Spirited Pop from Summer Cannibals

unnamedI’ve really been enjoying the tunes I’ve heard from the new effort from Portland’s Summer Cannibals.  They’ve got this entangling bit of rock n’ roll, but there’s this sultry draw that comes from Jessica Bourdreaux that really drives home an extra special hook.  But, don’t think that things are all bright and sunny, as they break this song down with a crunchy guitar edge to round out the softness on the track. It’s the title track from their forthcoming album, Show Us Your Mind, which will pop up on New Moss Records on March 3rd.

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Premiere: Birds of Night Prep New Self-Titled LP

4212Just because we rep Austin doesn’t mean we don’t look around Texas for great tunes from our neighboring cities, which is where we ran into Denton’s Birds of Night.  The group’s new single has this guitar that cuts through the pounding rhythm section, tied in tightly with a great Southern vocal that wears a Texas drawl proudly.  It reminds me a lot of local band A. Sinclair, just offering up a heavy dosage of great no-frills rock n’ roll. Their album, Birds of Night, was recorded by Midlake‘s McKenzie Smith at his Redwood Studio, so you know they’ve already caught the ear of some Texas heavy-hitters.  Here’s to them reaching beyond our state line; look for the album on April 21st.

 

Powerful Track From Waxahatchee

10_700_700_549_waxahatchee_ivytrip_900pxBeen perusing the internet a little bit today and found this great new track from indie rocker Katie Crutchfield and her project known as Waxahatchee.  The track is called “Air” and is a simple, yet powerful tune, with its banging drums and washed out guitar driving us throughout.  Press play and enjoy the same thing I’ve been jamming all morning.

Pick up new album, Ivy Tripp, on April 7th via Merge.

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ATH & ACL Interview: The Wans

WansYou can almost smell it in the air can’t you?  That’s right folks, ACL is just a mere week away and ATH is once again pumped for the fun and debauchery.  Today I’m excited to share with you an interview I did recently with Nashville based rock band The Wans.  They’re playing ACL, and we’re pumped to welcome them to town.  Follow the jump for full interview.

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Enjoy Some Sundials

sundials-ws-710Here’s a great new track from Richmond, VA based band Sundials.  Now these guys create old school rock music with a no frills approach to the guitar and rhythm work in their songs.  Check out “Stun Spore” below and relive what sounds like some of the glory days gone by.

Sundials have a new EP entitled Kicks due out November 4th on Topshelf Records.

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Radical Dads Kick Ass

radical-dadsRadical Dads kick some major ass with their music.  They create a style that’s full of rockin’ vibes devoid of any fancy electronics or beep boops.  I can always dig that and I’m definitely into their latest single called “In the Water”.  As we’ve come to expect from the band, the tune brings a ton of great energy with a few spastic moments here and there to keep things interesting.

Radical Dads have a new EP entitled Cassette Brain due out October 7th on Old Flame Records.

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Song Premiere: Lake Effect

1898053_551850284914387_1205701683_nIt’s a day of exclusive song premieres on ATH, and I’m pumped to be sharing yet another one today from New Jersey based boys Lake Effect.  These guys have a knack for creating this raw, almost lackadaisical sounding, punk rock themed songs that I’m finding irresistible today.  Our premiere called “Molecules” is the definition of slacker rock.  One can almost see the band holding a beer in their hand while jamming out to this one at a smoke filled dive bar in the hidden corners of their north eastern home state.  Stay tuned as we hear more from these guys.  Let’s hope that we do.

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Cheap Girls – Famous Graves

cheap-girls-famous-gravesRating: ★★★½☆

Michigan’s Cheap Girls don’t have some labored back story or some certain angle they can promote.  Instead, the group, now on their sixth record, just offer up really clean guitar rock; there’s not schtick, no pretense, just good songs.  It sets the tone for listening to the entirety of Famous Graves, an album chocked-full of really good songs.

Famous Graves jumps at you right from the start with “Slow Nod.”  A screech of feedback exits your speaker, and the drums immediately pound in while the guitar rings in discord. You’ll hear the vocals of Ian Graham wail steadily, with the music seemingly swallowing his melody.  You need a guitar jam to start off your day? Best begin here. It’s one of the harder hitting moment on the record, aside from the one-two punch of “Pure Hate” and “Man in Question.”  These two tracks offer a noisy dosage of guitars and crashing drumming.  But, if you listen to the chorus of the former, you can hear the pop-centric approach the group has taken, surely endearing them to fans of all walks.  On the latter, Graham offers a bit of a pitch-change in his vocal delivery, and it’s this touch that makes listening to Cheap Girls more than just your average alternative rock affair; vocal distinction does indeed go a long way…at least in my ears.

Still, one of my favorite things about the release are the melodic moments that come far more frequently than one might expect.  My favorite tune, at the moment, “Knock Me Over,” establishes that emotion on its opening lines, using a muted guitar while Ian’s voice carefully makes its entrance into the track.  Sure, the song picks up a slight bit, but the band never shies away from using great harmonies.  Perhaps this style is not mastered any better inside Famous Graves than on the closer, “Turns.” I like the usage of strummed acoustic guitar to dominate the track; Graham’s vocal performance here is also one of his best on this record.  The ability of Cheap Girls to hold onto that melody while still being loud enough to be considered a rock band  is quite important in regards to your listening experience; it’s that perfect balance that allows you to come back to each song again and again without growing weary.

In an age where countless bands are regurgitating power chords and alternative rock stylings, it takes awhile to find something that makes a nod while still sounding unique in its own right.  Countless hours of listening to Famous Graves indicates that this record is just that; it combines melody and loud rock n’ roll effortlessly, proving that Cheap Girls know precisely what they’re doing. If you like such things, then you’d be a fool not to stop in and spend some time on this album.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/03-Knock-Me-Over.mp3]

 

Criminal Hygiene Just Won’t Quit

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Frequent readers of our site, know that I am a huge fan of L.A. based rockers Criminal Hygiene.  Once again, the band has completely surprised me with another superb track found below called “Raid”.  Of course it’s a rockin’ number like we’ve come to expect from these guys, but let’s not forget the overall fun quality you hear throughout.  These guys are just in it to create some solid tunes man.

This track is available on a new 7″ split with fellow rockers Dagos.  Buy that one from Summer Bummer here.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/01-Raid.mp3]

Download: Criminal Hygiene – Raid [MP3]

ATH Best of January Mix

januarymix-2014As we wind down the first month of the new year, it’s time to recap some of our favorite tunes that came our way in January.  We like to do that the new school way with a nice little soundcloud playlist to charm your ears.  You can find all the tunes we deemed “best of the best” streaming in the player below.  Did we miss anything?

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