Variety Share The Light + Play the ATH vs SOTO Party

Last week we announced our annual SXSW Party with our friends over at Side One Track One, and one of the acts we wanted to be sure was on the show was new act Variety. They’ve just released a fresh track, with a nice little hint at their sound, and what we can expect from future singles. Although brief, there’s a frantic nature in the guitar work, trying to maneuver with as much movement as possible within the song’s time frame. The vocals seem to work in the opposite direction, keeping you off kilter a little bit as you try to keep up with the furious drumming…which I can attest is phenomenal in the live setting. Give it a whirl will ya.

Parsnip Announce Behold + Share The Light

I thought I was totally sold on all the hot tracks for today, when out of nowhere, Parsnip sneak in a brand new single and album announcement…the first new stuff we’ve heard from the band in some time. They don’t seem to skip a beat, operating as a psychedelic jangle rock tour de force. Sure, the guitars dance and shake, but there’s this purring from beneath that gives the group a more fuzzed out vibe; I still find that rather intoxicating as the vocals only build in the textural groove that leaves the group with this insatiable quality that’s going to have you rushing to pick up their new LP. Behold is out on April 26th via Upset the Rhythm and Anti Fade Records.

New Old Song from Maryn of All Dogs

190208_551069057652_62117082_nI loved the All Dogs LP, and I ran around town during SXSW to catch them as many times as I could, so in that spirit, I’m bringing you this fresh old tune from Maryn Jones. She aims to keep herself busy in the new year by recording old solo tracks that never made it onto any releases…the promise is to get one out every few weeks. Live, Maryn’s powerful, so I love the contrast of that performer with the solemn note this song seems to hit. Old or new, this song’s great, and I can’t wait to hear more of the tunes she’ll unearth this year!

Warped Pop from Soft Fangs

softI’ve always loved singer-songwriter tunes, but I hold a special place in my heart for the sort that seems to take on the oddity of the world, distorting the genre into something much different. Names like Coma Cinema and Liam Betson come to mind most recently, and now I’m ready to add Soft Fangs to that list. Of course, the warped aspect is reserved for the opening choruswhile a pop explosion fills outthe space that follows, closing the track towards the end. His new album The Light will be out on March 18th via Disposable America and Exploding in Sound Records.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/240410016″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

EZTV’s New Song is a Winner

ezA bit back, I tossed out the a single from the EZTV 7″, naming Television as a possible touch-point for interested fans.  Now the band is back with a brand new single from their forthcoming full-length, and it’s really hard to place the sound, though there’s some obvious musical touchstones lurking in here: sharp guitars, fused harmonies, 60s nostalgia.  I’ve been hunting for something really striking to hit me, and this track definitely does the trick.  Their album, Calling Out, will be release by Captured Tracks on July 10th.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/197508382″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Another Hit from Bloody Amateur

Bloody-Amateur-Press-PicThe more I listen to these tunes from Andy Comer, the more I feel like I won’t be able to escape his self-titled album when it comes out next week via Teen Beat.  On this new tune, it opens with this really basic synthesized drum beat, right before these ringing guitars darkly hunt for vocals.  When Andy comes in, his deep tonal quality creates this feeling of despair, yet there’s still a careful attention to pop crooning.  For me, Bloody Amateur lays somewhere in the realm of post-punk, dark-wave and barroom troubadour…and it all sounds so so good to me.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bloody-amateur_thelight_teenbeat466.mp3]

Download:Bloody Amateur – The Light [MP3]