This is fine.
King Khan & The Shrines will be releasing their new album The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines on June 17th. For now, listen to one of my favorite new songs of the year “Torture”. They are coming to Mohawk July 6th, and we would highly recommend jumping on tickets now. It’ll sell out.
Download: torture.mp3
Local band Whitman sees a triumphant return to the stage this Friday (June 6th) at Emo’s Lounge in Austin Texas. Whitman will be playing with well known bands Sybris & Unwed Sailor. Prepare to have your faces melted! For tickets Click here. Or just buy one at the door for only $8! Doors open at 9pm, show starts at 10.
More info/song previews for each band can be found here:
Whitman
Sybris
Unwed Sailor
Hear “The Drifter” off Whitman’s new album Torch Songs
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/08-the-drifter.mp3]
Download: thedrifter.mp3
I’m sure most of you have already heard this song from somewhere or another but I wanted to post it anyway. If you’re like me, you are chomping at the bit waiting for Albert’s new album to come out later this summer. After the huge success of his first album “Yours to Keep”, I’m betting this album won’t let us down either. The new single is called “GFC” off Albert Hammond Jr.’s new album ¿Cómo te llama?.
Download: gfc.mp3
The Toadies are coming to Stubb’s in Austin on Sep. 3rd. Tickets go on sale this Friday (June 6th) at 10 a.m. Go here to get tickets and party like it’s 1994!
Sigur Ros just released a single off their forthcoming album with a title so long I won’t even attempt to reproduce it here. Apparently the album is being produced by Nine Inch Nails producer Flood? Go figure… The new single “Gobbledigook” isn’t like anything you’ve heard the band do before. Go here to pre-order the brand new album out June 23rd.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/gobbledigook.mp3]
Download:Gobbledigook.mp3
Be sure to catch the car stereo (wars) “farewell” show at Beauty Bar this Saturday night from 10:00-2:00. Christopher Rose (the brains behind CSW) will be leaving for Europe soon, so this will be the last time in a while to catch him in Austin. Beauty Bar fills up quick, so we would recommend getting there early and staying put.
Ratatat recently offered up a song off their new album LP3. It’s called “Mirando”.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/04-mirando-1.mp3]
Download:Ratatat-Mirando.mp3
Rating: 
Who doesn’t want to wrap this band up in a Taco Cabana tortilla, dip them in some queso and eat them for a late night snack? Maybe that’s not exactly the image you had in mind but can you blame me? Mates of State is the band you want to bring home and introduce to the family. The band you wish no one caught you smiling about every time you heard their songs. Mates of State have been doing their thing for a while now and doing it very well I might add. Doin’ it and doin’ it and doin’ it well. The first time I heard “La’hov” from My Solo Project (2001) I knew this band had something good going on. They brought you the sound that always made you want to dance and sing at the top of your lungs. After My Solo Project Mates dropped three more very solid and likeable albums each with superbly written pop jams that all ages can’t resist. On top of these three albums, MOS got hitched and also dropped two kids along the way. So now the act manages the music industry along with two little ones.
The bands most recent effort, Re-Arrange Us, sees the band growing up a lot or showing their age if you will. Kori Gardner(every indie fan boy’s dream girl) begins to use less and less of her famous electric organ that everyone fell in love with in the first place. I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing but I can see some die hard fans turned off by this, me being one of them. I do like the way Mates is attempting to grow up a bit & seeing what’s going to work for them as a band in the future. They are evolving as a band, refining their sound & trying new things, I’m just not sure if it is paying off. The album starts off with “Get Better” with it’s slick drums and tight hook that you can’t say no to. “The Re-Arranger” is the feature track of the album. It shows Mates going back to what they do best: sing-a-long lyrics and the best pop rhythms money can buy. If every song on the album sounded like this one, mark it down as the best of the year. Unfortunately, that’s not the case….Not every song on the album will cause you to sing-a-long, but at least will make you tap your feet. The songs are strong but something seems to be missing.
The beats are good, the lyrics are like always, the sound is refined, so what else is there? The songs tend to be good but what about after several listens? They start getting hard to tell apart…. And this can’t be Mates best work… can it? What happened to the days of “Nice Things that Look Good” or even “Fluke”? I miss the organ. Fine I said it. Who doesn’t? As much as I like these songs, I also find some faults in them. After a few listens, the album starts to sound like maybe it was rushed or the band is just going through the motions. They still put a smile on my face but I miss the old rockin’ days of Mates of State. Mates is still putting out music that rivals most any pop outfit but I think they could be the best pop band around if they really put their minds to it. Here’s one fan boy missing the days of the mighty Kori Gardner and her trusty electric organ.
Don’t miss Mates of State blowing through Austin at Emo’s June 13th. Click here to purchase tickets before they sell out. Never miss the chance to see Mates live!
Hear “Get Better” off the new album now:
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/01-get-better.mp3]
Download: Mates of State-Get Better.mp3
