New Good Field on Slack Capital 2

Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the greatest bands in Austin. All proceeds from the comp go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. To keep things exciting, we’re unveiling one song per day.

Song of the day: Good Field – “Necessary Feeling”

Good Field is a soulful, gritty indie pop band with chops for days, and their hook laden songs demand repeat listens. “Necessary Feeling” has the band in high spirits, buoyed by a glistening guitar riff that evokes not only the salt of an ocean breeze, but also the memory of an ocean breeze. There are plenty of guitars here, guitars that chop and guitars that peal, adding an AM gold fuzz to an otherwise neatly constructed pop-rock song. At one point in “Necessary Feeling” the song stops, a fake out, as singer Paul Price moans, “Hold my head”– a brief hangover– but after a few beats a crisp drum fill brings us back into the groove immediately. Later, the song roams into an extended freaky jam, but the dreamy existentialist core of this upbeat tune never quite leaves your line of sight. There is an over-caffeinated urgency and eagerness to “Necessary Feeling” that seems to say something like “Life is a lot, but life is good.” – Eric Braden

Pre-order the CD HERE:
Come to the release show. More info HERE.

Mom Jeans on Slack Capital 2

Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the greatest bands in Austin. All proceeds go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. To make sure every one of these artists gets the attention they deserve, we’re unveiling one song per day.

Song of the day: Mom Jeans – “Dumb Dude”

Mom Jeans are legit one of the funniest bands in Austin, but lead singer Jenny Bruce is only half-playing with lines like “I saw you on Facebook, talking ’bout politics/ Why don’t you stick to what you’re good at, skateboard and doing tricks,” as she flips the script on men who try to limit the role and place of a woman. That ever-present sense of humor puts Mom Jeans in a position to say something real (and super timely) without coming across as preachy or overly earnest. Even more importantly, the song has an incessantly catchy groove (thanks to Ursula and James’ quirky rhythm section) and sing-a-long melody that makes you want to listen to it on repeat. Perhaps more so than any band in town, Mom Jeans’ combination of laid-back vibe, overt humor, and bone-deep intelligence sums up something about the best of Austin music that the word “weird” fails to quite capture. If you’ve been looking for a song to post when boys act stupid on the Internet, look no further. –Eric Braden

Pre-order Slack Capital 2 rightHERE.

Come to the release party April 14 at Barracuda. EVENT PAGE.

New Pataphysics Pops on Slack Capital 2

Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the greatest bands in Austin. All proceeds go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. To make sure every one of these artists gets the attention they deserve, we’re unveiling one song per day.

Song of the day: Pataphysics – “Carrasco”

Spend any time in the Austin music underground and you’re bound to encounter a strain of music that seems to come from an alternate universe in which The Big Bopper was as popular as The Beatles, and where Buddy Holly lived long enough to start a New Wave band. This sub-genre of music is sometimes called zolo, or zonk (zany punk?), and when you see it, it feels like a direct link to the oddball punk legends of Austin history like Big Boys and The Dicks. You kind of laugh at yourself, standing there with your arms folded, and think, “Oh yeah, music can be fun!”

Pataphysics, led by former Zom Zom frontman Pat Healy, is definitely one of these bands. Their contribution to SC2, “Carrasco,” is an addictive synth-pop ode to Tex-Mex “Nuevo Wavo” legend Joe “King” Carrasco, whose fun-loving songs “Party Weekend” and “Man Overboard” Healy used to play back in the day as a dee-jay at KVRX. Healy says “Carrasco” is about a fictitious party thrown by the King. The best detail–“his friend’s Michael Jackson!”–turns out to be true, as the King of Pop himself supposedly sings background vocals on Carrasco’s reggae tune “Don’t Let a Woman (Make a Fool Out of You).”

Recommended for fans of Oingo Boingo, The B-52’s, and the black-out rush of getting off the couch too fast. –Eric Braden

Pre-Order Slack Capital 2 HERE.

Ian McKinney Has 2 Songs on Slack Capital 2

Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the coolest bands in Austin. All proceeds go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. To make sure every one of these bands gets the attention they deserve, we’re unveiling one song per day. (Except today, where we reveal two songs!)

Songs of the day: Ian McKinney – “CRIMEWAVE”/ TV Dads – Vertical Sync

Ian McKinney and TV Dads are the same person, but they represent two very different vibes. CRIMEWAVE is a corroded future-punk anthem, a hilarious and addictive account of what it’s like to thrive in a rotten, failing society. A through-line that connects many of the songs on this compilation (and a quality that, arguably, is essential to the “weird” quality of Austin you hear so often about) is a deep sense of irony, and as McKinney repeats the titular word, it feels more like a taunt aimed at the folks in the gleaming towers than a cry of alarm. Meanwhile, McKinney’s contribution here under the TV Dads moniker is more like a salve, a warped and gentle instrumental with alien-sounding birds in the distance. In the song sequence of the comp, it happens to work as a wonderful introduction to the sweet heartbreak of Magia Negra (but you don’t get to hear that track yet). –Eric Braden

Pre-order Slack Capital 2 rightHERE.

And…we’ll be throwing a release show with proceeds going to SafePlace on April 14th @ Barracuda.

Croy and the Boys are on Slack Capital 2

For the tremendous new Slack Capital 2 compilation, with songs by The Zoltars, Kay Odyssey, Thor & Friends and many more, we’re unveiling a new song every day until the April 14 release party. 100% of proceeds go to SafePlace, so go pre-order it right now!

Today we’re spotlighting a song by Croy and the Boys called “Sleeping Til 2.” Saturated with their characteristic dry humor and a nothing-to-do Sunday morning vibe, this song perfectly encapsulates the modern malaise of a simple man trying to figure stuff out. “I tried some new drugs/ and they were fun/ But six-packs, and my backyard’s/ the budget I’m on,” sings bandleader Corey Baums, and the key is his earnestness, which makes it funny, rather than corny. Croy and the Boys may be in on the joke, but the characters in their songs aren’t, and that makes all the difference.

Announcing Slack Capital 2

Happy Monday everybody! We are very excited this morning to announce Slack Capital 2, a compilation of unreleased songs by 27 of Austins greatest underground and up-and-coming bands. 100% of all proceeds will go to SafePlace, an Austin non-profit dedicated to providing resources for women, children and men hurt by sexual and domestic violence.
Starting today, we will unveil one song per day until the albums release date on April 14. Anytime until then you can can pre-order the album as a digital download ($7 or more) or a compact disc ($10 or more) right here at ATH Records.

The song we’re spotlighting today is Gold Driver, by psych-rockers The Diamond Center. With its swirling keys, hypnotic guitar lines and haunting lead vocals by Brandi Price, this song is lush and mysterious, like getting lost in a desert marketplace only to be picked up by a Rolls Royce limousine. Moody enough for the leather jacket-types but groovy enough for the OG hippies, Gold Driver is a perfect song to kick off todays announcement, and to reinvigorate your post-SXSW work week.

– Eric Braden of Big Bill

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