This is fine.
Once again, tracks are slowly leaking from the upcoming album Bonfires on the Heath by UK wunderkind The Clientele. Surely, you’ve heard of them, but in case you haven’t we’re offering this new track. Their special dream-inducing psychedelia is present here, and it only builds the anticipation as we head towards the October 6th release date on Merge Records.
Download: The Clientele – Harvest Time [MP3]
We’ve been loving The Drums since we got their self-titled debut EP, but now they are gearing up to release a new EP titled Summertime! The EP features three brand new tracks for those of you that had the debut, but if not, there are 6 brand spanking new songs, one being that sweet tune “Let’s Go Surfing.” But, now we have a new number for you, this one featuring an adorable female vocal with that bouncing bass line the band utilize so well. You can get a hold of the EP at Twenty Seven Records.
Download: The Drums – Don’t Be a Jerk Jonny
Rating: 
As the frontman of Hot Water Music, you expect Chuck Ragan to be an angst-ridden misanthrope, but you’ll find a different man writing the tunes on his second solo album, Gold Country. Chuck has called this work some of the most mature music he has created to date, and such a statement is quite visible upon repeated listens.
As you begin listening to this album, you get the feeling that a lot of the songs are left over from the period when Chuck wrote Feast or Famine, his first solo outing. “For Goodness Sake” features his throaty vocals that bare witness to his past. Similarly, “Glory” has that old hoedown feeling, with a quick-step guitar strumming accompanied by an equally paced violin. But, you can notice stark differences on this go round–even by listening to these two songs. For one, both feature female backing vocals, adding a richer texture to the compositions, which makes them seem like more complete songs, as opposed to simple acoustic tracks. “Glory” also brings in a gang vocal of “al la las” near the end of the song. It’s these slight steps up that give brith to the maturity of which Mr. Ragan has spoken.
Some of the songs on this album also appear to wear the influence of Chuck flexing his muscle on the road with the Revival Tour, a collection of punk troubadours gone punk. Yes, Chuck already has an experience in this realm, but there are definite moments that recall Tom Gabel of Against Me, such as “Done and Done.” This is by no means a knock, but it demonstrates how experience can bleed into our musical development.
Listening to a song like “10 West” you begin to realize that you sort of feel a strong connection to the Chuck Ragan. He’s talking about some sort of roadtrip that recalls various memories, but the recording manner that involves multiple moments of gang vocals makes you feel as if you are at home with Chuck Ragan. You can feel yourself sitting in the room with him as he writes this song for you and all your memories.
And in the end of it all, this is a Chuck Ragan. The old screamer always seems to get personal when he picks up the acoustic, and his lyrics never seem to come off interesting. Most people might not call it the most remarkable thing ever, but you can see that he’s been making steps to progress, and most (like me) don’t even think he needs to. He’s included touches of piano, violin, femal backing vocals and other ornate details that add to the texture of this wonderful album. Gold Country is definitely an example of a growing Chuck Ragan.
Rating:
A.A. Bondy began to steadily make waves with critics after the release of his debut American Hearts. A short while later, he is releasing When the Devil’s Loose on Fat Possum Records. It’s a record that lives up to the expectation of the record’s title, but in the most stripped down fashion that could only accompany A. A. Bondy.
Just when you think your music player is broken, the soft-spoken strumming of “Mightiest of Guns” comes into play through your speakers. Bondy seems to whisper just as quietly into the microphone, his soothing voice calmly uttering at those lowly decibels. Such an approach is utilized throughout the remainder of the album, to various effects.
“When the Devil’s Loose” begins, you can hear the meandering accompaniment of low-lying drums and various guitar chords that one finds on a M. Ward song. It easily could be seen as knocking off another great, but the story telling of Bondy is what seems to differentiate his songwriting from that of Matt Ward. He seems deeply rooted in the history of Southern storytelling, and in doing such, he tells his tales with the passion of an overly involved narrator. Even during “Oh the Vampyre,” which seems to be sort of a childish ditty, there is an element of struggle, not only in the lyrics, but in the vocals.
Midway through arrives the standout track “I Can See the Pines are Dancing.” One of the more intriguing things about this song is the baritone voice echoing in the background of the song. It works well with Bondy’s silky cum gruff vocals. It’s this sort of touch to an otherwise simplistic approach that manages to grab A.A. Bondy from the relatively mundane world of folk/Americana/etc and push him even further than some of his peers.
Listening to songs like “False River,” the album’s seventh track, you can still see these little flourishes and intricate details, and one can only assume that more will unfold as repeated listens come to be. Walking to the end of this album, you never seem to hear the same thing twice; this is an attribute many people ascribe to great records. However, the pacing of the album is painstakingly slow, and while some will find this aspect appealing, it’s difficult to reach the end of the album as a whole due to the distinctive style and relatively static vocals. While those may seem to some as desperately critical aspects, rest assured that beneath the folds of every tune on here lies a secret waiting for each and every listener. All due to the hard work of A.A. Bondy on When the Devil’s Loose.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/06-I-Can-See-the-Pines-are-Dancing.mp3]Download: A.A. Bondy – I Can See the Pines are Dancing [MP3]
As the new album In and Out of Control by The Raveonettes draws closer to its October 6th release date, more and more tracks begin to hit the Internet. “Last Dance,” hitting today is surely one of the highlights for what is shaping up to be a great album. I’ll admit, I’ve been a half-hearted fan for awhile, but after hearing the clever-pop goodness here, reminiscent of a female fronted Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I’m sincerely stoked.
Download: The Raveonettes – Last Dance [MP3]
These United States can’t seem to stop releasing new tunes, and this time around, Everything Touches Everything is going to be full of powerchords and pop magic. It’s hard to see these guys stopping anytime soon, and with songs like this, who would really want them to. The album hits stores September 1.
Download: These United States – Everything Touches Everything [MP3]
After spending time working on various projects, David Wingo finally returns to the writing of his fantastic soft-spoken numbers under the name of Ola Podrida. Rumor has it that he’s returned to Austin, but either way, we love the quiet beauty he’s given us in the past, so we’re looking forward to the release of his new record, Belly of the Lion, on November 10th. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s releasing it on Austin’s own Western Vinyl.
Download: Ola Podrida – Your Father’s Basement [MP3]
| Date | Tuesday, September 1st |
|---|---|
| Location | Flamingo Cantina |
| Doors | 900p |
| Tickets | $18 @ the Door |
How can you not want to go see the 73 year old dub-reggae master get his groove on at Flamingo Cantina? Let’s face it, if you like reggae, and I do, you need to get stepping to see Lee Scratch Perry. Dr. Dubbist will also be in attendance. Perry produced the following song, which is one of my all time faves, so if you love it, see you Tuesday night.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/02-police-and-thieves.mp3]
London’s Stricken City are known for their avant garde videos and the beauty of their lead singer, but now with the release of Songs About People I Know awaiting release on November 3rd it’s time to focus on the music. You can feel the bounce immediately here, and Raa’s sex-kitten vocals make it difficult not to fall for this song.
Download: Stricken-City-Pull-The-House-Down [MP3]
What? You still listen to THAT album? That record is so 2004! Well, that’s okay, because we really like that one too, which is why we decided to come up with a list of our favorite albums of the last decade (2000-2009). Sure, these might not be YOUR favorite records, or the most critically acclaimed, but we sat down and really thought out every record from the past ten years that we keep coming back to in our collections. You’re likely to disagree with some of these, and we won’t tell you we’re absolutely right we just know that these happen to be OUR favorites. If you think we totally blew it here, feel free to tell us so, but be nice, as our egos are kind of fragile. Follow the jump for more.
