ACL Spotlight: Chromeo
This is it folks, the final spotlight before ACL! This time around I’ve got Chromeo, your dance party for the festival this year. Read more
New Track from The Serenades
At the moment there’s not tons of news stateside about The Serenades, other than it feature Adam Olenius of Shout Out Louds, and his friend, Markus. They’re not crafting bubbling pop with hints of melancholy; they’re offering up sweeping pop music that only the Swedes seem to know how to perfect. They’ve got an album out called Criminal Heaven, and it’s full of really warm numbers with swelling bursts of exuberance. It’s the perfect track to fit into your midweek listening rotation. Just kick back and enjoy this little ditty.
Download: The Serenades – Oceans [MP3]
The IT Department – v1.1
Going to be a quick one, preparations are in full swing for the annual pilgrimage to Town Lake …erm Lady Bird Lake, to listen to music by bands we already like while standing on the Great Lawn. The IT Department brings an exclusivish track from Fujiya & Miyagi, a new one from Toro Y Moi, mellowness from Geotic and pretty chilly track from The Parish of Little Clifton. The IT Department is back from vacation. Hi.
Update: Ok, adding one more track, new stuff from Jonti.
Welcome to the next edititon, welcome to the IT Department V1.1.
New Music From Shimmering Stars
Somewhere around a year ago, we shared a new song from new band Shimmering Stars. Well now we’ve finally got you a new song “Nervous Breakdown” from the band’s latest LP Violent Hearts which just hit stores yesterday. It’s easy to see why some of the music blogging kids have gotten behind this band and we just can’t resist ’em either.
Download: Shimmering Stars – Nervous Breakdown [MP3]
New Jam From Tennis System
Below you can find a new guitar driven jam called “Hey We Tried” from L.A. based group Tennis System. The band is brand new to me but have apparently been together since 2008. We’ve got just the one song below, but you can hear more from the band on their new LP Teenagers due out October 15th. Stay tuned for more.
Download: Tennis System – Hey We Tried [MP3]
Whispering Pop Tune from White Birds
If you’re looking for something to put on in the background as your mind wanders today, then you’ve come to the right place! I’ve caught myself drifting off, happily of course, to the meandering pop tune just released by White Birds. The band is working on releasing the White Birds Tape, which you can grab from Grizzly Records. Word is that they’ve got a full length in the works, but no news on that front just yet. I promise you that you’ll be just as excited as I am about this band; yet another tune I want to play all day long.
Download: White Birds – Hondora [MP3]
Show Preview: Art Disaster @ Beauty Bar (9/15)
| Date | 9/15/11 |
|---|---|
| Location | Beauty Bar |
| Doors | 900p |
| Tickets | $3 with RSVP |
The always fun annual Art Disaster is going down again at Beauty Bar on Thursday night. Yet again, local promoters have put together a solid all local lineup featuring Thick as Thieves, Sundress, Boyfrndz, White White Lights, Wild Child, Orion, Sleep Good, Schmillion, SORNE, and Crooks. The fine folks at Do512 have a nice and handy schedule for all those bands if it’s confusing… Don’t forget to RSVP for a relatively cheap $3.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-Downtown-1.mp3]Download: Crooks – Downtown [MP3]
New Rocker from Diarrhea Planet
What can you get out of four guitarists? Just one listen to Diarrhea Planet and you’ll see that it’s a pretty heavy sound, if not one rooted in a bit of pop. With the vocals, I want to throw them in as a more rocking Against Me, but there’s a lot less angst. This Nashville outfit is busy prepping their debut Loose Jewels on Infinity Cat Records, which you can find in stores on September 20th (next week!). It’s possibly not the deepest of tracks you’ll find out there, but it sure is a whole lot of fun jamming to this at the end of the day. Crank the speakers and let go.
Download: Diarrhea Planet – Warm Ridin’ [MP3]
New Music From The Strange Boys
Somehow we missed out on this new tune “Me And You” from one of our favorite Austin bands The Strange Boys. The tune is set to appear on the new album Live Music due out October 25th on Rough Trade Records. I’m sure you’ll want to pick this one up as it’s likely to be on of the better Austin albums out this year.
Download: The Strange Boys – Me And You [MP3]
Light for Fire – s/t
Rating: 
At this point in time, there probably aren’t too many people familiar with the Portland outfit, Light for Fire. Honestly, that’s probably the biggest tragedy we’ll come across, as their self-titled debut is chocked full of brilliant pop moments, fusing moments of great indie-pop with arrangements created by a singer-songwriter format. It’s just flat out golden.
You’re going to struggle to find as good a one-two punch as the opening tracks on Light for Fire this year. “The Huckster” appeals to those interested in the craftsmanship of a singer/songwriter, with the majority of the song revolving around strummed guitar and J. Nicholas Allard’s great vocal performance. From here the band joins Allard with the stomper, “NY (By the Hand),” which is in the running for one of the greater tracks of the year. There’s a hint of a scratch to Allard’s voice, but with the banging piano and his storytelling, there’s not much that sounds better coming through your stereo speakers.
If you’re looking for some sort of generic marker to throw at Light for Fire, you’ll easily find comparisons to Spoon. But, that being said, the band has cleaned up some of the noisy meandering that’s been associated with Spoon, instead allowing the poppier side to push on through. Take “The Letters,” and you’ll have that semi-stomp, with Allard doing his best to give that scratchy croon perfected by Britt Daniels. Even “Green Life” seems to take a bit from the comparison, using hints of piano to craft their tune, reminiscent of some of the singles off GaGaGaGaGaGa. This isn’t a bad comparison, as few people write great pop numbers in the vein of Spoon. But, I suppose someone’s bound to get caught up in the similarities.
But, the more you listen to these eleven tracks, the more you see the band has definitely attached themselves to the songwriting of Allard, and rightfully so. “Where I Was Born” is a track for storytellers, with the narrator giving a brief summation of his life. There’s restraint in the guitar playing, that is until the band jumps in, making it a passionate Americana rocker. And with “4th of July,” you get a quiet number that evokes other songwriters from the Portland area. Allard’s voice takes on a more gentle quality, and the guitar lines barely trickle into your ear.
One of the best things you can do for your day is to get your hands on this wonderful effort by Light For Fire. Yes, there’s touchstones of modern indie stars, but beneath those allusions lives great songwriting. It’s executed to perfection, providing listeners with eleven tracks, not one of which begs to be skipped. For a band seemingly coming out of nowhere, this is the perfect place to start.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/nybythehand.mp3]Download: Light for Fire – NY (By the Hand) [MP3]