Month: March 2015

Buxton – Half A Native

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unnamedRating: ★★★☆☆

Buxton are a group from Houston who make folk inspired alternative indie rock with Americana elements interspersed throughout. Half A Native combines the various genres that the group draws from (i.e Americana, honky-tonk, alt-country, psychedelia) with a careful presence of songwriting and craftsmanship that makes for easy listening.

What works well for Buxton on this album is the aforementioned mix of genre that allows these gentlemen to flourish in several different directions while staying under the umbrella of indie rock. Therefore, it’s only fitting that each of the standout tracks all border on different directions. Take immediately emotive and lush title track “Half A Native” for an example of the folksy direction this band takes. This song is combines delicate acoustic guitar riffs with twangy slide guitar and Sergio Trevino’s bluesy vocals to make for a hauntingly beautiful listening experience; this song is powerful in its subtlety. Personally, this is where Buxton’s music comes across the strongest, Trevino’s lyrics are able to shine through clearly and with distinction.

While gentle folk is one direction that lets the band shine, they also show their strength in other genres. Early song “Good As Gone” shows them leaning towards more straightforward rock and roll, with a bit of campy piano that bounces through the track. Trevino’s vocals are central in the mix, but the snarling electric guitar kicks up now and again, taking the reigns and steering us to rock. Near the end of the album they go full honky-tonk alt-country with “Icebreaker,” which is full of twang and Trevino spinning fast lyrics in a southern drawl, throwing around quaint phrases like “whistlin’ Dixie,” accompanied by full on twang-filled guitars and a bluesy bass line. That campy piano also rejoins the band, and this song kind of makes you just want to throw on some cowboy boots and a hat and dance along with the band as they get down.

The easy listening makes this a quaint and enjoyable album, but this same quality leaves me a little underwhelmed along the way. Some songs soar above and create a notable and lasting impression for this band, but others get a little lost in the mix. Half A Native shows promise for this group of gentlemen, and I will be looking out for what the future holds for them.

 

Check This New Clip Art Tune

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clippThis Clip Art tune came in yesterday, trying to erase the dreary weather outside my window today (kind of beautiful actually).  There’s an inherent brightness to the music being crafted by the group, filling in the negative space with various little elements,  be it samples or oddball percussive accents.  Personally, I’m digging how the song seemingly moves in and out throughout, sometimes providing a nice bounce, while other times pulling back to a relaxing explosion of pop sensation. You’ll find this song on Culler, the new record from the project that’s slated for a March 31st release date.

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SXSW Interview: Typesetter

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typesetterSXSW is how soon you say?  Hard to believe we are just a short couple of weeks away at this point.  I’m not sure any of us are ever fully prepared, but we will find a way to power through.  Speaking of powering through, I’m excited today to share with you a new interview with up and coming Chicago punks Typesetter.  I’m personally pretty pumped to catch their live set during the week.  Follow the jump to see what they have to say.

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Stream the Emma Kupa EP

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emmaI’ve made it quite known about my adoration for former Standard Fare songwriter, Emma Kupa.  So, as Wiaiwya preps the release of her Home Cinema EP, I want you take a minute to stream in its entirety.  It’s mostly light indie pop fare, built around Kupa’s lyrics and her guitar, though she brought in friends to fill out the sound of the EP itself.  Definitely a nice step into her own limelight, showing Emma as the charming songstress we’ve come to know her as.  This will definitely make your day a bit brighter.

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SXSW 2015 Hip-Hop: Scotty ATL

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scotSince debuting in 2011, Atlanta-based rapper Scotty ATL has released six mixtapes and one EP, and is showing no signs of slowing down in 2015. The blend of his thick southern draw and sometimes gritty, sometimes soulful beats should provide for an authentic Atlanta hip-hop live show. Scotty ATL has confirmed a couple performances during SXSW, though specifics are still TBA. Scotty ATL’s project OTR2SJ, released last summer as part of Scion AV’s hip-hop series, can be streamed or downloaded via LiveMixtapes. The lead song off of OTR2SJ is below.

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Austin Spotlight: Empire Machines

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1601277_725410277513549_9198015871024763830_nWith the insane amount of bands in our great little city, it’s never truly shocking that I’m finding promising up and coming bands all the time.  Somehow I had never really listened to Empire Machines despite seeing their name from time to time on some local bills.  After reaching out to me recently, I gave a listen to their new EP and am rather pleased with the discovery.  Below you can check out that new EP entitled Animal Skin.  Waiting for you within is what might be one of Austin’s best kept secrets in the indie rock scene.  You’ll get a bit of heavy distortion, enchanting melodies and one of the better rhythm sections I’ve heard in quite some time.  Opening and title track “Animal Skin” hits super hard and will grab your attention as you make your way through an engaging and rocking 3 tracker.

Say hi to Empire Machines on facebook or stream more of their music over on bandcamp.  Stay tuned for more news from the band.

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Miniboone Return!

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minibooneband-thumb-550x366After just doing a quick search on ATH, I’m seeing that we started posting about Brooklyn based indie-pop band Miniboone almost 5 years ago.  The band takes a simple approach to songwriting with their catchy pop melodies and all around fun vibe to their songs.  This new song, “Basic Song”, is yet another track that will prove hard to resist unless you flat out hate energetic and fun pop music.  Check it out.

New album entitled Bad Sports is due out April 20th on Ernest Jenning Record Co.

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Moon Duo – Shadow of the Sun

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unnamedRating: ★★★½☆

Trying to nail down the sound of San Francisco’s Moon Duo is a bit more difficult than slapping on the label of hazey rock, as these two (three, counting live drummer John Jeffrey) turn that genre inside out. The drone/noise guitar becomes the substance itself and everything else works like kindling to fuel this grungey fire. Shadow of the Sun sees this band creating music that primarily dwells under this haze, occasionally surfacing for lighter and poppier tunes.

They begin with the darkness of “Wilding,” which is pretty much a straightforward gritty guitars blazing rock song. This song is a rambunctious and raw start to the album, as the band starts you out with the shadowy rock before they tone it down from this grit to the more refined “Night Beat.” The band takes the haze of noise with their guitar, reverb coated vocals, and adds a quirky and somewhat spooky synth part to it. Here is the trend that takes hold over the music here; it feels eerie and haunting but with enough dance hooks and jangly percussion to drive it to genre of synth pop. The same can be said with “Zero,” but this song blends the two genres seamlessly into one slow simmering tune.

Later “Slow Down Low, makes for one of the brighter, lighter tunes on the album. The use of airy synths, handclaps and gang vocals make this song a surefire hit, still incorporating those drone-guitars, but they’re balanced out with the clean clarity of the synthesizer. This is one of the best songs, and the guitars take over at its end to provide that revival of darkness before you move on to “Ice.” Nearing the end of the nine songs that Moon Duo has crafted, “Ice,” feels more like a continuation of the previous song, a groovy outro of sorts to tone down the sound before the last song.

                  Shadow of the Sun is a surprisingly fun album; for all the dark and swirling pieces of the music, there are a decent amount of tunes that have a dance-able quality to them. The brooding nature of Moon Duo’s hazey guitar rock sound is always there, but within that space they’ve made songs that work to get you moving a bit beyond just nodding your head. That being said, this album’s novelty wears off a little bit after you’ve put the record down. I’ll be back to revisit my favorite tracks for sure, but on the whole it doesn’t push from good to great.

 

Hooked On This New Grounders Track

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groundedI’m not really sure what it is about Grounders, but I’m entirely hooked on their sound.  Seemingly, the song is all over the place, touching on various genres, from electronic-induced pop to swirling dreamgaze.  That being said, there’s an undeniable pull that draws the listener (in this case me) into the track. There’s so much going on in this tune, that you’re almost begging to play it again before it’s finished, just so you can go back and check all the musical highlights occurring within. The group releases their self-titled album on May 12 via Nevado Records.

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