This is fine.
So it’s been said already that the festival has wrapped up and we’re all trying to recover as best we can back at work Monday. It was a fun and exhausting week full of incredible music, tons of booze, and many an old friend. We’re each taking a look back at our week in free live music with some recaps and now it’s my turn. Follow the jump for more.
The way the world works today, musically speaking, you’ve got to stay on top of things. Labels and bands are capable of releasing all sorts of material in various formats, making it hard to keep up. So you’ve got to check in on your favorites, as I was doing with Bleeding Gold Records. They’ve just offered up a free download of this new EP by The Sweets, which is filled with calm harmonies recorded with an atmospheric DIY sensibility. Okay, so I hate to use the world “chill,” but it’s really fitting for this track, which is the opener on the groups Montequilla EP. Go grab it HERE, and check out some other BG releases while you’re at it.
Download: The Sweets – John Childers [MP3]
We were happy to help our friends over at Loglady Records toss a rad party at Trailer Space during SXSW, so in exchange, they gave us this gem of a record from Legs. I’ve got news for you folks, this is going to be your Spring party album. Listening to their first single, it’s got an interesting angle…at first it just seems like a gentle ballad, but the ringing guitar and pounding rhythm section propel it from average jam to certifiable hit. Today is one of those days where things just fit in perfectly. You can expect big things from the band when Pass the Ringo comes out from Loglady on April 23rd.
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Last month or so I shared an in your face rock number from Purchase, NY based group LVL UP called “Graveyard”. Today the band are being extremely generous and offering up another new sunny punk song entitled “Consistent”. This band has a great rock n roll sound that could be compared to a slew of the big bright punk bands coming out of the NYC and L.A. areas. I’m first in line to approve this new trend in the indie scene.
LVL UP have a new 7″ entitled Extra Worlds coming your way on April 6th via Double Whammy Records. Pre-order the record here.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Consistent.mp3]Download: LVL UP – Consistent [MP3]
As SXSW 2013 came to end on Sunday, dotted by emerald wardrobes and the overwhelming scent of corned-beef and Guinness, NYC’s Vampire Weekend rounded out their trio of shows for the week atop the Moody Theater stage. Serving as the opening act for the 39th Season of Austin City Limits and for many festival goers, the pièce de résistance, the quartet served up a short, yet tight set leaving many wishing for more. Follow the jump for the rest of the review…
Finally, it’s over. After over a 100 bands, 100 beers, a few tacos, we’re back to the daily grind. The beast that is SXSW is officially behind us now, so we’ll be spending a bit of time highlighting our own individual thoughts on the festival. We’re not trying to inundate you with the next big thing, we just want to recap what we caught. I’m on first! Read more
Suburban Living is a band that I’ve always been into since discovering their fun haze pop sound last summer. It’s a sort of pop music that’s bright and sunny with some major twee hints throughout. This new song “Always Eyes” definitely falls into that vein and helps build my fandom of the band.
This one appears on a new 7″ from the group due out April 16th on Dialog Records.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Always-Eyes.mp3]Download: Suburban Living – Always Eyes [MP3]
This song surfaced last week, but I was actually out catching the band at hand. They played a tight little set swirling with noise and wonderful melodies. Now that I’m back in the world, I feel like Teen‘s new song needs some attention, as it was one of the hits they played during their set. Interestingly, I felt like it was a bit noisier live, but I like the group holding back here, allowing for the powerful songwriting to make it’s way through. The group has their new Carolina EP coming out your way on May 28th via Carpark Records. This is someone you should give some attention to in the upcoming weeks.
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I’ve always liked Radical Dads. They’re not necessarily trying to reinvent the wheel musically, they’re just focusing on delivering solid rock tunes, much as they did with their first effort Mega Rama. Now that they’re back, let’s focus on the fact that the group is growing increasingly consistent at providing chugging guitar lines and hooks galore in the vocals. Not only does this make the band enjoyable, but it illustrates that we’ll all have our hands full when their newest record, Rapid Reality, is released in May by Uninhabitable Mansions. Sometimes simplicity is the best formula for success.
Download: Radical Dads – Mountain Town [MP3]
