Category: News

I Love This New Wand Rocker

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lordoftheringsOne of the more surprising efforts from last year was the debut from Wand, Ganglion Reef. It was an album filled with a great deal of modern tropes, from psych to garage, but it looks like they’ve focused more on the garage side, only they’ve turned up the volume a touch.  Their latest single has the band blasting in furiously, thought it slows down around the 2 minute mark for a nice walk in the park, all before smashing everything to bits as the song draws to a close.  In the Red will release their new effort, Golem, on March 17th of this year; it should be another great listen if we’re judging one song.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/177728851″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Austin Spotlight: Rose Selavy

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roseyFree Week in Austin is all about discovery, or at least it used to be about discovery…so I’ve got one that I think deserves your attention: Rose Selavy. The group has fulfilled my need for someone new to bring some delightful indiepop to our fair city (She Sir can’t hold down the fort forever!). They’ve only got one single for you to hear, but it’s enough that it should entice you to catch their sets.  You’ll hear jangling guitars knifing their way through this song, using synth stabs and nice vocal touches to wrap you in the perfect warmth.  They’ll be playing Free Week at Holy Mountain on Saturday, so if you’re not afraid of the cold…this is a good solid spot to end up.

Pop Tune from Sun Hotel

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sunneeI’m pretty sure the award for longest song title of 2015 is going to go to Sun Hotel, but dammit if it’s not just a great song to listen to any time of the day.  There’s an urgency in the guitar playing, and something I’m finding quite relatable in the way the vocals are delivered; it sort of reminds me of a calmer version of art-rockers Ought.  Sadly, it sounds like their new effort, Rational Expectations, might be their last as members are slated to move on to new projects; I’ll still enjoy this when it comes out via Community Records on February 3rd.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178602172″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Mellow Folk from River Whyless

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riversAs I speak, the weather here in Austin has grown increasingly frigid (which I abhor), so I just want to bundle up and jam to something warming (wearing out my Sturgill Simpson LP).  This River Whyless single should definitely do the trick, offering up some ornate folk music.  From the picking of the guitar to the burst of cymbal crashes, you can tell that there’s been great care put into each touch on their new work.  It’s the sort of music that provides emotional warmth while allowing for the lyrics to carry your mind away. Look for their self-titled EP on January 20th via Backwoods Nation.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/183923131″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Listen to Keath Mead, Please

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kmEver feel like listening to the Velvet Undergound, yet you wanted something even more warbled and warped? Then perhaps you’re going to enjoy spending some time jamming to Keath Mead, who seems to have reimagined “Sweet Jane” in a more pristine fashion, yet wrapped it in some oddity of fuzz and scrambled tape samples.  It’s a track that achieves so much in so many ways that I’m pretty sure I’ll just kick it with this song for the rest of the day.  I’m really excited to see what he does with his album Sunday Dinner come February 24th (Company Record Label).

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178559373″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Divers Bring Out New Single

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dvrsThe guys in Divers talk of walking the fine long between indie rock and punk rock, and listening to their new single, you can hear them straddling that strange divide.  Opening this tune is this jagged guitar and furious punch; it reminds me of Les Savy Fav at their most bombastic.  But, those moments subside quickly and move into a safer world where Win Butler would feel most protected..or one of those Hold Steady cats. It’s definitely something I enjoy, though I’m not sure where it falls in my life. I guess we’ll see when their album Hello Hello falls on February 17th.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/157011441″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

More Expansive Pop from Cats of Transnistria

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transcatsIt’s difficult to capture the attention of modern listeners, especially with shorter attention spans and what not.  That being said, I beg you to really spend some time with the latest from Cats of Transnistria.  The song below changes landscapes from within the song, moving through gentle stages towards into more discordant moments, and then a return.  Their Away EP has been nothing if not captivating, allowing me to really sink into my listening experience as I indulge in this version of constructionist pop music; the EP is out next week from Soliti.  You can also check out the accompanying VIDEO.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2-San-Francisco.mp3]

 

 

Yesterday’s Hits

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We here at ATH like to bring you tunes that you may not hear elsewhere, spending lots of time scouring the internet for the best jams so that you don’t have to. However, that doesn’t mean we still don’t like to report on some of those bigger name bands we already know and love. So in this new feature we’ll group together some of the tracks that blew up in internetland yesterday and give you the necessary details so you can stay hip and fresh. We also rated the tunes with our special scale so you know which is the best new shit. So listen up kids.

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Beech Creeps Offer Noisy Pop Sensibility

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creepinClearly, one can press the distortion pedal and let the guitars ring loud; we’ve seen that quite a bit over the last few years as noise and shoegaze have made their full return.  But, Beech Creeps do it with a style that really exemplifies the band’s natural inclination towards writing pop songs.  The guitars swell throughout the track, and that’s all well and good, but the slightest vocal touches seem to turn the song from something dangerously monstrous into a hook-laden burst of noisy joy. You’ll be able to hear more of the same, hopefully, when the band drops their self-titled full length on March 3rd via Monofonus Press.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/171208349″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Show Pics: We Partied @ Holy Mountain (1/5)

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Lego KittehWe had a couple of excuses to throw a party. It was Free Week. Our friend Pooneh had a birthday. We had merch to sell.

The lineup was all kinds of ATH favorites; Young Girls, Slow, Jonly Bonly, Shivery Shakes and Grape St. As it turned out, Grape’s St‘s Brendan also had a birthday. Isn’t that great. Shout out to Holy Mountain‘s winter diorama.

Pinata. Confetti Eggs. Drink Specials. We were surrounded by friends. Couple comments after the break with a ton of pictures…

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