Another Jam from Rural Alberta Advantage

raaI’m really excited about the new album from Rural Alberta Advantage; they always find a way to weave themselves perfectly into my life.  This new single sounds huge, production-wise, which comes with a bit of trepidation, but I love the piano matched with male/female singing.  I’m hoping that while the record has a larger quality that it still holds the intimacy the band has used in their earlier recordings; there’s a nice touch of it at the end of this song. Mended with Gold will be released on September 30th via Saddle Creek; I’m hoping for the best.

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Newish Jam from Teenanger

teensFigure we’d start off our week with some crunchy guitars and smooth vocal delivery from Toronto outfit, Teenanger.  The guitars have this little bit of swagger in them, with some ringing mini-solos, while the sultry attitude of the vocals is casual.  But, they’ve also got a few tracks where the male vocal takes front focus, so don’t pin all your hopes and dreams of this band on one style.  If you dig it, look for the group’s EPLP to be released on September 9th via Telephone Explosion.

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Take A Listen to Germ House

artworks-000088412092-v8e2g6-t500x500Some labels always surprise you with the music they’re able to get their hands on, which is why I feel like I can always count on the folks over at Trouble In Mind Records to turn me onto something good, like Germ House.  The song opens up fairly calmly, though I particularly latched onto the vocals.  While it might seem to stay in place, there’s a jump for the chorus, picking up the pace in the track.  It’s a pretty great tune, putting the group on my radar, thankfully.  You can pick up their new album, Showing Symptoms, on August 26th from the label.

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Stream New Album from Stanley Brinks and Freshcard

freshtodethIt’s Friday, and I’m totally stressed. Buying a new house, starting teaching again on Monday, so I needed something to mellow me out a bit.  Luckily, the good folks at Fika Recordings sent over this great new album from Stanley Brinks and Freshcard; it’s titled Pizza Espresso.  The record is full of duets between the two songwriters, offering an indiepop spin on the folk duets one would get from Emmylou and Gram, or more recently, Dutchess and the Duke. It just sort of makes me feel better about the world knowing that we can all detox from mundane activities with tunes like these.  If you love what you hear (you should) then go to Fika and pick yourself up a copy!

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Download Latest Single from S

jenngYou know what I respect about Hardly Art? They’re still down to give out a free download now and then.  They trust in their product; they know you’ll love what you hear, so you’ll pick it up from them.  So, with that in mind, they tossed up the newest tune from S, the project of Jenn Ghetto.  It’s much like her earlier singles, showing sonic similarities towards Tegan and Sara; no one is too cool to enjoy a great pop song…well, some of you are, but you’re probably not reading this. She’ll be releasing her album, Cool Choices, on September 23rd through the label; don’t be afraid to enjoy your day listening to this tune.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/S_Brunch.mp3]

Download: S – Brunch [MP3]

This Half Japanese Song Is Pretty Good

halfsiesNo! This song is not half-English, half-Japanse. It’s the name of the band, Half Japanese. The legendary outfit is returning with their first record in 13 years, which is probably about the first time I ever heard of the group.  Listening to these songs sort of shows me how influential the group has been, though it’d be hard to trace the exact influential lineage.  Still, if you listen to a lot of the lo-fi or oddball pop being crafted, it seems like there had to be an origin somewhere; I like to think it was with this band.  They’ll be releasing this new album, Overjoyed, via Joyful Noise Recordings in just two weeks!

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Listen to the Brand New Ought Song

oughtIf you haven’t listened to More Than Any Other Day by Ought, then I’m feeling sort of bad for you now.  That record has won me over time and time again, not to mention their live show was pretty stellar, if not better than expected.  Fortunately (and unfortunately sort of) they’ve got a new song from a new EP. But, in order to listen to it, you have to stream the two songs before it (or just skip right to the 10 minute mark) from other bands on the Constellation Records roster; you CR folks are tricky! Still, you’ll do well to make sure you’re well acquainted with this act because I’ll probably be raving about them for some time to come.

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New Track From Tennis System

tsLos Angeles based group Tennis System are returning in 2014 with some new material and below you can find their latest single “Memories & Broken Dreams”.  It’s a little bit of taistey, atmospheric pop music that’s sure to be a treat for your ears.  Enjoy and let us know your thoughts.

You can pick up their latest LP entitled Technicolor Blind on October 21st via PaperCup Music.

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Dark Blue Offer New Tune

ceremonyWhen I first heard this track from Dark Blue, I had to go back and re-read the information I had on the group.  I knew it was a super-group of sorts, so I immediately thought of Calvin Johnson; it’s not Calvin though.  It’s actually just a bunch of rad dudes from rad bands like Ceremony, Paint It Black, Strand of Oaks and some others.  The lyrical delivery sort of sounds like David Gedge wrote the lyrics and gave the band instructions on how to sing, although the music has it’s own power altogether.  There’s distorting guitars shooting off and simple rhythmic pounding.  If you like any of the nonsense I name checked here, then pick up the group’s album, Pure Reality, via Jade Tree on October 7th.

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