This is fine.
Friday night at the Paramount we were treated to two unique artists in Chelsea Wolf and Eels, though they were both different in their approach and delivery. That being said, I’m pretty sure every audience member left with a smile on their face. Thanks to David Hall for grabbing some photos for us.
Thanks to our amigos over at Fleeting Youth Records here in Austin, we’ve been hearing about all kinds of great new bands from different parts of the country. Today we bring you new signee to the label in the form of New Mexico based pop group Balue. The music created here is like a mixture of 1st album era MGMT mixed with shoe-gazy pop bands like Painted Palms. Somehow these elements blend perfectly together to create some special moments like in this song “Charming Flow”.
Pick up new album Quiet Dreamer on June 24th via Fleeting Youth Records.
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The time is near folks. In fact, in less than 24 hours you’ll be able to get your hands on the brand new Pretty Girls EP from Austin’s A. Sinclair. We’ve been writing quite a bit about the group lately, as we’re really excited to see the increased output from the band, not to mention their growing maturity in songwriting. Today we bring you a brand new song, “Throwing Up on the Ground,” which features more twang than the previous two singles the band have released. It demonstrates the careful balance between the band’s influences and their ability to rock live. And, speaking of rocking, the band will be doing just that, live at the Mohawk this Thursday, celebrating the release of the brand new EP; they’ll be joined by Otis and the Destroyer, Chasca, and the Docs.
This new jam called “Back With You Again in the World” by Spider Bags caught my ear today and I wanted to share it with you guys. It’s a fun rock tune that reminds me of The Men with a sweet Springsteen style saxophone which creates a vintage sounding number. I dig the straightforwardness and the fun that these guys appear to be having while making this music.
New album, Frozen Letter, will be available on August 6th via Merge Records.
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APF7 has come and gone. Charlie Megira is my new favorite thing. Temples surprised me (ignore their flowery songs and cut to the big stuff). Think No Think were my favorite locals. The Horrors were dark, but sounded great even from the photo pit. The Fresh & Onlys are our new favorite people in rock and/or roll.
I thought I would try something new as we work out the rest of the bugs in the site after an unplanned server move (that sucked) by embedding a slideshow of the giant gallery from my photo site. Feedback welcome.
Hundreds more at the photo site…
I figured we’d wrap up our week (I know it’s been slow from us) with this great new tune from Marvelous Mark. He first came to my attention as part of Marvelous Darlings, which included Ben Cook of Fucked Up. This new jam has him working solo, but the music’s still got the same feel. It’s a power-pop fueled jam, holding tight to some pretty incredible melodies; it reminds me a lot of bands like Dead Stars or even Nada Surf…heavy-hitting guitars and catchy melodies. You can pick this tune up via Bad Actors on his new Flexi 7″.
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The man behind the moniker of Kishi Bashi made his way into the indie world long before he started making is own tunes. He started off as a backing member to big names you’ll be familiar with, such as Of Montreal and Regina Spektor, which he supplied his violin skills to in the past. Now he has embarked out on his own to give you orchestral electro pop often marked by looping. Lighght is his second full-length effort, packed with different levels of detail to have you intrigued all the way through.
After a bit of flittering violin builds on the intro track, Kishi Bashi launches right into “Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!” that opens with more sweeping violin and plucking of the strings. He gives you a taste of the chorus, with its rowdy percussion and filled up with acoustic guitar strumming and epic and echoed lead vocals that display the range possible. It’s a party of a tune, giving you a chance to start the album in a dance-worthy fashion, but the song is not all just fun and games, the band breaks it down into a beautiful string bridge before they bring it all home for one final triumphantly catchy chorus. This folk-inspired pop tune turns into electro pop full on dance number on the “The Ballad of Mr. Steak,” which carries on the signature layered violin you’ve already been introduced to, but is also accompanied with drum machine beats and synthesizers. While the lyrics describe a pair of “star-crossed lovers,” one of which is a “grade A” steak. Silly, but also altogether catchy and booty-shaking.
A real treat that comes later on in the album is “Q&A,” which is a cute folksy number in which the delicacy of the vocals becomes apparent as you enjoy Kishi Bashi’s softer side. While the song is gentle and filled with some lyrics that would make anyone swoon, it is far from devoid of detailed craftsmanship, as the layering style begins simply and builds upon itself in an effortless way. The more you listen, the more you understand that even a song that sounds as easy as this one has many different layers and textures that go beyond just a man and a guitar, or violin.
Some may criticize Kishi Bashi for not being overwhelmingly serious and too youthful in his sound, but I think that is precisely what makes this record worth listening to. The folk and electronic elements seem to intermingle in light, airy sounds that are overall very palatable and as beautiful as they are fun. Sure, not every track is a perfect blend of serious and fun, but for the most part there’s a good bunch of songs for you to enjoy on Lighght.
Download: name [MP3]
After an excellent year with the release of his album, Devoted, Walker Lukens has decided to up the ante by releasing a six song Devoted Remixed EP. It’s going to be a short little stop-gap in his writing process, offering up remix versions of 6 album tracks, revised, so to speak. Our premiere brings you “Lover (Two Dudes in Love Remix),” which demonstrates the care and detail on the tracks within the EP; it’s a much sparser version of the original, leaving lots of empty space for beats and loops to move within. The remix, as the title indicates, was completed by San Francisco production team of Two Dudes In Love. He’ll be offering up the EP on May 27th, with a special release show on May 31st at Stubbs; the show will also feature locals Ruby Jane and Hello Wheels. Take your time with this tune, and if you’ve got it, go back and visit Devoted…then thank us later.
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A few years ago I stumbled across Sherpa, a little known New Zealand act at the time. I’ve kept my eyes on them, especially recently as news came my way that they were set to complete their new record; today is that day. The album is titled Blues & Oranges, and I’ve spent all morning listening to every track rather carefully. I appreciate the band’s construction, as in this song, where they carefully maneuver their way through pop structures and utilize modern touches like looped beats. This song has a bit of an Of Montreal feel, at least in the way the vocals are delivered, which is one of the reasons it’s my favorite of the bunch…at least on my first three listens. Pick up the record HERE.
Friday’s always need a bit of fun to get you through the day and into the weekend, so why not take a stroll with Toy Cities today. The Brooklyn band has created this lush lush bit of danceable pop that’s coated in synth lines and smooth vocal delivery; it’s a rather calm track until the group spins things in the pop direction during the chorus. You’re going to find yourself bobbing your head and tapping your toes as the song draws to a close, which should get you excited for the release of their debut album during the month of June.
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