New Song from Big Troubles

I had heard about the signing of Big Troubles while stalking Slumberland Records (as you can see I’ve been doing today!).  I’d been keeping my eye on these kids since their debut, Worry, came out, so I’m excited to see that September 27th we can celebrate the arrival of Romantic Comedy.  Clearly, there’s a bit of youthfulness going on with this band, which enables them to sort of take dead aim at crafting pop gems with earnest, without having to endure backlash about who or what they were influenced by during the writing process. Smoky vocals placed lightly atop sharp bending guitar lines make this worthy of repeated listens.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Big-Troubles-Misery.mp3]

Download: Big Troubles – Misery [MP3]

Young Montana? – Limerence

Rating: ★★★½☆

Long is the laundry list of beat makers via the UK, but one of the rising stars of the scene, Jon Pritchard aka Young Montana, is a ripe 20 years old. Following in the footsteps of renowned veterans such as Prefuse 73, FlyLo, and Madlib, Young Montana? has just released his debut album, Limerence on Alpha Pup, with some fantastic artwork to boot. Emerging from relative obscurity in Coventry, a smallish town in the UK, Pritchard has managed to bottle up some of the most fluid beats of the year with a strong down-tempo style perfected in his own backyard.

While the flow is intermittent at best, the release works as a host of independent sketches comprised of a multitude of ideas, much like Prefuse’s Apexian. The overall theme varies widely from the soulful to the askew to the more gathered bass-driven tracks, but when Pritchard hits the right chord, the sound is rich, interesting, and energetic. In many ways, Pritchard is on the forefront of the next wave of beat makers trying their hands at the game after years of study dominated by the masters. While Limerence is not entirely ground-breaking, the release more than makes up for it in sheer jam-ability, on tracks ‘Sacré Cool’, ‘Suchbeats’, and ‘Repetition’. While most vocals are reserved in snippets thrown in for an added texture, the release is more or less instrumental. Utilizing his full arsenal of techniques and tricks, nearly every track holds a recognizable pattern worthy of a head bob. ‘Legwrap’ however, is where Pritchard is certainly pushing the boundaries, incorporating the pinnacle of his off-kilter, wonky, and plain off the wall trips and ticks before emerging as one of the more killer beat structures found on the album. Such is the way Pritchard directs his listener, always keeping us wondering what may come next.

The final track ‘Connct’ once again thrives on the bass heavy, but throws in a music box to keep the listener always guessing. While it makes what begins as one of the most enjoyable tracks less so, it’s still interesting enough in its own right to justify a listen. For such a young mind at an essentially old man’s game at this point, I predict good things from Coventry and a multitude of small towns throughout the world in the years to come in the wide open world of beat-making.

New Music from Veronica Falls

It seems like Slumberland Records is intent on signing all the great bands in the world; I expect a Celebrity Death Match between them and Captured Tracks soon.  They just announced today that they’ll be releasing the debut record from Veronica Falls on September 20th.  The label has even been kind enough to offer up a free download of “Come On Over” for every one to sample.  This track sort of begins with a trickle, jangling guitars and all, but then it jumps off with banging drums and faster guitars.  Female vocals soon enter to provide a dream-state that will accompany listeners through the rest of the song.  It’s a pretty promising single, so let’s all get excited about Veronica Falls.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/12-Come-On-Over-1.mp3]

Download: Veronica Falls – Come On Over [MP3]

New Song from John Wesley Coleman

Maybe this is old news, as in yesterday’s news, but I can’t help it. I’ve been a huge fan of John Wesley Coleman for some time, and at this point, it doesn’t seem like he can do anything wrong.  Word is being spread that he’s doing a split 7″ which will feature a Gary Stewart song, and a reinterpretation of said song–the 7″ comes out on July 26th Sophomore Lounge Records.  True, JWC might not have that honky-tonk feel some associate with Stewart’s music, but there’s that same sense of desperation and pain in his voice, and that’s always going to grab me by the ears.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Oh-Woman.mp3]

Download: John Wesley Coleman -Oh Woman

New Album from Arc in Round

Philadelphia’s Arc in Round have just released a new digital album, II, on their BANDCAMP page, and though it’s short with only five songs, I’ve been playing it all morning long. It’s definitely going to fall in the vein of dream-pop, but the execution of the finished product is what is so rewarding.  Washed vocals, bright guitar/string moments all lead you into a sonic haven where you can sit absorbed in your own thoughts.  My favorite track of the five is “Time Spent,” and you can listen down below for a preview.  Currently, the band are offering up II for a name your own price deal, but be sure to support the band, as good music always deserves our support.  Don’t forget to go back and give their great back catalog a listen while you’re at it.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/04-Time-Spent.mp3]

Download: Arc in Round – Time Spent [MP3]

New Tunes from Grass Widow

There’s few people in the blogosphere I truly trust, so I’m always happy when Toby over at Finest Kiss gets a chance to sort through his emails and get me hip to things I might have glanced over.  He’s run a bunch of singles today, and my favorite of the batch has to be this new track from Grass Widow.  The San Fran trio has self-released a new 7″ with this track Milo Minute.  There’s definitely a post-punk pogo to the track, but the harmonies between the ladies provide allow the song to transcend your typical rehash of styles.  I get the feeling that this will be spinning around here all week.  You can get your copy HERE, which features two covers as the B-Side (Wire and Neo Boys).

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/GrassWidow-MiloMinute.mp3]

Download: Grass Widow – Milo Minute [MP3]

Pure X – Pleasure

Rating: ★★★★★

At this point in time, it would be difficult for one to ignore Pure X (formerly Pure Ecstasy) based entirely on the amount of press that has seemed to surround the Austin trio over the last few months.  After listening to Pleasure over and over (and over and over) again, you’ll soon realize that the group is no joke, and they’ve crafted the slow-burning record of the year, if not just the straight up record of the year.

The instrumental “Heavy Air” begins the record with sort of the ominous feeling one would associate with bloated oxygen, weighed down in trickling bits of guitar reverb and harrowing sounds that fill every inch of space necessary.  It’s the perfect precursor to “Dream Over,” a track that begins with a little bit more light, as “oohs” gently float you through the intro.  Once the vocals come in, the echo effect of created by the band refraining from polish stains the track with every inch of passion Pure X possess, especially clear as vocals strain in the background to wrap up the song.

You’re going to be hard pressed to discover such a one-two punch as “Twisted Mirror” and “Easy.”  The former slowly builds with discordant guitar sounds carefully cutting through the space, all before we’re presented with even a hint of vocals.  Honestly, while the depth of the vocals on this track, and on Pleasure for that matter, elevate each song, the craftsmanship of the sound itself doesn’t even require singing at all.  With “Easy,” the appeal for the masses is immediately noticeable as drums mellowly pound the rhythm, vocals uplift you, and squalls of noise filter in and out of the song.  If you play it on repeat, you’re bound to get lost in the simple beauty expressed here.

Every song on Pleasure is a listenable gem, each with twists and turns of its own.  The seemingly instrumental “Surface” fills out a void in the record, with Pure X providing you a sense to further allow immersion into their dense sound; oddly, it’s not dense at all. The use of sound and structure fills every inch of recording space, creating the juxtaposition of hollow, yet dense; it’s a sensation you must have for yourself. There’s short tracks like “Stuck Livin” that seem like heartfelt laments about life, yet much like San Francisco’s Girls, there’s a bright light glowing beneath the stark reality of our world. Even the single “Dry Ice” is worthy of every inch of praise its received.  It’s quiet at times, yet the group’s approach swallows you whole, forcing you into some sort of melodramatic trance from which you never want to escape.

People will always be skeptical of bands with great hype, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any second of this record, though the band would probably disagree.  Pleasure is, to me, reminiscent of Spiritualized, utilizing the band’s creativity within the studio to extract every bit of sound possible, yet not filling it with indulgences.  Like Jason S., Pure X has crafted a delicate listen, one that whole-heartedly enthralls you track after track.  If there’s such a thing as modern classics, this one might well be on its way.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/08-Dry-Ice.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Dry Ice [MP3]

New Music from Big Wave Riders

Apparently it’s going to be sort of a Scandinavian type day in my house, as I’ve just gotten another gem from the region via Finland’s Big Wave Riders.  The band is prepping their digi-EP for new label, Soliti Music, which will also be home to the new work from Cats on Fire.  They posted a great track to their last.fm page, and I just fell in love.  It begins with sort of a washed out guitar vibe, one that you’d expect from a California beach group, but then the pace picks up, and it turns into momentary dance-pop, and returns once again to the beautiful wash.  This is definitely something new and exciting from a great prospect for 2011.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Big-Wave-Riders-Skate-or-Die.mp3]

Download: Big Wave Riders – Skate or Die [MP3]

New Pop Hit from Oh No! Yoko

The great part of being involved in little music communities outside the blogosphere is that you always discover fun little gems that you mightn’t have found otherwise. That’s where I discovered this fun little track from Vancouver group, Oh No! Yoko. They just released a nice little album full of similarly fun tunes titled Pau Pau, so if you dig what’s going on below, it’s worth taking a hard look at.  For me, I kind of get the feeling of Passion Pit or Harlem Shakes, but I think a lot of that has to do with a serious vocal link.  So sit back, take it in, and enjoy yourselves.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Ohnoyoko-90skids.mp3]

Download: Oh No! Yoko – 90’s Kids [MP3]

New Track from Pallers

If you’ve been reading our blog for some time, you probably already know that I’m a huge fan for the Labrador label.  They’ve already put out some great records this year, and it looks like we’re soon going to have another gem on our hands.  Pallers is a duo, as noted in the picture to the left, and they’ll be releasing their record, The Sea of Memories, on September 27th.  The music is filled with melodic slow paced electronic tinkering, but the wispy quality of the vocals really makes this song the charmer that it is.  You can pick this up in the single format at the end of July.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Come-Rain.mp3]

Download: Pallers – Come Rain, Come Sunshine [MP3]

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