ATX Spotlight: The Midgetmen Prep 5th Album

midgetsI have the utmost respect for all four dudes in the Midgetmen. For years the band has bounced around the local Austin music scene, cranking out infection pop punk at their own pace.  They’re not looking to break down barriers, they’re just looking to play rock n’ roll the way they like it; turned up loud and blasting it with your friends over a few bottles of Bud. This track is the lead tune off their 5th album, Hobbytown, and that should say a great deal about the band themselves, able to handle the highs and lows of The Festival Capital of the World. They’ll be celebrating the release of their album at the Blackheart on June 27th.

Black Twig Cover Venom

blakieIt seems, to me anyways, that a great deal of bands cover one another nowadays, so it’s a nice touch that Black Twig has opted to go all the way back to Venom‘s 1981 catalog to cover “In League with Satan.” They’ve removed the demonic touches of the original, choosing to favor the smoothed out heavy-folk the band have been working with since their last album, Heliogram.  They’re offering up this cover as part of a single they’re releasing with label Soliti this Friday, also offering some redux versions of previously released tracks.  It’s a different beast lurking here, but one you’ll love all the same.

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Video Premiere: Auditorium

auditSailing vocals and careful craftsmanship are the biggest thing on display in this new single/video from LA’s Auditorium.  Sure, the adorable child at the heart of the video isn’t one to be ignored, but I love the way the songwriting sparkles through every moment in this song. The song owes a debt to the voice behind it all, Spencer Berger, whose classically trained chops definitely shine the brightest; it’s one of those special voices like Antony, where you can’t pull yourself away…a perfect example of the voice being operated at the highest level.  Give some time to this video today.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/blfD5bWA9Mw[/youtube]

 

ATH @ Austin Psych Fest’s Levitation 2015

Time to reflect on Levitation 2015. I liked the name change away from Austin Psych Fest when it was announced as there are several bands that that may meander towards that genre, fans of the genre may love, but just aren’t “Psych” bands. I hope they continue to expand the diversity of the lineup. With that, let’s talk about this year and then you can gander a whole mess of photos taken at the fest.

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Darker Pop From Cultfever

11205106_892837817449847_8832821402702695166_nI’ve been rather enjoying this new tune “Youth” by Brooklyn based group Cultfever.  It’s a nice bit of pop music with synth heavy beats, and a dash of darkness to provide some mystery and intrigue to the song.  For now, you can stream the tune for free on soundcloud, but you can purchase it on June 2nd via all major digital outlets.  Happy Monday.

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Peacers Bring The Funky Folk Psych

large_donovan_mikeYou may know Mike Donovan from his former band Sic Alps, but now he’s back with a new project called Peacers which includes a little help from Ty Segall. Though quite brief, this the track below is a funky mix of folk and psych music, with lo-fi production. The guitars twang and sprawl all over the place, but the vocals are quite subtle and soft. This debut, self titled, LP is out July 17th via Drag City Records, so be ready for that.

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Chill Monday Vibes From Morning Show

morningMondays are sometimes meant to be taken slow, so I’ve got a track for you today from Morning Show, a Vancouver/Victoria trio who makes indie rock a-la Death Cab For Cutie. This song “Underline” is a nice blend of soft and quiet and the band uses this up and down nature of the song to really rope you in. There’s a nice bit of piano that starts the track off, and then the vocals chime in with just the right amount of rasp and clarity to them. Then when they launch in full tilt you get some distorted guitar and bombastic percussion all underlined with a bit of electronic sounds. Morning Show have a new EP out called Prom Theme, on which you’ll find this fine track and four others and you can find that here.

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Jam a Non-Album VOWS Tune

vowsWe’re a few weeks out from getting to hear the whole new VOWS LP, and while we wait, the band seems to have been gracious enough to unleash a tune that doesn’t appear on the album.  The importance of this tune is that it’s one of the song’s that led to the band recording their new album, Soon Enough Love.  You’ll hear some of the sonic exploration lurking in the background of the recording, but you can hear how the band wraps all of that playful experimentation around traditional pop sensibility; I love the middle of the tune and it’s muddy wash, especially.  Look for their new record on June 2nd via Section Sign Records.

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Fist City Give Us Another Hit

fist_city_flawless_732_488Fist City has been pumping out some nice and fun hits recently and today we’re being treated to yet another.  This one’s called “Hey Little Sister” and features a fast paced, catchy as hell pop sound.  I’m thinking you’ll be hearing more from them real soon.

New album Everything Is A Mess is due out June 23rd on Transgressive Records.

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Move Your Body With Hey Anna

heyannaRayRay told you that you should keep your ears tuned for more music from this group, Hey Anna, out of Brooklyn, and so I’ve got another excellent gem of a song that further enforces this point. “Move Your Body,” is a perfect pop song that balances smooth vocals with the crisp pop instrumentation of the track. This song is yet another from the band’s self released debut LP, Run Koko, which  is out July 7th.

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