Last Week’s Jams, Today (10.17 – 10.21)

In a week where tons was going on, we hit it fairly harder than I remember. We ran a preview of Levitation (kicking off this week) by catching up with La Femme, plus we learned how to make a sweet acai bowl with Ribbon Stage. Dropped a few brand new tunes from folks like The Living Pins and Elizabeth, plus through out some encouraging album streams from Melby, Twain and more. This is a great way to catch up on all those tunes we ran, and maybe jump back in time and look at our interviews. Or, just turn it up and rock it out, cuz you know, Monday.

Friday Album Streams: Dry Cleaning, Melby, Lucid Express + More

It’s that time of year when singles begin to dry up a bit, and everyone’s already sending us a reminder of all the songs/records we should have covered. But, there’s still great music to be had, thus why we’ve got some real bangers to enjoy below. There’s the expected from Dry Cleaning; I mean you can’t miss that one anywhere. Personally, I think the Melby and Twain records are my highlights this week, so don’t skip out there…especially to Melby (if they were from the States or UK, they’d be huge). Then, we’ve got a few others, including a look at Lucid Express, who visit next week for Levitation. Plus, Paul Thomas Saunders new LP gets love.

Lucid ExpressFloret (Kanine Records)

MelbyLooks Like a Map (Rama Lama Records)

Paul Thomas SaundersFigure in a Landscape (7476 Records)

Dry CleaningStumpwork (4AD)

TwainNoon (Keeled Scales)

Have Another Beauty From Twain

Though Matthew Davidson has only been an Austinite for a short while, we have already welcomed him with open arms and view him as one of the absolute best songwriters in town. Under his recording moniker Twain, we’ve already been treated to a few new singles this year with his new album Noon coming next month via our friends at Keeled Scales. If you weren’t paying attention or weren’t on board with Twain’s tunes yet, this beautiful and intimate number “Walking II” is sure to turn you into a fan. You will find yourself moved and drawn to the emotional pull of this haunting song.

Pre-orders for Noon, out October 21st, are live now.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (7.18 – 7.22)

We got back to being super busy last week, with RayRay premiering that new No Win jam, plus a bunch of other new stuff that we were stoked to dive into. Good to see Free Time and Laura Jean back with new stuff, not to mention a little local love from the likes of First Names and Twain (he lives here!). All in all, its a bunch of stuff, all over the place musically, just like we do, so hopefully this kicks your Monday into gear!

Twain Announces Noon

When Twain released “King of Fools” this past Winter, our contacts at Keeled Scales assured us there was a new LP on the horizon…and today we get to hear another single with news that the release is official! There’s something special brewing in these songs offering that sort of intimacy that permeates the soul. Still, there’s such depth and texture to what Mat Davidson is doing that you can’t help but to imagine this as the perfect soundtrack to any documentary on Americana. Really looking forward to hearing the entirety of this listen come the October release date, just in time for fireside listens. Noon is out 10.7 via Keeled Scales.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (2.21 – 2.25)

We hit it hard last week, mostly because we’re gearing up to see how this whole SXSW thing goes down. Plus, there were tons of new songs dropping everywhere. Two of my favorite Austin artists, Rad Gnar and Twain (he’s from Austin now dammit!) dropped new tracks, so that rules. Plus, the Jeanines dropped what might be the best pop song of the year, though the Stereogum comment section likely disagrees. We’re also including all the jams from artists we talked to that are heading our way for SXSW this year, so check tracks from the likes of Paul Jacobs, Phebe Starr, Teke Teke and more!

Twain Shares King of Fools Single

New Austinite Matthew Davidson, aka Twain, has a new track out there, and with it, we can only hope that it signals a new LP on the horizon. There’s something special about Davidson’s songwriting, something that feels naturally cinematic in nature. Through the verses on this song, there’s something both wistful and spritely, setting up the vocal meandering of the chorus, where Matthew clearly flexes his voice for the audience. Honestly, his range is all over this track, stretching to his unexpected notes here, settling into angelic moments there, all letting us rejoice in his craft. This single is out now via Keeled Scales, so let’s hope we get something more real real soon!

Brand New Number from Twain

Perhaps no one in the indie spectrum has been on a quicker ascendancy than Twain, particularly after all the praise awarded to Rare Feeling. What I love about this new track is that it’s employing piano work as the song’s backbone, along with some minimal percussive elements. There’s something special about the way those ivory notes sparkle in your ear, especially when matched with the deepened voice of Mt. Davidson. They’ve still got guitar skipping through the background in a shimmering fashion, but the patience to pull in the listener with the piano is something to marvel. This track appears on the new effort The Two EPs, which is being released by Keeled Scales on January 25th.

New Music from Twain

Twain had one hell of a year thus far, and it looks like he aims to take the same approach to world domination in 2019. Today he announces a double-EP for Keeled Scales, schedule to drop in January. I love the way he just casually strolls into this song, carefully picked notes, twinkling piano and a stomping tambourine of sorts. For a minute you’re enraptured, spinning in the melody, until the piano comes in a bit more emphatically, adding just the slightest bit of a gallop to the tune. There’s even some sort of lo-fi vocal yelps jumping in and out in the song’s second half. Pretty sure at this point, he can’t write a bad tune. We’ll know more when the new release drops in January.

Top Albums of 2017

Lists are arbitrary and burdensome, but why not join the fun everyone else is having? We gathered our lists, separate lists for all of us, then combined them into one that had 50 albums. What you get here are the four writers/contributors of ATH, giving you their meaningless opinions on what we thought was the jam in 2017. It’s alphabetical, and we put the initials next to it so you could track down your enemy!

 

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