New Music From Sea Pinks

Ah yes, that old familiar new band smell is in the air today with a new tune called “Fountain Tesserae” from UK outfit Sea Pinks.  The new project is fronted by a familiar face in the form of Neil Brogan who spends most of his musical time in indie hit makers Girls Names.  Neil’s new project has a debut LP Dead Seas ready for release physically and digitially on September 6th via CF/Records.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/SeaPinks-FountainTesserae.mp3]

Download: Sea Pinks – Fountain Tesserae [MP3]

Total Babes – Swimming Through Sunlight

Rating: ★★★☆☆

When press first came out for Total Babes, a lot of attention was given to the fact that it featured a member of Cloud Nothings, and to a certain extent, that’s a fair association, as the similarities are definitely visible. However, Swimming Through Sunlight, the band’s debut on Old Flame Records isn’t just a re-imagining; it stand up on its own merit.

If you’re looking for a catchy lo-fi hook, you won’t have to look beyond the first song, as “Like They Always Do” features a chorus that grabs you while the noise distortion swells in the background.  It’s a quick hammering, not staying around too long for fear of giving you a little bit too much sugar. But, while this shares that affinity for noisy-garage pop a la the aforementioned association, the next track, “Be So Sure” shows resemblance to another lo-fi pop band, The Thermals (it’s not just me is it?).  Perhaps the vocals could be cleaned up a bit more on the recording, but it definitely has that sweetness mixed nicely with a bit of excessive noise, just like Hutch would want it.

One of the best things about listening to Swimming Through Sunlight is that you can see various touches of the modern musical landscape, but the inherent melodies and songwriting enable to group to move beyond pure mockery.  “Someone to Blame” sounds an awful like Wavves at their best, even featuring a similar lyrical style, using simple words to convey a message.  I suppose that various sources can knock the group for a lack of originality, but you can easily look beyond that once you get to the core of the songs.  They’re not too long, giving you just a taste of their glory, then moving on, asking you to revisit at a later point.

Personally, I would like to see Total Babes revisit the studio with a bit more of a polish and sheen.  For instance, there’s a brightness to the opening guitar line in “Without Your Heart,” but that clarity eventually parts for a grittier sound.  This isn’t entirely a bad thing, as it serves its purpose in a great deal of the tracks featured on the record, but a certain sharpness could really propel these songs to the next level.  Even in the closer, “Tip of My Tongue,” there’s this incredible element of pop, but it’s buried so far beneath the mix that it comes off sounding more like a demo than a final product.  It’s the slightest difference between an incredible song and just a really good one.

All in all, Swimming Through Sunlight is full of bright spots, and its clear that the songwriting is far more than just your moderate fare, but Total Babes still have a bit of work to do in the finished product.  Clear vocals here, bit of distortion removed there, and you’ve got a wonderful record full of memorable hooks, sing-a-long moments, and enough power to kick the rest of the genre in the face; looking forward to that day!

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/02-be-so-true.mp3]

Download: Total Babes – Be So True [MP3]

New Music From Southerly

Here’s a new song called “Without A Cause” from Portland, OR based band Southerly.  Those unfamiliar with the group should know that it’s basically a straight up side project from Portland based songwriter Krist Krueger.  This track will appear on a new upcoming album from the band Youth due out September 20th on Greyday Records.  It’s got a great driving rock sound.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/southerly_withoutacause.mp3]

Download: Southerly – Without A Cause [MP3]

Show Preview: Olivia Tremor Control @ the Mohawk (8/31)

Date Wednesday, August 31st
Location Mohawk
Doors 630PM
Tickets $10 from Frontgate

If you’ve been listening to indie rock for the last two decades or so, you’ve probably heard of Olivia Tremor Control.  They’re part of the Elephant 6, the collective that spawned Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal.  They’ll even have Music Tapes opening the show, another band associated with NMH.  Now, Jeff Mangum probably won’t be there, but you’ll still get to see a bit of history, not to mention some great music.

If you’re not into the band’s sound, you can also catch local acts such as Grape St. or Leatherbag rocking across town as well.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/otc1997-03-19t13.aiwa_.flac16.mp3]

Download: Oliva Tremor Control – Holiday Surprise 1 [MP3]

Beirut – The Rip Tide

Rating: ★★★½☆

Although Beirut first stepped onto the musical scene five years ago, front man Zach Condon had been making music for much longer. In fact, Condon had been writing and producing music since he was a wee lad, holed up in his bedroom. So it was no real change to his life when he started producing music that others would hear; all the songs on his debut just felt like the hundreds of other songs he had already furnished. Audibly, this means a certain intimacy from the start, one that caught the attention of a large number of fans of this band, and one that continues to hold the attention of indie music aficionados with The Rip Tide.

The first song, “A Candle’s Fire,” starts off with some quiet accordion and then jumps right in to the horn’s ablazin’, jangly, folk pop that they do so well. After a brief instrumental interlude, Condon’s deep, yet alluringly nasal tones chime in, and the song carries on, backed by the rolling, marching band-sounding drums. It’s a good opening number, but it is no “Santa Fe,” or “East Harlem,” the two songs that follow it, which happen to feel like the singles for the album, as they stand out from the rest of the tracks on The Rip Tide. “Santa Fe” has synth backing that weirdly fits in with the classic instruments that Beirut introduced you to on their recent EP’s. “East Harlem,” the third track on the album, plays with the cohesive elements of Beirut’s normal sound, by having choppy percussion and constant piano carry the song.

Sadly, as this record progresses, it does not climax as all good records should, but simmers to its mediocre end. When I say mediocre with this band, it does not really mean the classic definition of boring and blegh that may apply to other music. For Beirut, a mediocre track means one that is still significantly better than what most bands produce, but with the expectations that I have for them, the tracks fall a little flat. There just isn’t that explosion into new territory that will blow a new or old listener away.

If you’ve listened to anything that Beirut has produced prior to this record, and liked it, then you will find that you will probably like this just as much. Sonically, this band doesn’t really go anywhere that far away from previous efforts, but this should not be a deterring factor; the group doesn’t go in a negative direction either.  The result is a collection of songs, some better than others, which should fit nicely into your regular listening queue.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Beirut-New-Harlem.mp3]

Download: Beirut – New Harlem [MP3]

More New Music From Gem Club

Here’s another new chill single called “Twins” from recent Hardly Art pickup Gem Club.  I’ll admit that I was at first reluctant to give in to the swooning voice of Christopher Barnes, but I’m now coming back to his John Lamonica style vocals more and more.  As we previously mentioned, debut LP from Gem ClubDreamers, is due out September 17th on Hardly Art.  Give it a listen.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/GC_Twins.mp3]

Download: Gem Club – Twins [MP3]

ACL Interviews: Reptar

Ever since I first heard the dance inducing music of Reptar, I knew they were a band I had to check out during ACL festival in a few weeks.  As we always do, we’ll be bringing you as many interviews as we possibly can while we build up to the festival date.  You can also expect some sweet interview features coming after the festival with the bands we sit down with over the weekend.  For now, we’ve got a great interview for you with Graham from Atlanta based indie-dance band Reptar.  Follow the jump for more.

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More New Music from Light for Fire

Last month I brought you an incredible track from Light for Fire, and they’ve just pushed out another little single for the masses.  This time around, they give you a bit more of a folk-troubadour sound, but you know that’s never a bad thing in our book.  It seems that every track this band puts out just begs to be played over and over again, regardless of where you are.  Their self-titled album is out now, and available for your pleasure, so take my advice, as this is a collection of songs that won’t leave your record player for some time.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/thehuckster.mp3]

Download: Light for Fire – The Huckster [MP3]

Show Preview: Mister Heavenly @ the Mohawk (8/30)

Date Tuesday, August 30th
Location Mohawk
Doors 6:30 PM
Tickets $11 from Frontgate

It seems like it wasn’t too long ago that the boys in Mister Heavenly were here, mostly because I saw them several times, each time hoping the girls would stop taking photos of one Mr. Cera. The group just released their album Out of Love a few weeks back, and it seems like the press in general have appreciated the combination of Honus Honus and Nic Diamonds. Both guys can rock a crowd like few others, so forget about Michael Cera, and just go to the show because it’s got great indie rock from established vets.  Waters will open up the evening, so we expect to see you there.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Pineapple-Girl.mp3]

Download: Mister Heavenly – Pineapple Girl [MP3]


New Song from Elba

There seems to be a small amount of buzz growing behind Seattle group Elba, and I’m here to further their endeavor.  In September, the group will be releasing their self-titled album, which will hopefully put the band’s name out there.  On this track, the ringing guitar floating is mesmerizing, while the quieted backing vocals provide a new level of depth to the song’s sound.  Like me, you’ll scour the Internet for more tracks; you can find one on their BANDCAMP, and another HERE.  All signs point to a great release to further our already busy listening schedule in the fall.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Elba-From-A-Sinking-Ship.mp3]

Download: Elba – From A Sinking Ship [MP3]

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