Top Albums for Nathan

Honestly, I thought about foregoing a year-end list this year. I mean, if you read our site, you know what we love. But, list making can be fun, especially if you really really love music. My criteria was simple, and not based on what I think is “best,” but rather looking at the stuff I listened to the most, and eventually bought (or was gifted). Popular locals for my Nathan Wrapped have me living on an island in between San Francisco and Australia; label of the year would be Trouble in Mind (congrats to Bill and family!); genre would be: most awesome. Again, this is one man’s personal tastes, take it for what its worth.

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Last Week’s Jams (9.25 – 9.29)

While it seemed like a slow week, in my brain at least, there was lots of really great stuff to cover over on the site. We were happy to host the new video from Seablite, so be sure you drop in and give it a couple of looks. Plus, our Rock n’ Recipes features returned with Spain’s Melenas, who dropped their new Ahora LP on Friday. Plus, Austin was alive and kicking with new stuff from Molly Burch, Semihelix and Sun June. Seeing our old friends in Pop Filter return to the fold was just a little cherry on top of a great week of music. There’s lots more for you to find in this playlist!

Sun June Share Mixed Bag Single

There are a lot of really great songs in the Sun June catalog, but if I’m being honest, “Mixed Bag” might have quickly risen to the top of my charts. Something about it feels like home, something that feels like Texas (and yes, I know there’s a mention of Texas, so its more than subliminal!); it feels like a cruise down the road with a carload of your best friends, windows down as the night’s just cool enough to feel a breeze, and still warm enough to make you sweat. Despite it feeling like a Texan teen dream, digging deep reveals all these striking little earworms the group carefully laid into the mix on this tune. Bad Dream Jaguar is out on October 20th via Run For Cover.

Last Week’s Jams (8.14 – 8.18)

Okay, so I’m back in school and coaching women’s volleyball, which of course meant we couldn’t dare draw near the 40 or so tracks we covered the week prior. But, that being said, there were some really special tunes, and some of my favorites popping up in here. Blue Ocean and Seablite announced new LPs, while the Smashing Times dropped another stellar single to whet our appetites. Local favorites Single Lash and Sun June both announced new releases too, so it was a pretty solid week. Oh, and that Optic Sink jam was so good, we might have accidentally overlapped and posted it twice! Stream below!

Sun June Announce Bad Dream Jaguar

Sun June‘s newest record should be absolutely huge, which comes as no surprise to those of us mucking about in the Austin music scene. Today, they announce Bad Dream Jaguar, with a single that serves as the perfect summary for their entire catalogue. If you lock into the rhythmic nature of the tune, it seemingly works as a sublime track to turn up as you head down the road; it has that movement naturally coursing through, particularly in the way the guitars are recorded too. But, with Laura Colwell’s vocals hanging loftily in the air, you can feel the oppressive heat of Texas and the need to just soak up the sheer size of the state. Personally, I love the noisy discord at the end, adding that devil-may-care attitude to their well-crafted blend of pop rock. Bad Dream Jaguar is out on October 20th via Run for Cover Records.

Top Albums of 2021

Honestly, I’m pretty over lists at this point. They’re arbitrary and don’t really reflect anything but someone’s tastes, except here where they reflect the tastes of three individuals…because that’s how we roll. So, take this list with a grain of salt. These are the records we thought were the best, which mostly just means these are the ones we listened to on repeat throughout the year! Feel free to leave a comment on what you think we missed, or why we’re dumb; we love good comment trolls.

Also, because this list is really about crediting the art that made us happy, we wanted it to make you happy too, so we included purchasing links where we could. Read more

Show Pics: Are We Back?

Over the last two weekends, I have been out to see a couple of shows, as some of you may have noticed on the instagrams. Two Saturdays ago, I had procured tickets to see Sun June with Buffalo Nichols at 3TEN. This past Saturday, it was a quick trip down to The Far Out Lounge to support SIMS Foundation, see some friends and catch a bit of Moving Panoramas. I have to tell you, it was release of stored anxiety while being a source of stress. I wasn’t sure if it was okay to be out, to feel nearly normal. There were some fist bumps, goose bumps and even a few hugs. Let’s get into the venues, the bands, the CDC, the resulting social politics without being too political and a big batch of photos.

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Sun June Share Everything I Had

Let’s face it…this is the year that Sun June goes big. We’ve long backed the band for huge things, and with Run for Cover in their corner (along with friends Keeled Scales too!), the expectations for the Austin quintet are super high! Luckily for you, they’ve got the music to back that up, as you can hear in the band’s final single before Somewhere drops in early February. For starters, this is probably my favorite vocal performance from Laura too; her voice has this graceful majesty that rides the crest of the song as the video courses through these nostalgic videos that resonate with the track’s lyrical content. A little over a month and you can grab the LP on February 5th.

Sun June Share Bad Girl Video

The new Sun June is simply indescribable. I’ve attempted to pigeonhole it, make clever comparisons, express my initial thoughts…but for all that effort, I have no words. It’s like this magnificent quicksand; I’m watching myself sinking into an unknown abyss, yet as this song plays in the background, I’m not unhappy. In fact, this song feels like just letting things be. It has movement, thus the choreography, but at times, its so patient and unobtrusive that it just swirls about your head dizzyingly. Some songs are better left without my detailing; they speak for themselves. Look for Somewhere next February via Run For Cover/Keeled Scales.

Sun June Announce Somewhere LP

With the release of “Singing” last month, we all knew Sun June had something cooking; today they officially announce the release of their new LP, Somewhere, handled by Run for Cover and Keeled Scales. For me, I’m not sure what’s more striking at this point…the song or its accompanying video. I love the use of light and shadow in the video, directed by the band’s own Laura and Stephen, but damned if the song doesn’t blow the rest of the musical competitors out of the water. The song, trickles in around forlorn notes and Colwell’s solemn delivery; you’re almost oblivious to the subtle tension building, bursting through near the 2:50 mark to deliver an emphatic sonic euphoria that solidifies the song’s greatness. The LP will be out in February of next year!

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