This is fine.
Usually a show we’re interested in attending rarely goes the route of Antones, but a venue known for its pristine seemed like the exact place one would want to witness the soaring sounds of Camera Obscura. We set out with open minds, looking forward to hearing some of our favorite tracks of the year live. Follow the jump to read more and see some fancy pics.
Fresh off the release of their It’s Frightening, White Rabbits returned to Austin, riding the wave of praise heaped upon them by various media outlets, ATH included. We ventured to Emos salivating at the chance to hear “Percussion Gun” live, as that clearly is one of our songs of the year. Local Austin band The Boxing Lesson opened up the evening, but they were practically done with their space-electronica when we made it into an empty indoor Emos. Follow the jump to read the full review.
I think you all knew that ATH would go here at some point and alas today is the day that I take the leap and display our true male hormone driven selves with a top 5 about the hot ladies of indie rock. I won’t beat around the bush here, this post has little to do with the musical talents of these ladies, and more to do with how they drive me crazy with their good looks. I promise not to offend anyone and also promise that these women have made my list because they are empowered and musically talented women who also just so happen to be pleasing on the eyes. I love them all and would probably just turn into a bumbling idiot if they ever actually spoke to me… You will see a lot of familiar faces on the list and probably take issue with some big names being left off. I love you too Feist and Neko, just not quite enough for you to break into my Top 5. If you really wanted to mess me up, you should have gotten to me sooner! Follow the jump for our full top 5 breakdown.
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Seeing as it’s summertime around these parts, I’ve been creating lots of mixtapes in my head for various trips across the country. One band that always makes the cut is The Exploding Hearts. Their brilliant punk meets power-pop career was cut short by a tragic accident that took three of the four founding members. No amount of press would bring the greatness of this band back to us, but we will always have their delightful tunes to put on our mixtapes.
Download: The Exploding Hearts – You’re Black and Blue [MP3]
As an Austin Town Hall adventure, this was our first team outing to the new venue in town, The Independent. They’ve been working with C3, and fortunately for all of us, they’ve lined up some really great shows. We were stoked to see Little Joy, though a bit saddened that Fab would not be in attendance. Follow the jump to continue reading.
One couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening to watch music, as the cool breeze, rare for a summer evening, crept in upon those in attendance at The Mohawk this past Thursday. Every thing was poised for a perfect night of music, as good friends joined to watch The Helio Sequence. Follow the jump for review and pics.
First, let me assure you that the plural of faux pas is indeed faux pas; it’s just like the word deer. Now, there has been a lot of recent discussion around the ATH camp about proper rock show etiquette, so after careful deliberation, I opted to lay out my Top Five Faux Pas; these are the things you shouldn’t be doing when you attend a rock show, or really any social event where a stage is involved. If you find that you commit these atrocities while in attendance at a rock show, you should definitely consider reevaluating your behavior; this is for the benefit of everyone I assure you.
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Unfortunately, the line at Emos was ungodly long, despite the fact that doors opened a full hour before the show, itself, began. For this reason, and this reason alone, we were unable to catch Cale Parks, as we still waiting in line for our turn to get in the show. Long lines should have been an indicator for the kind of night everyone was in for at Emos. Follow the jump for more.
Sad Accordions are a band that we were tipped off on by our friend Mike over at the music blog Sonic Itch. After giving them a few listens and the bands music turning up on our most played lists, we thought it was about time to run a feature on the group. The story reads that Sad Accordions got their start many years ago in the metropolis of Houston, TX when founding members Ben Lance and Seth Woods began to play music together. Soon after in 2003, more members joined on and the group relocated to our little city and have been playing local shows and growing their fan base ever since. The sound of Sad Accordions is a little bit folky, a little bit quiet/melodic rock, and all parts beauty. Check out a sample of the band’s sound below with Fire/Ash from debut LP A Bad Year for the Sharons. It’s one of the most complete and heart-felt albums we’ve heard in a long time. Pick it up!
Download: Sad Accordions – Fire/Ash [MP3]
As we see it, we’re about midway through the year as far as record releases go, seeing as how no one really puts albums out in December for fear of being left off year-end lists. Since we’ve hit the half-way mark, we thought we would throw out a list of our Top 5 Records so far this year. Keep in mind, this list is subject to change, should something mind altering come our way, or should we just get bored with one of the following records.
