This is fine.
In yet another wonderful day in the music industry, we get to hear another new track from yet another anticipated album in 2009. This time, we bring you the newest single from The Thermals, who recently signed to Kill Rock Stars. Their new album, Now We Can See, is set to come your way this April. Enjoy this tune.
Download: The Thermals – Now We Can See [MP3]
It’s amazing when celebrities like Jessica Simpson can make themselves filthy rich by flaunting themselves every chance they get, only to discover that being in the spotlight can be a double edged sword.
The always incredible Andrew Bird is passing through our town this week and you’ve got two chances to see him. The first comes at a Waterloo instore on Wednesday which should start at 5pm with free keg beer. Get to the instore early as it’s sure to be a popular one. The very next day, Andrew will be playing an intimate set at The Paramount Theatre downtown with music starting at 9pm. That show is sold out, so check yourself some craigslist to find tickets.
Download: Andrew Bird – Oh No [MP3]
Immaculate Machine have a new single for you to check out from their upcoming album High on Jackson Hill due out in April. The tune is called “Sound the Alarm” and you can get it below.
Download: Immaculate Machine – Sound the Alarm[MP3]
UK indie rockers Gomez have some new tuneage for you to check out. Their new single “Airstream Driver” is set to appear on upcoming album A New Tide due out March 31st. What do you think?
Download: Gomez – Airstream Driver [MP3]
The newest Camera Obscura record, set to come out via 4AD Records on April 20th, has to be my most anticipated album of the year. Lets’ Get Out of This Country is still one of the greats of recent time, so I’m happy to present you with the first single of the forthcoming album, My Maudlin Career.
Download: Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career [MP3]
Rating: 
The Von Bondies crept out of the massive Detroit scene on the heels of The White Stripes. They were well versed in the garage stylings known to their locale. But, then they flipped the switch on us. They followed up their debut with a more straightforward album, and now they completely leave it all behind as they present us with Love, Hate and Then There’s You.
From the minute this album takes off with “Shut Your Mouth” you can tell that the entire group has begun pushing towards new ground. Sure, this opening track still revels in the garage-infused sound of old, but something new exists here, something that could lose fans while gaining scores of new ones. It’s the pop element.
Singer Jason Stollsteimer definitely has a brooding crooner quality, which recalls the vocal quality of a certain Mr. Flowers. It’s not entirely surprising when listening to the rest of this album, as the mood of the songs easily matches the aesthetic quality of Jason’s voice.
In a sense, the band comes off like a hard-edged version of The Killers. This isn’t too say that the band has entirely left behind their past in favor of a more commercial appeal to the masses. “Only to Haunt You” has the feeling of dark swirling pop melodies that garnered acclaim for the aforementioned band. Still, the band holds on to the darker element of this genre, fueled by the precise rhythm section. This batch of songs is clearly the most accessible set of tunes they’ve created up to this point, and the culmination of this point may be welcomed by many.
All the songs are short, and they hit your ears quickly. Occasionally, the vocals are matched with feuding vocal elements from Jason’s female counterpart, which give the band a bit of grit, though they never stray to far from the middle of the road. Therein lies one of the problems with this record: nothing here sounds entirely new to the listener. This isn’t mean to knock on the band entirely, as its quite difficult to produce purely original sounds nowadays, but this just seems a bit to easy for the band. At times the songs seem a bit uninspired, almost as if the band were just throwing about demos inside their studio.
Strong moments do exist throughout the entirety of this record, such as on “Accidents Will Happen.” Here you find the and bouncing along appropriately, as guitars jangle. But, you’ll also find a certain rawness to the vocals, which show that Von Bondies still like to stay close to home. They can’t seem to move on from their own history.
In the end, you find a band wavering on a middle ground, stuck between a poppier quality that is bubbling beneath the surface and their classic garage sound. Many will find that the pop elements warrant approval, while others will relish in the fact that the band could definitely hit it a lot harder. You decide.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/04-only-to-haunt-you.mp3]Download: Von Bondies – Only to Haunt You [MP3]
We’ve been following Appleseed Cast since the days of End of the Ring Wars way back in 1998. It would be easy to think that maybe the guys have lost a step or two having been away from touring for so long, but that wasn’t the case at Mohawk. Some of the older tunes like “Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets” & “Steps and Numbers” were not quite as tight as they used to be, but encore songs “Fight Song” and “Fishing the Sky” sounded like the old days. New tunes from Sagarmatha also quieted the crowd in their low points and blew you away in those typical AC rising actions. Let’s just saw we got exactly what we came for. Before the show, we had the chance to speak with singer, guitar player and founding member Chris Crisci about the state of his band. Follow the jump to read the full interview and check out some pictures from the show.
Passion Pit continues to create positive buzz around their band with an in studio performance for the good people at WOXY. The set features 4 songs from their recent EP out in September of 08. You can check out the whole thing over on the Futurist.
Download: Passion Pit – Sleepyhead(live) [MP3]
In anticipation for a sweet month of music, both at SXSW and the usual releases, we opted to throw out a tune by up and comers Harlem Shakes. The group is set to release their debut March 24th on Gigantic Music, just as you’ve spent all your hard earned cash on SXSW. Well, at least the album, Technicolor Health, has promise, especially based on this song.
Download: Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game [MP3]
