New British Punk from The Wind-Up Birds

The Wind-Up Birds are a UK pop-punk band, but it’s clear that the definition of pop punk varies from continent to continent. Vocal delivery is definitely a touch different, which you’ll easily notice–to me it recalls Art Brut in the way it’s very matter of fact, almost spoken word.  The group’s just released their new album, The Land, and it’s full of sharp and jagged guitar licks just like the one here.  If you’re a fan of bouncing punk rock, then this is going to be right up your alley!

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/The-Wind-up-Birds-Cross-Country-01-Cross-Country.mp3]

Download:The Wind-Up Birds – Cross Country [MP3]

Nice Country-Tinged Track from Sons of Fathers

Sons of Fathers are an up-and-coming Austin band, and with the impending release of their second album, Big Diamond Waltz, coming in August, the boys are prepping to take over Austin…and probably move beyond.  This track below is featured on the album, and it had an appeal to both the indie sorts and the country fans.  It’s that precise balance of sounds that really has the band poised to have a break out year once the release comes out; we wish them the best of luck, but we hope most of all that you’ll enjoy this track as we kick off the week.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/01-Burning-Days.mp3]

Download:Sons of Fathers – Burning Days [MP3]

Show Preview: Alcoholic Faith Mission @ Mohawk (5/22)

Date Tuesday, May 22nd
Location Mohawk
Doors 900 pm
Tickets $10 at the Door.

It’s going to be a great week for rock shows in Austin, and I have the perfect way to start off your week in the proper fashion. Danish pop group, Alcoholic Faith Mission are coming into town in support of their recent record, Ask Me This.  They crossbreed straight pop with elegant songwriting, giving listeners hooks galore.  Plus, they’ll be joined by Old Flame Records labelmates, You Won’t.  The Massachusetts group blends indie pop and folk, in a fashion that has garnered them accolades for some time.  School’s out for a lot of people, so let’s all go and enjoy the music folks.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/07-Ask-Me-This.mp3]

Download:Alcoholic Faith Mission – Ask Me This [MP3]

Nice Poppy B-Side from The Eversons

Not too long ago I brought you a sweet single from New Zealand’s The Eversons, discussing the gems off their recent album Summer Feeling.  I was stoked today when they offered up a free B-Side from that recording session, and it’s more blissful pop to warm your heart (as if I needed that hear in Texas).  You can find this song on their 7″ for Could It Ever Get Better, which you can pick up straight from the band if you offer them a generous (and helpful donation).  There’s a youthfulness to the tunes coming from this quartet, and right now, it’s precisely what I need to get ready for summer!

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TheEversons-I-Dont-Wanna-Be-Your-Friend.mp3]

Download:The Eversons – I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend [MP3]

Dana Buoy – Summer Bodies

Rating: ★★★½☆

Having been a fan of Akron/Family for some time now, it’s interesting to see where their music leaves off and Dana Buoy takes over.  Summer Bodies is a great bit sunnier in its construction than any of the work he’s done with his band up until now.  That being said, you can definitely see the lineage between his solo work and his work elsewhere.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Dana Buoy‘s solo outing until I made it beyond the first minute of the opening track, “Anatomy of Now.”  For that minute, you get little more than vocals, but then a sort of indie-clad tribal element comes in to join Buoy.  There’s definitely a light-hearted mood created, but it’s not overly exuberant…I like a little restraint. “Call to Be” follows it up with another emphatic number, though this one is a touch darker in its musical quality.  The chorus line of the rising oh into “this is just a call to be” is possibly one of my favorite moments on the record.

One of the great things about Summer Bodies is Buoy’s ability to build anticipation for the listener, leading you into the glorious hooks slowly.  He does this with the opening track, and he does it again with “So Lucky.” But, while those two tracks have heavier (sort of) beats kick in, he can also build into a slow jam like he does with “Sattelite Ozone,” a song that mellows just as it begins to pick up.  It might go too far at time, as the formulaic approach begins to grow a bit expected, but it’s a cool touch that I definitely appreciate.

And as much as I enjoy the beats that encourage me to tap my feet, I appreciated Dana Buoy‘s ability to go in a different direction altogether.  “Futures Part” is one such song, again building slowly, yet there’s a gentle touch to the track as it unfolds.  Time and time again, you think Dana could just go far off into rhythmic bliss, but he’s showing his ability to hold back just enough and explore softer sides.  You’re probably going to overlook such tiny nuances, but in a day and age where songs come fast and heavy-handed (in regards to hooks and beats), it’s nice to find someone pulling up short.

Listening to Summer Bodies comes off a bit like a two-sided affair, yet it definitely has enough to tie everything together. Side A has the tendency to hit hard, using beats to catch your ears.  Side B wanders a bit, in a pleasant sense, showing that Dana Buoy still has the wish to use his gifts as a writer of exploratory pop songs.  Tied in together, the whole record has the ability to thrill and uplift, time and time again.  Label me a pleasantly surprised fan of Dana’s solo work.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/03-So-Lucky.mp3]

Download:Dana Buoy – So Lucky [MP3]

Show Pics: I Break Horses @ Stubb’s (5/18)

We certainly intended to bring coverage of the M83 show, but a PR SNAFU prevented me from shooting them. I really didn’t want to sign that release anyway; it had a really strange clause about no digital editing. Really? Images from a DIGITAL SLR and no digital editting?

Not deterred, because I really wanted to see Sweden’s I Break Horses. I love Hearts. Love it. “Winter Beats” and “Wired” have been in rotation around the house for a while now. Could the band pull it off live? Head past the break for pics of their set, a few of my favorite shots of the year so far…

Read more

More New Jams from Volcano!

Not less than a month ago I brought you the title track from the new record, Pinata, by Volcano!, so I’m happy to offer up another fun track that I know you’re going to enjoy.  It’s still a little bit off-the-beaten-path pop, using tight guitar work as the backbone of the song.  I swear there’s a moment in the song when Ted Leo makes an appearance, but that’s just wishful thinking.  It doesn’t even matter, as there’s a shaky quality here, but also a soaring pop element that is crafted near the end of the track.  If you like your music to keep you entertained and twisting, then listen to this gem of a tune. Pinata is out June 12th on The Leaf Label.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/09_Long-Gone.mp3]

Download:Volcano! – Long Gone [MP3]

Killer Tune from So Many Wizards

This new track popped up on Stereogum yesterday, and I just had to post it.  We’ve heaped praised upon So Many Wizards since back in early 2011, and I’m still supporting, especially as their sound continues to grow.  In February I kind of gave them a nod to old school Shins, and they still have that propensity to dig into the pop realm from a very dense arena; these are the sort of things that always make us happy here at ATH. You can find this song as well as others we’ve raved about on August 14th when the band releases their album, Warm Nothing, via Jaxart Records.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/So-Many-Wizards-Happy-Birthday.mp3]

Download:So Many Wizards – Happy Birthday [MP3]

Led Er Est – The Diver

Rating: ★★★☆☆

One would imagine that the temperature and the greater environment of New York City would have a huge impact on the band’s coming out of the scene there, and listening to The Diver, you’re assumption would be right.  Led Er Est have constructed their second album, this time on Sacred Bones, with a very metallic cold sheen, further propelling them into the minimalist electronic scene.

“Animal Smear” opens with a very quick paces electronic rhythm, soon joined by a dark guitar line.  It’s vocal presence is a bit difficult to completely grasp at first, with Samuel Kklovenhoof’s voice maintaining a sterile echo that is present throughout.  For all intents and purposes, the record begins simply, not pushing the group’s sound too much further than Dust on Common, their first effort. However, there’s a pop sensibility that soon emerges for the group, which may garner more attention in the long run.

Your first glimpse at a progressing sound comes via “Kaiyo Maru.” The opening beat is a little bit basic, but the effects of implemented keyboards combined with Kklovenhoof’s voice give the track a softer pop underbelly.  If you could turn up the bass just a hint, and sharpen the dully synthesized drum beats, you might just have a glorified hit.  Interestingly, other tracks such as this one exist, such as “Iron the Mandala,” portraying the softer side of the band.  A great deal of The Diver seems like the band is just on the verge of pushing beyond their cold minimal sheen, yet they never take that full plunge over the edge; they choose to evoke emotions with the bare necessities…and the more I’m involved with the listening process, the more I see that it works.

Led Er Est‘s restraint in the overall production of the album demonstrates that their willing to remain subdued in light of the resurgence in bright electronic pop.  Listening to title track, “The Diver,” there’s an emptiness to the song.  I keep imagining myself walking through some large industrial landscape, one that’s been left barren and destroyed.  It’s a haunting number, and when followed by the impending doom of “Bladiator,” you begin to understand the dark sentiment that establishes the mood of the entire album.  It’s the perfect background music for a cold moment in life; one that doesn’t necessarily require the chilling weather of NYC in the winter.

The Diver, for me, finds Led Er Est in the middle ground, balancing somewhere between cold industrial electronic and dark pop.  Personally, I dig the entire thing as an album, but my ears definitely lean closer to the speakers during the poppier moments of the album.  Seeing as the group hasn’t been around for too long, you can see as this record as a band finding their way through the darkness in their music.  Perhaps in the future there’s a darker side, but I’m hoping for a little bit of light to continue to shine through.

Great New Pop from Saint Motel

The generous dudes over at Saint Motel sent us this track this morning, and I’m so glad they did.  Some groups just have a knack for writing a simple pop tune that is able to rise above standards and find it’s way into constant rotation in your musical life.  The LA quartet is setting up to release their debut, Voyeur, some time this year, and I expect that it’s going to fall somewhere in the vein of bands like Mystery Jets, carefully writing catchy pop numbers I won’t want to share with anyone but myself.  But, just for today, I’d like to share this one with you.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/05-1997.mp3]

Download:Saint Motel – 1997 [MP3]

1 1,480 1,481 1,482 1,483 1,484 1,931