Austin Town Hall

There’s been tons of great records being pushed upon the Internet world lately, but one that I’m personally excited about it is the new effort from Pure X.  Crawling Up the Stairs is on my list of anticipated albums, and it’s great that an Austin band is making such big waves.  But, in other news, they’ll be playing their album release next Thursday, giving us Austinites a chance to hear the new tunes live at Holy Mountain on Thursday, May 23rd; they’ll be joined by Troller and Versus.  And, we’re going to give away a pair of tickets to the show, which you can win by simply leaving us a comment.  Let us know what your summer plans are, even if you have a real job and are just taking a weekend jaunt.  We’ll pick the most exciting summer plan, and there’s our winner.  Contest will end on Friday at Midnight.

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Download: Pure X – Things in my Head [MP3]

In the wake up Rilo Kiley and Standard Fare passing into the abyss of great bands, I’ve been looking for something to perfectly fill my need for girl-fronted pop rock.  This latest single from Big Wave has me excited for what positive things are sure to come in the future from the group.  While there may be some dark subject matter, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the emotional pull of the music, giving off a powerful boost of energy.  This new single is, as usual, brought to you by the great folks over at Art is Hard Records.

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Download: Big Wave – GW Bridge [MP3]

It’s a rare event these days when standing near the rear of venue, and realizing that it’s the best spot in the house. Such an exception took place last Thursday at Emo’s new venue when Simon Green (aka Bonobo) rode into town touting his latest 6-piece live band. Follow the jump for more from the show.
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Just this last week the folks over at Burger Records released a cassette from Dutch band Mozes and the Firstborn.  I like how the group opens up this lead single by jumping right into the chorus, than going backwards by offering up the verses.  The vocals remind me of Austin’s The Strange Boys, those there’s a different folk spin on the group’s approach.  A relaxed pace and a catchy chorus make this song worthy of repeat listens throughout your day, which will hold true for the band’s self-titled cassette.  It’s available now, so do what’s good for you and pick it up.

It seems like a bit of a slow week for live music in Austin until the weekend so bigger name indie groups like Natural Child should be a must for music lovers.  The show goes down on the inside stage of Red 7 and features a nice opener in the form of Birdcloud.  Coming in at only $10, this seems like a no-brainer if you’re looking for something to do on a Tuesday night.  Of course you know the rock will be brought and fun will be had by all.

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Download: Natural Child – B$G P$MP$N [MP3]

We all now how busy Robert Pollard is, constantly writing songs for himself and for GBV, so he doesn’t want to waste any time here; he wants to give you another jam to take you into your Friday. He’s got a new record titled Honey Locust Honky Tonk, which will be in stores on July 9th.  This is actually one of my favorite tracks of his recent output, which doesn’t mean I hate anything or love anything in particular, only that I like this track quite a bit.  Never a bad day when you’ve got Bob to take you into the weekend.

Astrid Swan was the first signee with my favorite little label, Soliti Music; her first release was all Pavement covers.  On this new single, you’ll see her expansive creativity, as she works the song in slowly for almost two minutes.  About that time the piano begins to bounce more heavily, with off-kilter percussion accentuating the vocal.  It’s definitely a song that’s going to take careful listening, but I think for a rainy day here in Austin, it’s perfect.  You can find her new album Astrid4 coming to you sometime in the fall of 2013.

Every hero needs theme music…

In the mood for a locally-sourced tasty house dance jam with a great bass line and pretty vocal loops to get you through an afternoon? Good, me too. Thankfully, Michael from ATH favorite Orthy and Samantha of Whiite Walls DJ as Deep Cuts decided to do an original track. It makes me want to put on big headphones and walk around at night with purpose.

If you dig this, check out this IT Department post and a track from Loose Fit.