New Track from Snowmine

Damn you Brooklyn! Why must you have such stupendous bands?  Can’t the rest of us share a little bit of that love?  Well, actually we can because we get to hear the incredible meandering pop of Snowmine, who are set to release their debut LP, Laminate Pet Animal on May 3rd.  Listening to the first single, “Nervous” reminds me of what you would get if you crossbred Suckers with Grizzly Bear.  I don’t know, maybe that’s lazy, but those vibrant melodies mixed with that odd percussion and delivery definitely left me with that feeling. See what you think about this track; I mean I know it’s good, but is my comparison right on?

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/SNOWMINE-Nervous.mp3]

Download: Snowmine – Nervous [MP3]

FT5: Albums Of The Year (So Far)

Seems like this time of year everybody makes their own version of the best of (so far) albums list.  You think we’d sit back and let everyone else have all the fun?  Think again.  I’ll get this out of the way now and say that this is MY list.  This is in no way a comprehensive list created by all us ATH staffers.  This is ‘ol RayRay’s list full of what I’ve been spinning this year more than anything else.  Now obviously it’s difficult for a music writer to condense a list down to just five, so some very worthy albums will be left off this list.  Of course we’ll put our heads together and make a huge list at the end of the year… Follow the jump for full list.

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Suckers – Wild Smile

Rating: ★★★★½

For over a year, people (including us) have been salivating at the thought of having a full-length album from Suckers.  Finally, the time for Wild Smile is upon us, and it will go down as one of the top records of the year, fulfilling on all the promises and praise.  There’s no way around it; this record is fantastic.

“Save Your Love for Me” opens the album slowly, almost dragging out the melodies while the band introduces you to their gang-vocal approach that will woo you throughout the duration. Around the 3+ minute mark, the band bursts into a little bit of a yelp and high pitched squeal, offering up another dynamic to listeners.  Then it fades softly away, bringing you into “Black Sheep.”  As soon as the hi-hat is kicking, and those guitar chords cut in, your bobbing your head, tapping your feet, ready to memorize the words so you can sing along.  When Quinn Walker goes off, you get a sense of the wildness that goes along with their tunes, and their live shows.

Suckers aren’t just a group intent on blasting you away with in-your-face melodies; they can offer restraint at times.  You’ll find “You Can Keep Me Running Around” builds the groove in a rather slow manner, and still the dynamic of the band’s vocal approaches keeps your focus on the enjoyment at hand.  Similarly, “King of Snakes” has a sharp guitar line that slowly walks itself through the song, while various layers slowly build themselves into the song.  Careful listeners of Wild Smile will appreciate the variance in the song sequence, as the moments that let up slightly, allowing you room to breathe, certainly serve their purpose, all the while offering great music for your ears.

Although the entire album is superb, there will always be a standout track or two that simply rise above the rest.  “A Mind I Knew” is one of those songs, building slowly from the start until the rest of the song starts to catch up with the vocals.  It sort of stays there for a minute or so, but the band is intent on providing the maximum listening experience, as the gang-vocals rise in the middle creating an enjoyable sense of cacophony that grooves and bangs all the way to the end.  Personally, the one-two punch of “It Gets Your Body Movin'” and “Martha” are my favorite recorded moments of music to come out this year.  Part of me attaches that with the incredible live performance of the former I’ve witnessed on several occasions, and the fact that the recorded version aligns itself with my memories make it a wonderful piece of pop.  “Martha” is nothing short of exuberant fancy.  If you can refrain from bobbing your head and tapping those toes here, then you’ve won some sort of promise.  This track attaches to every happy muscle in your body, encouraging you to use them all at once.

One could go on and on about how amazing Wild Smile is as a complete album, but then again, those are just the words of an obsessed scribe.  Suckers have constructed album that you must absorb on your own, create your own reactions and be carried away by its power.  Rarely do we get to experience records like this that push boundaries and encourage exploration that will differ from person to person, but rest assured, all reactions will be positive, as these songs ask for nothing if not positivity.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/05-A-Mind-I-Knew.mp3]

Download: Suckers – A Mind I Knew [MP3]

More New Tunes from Suckers

We’re sure you’re probably tired of hearing about Suckers from us, as we’ve been fawning over the group for what seems like ages, but we can’t help ourselves.  As the June 8th release date of their album Wild Smiles draws near, the anticipation can only build.  This is going to be a contender for album of the year, we can promise you that, and luckily there is a new single for you to take a listen to today.  “A Mind I Knew” shows their versatility, as it’s not the adrenaline fueled punch you got from “Black Sheep,” but the emphatic breakdown over the track’s last minute just goes to show you why we love this band so much.  You should too.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/05-A-Mind-I-Knew.mp3]

Download: Suckers – A Mind I Knew [MP3]

Contest: Local Natives 7″ and Secrets!

This should be a show post about the killer evening of tunes over at Antones Friday featuring Local Natives and Suckers (2 of our favorites this year).  But, instead, we’ve got something for you.  We’re running a little contest to win a free Local Natives “Sun Hands” 7″.  All you have to do is leave us a comment telling us what your favorite album of the year is, besides Local Natives (as that should be near the top), and don’t forget to leave a valid email address in the email portion of your comment.  We’ll pick the winner by tomorrow morning and take care of the rest.

Oh, and our top secret spies tell us that the first person to buy Gorilla Manor starting today at Waterloo Records wins two free tickets.  Get over their now.  And be sure to show up early as you’ll love the Suckers too!

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/02-Airplanes-1.mp3]

Download: Local Natives – Airplanes [MP3]

New Music From Suckers

The timing for this new Suckers jam couldn’t have hit more perfectly after we yet again loved their live show during SXSW.  This tasty little jam, “Black Sheep”, will appear on the Brooklyn boys debut LP Wild Smile due out June 8th on Frenchkiss records.  Seriously peeing my pants in anticipation for this record.  (Thanks P4K)

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Suckers-Black-Sheep.mp3]

Download: Suckers – Black Sheep [MP3]

ACL Top 10 Acts

ACL_top10_bannerSo we survived the weekend that was the dillo dirt sludge of ACL and we’re ready to provide a bit of reflections from our experience.  We’ll start things off with a quick recap of some of our favorite acts from the festival and who impressed us the most.  This is only our list and we based it on our time and taste so let us know if you saw something great we forgot about.  Follow the jump for our Top 10 acts of ACL.

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ACL Interviews: Suckers

suckers_ACLToday we focus on some of the lesser known bands of ACL with an interview spotlighting relatively new Brooklyn band Suckers. We spoke to the man simply known as Pan this week via phone to find out a little bit about this new project. I think you will all be glad to know that Pan is in full support of my Pearl Jam pick for ACL. So there. Follow the jump for full interview.

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