Author: nathan.lankford

New Radar Bros Tune

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News leaked a few weeks ago that Radar Brothers would be releaing their eighth album, appropriately titled Eight, which will be released on January 29th via Merge Records.  Our first listen gives off a dark ray of hope, with the band crafting well-orchestrated arrangements around a ringing discordant guitar.  The deep tone of the vocal has always been something that’s attracted me personally, so having it slowly drawn out through the track prepares me for another winning record from the group.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/01-Radar-Brothers-Eight-If-We-Were-Banished.mp3]

Download: Radar Brothers – If We Were Banished [MP3]

 

Top Albums of 2012: 50-1

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Here it is.  I know you’ll hate it; I know you’ll disagree, but that’s not the point in making an arbitrary list.  We here at ATH worked really hard to fit in the tastes of the four of us, and when we decided upon our Top 50, it really boied down to simple math.  What albums did we love when they came out?  Do we still enjoy spinning those records months later? If they’re in the Top 50, then the asnwer is probably yes.  I mean, our Top 2 records came out in January, and still play a vital part in my weekly listening.  There’s no disclaimer here.  We are who we are, we like what we like, and we hope that’s okay with you. If not, drop us a line and let us know where we went wrong.

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New Solo Project from Andy Comer : Bloody Amateur

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If you don’t know Andy’s work with labels like Matador and Dim Mak, or his bands Tel Aviv and Prosaics, then you might want to go back in time and find the hits.  But, you can also put that aside and focus on his new project, Bloody Amateur, which will be releasing a self-titled debut on March 5th via Teen Beat.  Below you’ll find him stripped down and open, bearing his soul to the listener with little more than a guitar. Sometimes simplicity is just what you need to craft a wonderful song, and this tune fits nicely into that category.  Share it with your friends.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/bloody-amateur_companions_teenbeat506.mp3]

Download:Bloody Amateur – Companions [MP3]

Smooth Listening from Leapling

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Just a few weeks ago I brought you this semi-new tune from Leapling, letting you know that the act had recently signed with the wonderful Father Daughter Records.  Not even a week later, I’m back with news that the bands 5 song EP, Losing Face, is now set for release on January 15th.  In my ears, I appreciate the careful approach to pop songwriting the group has taken here–nothing seems forced or trivial.  This is the sort of music that is both challenging and comforting, which makes it a winner in my book; it should be one in your book too, if you’re writing one.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/04-If-Youre-Patient.mp3]

Download:Leapling – If You’re Patient [MP3]

 

Top Albums of 2012: 100-51

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It’s really hard to narrow down a list of Top Albums of 2012, especially when you have four contributors with different opinions.  We gave the reins to Nathan.Lankford and Nicole Baumann on this one, since they write the majority of the album reviews, but we all have a little representation within this.  Now, we do realize that our site has specialized tastes, so please realize that these are our OPINIONS.  You’re welcome to disagree, and, in fact, we encourage that process.  Also, we’re doing a Top 100 because so many records came out this year, it wouldn’t be fair to narrow it down.  Not to mention it might lead you to discover some hits you hadn’t heard about yet. Oh, and we don’t really like Frank Ocean or hip-hop…just a personal choice…here’s the first segment.

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New Music from Beach Fossils

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It’s hard not to be on board with Beach Fossils, but this new track they’ve just released to announce their upcoming record is something I didn’t exactly expect, in a good way of course.  My first listen sort of reminds me of early 90s indie pop, using jangling guitars and a bit of shoegaze flourishes to mold the sound of the song.  There’s still a bit of that angular guitar sound from the group, but they seem to have steered clear of repeating themselves with those sunny guitars and bubbly bass lines.  You can grab the new record, Clash the Truth, from Captured Tracks on February 19th.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/04-Careless.mp3]

Download:Beach Fossils – Careless [MP3]

WTF? Ducktails New Jam

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Man, I’m really stuck on the fence with this Ducktails track that just came out.  Matt Mondanile has added a posse of contributors for his newest record, The Flower Lane, but I’m not sure I’m sold on their collaborative appeal.  This tune has Dan Lopatin who uses some hipster-approved moniker, and while I appreciate the effortless keyboard work behind the song, I just don’t think it’s quite as enticing as the work done on Ducktails III.  I don’t mind loops and such, but in his early tape days, Matt was using guitars crafting this dense pop collage–seemingly not the case.  I’m not jumping off the fence entirely, but I’m approaching the January 29th release date on Domino with a little trepidation.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/69873592″ params=”auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=ff7700″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Top Live Shows in Austin in 2012

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Our year end coverage begins with the three chiefs over at the ATH offices reveling in what was an incredible year in Austin, musically speaking.  Tons of rad bands blew us away with their live sets, and, well, there were just tons of bands.  I think we did more show coverage this year than in previous years, but as always, the great thing about our site is diversity.  We’re also linking back to our full reviews and photos of some of these nights, so you can get more of a feel of our thoughts, not to mention, checking out Brian’s great photographic 2012. Read on for thoughts on live acts from the three main contributors.
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New Music from Amor de Dias

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The Love of Days you say? Well, I’ll say that for today, and probably for a few more that follow, this new track from Amor de Dias is absolutely winning my heart.  You can give me anything with the voice of Alisdair MacLean, and I’m probably going to fawn over it.  My impression is that Alisdair and his collaborator, Lupe, have finally hit their stride.  The backing vocals jumping in and out are so affecting that I’d have a difficult time ever dismissing this track.  I’m sure the new record, House at Sea, aims to be a remarkable listen, which can be all yours from the good folks over at Merge Records on January 29th.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/05-Amor-de-Días-The-House-at-Sea-Jeans-Waving.mp3]

Download:Amor De Dias – Jean’s Waving [MP3]

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