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Other People’s Songs is a short side recording project between ATH favorites Damien Jurado and Richard Swift. The project was completed over a short weekend and features 9 cover songs. All songs are available as a free stream and/or download. I’d recommend checking out this brief project and enjoying the sweet jams. Below you can check out “Hellow Sunshine” originally by the Relatively Clean Rivers.
Download: Other People’s Songs – Hello Sunshine [MP3]
Silje Nes, for those who don’t know, is an incredible singer songwriter hailing from the land of the Norwegians. Her debut LP, Ames Room, received considerable praise when it was released in 2008 and created a small buzz for the talented musician. In 2010 a new release entitled Opticks is planned for a street date on October 12th via Fat Cat Records. Below you can find new slow burning single “Grass Harp” for your listening pleasure. Give it a few spins and I bet you’ll be on board with Silje Nes.
Download: Silje Nes – The Grass Harp [MP3]
| Date | 9/2/10 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mohawk |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | $7 @ Door/$5 with RSVP |
So as previously stated, The Authors have a new release coming out soon that we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. To celebrate the release of their new album, the Austin band has a planned CD release party at Mohawk for Thursday night. Fellow locals Motel Aviv, Politics, and a DJ set by The Happen-Ins can all be seen at the event as well. Check out Ultra8201 for a new interview with hot and up coming Austin band The Authors.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01-Timebomb.mp3]Download: The Authors – Timebomb [MP3]
Telekinesis just released a new EP yesterday, and I just had to pick it up. The Parallel Seismic Conspiracies EP has a few new tracks from Mr. Lerner, as well as a few covers of Guided by Voices. You can order the EP over at Merge Records, or grab it from the band while they’re on tour with SSLYBY. Give it a go.
Download: Telekinesis – Dirty Thing [MP3]
I first heard about Restless People because I’ve been following the spin-offs of Professor Murder, mostly because my old lady really digs that band. The band released a single today, “Don’t Back Down,” (via P4K). While it does have a whole lot of electronic touches, which I’m trying to ween myself off of this year, you can still find some knifing vocals, a la the Drums, but with a little less surf to them. Okay, so its sort of just a trendy little dance number, but damn if it ain’t catchy. You’ll find it on the band’s self-titled debut, which hits the streets on September 14th.
Download: Restless People – Don’t Back Down [MP3]
It has been quite some time since we last posted on Baton Rouge quintet We Landed on the Moon! Not much has been heard of the group since we mentioned them over a year and a half ago. Now the band is about to release a new album entitled This Will be One for the Books on October 12th. Prior to that date, the band has 4 tracks from the new album streaming on their website. Below you’ll find one of those songs called “Across the Sun”.
Download: We Landed on the Moon! – Across The Sun [MP3]
| Date | 9/1/10 |
|---|---|
| Location | Emos |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | $12 @ Ticketweb |
Well ladies and gentleman summer has come to a close and we suggest the best way to celebrate/mourn would be to heal your wounds with some solid rock music. We think the best way to do that is to head to Emo’s on Wednesday night for indie-rock n roll band Titus Andronicus. Joining the band on stage are two solid locals Yellow Fever and Whitman. Also don’t forget that The Strange Boys will be getting down on the inside stage! All in all, this show should rock from start to finish and your face will be left on the floor.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Titus-Andronicus-Four-Score-and-Seven-Part-Two.mp3]Download: Titus Andronicus – Four Score and Seven (Part Two) [MP3]
We here at ATH have been jamming this new song “Comin’ Through” from indie band The War on Drugs most of the day. People representing the band have told us that a new album entitled Future Weather will be released on October 26th on Secretly Canadian. Enjoy the track and head to your local record stores to pick this one up when it comes out.
Download: The War on Drugs – Comin’ Through [MP3]
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When we last checked in with Lizzie Powell, she was on the road with Broken Social Scene, playing the role of chanteuse. Now, she’s returned with her own group, Land of Talk, offering up their latest work since 2008’s Some Are Lakes. The new album, Cloak and Cipher, shows a much more developed band, and one that lives up to the early promise of the band.
When you listen to Powell’s vocals on the majority of opener “Cloak and Cipher” she has that same jazz vocal coating that BSS utilize, but in the chorus you find a much more distinguished lady, coming off a little gentler, a little more intimate. There’s a driving drum line, that while not the most creative, serves as the driving force behind the track. “Goaltime Exposure” has a lot of relatives in the Canadian scene, possibly too familiar, but the moment the song is turned on its side, magic is unleashed upon the listeners. Powell’s voice is beautiful here, and there seems to be some sort of emotional release from the music itself, only to go back into the gentle progression before erupting in joy yet again.
The progression of Land of Talk is the one surprising element that does a great benefit to show the beauty on the album, as well as the strength of the band. “Swift Coin” opens up with a nicely drenched bit of reverb atop pounding drums, then Powell enters, and the mood changes. Soft vocals provide a different texture to this song, letting the tension build until the chorus crashes in on the listener’s ears. It’s quite similar, minus the pop element, to “The Hate I Won’t Commit,” which has to be the noisiest song the band has recorded to date. Swirling guitar textures and effects used on the vocals create an entirely different emotion, until the band switch the tempo on you, giving you a little musical wink before pushing off into the louder spectrum again. Such changes provide Cloak and Cipher with a lot more variance in the listening experience, making this record ultimately more rewarding than their previous effort.
It all closes with a solemn affair, “Better and Closer.” Guitars are used sparingly, creating a sort of wall of noise that will accompany Powell’s voice for the duration of the track. Elizabeth’s performance really sums up her talents as they’re seen throughout the LP. It rises quietly, yet with an angelic quality; it drenches the entire record in a coat of wintery pop tones that go a long way to establish the mood within each song. Closing out Cloak and Cipher, you can be sure that this band is now finally hitting their stride, coming together in a cohesive manner we’ve yet to see from them. To date, this is the best collection of songs by Land of Talk, and it goes a long way to establish the group as one of the new powerhouses in Canadian pop music.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/04-Swift-Coin-1.mp3]Download: Land of Talk – Swift Coin [MP3]
Magnetic Island is yet another one of those band from Brooklyn that is making waves in the indie music world. Having been around only since the beginning of 2010, it’s surprising to find that the group actually has a decent amount of recorded material. The band’s debut EP on their very own Disregard Records, Out at Sea, will be dropping September 21st. Below you can check out new tune “Sung (Not Said)” that is eerily similar to earl Radiohead which has to be a good thing. More tracks can be heard on the bandcamp website.
Download: Magnetic Island – Sung (Not Said) [MP3]
