This is fine.
After sharing new track “Glowing Mouth” a couple weeks ago, we have another new song from Milagres off their upcoming album. This new song “Here to Stay” is another electro-pop jam that’s catchy enough for your summer pool party or your drive across the U.S. As previously mentioned, the new album from Milagres Glowing Mouth will be available on September 13th from Kill Rock Stars.
Download: Milagres – Here to Stay [MP3]
| Date | 6/24/11 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mohawk |
| Doors | 8pm |
| Tickets | $8 @ Door |
Local ATH favorites The Calm Blue Sea are headlining a show at the Mohawk tomorrow night. The show is all local and also features great Austin talents The White White Lights, The Couch and Watch Out For Rockets. A better lineup with some of Austin’s best up and coming talent can’t be found on one bill. Do it.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/the-calm-blue-sea-we-happy-few.mp3]Download: The Calm Blue Sea – We Happy Few [MP3]
I’ve championed Devon Williams, mostly in private, since the release of his last full length, Carefree, so I’ve been waiting for some time to hear what his new tunes were going to sound like that. News came across today that Williams will be releasing a new 7″ next week via Slumberland Records, who should also be releasing a full LP from the man later down the line. This track definitely exhibits the songwriting I’ve come to love from Devon, craftily crooning over orchestrated sounds and harmonious guitar sounds. There’s a lot of promise here, so hopefully, more music is soon to come our way.
Download: Devon Williams – Your Sympathy [MP3]
At this point in his career, Jim Ward has put out more music than some musicians hope to write and record in a lifetime. With his legendary work for At the Drive-In, Sparta, Sleepercar and his solo recordings, the guy really has done at all. After saying that, I guess one thing he hasn’t done is a duet with Tegan Quin, which is just what you’ll get on this new single “Broken Songs”. The new acoustic ballad style song appears on Jim’s upcoming album Quiet in the Valley, On the Shores the End Begins & The Electric Six due out August 2nd on Tembloroso Recordings.
Download: Jim Ward – Broken Songs [MP3]
Late at night, you slowly let the slow jams take over; you’re ready to wrap up your evening. Such was the case when I stumbled upon this little tune from The Echo-Friendly. Sure, it’s not necessarily the most breathtaking thing (no offense), but I love the vocal interplay between the male and female counterparts, which really drew me into the track, letting them take over the rest of my evening. Before completing their first EP, the band wants to spread the word about their project. I think, if you’re looking for something slow and dramatic, then you’ll love the lead track from the new single, “Same Mistakes.”
Download: The Echo-Friendly – Same Mistakes [MP3]
Rating: 
Very few duos really seem to pack a punch, the last one I recall that really killed was DFA 1979, but the latest release from Jeff the Brotherhood is definitely a record that will lightheartedly kick you in the teeth. This is a good thing, as summer needs some rock n’ roll, and that is precisely what We Are the Champions gives it listeners. Want to have a good time, then run out the door, pick this up, and blast it as loud as you can!
Like various other bands taking this arena rock approach, namely Free Energy, you can feel the studied past of classic rock and punk flowing through the veins of the Orrall Brothers. But, what seems to put Jeff the Brotherhood far ahead of their peers is that they actually seem to be enjoying their portrayal of the sound. “Hey Friend” spends the first half of the opening track giving you one hell of a gritty rock jam, but then it sort of breaks into something entirely different; its part Weezer, part Ramones, part arena ready rock. It’s just plain good.
Sure, you could take a knock at the band for giving you some fairly juvenile song titles, and possibly lyrics, but occasionally, the execution matters far more than the actual thought process; such is the case on We Are the Champions. “Cool Out’ speeds through, with a pace that would probably force Joey Ramone to think twice, but it’s got sort of a power-pop-punk feel, like early Queers albums. Perhaps it’s the fact that the band is just a duo, forcing them to focus on their simplicity when it comes to songwriting, giving their sound something rather refreshing and clean. “Bummer” has buzz-saw guitars and just a steady drum beat keeping time, but it’s the “whoa-ohs” and vocal harmonies that make it such a killer track. The louder the song gets, the more you just want to have fun.
But, it’s not all fast-fueled punk-ish sounding arena rock, but there are some momentary allusions to stoner-rock as well, or sludge-rock, like “Ripper.” It just opens with this filthy jamming moment (one of the few times I like a jam), and of course it blasts off into a furious energetic blast, but the sound of the guitar definitely is filled with dirt and grime, unlike some of the cleaner sounds on earlier tracks. Really, these guys are all over the place throughout the entirety of We Are the Champions, but in an endearing fashion that makes you want to pump your fists and sing out loud.
Album highlights for me include the heavy hit “Mellow Out,” or the oddball psychedelia-hints from “Health and Strength, and definitely the closer “Wastoid Girl.” Once you give a listen to this release from Jeff the Brotherhood, you’ll be thumbing through lyrics sheet, or pressing play over and over again, as the band has crafted an entire record full of sing-a-long hits that are sheer fun. You’re looking for the perfect record to blast loudly while you get ready for the night? You need look no longer, as there’s nothing better today than listening to We Are the Champions.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/04_Shredder.mp3]Download: Jeff the Brotherhood – Shredder [MP3]
Everyone needs to have Daytrotter on their favorites, as their attention to detail and their selection of some of the best bands around is always a constant on the site. Today, the site offered up new tunes from local Austin favorites, Balmorhea. The majority of the set comes from the latest Candor/Clamor single release by the band, but they also tossed up an unreleased song that I’ve been enjoying all morning long. If you’re a fan of the band, and you should be, then you’ll love hearing new music from the group as we all await their next great release.
Download: Balmorhea – Untitled [MP3]
| Date | 6/24/11 |
|---|---|
| Location | The Parish |
| Doors | 7pm |
| Tickets | $12 @ Frontgate |
Currently touring behind their new and spectacular album Loud Planes Fly Low, The Rosebuds are making a stop into a great setting at The Parish on Friday night. Joining this veteran act on stage are up and coming Oklahoma boys Other Lives who are also touring behind a superb new LP. With such a stellar lineup, you really shouldn’t be missing this show.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/TheRosebuds_woods.mp3]Download: The Rosebuds – Woods [MP3]
Rating: 
If someone were to tell me that a band with falsetto, auto tuned on occasion vocals, and folk music backing was one of the most soothing and beautiful sounding groups they had ever heard, I would probably scoff at them and laugh. When describing Bon Iver, it seems as though this band should not fundamentally sound as lush and gorgeous as it does, but I’m not complaining. After their first album, For Emma, Forever Ago, was released back in 2008, Justin Vernon and company have been gaining praise, as well as attention, and this sophomore effort certainly seals their place as giants of the Indie world.
From their last album, there is certainly not that much immediately different to the sound of Bon Iver. You have the faded and distant sounding drums, the swells and builds in sound, the delicate ferocity in Vernon’s falsetto voice. It’s all there, but now it sounds a touch more refined and practiced than that of the previous release, as though the band went the extra mile to make these tunes sound polished and pristine. On “Holocene,” the third track, the intricacy in the layers of sound is especially noticeable. Gentle guitar floats upon subtle waves of synthesizer, the ever-graceful vocals leading the song at a meander. Such is the kind of song where you just want to close your eyes and let the music hit you like a gentle breeze; it’s simply beautiful.
One of the more noticeable changes of this group is the distancing of lyrics and the focus on the sound of their wispy music. The instruments do not overpower the songwriting, but they share the space coming out of your speakers rather than the words riding above. This does make it a bit more difficult to discern exactly what words Vernon utters, which is only a drawback if you don’t have the luxury of looking them up in the album booklet. If anything, this vagueness makes me want to listen to this collection of dramatic songs more, in attempts to ascertain the meaning behind them.
The bottom line is that this album is simply magnificent. Whatever you want to call it, folk, drifting soft rock, it is beautiful in every song, in every note, and capable of pushing you emotionally. It is the perfect anthem for anything: driving, walking the dog, bedroom listening, and I can see this becoming a staple in a large number of listening catalogs. Rightly so.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/08-Calgary.mp3]Download: Bon Iver – Calgary [MP3]
Way up North in Canada, we often forget that it’s covered with vast wilderness, which definitely plays a huge role, at least in our eyes, of Elliott BROOD. The good people up at Paper Bag Records will be releasing Days Into Years on September 27th, and they tossed out a free tune today to get you prepared for the band’s release. Melodies trickle into your ear at every point, and the smokiness of the vocals definitely provides you with a connection to the vast woodlands that cover the majority of Canada. If you’re looking for hooks and typical Montreal pop, don’t look here, as this group offer a more panoramic view of the Canadian music-scape.
Download: Elliott BROOD – Northern Air [MP3]
