with a barroom piano while some understated percussion provides the perfect accent to Greg Ashley’s voice.  There’s something that goes into his vocal delivery that offers a familiarity to it; I keep thinking that he’s a more palatable Richard Hawley.  I particularly like how there’s just a little buzz in the recording too, providing some authenticity to what lays within.  Yet, Ashley doesn’t want to create something that weighs you down with one simple style.  “Brother Raymond” is a bluesy offering that brings a little bit of a rock n’ roll swagger to his creation.  It’s the perfect placement too…giving a bit of energy before bringing you to the best track.

It’s not that Another Generation of Slaves peaks entirely early, but I cannot get “Awkward Affections” out of my head.  There’s not too much to the actually lyrical content, but there’s a huge emotional pull going on inside.  Perhaps it’s the repeated séance of “you make me feel like shit/I wanna kill myself.”  If you’re looking for a song that begs to be played again and again, you should find a way to get your hands on this number.  However, the early tracks, like the three above all fall under 4 minutes, while it seems Greg saved his more laborious tracks for the latter half of the record.

The last few tracks on this record are all over 5 minutes, with my personal favorite being “Prisoner #1131267.” I love the piano work on this track; it sounds like there’s some classical training here, but at the same time, the way it’s used makes it seem like it’s just about to go out of tune; it buzzes and hums in your speakers.  It’s songs like these, which is pretty much every track, where you can hear an artist putting every bit on the line, musically.  Sure, Ashley might sound subdued at times, but other moments exist where he’s just belting out the notes, maximizing his passion.

I can’t really explain how much I love listening to Another Generation of Slaves.  There are songs that sound like cowboy piano ballads, then there are others with horns to jazz things up a bit.  There’s no telling which way Greg Ashley is going to take you on this listen, but I can assure you that no matter which way he goes, you’re not going to be let down one bit.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/03-Awkward-Affections.mp3]
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