Mirrorball Share Red Hot Dust Single

If you are one of those nerds (I hope you are) that reads the liner notes, the name Chris Coady should ring a bell; he’s produced tons of records by your favorite indie bands…and now he’s behind the recording of the new Mirrorball EP. Why does that matter? Well, if you trace his musical breadcrumbs, you’ll find tons of Beach House, and that’s not too far off from where Mirrorball fits. Alexandra Johnstone has that same powerful weight in her vocal delivery, though she seems able to carry it with a bit more confidence, allowing the track to rise to meet up the central melody; this melody is brought to us courtesy of this bounding piano backbone, holding up the entirety of the tune. Their new EP should be out this year, so keep your ears ready!

RayRay’s Top Songs – 2018

When it comes to ATH and our areas of expertise, I like to think I’m the go to guy for song lists and bad ass playlists. If you’re doubting me, just ask anyone who used to attend our council meetings back in the day and they will assure you I know what’s up. So I spent some time going through my 2018 most played and most liked songs to create a playlist for you and your kin. Somehow I ended up with 45 songs… Why 45? I honestly have no idea, that’s just how it came out. After the jump you will find full song list and a few playlist streaming options.

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Beach House Play ACL Live Tonight

If you’ve been reading any of the ridiculous mid-year album lists (of which I made my own) you’ll likely notice a trend among all lists…that trend being that Beach House‘s latest album 7 is high upon the list. Sub Pop dropped the album in May, and it’s amassed continuous buzz and support since it dropped; tonight you’ll get a chance to catch the group at ACL LIVE. Honestly, I can’t think of a venue more fit to host a dreamy set by the group; the lighting alone will do wonders for the performance. Ed Schrader’s Music Beat will be opening the night around 8 PM; so be sure you’re there in time to catch Beach House take the stage just after 9.

Give Bouquet a Listen

bouquetYou looking for that calming pop music to soothe your soul after watching last night’s debates…or at least reading your Facebook feed? I think the subtle beauty of this new Bouquet track is the perfect way to start your day then. Synthesized drum loops, meandering guitar and a pleasant vocal can make your day better. There are some notes that reach the heights of Beach House, though things are filled out by a male counterpoint, balancing out the craft. Feel like we all need our day and our world to improve, and this is putting me in the right head space.

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Sound On Sound Fest Lineup + Location

dd9b6895-8024-4a3e-88a6-a597291f3e5cSince the announcement of founding fathers Graham Williams and James Moody breaking off from Transmission Entertainment to start their company Margin Walker, we’ve all been awaiting the lineup and location for their new festival Sound on Sound. Well the wait is over today, and I’ve gotta say, this thing is super impressive with how fast they put it together. We of course love Beach House, Descendents, Wild Nothing, METZ, etc. etc. etc. I’m personally crapping my pants for Thursday! Just like Fun Fest use to deliver, this lineup gives a little something for everyone to enjoy and rivals all other festival lineups in town. Full lineup is attached on poster or via Sound on Sound’s website.

As far as location goes, Sound on Sound will take place at Sherwood Forest Faire just East of Austin in McDade, Texas.

Three day tickets are currently on sale via soundonsoundfest.com.

Festival Recap: Day 2 of Primavera Sound 2016

Photo by Eric Pamies

Photo by Eric Pmies

A nine hour flight turned twelve hour flight prevented me from posting this yesterday as planned, but travel woes aside I’m still living in the past weekend in Barcelona. Friday, the second day of the festival, was every bit as jam packed as the first day of Primavera Sound, with the promise, once again, of a huge name in the rock world at the spotlight of the day. As someone who calls herself a casual Radiohead fan, I’ll admit I was fairly stoked to see what the band had in store for their headlining evening at Parc Del Forum, but they weren’t the only exciting moment that Friday had in store for festival goers. Read on to hear some of the highlights and see some pictures from Day 2.

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New Music from Stone Cold Fox

stonecoldI really like this new track from Stone Cold Fox. There’s vocal bits that remind me of early Beach House, though I feel like you can hear just a little bit more of a soulful longing. Musically, the band has more of a sprawling noise based upon guitars rather than electronic washes, which definitely ups my enjoyment. And, the vocals remain the song’s focal point, accented by the stabbing guitar chords and machine-gun drum hits; it leaves you with a powerful impression that begs you to come back for more. The group release the Tunnel Vision EP next Friday.

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New Single from Vow

vowAnother week, and another track from rising label, The Native Sound: Vow’s “Green Light”. Musically, Vow often times resembles the construction of Beach House, though they seem to have polished off those atmospheric edges in favor or more direct contact with the listener; there’s an immediacy that comes with the delivery of of Julia’s powerful voice. It even takes a nice turn in the latter half of the song that recalls the early days of Metric. Ultimately, it leaves you with this soaring bit of indie rock that you’ll spin time and time again. Look for the band’s debut LP, Kind Eyes on May 27th.

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The ATH Top 50 Albums of 2015

Albums ListYear-end lists are everywhere…and I can see why they’re important to people. But, seeing as we generally walk off the beaten path more often than not, our list of the Top 50 Albums of 2015 is in no particular order, save alphabetically. It seems pointless to rank one piece of art higher than another, especially when the four of us at ATH all have varying tastes. We just put this list together of the albums we loved the most this year. Are we saying they’re better than records by Grimes or Kendrick Lamar? No, we’re just saying that these are the records we loved more than others. So, you can read on for what we thought was hot.

Also…put links to individual stores where you can buy the albums from the bands…as that’s how we all survive in this music world.
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