Month: January 2020

Black Books Share New Single

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It seems like a long time since we’ve heard from Austin outfit Black Books, but they’re back with this brand new single from their forthcoming Cheer Up EP, which we’re happy to share with you. This track has that sort of broad sweeping orchestral feel, akin to acts like Other Lives; it’s built to craft this huge emotional wave that just crashes into you, particularly in that little turn just around the 1 minute mark. I love the cathartic burn that jumps in around the 2.5 minute mark, giving the song a little bit of bombast as it sprawls to a close. Look for the EP this Spring!

 

Another Pop Ditty from Pet Shimmers

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Bristol outfit Pet Shimmers are crafting some sort of new-age pop fuckstorm; they’re taking the standard format and warping and twisting it around the backbone established by lead maestro, Oliver Wilde. Their sounds definitely are reminiscent of the sort of mish-mash of folk and bedroom pop; it sounds like the madness inside the caverns of one’s mind, but it’s being crafted and developed by a seven-piece pop outfit. I’ve been really impressed with their debut LP Face Down in Meta, and I think it’s going to sneak onto some people’s radars once they complete their tour with Sandy (Alex G); the album drops next Friday!

Figure Austere Share Drippy Eyes Video

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France is a hotbed of incredible pop music as of the last few years, and the good people over at Solidarity Club Records are bringing the bedroom pop stylings of Figure Austere all the way from Evry, France to your doorstep. In the song below you have a father dealing with the anxieties of his child, which as portrayed in the video comes with a sense of melancholy. But, children are resilient, and by the end of the video you’ve turned that frown upside down. Musically, the song recalls to me a sort of vague homage to Kings of Convenience, though spun through a sort of upbeat synthesized mixer; it’s energetic, but still feels supremely personal. If you love the song, That’s Gone Now is available today, so grab a copy HERE.

Go Get Mum Share Moving Day

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Two things you can trust on a Friday, or any day really: 1) Aussie pop is always going to make you feel better and 2) Meritorio Records is one of the top labels around. Today, I’m fortunate to share the first single from the forthcoming Go Get Mum release. The Melbourne quartet play an understated jangle pop, less jagged and more about churning those melodies that make you dizzy. Their big success comes in the way they combine female and male vocal roles throughout the song; there are times when the song feels like this joyous party where everyone sings along warmly, celebrating life with one another. There’s no way you can’t love this song. Look for the Ok Now What EP on March 20th via Meritorio.

New Music from The Little Hands of Asphalt

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The great thing about the labels left in the world is that you can always rely upon the tried-and-true ones, like Fika Recordings. By and large, they release a lot of stuff I already love, but sometimes they bring up something I adore that I wasn’t even aware of, like The Little Hands of Asphalt. It’s the project of Sjur Lyseid of Norway, who has been mostly quiet since 2012, working behind the scenes in studios, rather than up front. Today, Fika shared two beautiful pop gems that will appear on the new album, Half Empty. There’s a fragility in these two tunes that I didn’t know I missed, so I wanted to be sure and share those with you today. The new album should be out on March 27th.

Show Review: Tool @ Erwin Center 1/21

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It’s been said, when summer turns to winter in Austin, we put away our white T-shirts and get out our black ones. So it was appropriate for TOOL to come to the Frank Erwin Center in the month of January. Nobody had to change clothes they just had to show up. And show up they did. Thousands of black shirts and hoodies filled Austins nostalgic Drum, with the hopes of experiencing a “Great and Powerful” live performance. Hit the jump for more.

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Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes Share Forever

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One of my favorite things in the last few years, at least so far as the progression of musical trends, is the move to craft pop music that sort of survives around the narrow tropes we’ve concocted, like in this new tune from Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes. Sure, there’s a definite pop sensibility, particularly in the way the guitar lines jangle and sparkle. But, there’s a heaviness to this tune, one that seems to exist outside our expectations of what pop music is. Part of that comes in the vocals, part of it comes in the descending of the chorus; it’s not uplifting, and yet it is. There’s a bright nature to the brooding, giving you promise through the shadows. Just happy this tune’s out there. You can find it on the band’s new Sweetie LP, which drops on February 14th via Rama Lama Records.

Pop Number from Ciel

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I was fairly bored with yesterday’s run of the mill tunes and emails, that is until I stumbled across this track from new Brighton outfit, Ciel. I think perhaps I fell in love with its anti-pop construction. There’s this definite quiet delivery of the verses that seemingly set you up to fall in love with a big hook-laden chorus, but that never comes. Instead, the band ride out the enchantment with a brooding pulse before slipping back into another verse; they just ignore modern constructs, and execute in the dreamiest fashion possible. They’ll be releasing their debut Movement EP this Spring, so keep a lookout.

Kluster B Return with Counterpart Single

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Kluster B, formerly Kluster, caught my attention a few years ago with their debut album, Civic, but they’ve been mostly quiet since that time. Today they return with a new single, signalling a new LP on the not too far distant horizon. In the song, I feel as if they’re taking notes from the likes of early Pinback, drawing on indie rock influences and fusing them with bits of jazz structure and pop moments. Linnea’s voice haunts the tune during the verses, and shimmers in the chorus as the guitars clang noisily, eventually leading towards a closing that could easily slide into the best of dream pop vibes you’ll hear this week. Keep an eye out for a new LP with their label Rama Lama.

Star Parks Announces The New Sounds of Late Capitalism LP

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We knew that Andy Bianculli had something in the works when word came out that his project Star Parks had signed with Modern Outsider Records, so we’re glad the word is The New Sounds of Late Capitalism. It’s a playful number brimming with various movements within the song’s general structure that take the listener up and down. A fuzzy stomp kicks you into gear before fading into a more angelic float of vocals, accented by some real light keys that bridge the gap between the airy melody and the tapping of the drum work. You’ll find the hook-laden chorus harkening to some of Austin’s finest pop purveyors like Spoon, filled with the horns and all that extra jazz! The new LP drops on February 14th.

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