This is fine.
Last week Raygun told us that “School’s Out for Summer” and shared the best songs to listen to about the school year finally being over. This week I want to take a look at the best songs from the year that will enhance your summer time easy living philosophy. Follow the jump for the list and a brief explanation.
Warren G may always be known as the “Regulate” guy, but his debut album Regulate…G Funk Era, holds more than its famous title track. Though Dr. Dre pioneered G Funk, laid-back funk infused rap, his half brother Warren is an accomplished master of the style in his own right. As a rapper Warren G’s subdued rhyming has more in common with old school hip-hoppers than with his gangsta brethren, but his production is right out of The Chronic playbook: squealing synthesizers, savvy bass lines, and slow tempos. Perfect summertime jams.
Austin band Sleep Good is the brain child of local resident Will Paterson who has spent time in big name bands like Sunset and Sound Team. Will could probably be most closely compared to Alan Palomo since both are young lads in their very early 20s and both have already put out massive amounts of creative material in a very short amount of time. For the longest time, Will worked on his Sleep Good project completely solo and only used the name as a creative moniker. A year or so ago though the solo moniker became a full blown band with four other members who have been doing some light touring as of late around Austin. You’ll be hard pressed to find recorded material from Sleep Good that you can actually download or purchase other than their Autobus Records LP Skyclimber. I’ve gotten my hands on that album and have really enjoyed the material as one of the most creative pieces of work to come out locally this year. You’ll also be hard pressed to put a label on this project from Patterson. At times you’ll hear British twee mixed in with some of the noisier pop elements of Pet Sounds. Then after you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’ll hear a song like “Shoney’s” which sounds like a new take on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” as performed by Queen. Needless to say, I’m liking what I hear. You can download the new record digitally via Band Camp or on the Autobus Records website.
Download: Sleep Good – Shoneys [MP3]
Since Chaos n’ Tejas is in town this week, it feels a little weak to be talking about pop-punk, but I have a feeling that every kid going out to those punk shows has to own at least one Descendents record, if not all of them, as true fans should. Now, I know they didn’t necessarily create the genre, but in my eyes, no one did it any better than this group. I was recently reminded of their incredible power when listening to guitarists Stephen Egerton‘s solo album, 7 Degrees, which has all kinds of guest appearances, including one from Descendents singer Milo. Not to mention that the group is perfect for driving around windows down. The lyrics are bratty and pubescent, but they did it in a way that wasn’t vulgar, and didn’t come off as a joke; after all, listening to these guys, I was a kid. Still, pop-punk gets a lot of flack nowadays because of the way its been exploited by the corporate industry, but if you want to see a band that did it faster and with more class, then go get yourself some of the Descendents. You’ll be glad you did.
“My cousin Walter jerked off in public once. True story. He was on a plane to New Mexico when all of the sudden the hydraulics went. The plane started spinning around, going out of control, so he decides it’s all over and whips it out and starts beating it right there. So all the other passengers take a cue from him and they start whipping it out and beating like mad. So all the passengers are beating off, plummeting to their certain doom, when all of the sudden, snap! The hydraulics kick back in. The plane rights itself and it land safely and everyone puts their pieces or, whatever, you know, away and deboard. No one mentions the phenomenon to anyone else.”
Follow the jump for the Top 5 songs about just that.
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So maybe with my from the closet features I’ll start getting the “emo kid” tag, but I don’t really care. The era of the emo, post-emo, pop-emo, or whatever you wanna call it was when I really came into my own as a music critic and fan. That era also exposed me to indie artists like Spoon, Wilco, Ryan Adams and tons of others that have become some of my all time favorites. Now I won’t try to claim that emo kids The Anniversary belong in the same category as those bands, but they were good for what they were at the time. I also wouldn’t claim the band as an inovator of the genre but more a band who rode on the coat tails of fellow midwest bands like Braid and The Get Up Kids. I’ll of course be going with a song from their debut LP Designing a Nervous Breakdown since that was really the high point of the band that sort of fell off after that. So why not re-live a little turn of the decade post-emo music with “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” from The Anniversary. Side Note: I once gave a member of The Anniversary the middle finger during their set at Emos for talking about the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team during the NCAA Tournament. The guy saw me (I don’t remember which band member it was) and called me out, but I kept my middle finger raised. Hey UT was in the Sweet 16 and this is Austin mo fo! Kansas lost in the Final Four BTW. Good story huh?
We spend a lot of our time focusing on the rock around Austin, but rest assured, we love to shake it just as much as the next guy does. Recently, the Austin scene has been boosted by the rise of FreshMillions! , and their main guy Geoff Earle. They’ve been hitting the town with the likes of Focus Group and L.A.X. (who they will be supporting May 19th), making a name for themselves with electrifying shows that leave the audience drenched in sweat and coated in euphoria. Not to mention that a lot of people love the fact that Bryan Ritchie of The Sword (and Skate or Die) helped produce the record, but as much as we love Bryan, you have to know that those groove-tastic bass lines and electric shine were all there beforehand. Be sure to check out the band’s self-titled debut record, and attend one of their live shows because pretty soon, the whole town will be aboard this dance-a-riffic party bus of fun.
Download: Fresh Millions – The Helicopter [MP3]
Our ears and minds are usually unwilling to listen to logic when it comes to pop music on the radio airwaves. Despite the combination of dim lyrics and catchy tracks that make it to Billboard’s Top 100, there are a handful of artists that do not deserve to be in the music industry. Pop music on the radio isn’t what it used to be. Being in radio for years, I occasionally unplug my iPod and check out local stations to see what’s going on. The following are current pop artists that shouldn’t be on the airwaves, which includes every track they’ve ever created.
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Sometimes it’s hard for us to find artists worthy of featured posts on the site since we live in a town completely saturated with new and veteran bands. It is easy however when we are directed to bands with a unique and compelling sound like Austin boys Super Lite Bike. Somehow we’ve missed out on these guys since their inception a couple years ago, but we are now on board and driving the band wagon of hype. The Austin quintet known as Super Lite Bike have previously played in several bands around town with many names and many faces. With a new name and the search for their own sound, the band is ready to release their debut LP Away We Go later this week. What you’ll find on that record is what sucked us in from the get go: A band who understands what it means to try something new. Sure they’ve got the progressive rock label on them, and that’s cool. You would be wrong however to simply write them off as another “experimental rock” group. Their style is like nothing else going on in Austin right now… and of course we dig that. Be sure to pick up your copy of their new album on Thursday at your local record store.
You can also catch these guys live on Thursday at The Parish for their record release party starting at 9pm. I know we’ll be there!
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/02-Raise-the-Colors.mp3]Download: Super Lite Bike – Raise the Colors [MP3]
Last Friday, our incredible photo lady Mary Rehak made her way to The Parish to check out a set by Hospital Ships, Wye Oak, and our very own Shearwater. Mary claims to have seen these bands more than any living person, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to see them yet again. After the jump you can check out a short review and some fancy photos from Mary.
