Month: April 2017

Missed This Michael Nau Tune

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Waking up on Monday’s always tough, and while usually I enjoy something upbeat, I think this Michael Nau tune will do the trick for us all. There’s something so simplistic in it, yet such is the craft of great pop music. He delivers a steady vocal during the various verses, but during the chorus, he raises the ante when he sings “every light that ever was,” filling it with a distant backing vocal that jumps into your ears as does the music. For me, I’m regretting that I’ll be stuck working for the next few months with no vacation, as this stretched number would be perfect for driving onto the horizon as the sun just begins to set. His new effort Some Twist will be out June 16th via Suicide Squeeze.

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Thor & Friends Helps Slack Capital 2 and SafePlace

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Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the greatest bands in Austin. All proceeds from the comp go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. We’re unveiling one song per day until the the release party on April 14.

Song of the day: Thor & Friends — “Bees”

“Bees” is a work unbetrothed to time– an instrumental hymn, something beyond the language of humans. Like a chamber orchestra you stumble across in the jungle while hallucinating on a deserted island, Thor Harris (of Swans) and his band of collaborators, chiefly Peggy Ghorbani and Sarah Gautier (aka Sarah La Puerta, who appears on this very compilation), make a kind of secular devotional music. For fans of Johnny Greenwood’s film score work for Paul Thomas Anderson– otherworldly, creepy, somehow both minimalistic and epic– the music of Thor & Friends will be something you’ll want to put on repeat. A looping xylophone pattern sort of travels down an eerie back road of sounds, until stabbing strings add a Hitchcock vibe. Even with its playful touch, “Bees” evokes both the frenzied life of the titular insect and the terror of an industrialized, de-natured world.

PreOrder Slack Capital 2 HERE.

Join us at Barracuda on Friday, April 14th for the Release Party.

Jana Horn Sings for Slack Capital 2

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Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the greatest bands in Austin. All proceeds from the comp go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. We’re unveiling one song per day until the the release party on April 14.

Song of the day: Jana Horn — “News”

Even in a city of immense musical riches, Jana Horn has the type of voice– inward, haunted, poignantly controlled– that will always stand out. That voice is on rich display in “News,” with no percussion and the sparest of arrangements– just a lightly strummed guitar, a few notes on a piano, and some delicately cooed background vocals (by Jana herself). A meditative examination of existing in a society and the choices we are forced to make within it, “News” is a deeply empathetic, almost alien-eyed view of humanity. “Two sides telling us/our lives are two-sided and we must/ decide which one we’re on,” Horn sings evenly, with little emotion but a kind of numb melancholy. Lyrics like “I’ve been inside the maker’s mouth/Do you want to know the things I found?” evoke the hard-bitten honesty of a person who has traveled the world and is writing back home with a bad story to tell. Like Elliott Smith, Horn’s allergy to over-emoting allows her to imbue each line with what feels like actual feeling. That is a rare gift. In a time of peak anxiety, “News” is a mournful salve. — Eric Braden

PreOrder Slack Capital 2 HERE.

Join us at Barracuda for the Slack Capital Release Party on April 14th.

Growl Release Wont You at Cheer Up Charlies Tomorrow

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It’s that time, the time I hope you’ve been waiting for. We’re finally releasing Growl’s debut LP, Won’t You, today! It’s a great bit of guitar pop, filled with huge hooks and harmonies galore. If you’re looking to pick it up outside of Austin, you can find the album HERE. But, if you happen to be in Austin, and happen to be free Saturday night…come pick it up in person at Cheer Up Charlies! They’ll be joined by heavy-hitters Popper Burns, The Halfways and The Two Lips. We’ll have copies for you to grab, and good tunes for you to love! Just in case you wanted to sample the goods, stream the LP below!

New John Wesley Coleman on Slack Capital

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Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the greatest bands in Austin. All proceeds from the comp go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. We’re unveiling one song per day until the the release party on April 14.

Song of the day: John Wesley Coleman III — “Rodeo Clown”

The enigmatic John Wesley Coleman III sounds like Suicide meets Sea Change-era Beck on this unreleased contribution to Slack Capital 2. “She’s a rodeo clown/ upside down” he murmurs, as if to himself while tripping down a back alley at four in the morning. Shambling, lo-fi, slathered in reverb, and never changing from a simple chord progression, “Rodeo Clown” proves to be surprisingly addictive, and even kind of sweet. That contrast between the twinkling xylophone and creepy whisper background vocals is everything you need to slide into a spiritual K-hole of a weekend. And just like a weekend, “Rodeo Clown” is over before you know it, but lingers foggily in your memory as if it happened a long time ago.

Have a good one y’all, and see you next Friday April 14 at Barracuda for the Slack Capital 2 release party!

Pre-Order Slack Capital 2 HERE.

Soulful Pop from Gothic Tropic

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Feeling a sense of longing for the weekend this morning, which is perhaps why the Gothic Tropic tune that hit my inbox is so intoxicating. It’s slightly playful synth pop with a soulful touch on the vocal display. It borders on the edge of dreaminess, but I feel as if there’s a sense of seeking something great that’s coming through my speakers. You’re going to find it hard to turn your ears away from this delighting tune, which will feature on the new album, Fast or Feast; it hits on May 19th via Old Flame Records.

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Sea Pinks Announce New Album/Share Track

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One of our favorite acts out of Belfast have just announced that they’ve got a new album coming out in May, so naturally we’re here to share the new track. “Into Nowhere” seems to pick up right where Sea Pinks left off withSoft Days, reintroducing you to those tightly wound, sun bleached, guitar riffs, and soft vocals. As the song progresses, it seems like the guitar riffs carry on in an endless loop, but they really pick up to drive things home nearing the end of the song. It’s a perfectly breezy indie rock track, and I suggest you take a listen and then get ready for their new album.

Watercourse will be out May 26th via CF Records.

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Enjoy This New No Win Track

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Man Dangerbird Records is easily one of our favorite indie labels here in the good ‘ol USA. They’ve got old favorites like The Dears, newbies like Slothrust, and even some solid locals like A. Sinclair and Ume. They kill it. As they continue their hit parade, the label just sent over this killer new track called “Crooked Heart”from Danny Noguieras’ new project No Win. The single is part of a new monthly single release series from Dangerbird called MICRODOSE. Each month the label will release an A-side/B-side single with a live release show in L.A.

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Fresh Indiepop from Goodly Thousands

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It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard from Goodly Thousands, and on Friday, I welcome the return of their great craft. They just dropped a new single, which hopefully hints at a new album coming in the very near future. On this number, you’ll hear the band’s sparkling guitar work and accompanying warmth in the front of the mix from the vocals. It’s a short little blast, but a reminder of the great connections that can be made with pop songwriting. Here’s to starting off Friday with refreshing tunes from these lads.

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