Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love

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Rating: ★★★★½

Belle and Sebastian are the darlings of the indie pop scene, which has been basically known for the past decade. This being their eighth studio release, they reinforce that they are not a band plagued by maturity and ten years of being indie pop superstars, they are Belle and Sebastian: always fresh and never ceasing to make youthful music.

The first track is “I Didn’t See It Coming” and starts the album with Sarah Martin’s vocals leading, which is a surprising, as one would think Stuart Murdoch’s infamous tone would be first heard. It turns out to be an enticing and creative surprise, as she and Stuart harmonize and play off of each other’s words, with bluesy guitar work in the background. During the build to the chorus they nod to everyone’s current economic situation: “we don’t have the money/ money makes the wheels of nowhere go ‘round,” but instead of this song becoming a pity party, these two tell you to “forget about it, honey,” and the song builds to a fantastic and joyful climax, with synthesizer echoing, giving it that twee-pop sound. Belle and Sebastian continue this happy mood with “Come On Sister,” which brings more synth and poppy goodness, sure to have you bobbing your head to the soft drum beats.

Then things slow things down a little with “Calculating Bimbo.” The percussion elements are more clearly heard in this song, and the slow drum rolls through as Murdoch pushes his voice to the limit and meets up with backing vocals for more harmonious moments. More of these vocally excellent moments come on “I Want The World To Stop,” where Stevie Jackson joins Martin in echoing Murdoch and you want to echo him too.

The rest of this album continues in this style, with “Write About Love, that has sort of the same idea of “I Didn’t See It Coming” and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, as if all of your problems don’t seem so bad anymore. This is the general feel and tone of this whole work; looking past those things that put you down with a proverbial screw it; I’m not going to be down.

On the last two songs, Belle and Sebastian finish ever so strongly. In “I Can See Your Future,” they incorporate majestic horn work and some orchestral elements effortlessly so that this complex song feels simple and elegant. But Belle and Sebastian aren’t done, they bring a tangy guitar sound and whispery vocals on “Sunday’s Pretty Icons,” finishing in their classic style, and leaving you wanting more, in a totally good way.

Belle and Sebastian have come a long way since Tigermilk, but have shown that they will always make excellent, witty and classic indie pop that can brighten any day. If Write About Love isn’t proof of this, I’m not sure what is. As expected, it is most definitely a contender for a spot on my list of top albums this year.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/write-about-love-hq.mp3]

Download: Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love [MP3]

ACL Interviews: Midlake

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So our lovely weekend is over and it’s time for us to begin recapping what went down over the ACL Festival days.  To do that, we’ll begin with an interview conducted right before the weekend with Midlake guitar player Eric Pulido.  We’ve long been fans of the Midlake sound so we were excited to have some time with Eric.  Follow the jump for more.

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Show Preview: The Rumble @ Beerland (10/13)

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Date 10/13/10
Location Beerland
Doors 9pm
Tickets FREE!!

Our team up with Future Sounds for The Rumble in Austin continues this week with another free show at Beerland on Wednesday night.  We’re especially excited about the lineup this time because of the ATH favorites including The Great Nostalgic, The Bubbles, and FM Campers.  All three bands are some of the best up and comers in Austin so don’t miss out on a free show while you still can.  Be there!  Latest track from Great Nostalgic “Wilderness” can be found below.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/07-Wilderness.mp3]

Download: Great Nostalgic – Wilderness [MP3]

New Music from Cheap Time

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I’ve really been enjoying the great work by In the Red Records this year, as they’ve been putting out some really solid releases, at least in the vein of garage pop bands.  The newest record from Cheap Time, Fantastic Explanations (and Similar Situations), is just another gem waiting to be grabbed up by everyone.  For some reason it reminds me, vocally, of that old punk band The Saints, but the music is a bit slower, and a little bit more straightforward.  You can get your hands on these sweet tunes now!

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/cheaptimealone.mp3]

Download: Cheap Time – I’d Rather Be Alone [MP3]

New Music From Jonquil

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I’ve really been enjoying this new track called “Fighting Smiles” from Oxford band Jonquil.  The track will appear on the band’s first ever stateside EP entitled One Hundred Suns which is available November 16th on Dovecote Records.  Have yourself a listen to their version of feel good pop music below and let us know what ya think.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Jonquil-Fighting-Smiles.mp3]

Download: Jonquil – Fighting Smiles [MP3]

New Music from John Wesley Coleman

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Austin’s full of great songwriters, so occasionally you pass by one that you wish you had spent more time with during their career.  Sure, this guy is in the killer local outfit The Golden Boys, but I don’t have time to listen to every release put out in town (I’m Sorry!). Luckily for all of us here in Austin, John Wesley Coleman is alive and well. So well, in fact, that he’s going to release a new solo record later this November on Goner Records titled Bad Lady Goes to Jail. I’ve been jamming out to this release all day, and it’s got a bit of classic rock n’ roll sound, with little hints of garage-style recording throughout.  One thing I won’t call it is lo-fi.  The recording, while possibly on the low-end is brimming with solid work, so JWC should be proud of this recent effort.  For all our readers, you can catch John traveling the country; go check his tour dates HERE.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/01-John-Wesley-Coleman-Track01.mp3]

Download: John Wesley Coleman – Bad Lady Goes to Jail [MP3]

ACL After Shows & Parties (10/7 – 10/9)

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So tomorrow is the big day and we’re all real excited for ACL festival (duh).  But what about those kids who like to go the alternate route and save a bit of money?  If you fit that mindset, check out some shows below going on Thr.-Sat. night that could tickle your fancy.  Some are official, some are not.  Some are real cheap, some are not.  That free show Friday night at Mohawk is lookin’ real good to me right now… just GET THERE EARLY.  Door times and cost are listed.  Sold out show?  Check out the craigslist playah.  Follow the jump for a full list.  That thing was a bit long for the main page….

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The Authors – Get Haunted

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Rating: ★★★★☆

A few weeks into fall, cooler temperatures are surprisingly here and you feel lost in the jumble of work or school, missing those summer days that are not so far gone. What better way to fall back into the relaxing mood of summer than to listen to music that feels like sunshine and ocean waves? With only an EP released prior to this, The Authors look to establish themselves as experts of the beach-pop, summer feeling genre. With Get Haunted, they do just this.

 “Timebomb” kicks off the album strong and fast right from the start. The guitars buzz away the background while slightly fuzzy lyrics float on top of all the other components of the song, swimming to the beat. Next comes “Never Know,” which is great in its vocals, almost a yelp, to the high pitched noise that blends in with the rest of the song, yet gives a “haunted” feeling, as does the raspy vocals at points.

But perhaps in all the jangly guitars and the hyper drum beats, Get Haunted would become banal, like some of the dog days of summer? False. “Feels Like Running,” an excellent song, starts with a hooking guitar rift that takes turns dominating with the vocals. The drums sit back in the spectrum of what the listener will notice, but they drive the whole of this song, as well as the album; simple, yet refined and precise enough to add en element of constant clarity. They then transition to slightly groovier tunes with “Battles” and “Lonely Ways.” The bass line is quite prominent in these songs, giving them the less washed out feel of previous songs and a more solid foundation, which is an enjoyable turn for this album to take as the band continues with their garage rhythms.

The Authors finish just as strong as they started with “The Night.” This brings the album full circle, from quick shadowy beats to a softer and less fuzzy end. They finally kind of slow down with the last few seconds of the song reserved to some ambient noises. Those melancholic ending notes the same as those final days before fall.

This album reminds me a lot of Surfer Blood’s album from earlier in the year. Like that album, it is a sharp and high speed chase from start to finish, but The Authors prove their distinctive sound with clearer vocals, all while staying inside the garage rock jangle that is Get Haunted; a true trip back to those blissful summer days.  

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01-Timebomb.mp3]

Download: The Authors – Timebomb [MP3]

New Music from Kisses

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We premiered “Bermuda,” the debut single from Kisses earlier this year, but now we want to bring you another great track from the band.  This jam is a little bit more of a mellow club banger, but it’s got this understated little bubbly bass popping in the background.  Personally, the vocals are pretty groovy–sort of up my alley. All this is in preparation for their release, The Heart of the Nightlife, which comes out in stores on November 16th.  We have a feeling that a lot of people will be slowly getting behind this as we get closer to the release date.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Kisses-Kisses.mp3]

Download: Kisses – Kisses [MP3]

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