Category: Tunes

Show Preview: LSD and the Search for God @ Cheer Ups (10/21)

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There’s a special show awaiting Austinites on Saturday evening over at Cheer Up Charlies: LSD and the Search for God. The band is probably one of the quintessential modern shoegaze bands; they’ve garnered praise since their inception in 2005, with the release of Heaven is a Place further cementing their status. But, don’t rest on your laurels here, as the rest of the line-up is fleshed out with some of the finer shoegaze/dream pop acts in town. You show up, as you should, and you’ll get sets from She Sir, Single Lash, Krista Van Liew and Ringo Deathstarr…might not be a better place to be on Saturday night. Stream Heaven is a Place below. More show info HERE.

Upbeat Jangle from Puzzles y Dragones

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I’m completely fascinated with the world of Spanish indiepop; we admittedly owe a debt to Morrissey on this one, as his influence throughout the culture has led to some wonderful music. Today we’ve got this jam from Puzzles y Dragones…the first taste from the new long player coming in November. The guitars have that dreamy jangle to them, popular with our friends in Tres Oui; the song steadies due to the rhythm section, allowing the guitars to dance around in the distance. There’s a purity to this sort of pop, and I’m going to spend my day devouring it all; you should see the release of the LP next month via Discos de Kirlian.

Digging on Operator Music Band

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Not sure I’m wholeheartedly on board with the name here, but I’m definitely hitching on to the Operator Music Band hype train. Their latest single has this almost jittery start before settling into a nice little groove with doses of electronic flourishes jumping up and about. The vocals stay home, spoken more than sung…though there’s a touch more of that as the song carries. Bouncing a bit at the end, the song encapsulates the concept of art pop. They’ll be dropping their new Coordination EP on December 1st via New Professor Music.

Have Fun with Trudy and the Romance

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Remember when you could have fun listening to your rock n’ roll? Well, Trudy and the Romance have dropped a new single for just that. A little barbershop quartet opens the song, before they jitterbug their way into your eardrums, shuffling with catchy percussion and a vocal hook that uses a guttural growl to make sure to keep things cool. This UK trio always makes me get out of my seat and rush to turn the speakers up louder; it’s pure fun, and that’s okay. The group are set to release their Junkyard Jazz EP on November 17th via B3SCI.

Show Preview: Protomartyr @ Barracuda (10/20)

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Friday night is nigh approaching and if you’re like me, sometimes you need a little bit of darkness to bring you to the weekend. The bringers of this darkness this week are Protomartyr, who will be joining us for a lovely night of dark wave, post punk tunes over at Barracuda. While there are quite a few great local bills you can choose from on this Friday night, if you’re in the mood to spice things up and jam along with distortion, you’ve gotta go check out Protomartyr playing jams from their latest release,Relatives in Descent, which came out at the end of last month. The album is filled with grumbling, heavy riffs, which will get you raging along into the rest of your weekend. Openers are Sweet Themes and Flasher, who will open the night with their grunge and shoegaze on steroids, respectively.

Get your catharsis on and and pick up your tickets before this one sells out–scope out some tunes from each group below.

Another Number from Lean Year

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Western Vinyl will be releasing the debut album from Lean Year this Friday, and they encouraged us to drop one last tune in your lap today before its release. I think the structure of the song is one of the reason’s that the album is so intriguing. The negative space is filled with very careful samples, occasionally bubbling up to create atmospherics while a string is lightly plucked. Emilie Rex, for her part, does her best to enchant the listener with her delivery often hanging on the last gasp of varying notes. Just a slight build at the end before we fade out, and into Friday, where you’ll grab the LP at your local shop.

ACL Weekend Two Wrap-Up

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No Spoilers.

Admittedly, all the huge buzz leaks out as all the kids party on Weekend One, so attending Weekend Two for the first time, I was curious as to whether or not it could keep the same vibe from its predecessor. Surprisingly, the fest didn’t seem to miss a beat.

We have photos from around the grounds, randoms and portraits, friends and colleagues, bootlickers and signs. We also have plenty of notes rehashing last week’s favorites and highlighting the changes, so read on for highlights.

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New Video from Romantic States

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One of my favorite releases this year is Corduroy in Italy, the debut LP from Romantic States. The duo magically created this blend of dreamy indiepop, all the while holding onto a cool little edge. Today we’re bringing you a brand new video from standout track “Young Love.” The video takes a bunch of still images, lets them fade in and out of your vision. The song, however, is a gem. It takes on this slow croon, and you’re listening, thinking “this is pleasant.” Then the distortion rolls out like a wave receding from the shore, unleashing my favorite chorus piece on the record. The LP is available now from Gentle Reminder.

Slow Jam from Benjamin Jones

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Slow jams are where it’s at, especially as the weather calms and we move into the Winter. Today, this Benjamin Jones tune is really doing it for me, especially with the mellow opening moments, coating the drums and piano in Jones delicate voice. Through the track’s progression, the percussive elements pick up, though the song’s mood never really seems to deviate from the calm. This little number is going to be on a limited 7″ that’s being released via Plastic Jurassic on November 1st…but for now sit back and let the vibes wash over you.

New Music From Winter and Trabants

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We’re already converts of Winter, though it never hurts to have another gem of a tune thrown our way. This number has LA act Trabants working with Ms. Samira Winter, and together, they’ve crafted an indiepop tune that’ll bounce around your head for the day. I’m in love with how Samira’s voice is sitting back in the mix; it’s clearly the focus, but at times it gets wound up with everything else, creating that dreamy black hole I’ll gladly sink into. For now, just a one-off single, but what a great number nonetheless.

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