Category: Tunes

FFF Fest Artist Spotlight: Alvvays

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Alvvays. press photo. red. Gavin KeenMan, are we Austinites lucky. We just finished wrapping our coverage of ACL last Friday with B. Gray’s pretty photos, and now we’re getting ready to take on Auditorium Shores for the funnest of the fests. Kicking off our coverage, I’ve got an artist spotlight for one of my favorite SXSW stars, Alvvays. I caught this group a few times last spring, and each time they made me fall in love with their pop hooks and jangle rock sensibilities a bit more. They’ve simply got a recipe for delight– the impossibly pure vocals of leading lady, Molly Rankin combine with the crisp guitar work and are supplemented by bombastic drums. What more could you want in a festival setting? Nothing. So take a listen below, fall in love, and get ready to catch them on Sunday on the Orange Stage at Fun Fun Fun Fest. 

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Sea Pinks Return!

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seapinkysWe’ve been fans of Belfast’s Sea Pinks for a while now, so it’s always good news to hear new tunes from the band, as well as delight in the pleasure of looking forward to a new album on the horizon. This fresh track, “Depth of Field,” reminds you just why you fell in love with Sea Pinks in the first place, or why you should be falling in love with them right now. The guitars are tight and have just the right amount of jangle on them, like a crisp autumn breeze, while the warm vocals feel like sunshine– there’s a beautiful balance to this song that shouldn’t be overlooked. Be sure to check out Soft Days, the band’s upcoming LP, out January 8th via CF Records.

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Show Preview: Mac Demarco @ Stubbs (10.20)

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105346_lgYou heard right, King Mac Demarco is coming to town this Tuesday night and you’ll be a fool to miss him. Now Mac and company are a special group, bringing you not only their jangly off kilter stoner pop, but adding that extra element of shenanigans in the live setting. These antics never fail to bring a smile to my face, nor do they take away at all from the tunes that the band plays. They’re supporting Mac’s newest release, Another One, and they’ve got Alex Calder as well as Demarco’s other band, Walter TV, to open up the night with their guitar driven and weird pop tunes respectively. While advance GA tickets are sold out, there still seems to be some VIP tickets up for grabs over here at the Stubbs website.  Check out a few tracks from the bands below and get scrambling to find yourself some tickets if you don’t already have some; it’s gonna be a night to remember.

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Stream (and buy) the New LP from the Ocean Party

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11856249_10153084418697263_15473172251284196_oUntil earlier this year, we’d kept out ATH Records label rocking the Texas scene, but I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to step out and take on the Ocean Party for their US release. Front to back, Light Weight is a remarkable listening, showing the maturity and the pop sensibility the band has long been honing in Australia. If things go the right way, this should be one of those records your friends will tell you you should have grabbed before it went out of print. To see where I am right, stream the entirety of the LP below. If you’re in love like I am, you can grab it HERE or HERE; it should arrive and ship out this week. 

Brash Blaster from Iska Dhaaf

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iskaBefore we get settled too far into Monday with some smooth pop tunes, I wanted to toss out something to get your energy up just a little bit…I think this Iska Dhaaf tune should do the trick nicely. It’s the project of Ben Verdoes, who you should know from his solo beat making or his work in Mt. St Helens Vietnam Band. The chorus is shouted from the minute the drum sticks hit the rim and blast you into the song’s twist and turns. There’s no album yet, but word is we should expect something from the duo sometime in the New Year. Such a killer tune.

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CONTEST: Win Matt Pond PA Tix @ the North Door (10.24)

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mattpondpaThere’s a lot of shows coming through Austin this month, and what better way to celebrate than by offering you a chance to win a pair of tickets to Matt Pond PA!? He’s touring the states behind the sound of his excellent LP, The State of Gold, which came out not too long ago. He’s been a huge part of the music scene since 98′, just illustrating how great songs and musicians can stand the test of time. Opening for him will be Laura Stevenson over at the North Door. You can also buy yourself a set of tickets on your own HERE, if you’re not into playing contests.

If you want free tickets, leave a comment with your favorite album of 2015…I’ll pick a winner. You can also tweet your response to @austintownhall.  I’ll pick a winner on Thursday at NOON.

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Pleased to Meet You: Murder Shoes

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murderBeen on a kick trying to find some great tunes that aren’t getting a lot of coverage otherwise, which is where I found this tune from Murder Shoes. You’ll hear a distinctive guitar sound with crisp angles and a slight bit of jangle, which you know I enjoy immensely. They’ve just released this track as a hint at good things to come from the band for their upcoming LP, Daydreaming. It’s the sort of sugary pop that all of us love, engrained in our souls with the perfect bit of melody sticking with us. You’ll be able to get your hands on a copy on November 16th via Land Ski Records.

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Wimps Hit a Home Run with New Single

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wimpsI’m pretty sure that Wimps wrote this great new tune while thinking of me, or maybe you. The music itself is pretty straightforward, feeding listeners some solid riffs with a catchy ring to them. But, the lyrical content is where I connect the most. My interpretation is that the “old guy” mentioned in the song is disgruntled at having constantly being seen as the old guy at the party with all the answers. Now, I might not know exactly what they mean, but I definitely feel like the old dude at some of the shows we go to. It’s not a complaint for me so much as it is that everyone just stares at the “old guy” in the corner; I’m that old guy. Sorry for creeping everyone out. Still, the song’s great, period. It appears on the band’s new album, Suitcase, which has a November 13th release via Kill Rock Stars. 

Terrible Truths Finally Prep Debut

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Terrible Truths 2015 LP cover PRINT READYI feel like it’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the debut from Australia’s Terrible Truths is finally on its way. Several singles have floated about for years, and this is the second official single from the band.  It’s got an angular punch to it, tied in with a playful bounce to keep the groove running. There’s a whole lot to love from the vocal delivery; it’s almost bratty, but in an indifferent sort of way rather than just an angst-ridden tirade. Honestly, it’s all really refreshing, and it feels like the band is doing so much right with this tune. Their self-titled debut is out this week courtesy of Bedroom Suck Records.

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Clean Pop Tune from Sunturns

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sunturnsSunturns is a group made up of heavy-hitters from inside the Swedish pop scene, but it would probably take too long to list them all, so may as well just focus on how great this song is. It’s a dosage of indiepop that comes off about as clean as you can get; there’s no jangling guitar or wall of atmospherics, just plain old good songwriting. It just so happens that this track, and the album’s content, take on Christmas…which is their second run at an original Christmas album. Fika Recordings will be releasing Christmas I and II as a double LP on red and white vinyl; it comes out on December 4th, just in time for a great gift. Enjoy the holiday season early.

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