This is fine.
It’s Thursday and I’m ready for the weekend so it’s time to rock out! Thanks to this hit “Waste Me” from Bay Area band The Silhouette Era I can do just that. This one is most definitely for fans of fellow garage rock bands like Wavves or even Surfer Blood (hey a shark!). The guitar riff alone is sure to pull in even the “I prefer soft music” types.
The Silhouette Era will release a new self-titled EP on June 22nd. Pre-orders are up now.
Rob Crowe has long been a staple on ATH with his work in the now legendary indie band Pinback. He’s a busy guy in the music game, and 2018 will be no different as he is currently working on a massive box set collection under a multitude of names and aliases. One of his first releases of the year is coming with his friend Pea Hix under the moniker Optiganally Yours. Now most of you are likely not familiar with the name, but the duo actually released some material back in ’97 & ’00 but have been pretty dormant ever since. So after many years of quiet, the guys wrote a whole bunch of new songs with influences from their previous demos and whatnot. The very first single of this material is called “Night Shop” and is an incredibly catchy pop song with those always irresistable vocals from Rob. This might be my top single of the year. For reals.
Optiganally Yours will release new album O.Y. In Hi-Fi on July 20th via Joyful Noise.
The experts in pulling our old favorite bands from yesteryear into Austin, Margin Walker, have done it yet again folks by bringing the legendary punk group Jawbreaker to Austin. That’s right, the same Jawbreaker who haven’t played a Texas show in over 20 years, and though “back together”, only play special performances. This is a huge deal for both myself and Nate dog as this is one of the bands we grew up with and one of the bands that first introduced us to non crap. As far as the show goes, the event will take place at the Statesman Skyline Theater and tickets will go on sale this Friday, May 4th at 10am. Tickets are being sold via Skyline Theater website and will run you $44 for GA and $99 for VIP. Support for the show will be from Lemuria and locals A Giant Dog. I am very excite.
UPDATE: We asked Margin Walker boss man Graham Williams for a quote about his booking of Jawbreaker in Austin. Here’s what he had to say:
“While a lot of us got to see Jawbreaker in the 90s, far more never got that chance, as they broke up while really in the rise as a band. I think everyone had given up on the chance of them reuniting, so when they did, its been a goal to get them to Texas and pretty stoked we finally made it happen for everyone.” –Graham Williams
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Hey do you remember that time when I went all the way over to Iceland for a music festival? Yeah it was quite awhile ago so maybe you don’t keep detailed notes on my whereabouts over the last several years… Well the wife and I had so much fun 4 years ago that we’ve decided to return to Iceland and attend the Secret Solstice Festival in June. It must tell you something about how the event is run and the quality of the festival as a whole for two Texans to travel all that way again. This time we plan to do things right by flying direct out of Dallas instead of a massive layover in NYC. Oh and we’ll probably buy out the duty free store right after we land. If all this sounds interesting to you, hit the jump for links to buy tickets and some thoughts on the 2018 lineup/event.
Sometimes when you think bands no longer know how to rock, you come across a song like this new one from PLAZA, and you’re faith in rock is restored. Though “In the Know” does start as a fairly straightforward, chill indie song, it erupts into a more guitar driven rock song about 1 minute in. It reminds of a band like Super Furry Animals who also can lure you in with a mellow jam with the listener never really knowing when the next rising action may come. Prepare yourself for greatness.
PLAZA recently signed to Clue Records and are currently working on more new material.
Happy Monday kids. If you’re a bit like me, you’re not quite ready for the week to begin so maybe a little dark pop music would be a good way to start the day? Portland based group Soft Kill will be the ones to deliver this much needed sound with their new song “Hard Candy. It’s a truly beautifully crafted song in the vein of post-punk or new wave with a more modern and polished feel to it. I’ve already played it 3 times and it’s only 8:15 (when I made the post).
This song will appear on new LP Savior dropping on May 11th via Profound Lore Records.
Man it’s been a bit since we’ve heard anything from the Brooklyn based, ATH favorite band Lazyeyes. As usual, I say things like that to explain my excitement for the band when I’m sent some new music after a small hiatus. So join in my excitement will you and check out this sweet new song “Echoes” from our old friends in Lazyeyes. The song blends a really great shoegaze/dream pop sound with a very nice dose of new wave to keep things interesting. This is one of the better songs I’ve heard this month. No doubt.
Lazyeyes will release Echoes on June 15th via Egghunt Records.
The dream pop genre has been gaining a lot of steam recently and sometimes certain artists can pull of the genre a hell of a lot better than others. Take the young Lev Snowe for example who crafts some beautiful numbers which further expand the quality of the genre. His new song entitled “When I Look Back” is a perfect example of his song writing skills. My favorite piece of the song is near the 3:00 minute mark when things break down a bit with some slick bass lines and enchanting beats. I suggest you check it out now.
Lev Snowe will release new EP Faded Blue on June 1st.
If you didn’t check out the site this week, I’ve been big on posting upbeat, high energy tracks to break out of my normal sad bastard vibe. Continuing my new vibe is Toronto based outfit Little Junior with their new song “Buzz Off”. Seriously, this track is just about as perfect you can get in the pop/punk genre while keeping a slight bit of edge to the sound. It’s like if Weezer still wrote good songs!
Little Junior will release new LP Hi on May 11th via Grand Jury Music.
We are approaching the weekend yet again, so why not ditch all that sad bastard music and jam to something that will make you move a bit? Hailing from the land down under, Blaire is just the band to put you in the mood with their new track “Smiling”. As evidenced by the name of the song, you’re sure to find yourself in a much better mood after listening to this song a few times. It reminds me quite a bit of ATH alums The Crookes or even a little bit Literature. Check it out now and enjoy the sunny, happy vibes.
