Austin Town Hall

The huge UK record label 4AD are back in action again at the end of the year with another free sampler that highlights their releases from 2010.  You’ll see ATH favorites Camera Obscura, Big Pink, M. Ward, and a slew of others.  You’ll also find this gem from The National called “So Far Around the Bend” which appeared on the Dark Was the Night compilation.  The sampler is free to download for the price of an email address.  While you’re at it, check out the sampler released by 4AD around this time last year.

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Download: The National – So Far Around The Bend [MP3]

Really, I love Fun Fun Fun Festival.  I will readily stand up to the masses and argue about how much better FFF is in comparison to Austin City Limits.  But, as with all festivals, there will inevitably be some sort of let down that leaves you frustrated.  While I think some of these may be a bit obvious, there are others that definitely need to be brought into the forefront.
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What?   You still listen to THAT album?  That record is so 2004!  Well, that’s okay, because we really like that one too, which is why we decided to come up with a list of our favorite albums of the last decade (2000-2009).  Sure, these might not be YOUR favorite records, or the most critically acclaimed, but we sat down and really thought out every record from the past ten years that we keep coming back to in our collections.  You’re likely to disagree with some of these, and we won’t tell you we’re absolutely right we just know that these happen to be OUR favorites.  If you think we totally blew it here, feel free to tell us so, but be nice, as our egos are kind of fragile.  Follow the jump for more.

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Thomas Bartlett is a New York based keyboardist, currently backing up The National on tour.  But, as most touring musicians do, he’s got his own gig on the side, Doveman.  This new track is really quiet, almost inaudible, but it makes the beauty of the arrangement jump out in the end.  Expect the album to come your way later this year.

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Download: Doveman – Breathing Out [MP3]

After a sun filled, chilly and wild weekend at FFF Festival, ATH is ready to bring you some of our favorite things that went down during the two day event. Obviously the best way to do that is through our recurring Friday Top 5 series. Follow the jump to read our top things about last weekends FFF Festival.

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We here at ATH are getting really pumped about this weekend’s Fun Fun Fun Festival.  But, as we all know, it’s difficult to figure out who to see when there are so many bands playing.  You have time conflicts, you don’t know who some of the bands are and you wonder who will put on the best show?  Well, our Friday Top 5 is a compilation of bands that ATH is excited to see.  Hopefully this helps you make some decisions before you head out to the festival.  We’ve also got some MP3s you can stream for each band in the list, so fire up the ATH Radio and enjoy.

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Takka Takka have another new song for your listening pleasure off their latest offering Migration due out July 29th. The new song is called “Everybody Say” which can be found below. The new album features some guest drumming by Bryan Devendorf of The National.

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Download: everybodysay.mp3