More From The Wooden Sky

When I hear people say Sturgill Simpson is the only guy currently making quality country music, it pisses me off a bit. Nothing against Sturgill by any means, you simply need to broaden your horizons a bit and step outside the Billboard Charts. To me, Toronto based outfit The Wooden Sky are making a very unique style of country music all their own. A sort of psych-rock country music with the incredible vocal stylings of leading man Gavin Gardiner. Call it country or call it what you like, this new track “Black Gold” should hit home for anyone reading this post and hitting play. Hells yeah.

This track appears on new album Swimming in Strange Waters out April 7th via Nevado Music.

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Are You Listening To The Velveteins Yet?

If you aren’t listening to Edmonton based band The Velveteins yet, today is a perfect time to start. I’ve been covering the group for about a year now and I’m continually impressed with the growth they’ve shown in such a short amount of time. Today I have the pleasure of sharing their impressivenew single “Midnight Surf”. Be prepared for a journey of a song that starts slow and builds and builds into a truly epic finish. Prepare to be amazed. You’re welcome.

The Velveteins will release Slow Wave on May 12th.

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Building Post Punk From Ultrviolence

Ultrviolence is described as a “Canadian post-punk collective that moves the listener relentlessly through waves of peaks and valleys drawing you in with its lyrical truth.” Copying and pasting press blurbs is rarely a method I like to use, but in this case it is probably easier than breaking out the thesaurus and looking up post punk.

The reality is that I have been locked in on the post punk thing over the last few months (read that as forever) and I am always happy to hear new stuff to share. “Guillotine” is straight forward, the bass line, guitar plucks and synth flourishes ride through the first verse setting up the gradual build and sustain before release. It is lead track on the EP Forty Knives which will land on Northern Light on May 12th.

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CFM Churns Out More Tunes

Charles Moothart is one busy ass guy right? He spends time recording and performing with Mikal Cronin,Ty Segall and all of their many projects. Somehow he finds time between all those projects to churn out tons of quality hits via his solo project CFM. It seems like only a few short months ago he dropped an EP on our ears, and now he’s offering up more songs to preview his upcoming full release. The new track is called “Voyeurs” and is one big long jam full of guitar noodling, trippy electric guitar, and many other small nuances you might find interesting. Check it out.

Dichotomy Desaturated is coming on April 7th via In the Red Records.

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A Day Late and a Dollar Short: More To Love From Nightlands

It’s fine– who needs a dollar when you have not one, but three great new tracks from Dave Hartley’s Nightlands? We first got a taste of some of Hartley’s new material a month or so ago, and we were smitten with the pop sensibilities in the new music. Now, we’ve got three more new tracks to ooze over, each of which are pretty great Friday listening. I’m trading off on which song is my favorite at the moment, but the Dion cover, “Only You Know” is currently winning. It’s got this great sort of twee electro-pop vibe to it, but Hartley keeps things lo-fi with his distorted vocals and the tightly knit, jangly guitar riffs.

These tracks below are taken from Nightlands’ upcoming release,I Can Feel The Night Around Me. It’s out May 5th via Western Vinyl.

 

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Hear Nike’s Slack Capital 2 Contribution

Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of Austin’s most wonderful bands. All proceeds from the comp go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. We’re unveiling one song per day, leading up to the comp’s release on April 14.

Today’s song: Nike — “UR Lying Now”

Oh god, I love Nike. You can tell by their name that pretentiousness is not their bag. And when you hear their music, that’s what you get — short, propulsive, gross, funny songs. Striking a similar tongue-in-cheek vibe as Ian McKinney’s “CRIMEWAVE” and the Pataphysics song “Carrasco,” two other Slack Capital 2 songs we’ve told you about, “UR Lying Now” is a faux-upset rant at a person who is literally lying at this very moment. Plenty of songs tell a generic “you” that they have lied, but how many have the gall to call it out while it’s happening? This three-piece is relatively new to the Austin scene, but if this song is any indication, they’ll be making a bunch of die hard fans in no time. People still want to have fun when they go to a show, and Nike, with their caffeinated, quirky takes on modern life, never forget that.

Pre-order the release over at ATH Records.

Catch Nike at the Slack Capital 2 release party, April 14 at Barracuda!

Night Drive Shares A Video

I was talking with Rodney from Night Drive at the Bryan Ferry show. Seems the record coming out on Roll Call Records is just about set for release and that means promo time. Among the plans, a record release June 16th at Cheer Up. We will be there. How about a video, too?

If you haven’t gotten behind this jam you, I suggest you do. The vid is directed by Yoshi Sodeoka. Psyched out, kinda. Let’s dance.

Exciting Stuff from Factory Seconds

I love how Art Is Hard Records always manage to unearth a golden gem from an up-and-comer; they were one of the early champions of Joanna Gruesome for instance. I’m really digging this Factory Seconds tune on their new Postcard Singles Series. There’s a little bit of indifference from the way the vocals are delivered, but the impact of the song is instilled in listeners via the sounds haunting the background. At times there’s these fading guitar chords staggering in the speakers, while little sonic blips also burst through. The group’s fairly new, but what an exciting bit of promise from the get-go.

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New Music from Eric and Magill

It’s been some time since I even thought about Eric & Magill, but this new tune that just dropped definitely reminded me exactly why I loved the group’s early work. Here, there’s a smoky entry, gradually releasing softened vocals atop careful picking. But, those looking to hear the band expand upon that will find the burst of euphoric pop during the chorus refreshing. Part of the duo, Ryan Weber, is seeking to find meaning in our chaotic world, and it sounds to me like they’ve found just that be crafting elevated pop tunes. Look for Peach Colored Oranges to come out on May 12th.

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ATX Album Stream with The Reputations

There’s something brewing here in Austin. That something seems to be the evolution of soulful rock n’ roll rooted in a punk rock ethos. The latest act to get up in the game is The Reputations, who just released their debut Begging for More. But, while their might be some similarities to fellow locals, Sweet Spirit, I think there’s a whole lot more here that owes to the purity of classic rock and doo-wop. My favorite track of the moment is “My Baby’s Back,” which features a stomp to collide with the perfect unison of male/female vocals. The upbeat shimmy of “Up and Down” isn’t too shabby either! Give it a stream, and enjoy.

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