This is fine.
Remember way back when we told you about that horrible new Chris Cornell record with Timbaland? Apparently Trent Reznor isn’t a big fan either. He even goes as far as saying it makes him feel uncomfortable. Read what Trent has to say on his Twitter.
So we’re fairly certain that this track is soon to be on every blog in the country by the end of the day. Regardless, this killer new tune comes your way from Jack White’s latest supergroup going by the name The Dead Weather. The group features of course Jack White on vocals & drums, Raconteur Jack Lawrence on bass, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita and best of all, The Kills‘ Allison Mosshart on lead vocals. Sounds like a match made in heaven right? Apparently the band played their first gig at Jack White’s Third Man Studios in Nashville last night and gave out a limited 7″ vinyl of new single “Hang You Up From the Heavens”. You probably don’t live in Tennessee so we’ve got the track for you below. The debut full length from the group, Horehound, is due out in early June.
Download: The Dead Weather – Hang You From The Heavens [MP3]
The last album Alight of Night from Crystal Stilts was one of those magnificently beautiful records that sort of crept around your brain for a period of time during 2008. The band are set to release a new single this Spring on Slumberland Records, and we’ve opted to throw a sample of the track your way. Listen closely as the lyrics swirl around the dense fog of energy.
Download: Crystal Stilts – Love is a Wave [MP3]
Fresh from the hills of California comes more gentle pop tunes. People have referenced Elliott Smith when discussing Willoughby, but this song shows that there’s more to the songs than simple reference points. Sit back at your desk and just let the soothing voice in the song take you away.
Download: Willoughby – Story [MP3]
Elvis Perkins has persevered through a lot of adversity in his lifetime. His father, famous actor Anthony Perkins, passed away while Elvis was still in high school and his mother perished on famous American Airlines Flight 11 during the tragic September 11th attacks. Most individuals would succumb to such tragic losses, but Elvis Perkins pressed on to create a beautiful piece of music in his debut album Ash Wednesday out in 2007. That album masterfully captured a lot of the feelings towards those events and the aftermath in our country. Fast forward to this year and Elvis has moved on to release new album Elvis Perkins in Deerland which came out this week. His music falls in well with some of the best singer-songwriter material coming out today and should find a place in a quiet corner of your home. Let’s hope Elvis keeps making his beautiful music.
You can catch Elvis Perkins with his band Deerland on these dates during SXSW:
Thursday March 19th – Auditorium Shores Stage 6pm
Wednesday March 18th – Austinist Party @ Mohawk 12 – 6pm
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/elvis_whileyouweresleeping.mp3]Download: Elvis Perkins – While You Were Sleeping [MP3]
To celebrate the release of their new Side A Ep, Austin band The Georgian Company are throwing a release party at Mohawk on Thursday night. The alt-country band will be joined by local heavy hitters Loxsly and opening act Leatherbag. Music starts on the inside stage at 10pm.
Download: Georgian Company – Apology [MP3]
Recipients of a spot in our top albums of 2008 post, The Dodos, just recorded a session for the NPR World Cafe. The set features 4 songs that you can stream from the comfort of your own home. Check it out now.
Download: The Dodos – Winter [MP3]
Everyone seems to love Surf City lately, and they are picking up a lot of press over here in the states, which isn’t entirely rare from a band straight out of Oceania. We, too, are really excited to see what they can come up with when they release their full length to throngs of fans stateside. Here’s just a little sample off their self-titled EP.
Download: Surf City – Canned Food [MP3]
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Elvis Perkins finally has a band to back up his soft-spoken folk leanings, but that isn’t too say that he’s moved entirely away from his original sound; in fact, he hasn’t traveled that far from where he once began his journey into the musical world. His latest release, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, is just another reminder of how capable a songsmith the man truly is.
Opening the album is “Shampoo,” which starts off with a mellow little progression on the acoustic guitar, as an organ fills out the background. Suddenly, the band kicks in, and Elvis’ voice comes sweeping in with a slightly more country-fied tinge than most listeners might be used to at this point in his career. It’s a testament to the man’s capabilities when he’s backed by a complete band, and it’s a phenomenal start, nearly a perfect song.
The next few tracks find Elvis walking the lines of his past, as he slows the numbers down so his voice can unfold before listeners. You can tell that he’s yearning for more, reaching for more with his voice, which is perhaps the reason why he brought in a complete band for the recording process of this album. Steady percussion fills in the space where Elvis previously was forced to fill it all with his voice.
His trademark six minute song, “Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville” is just another example of how wonderfully he can craft a song. Simple strumming typically doesn’t have the lasting power to garner your interest through six minutes, but when accompanied by his voice, and his attention to lyrical details, you find that you are drawn into the depths of the song. Horn arrangements added midway only build upon the already sound structure of this song.
Each time you listen to his voice, it seems to waver just a bit, much like Devandra Banhart, but with a less aggravating persona behind it all. It’s surely the focal point of each song, but his ability to maneuver in and out of different pitches is what makes the entire set of songs listenable, as he clearly understand exactly when to pull back. It’s an emotional attack on the listener, and it succeeds on almost every level. Listening, your drawn into the strength of the songs, but your mostly attracted to his voice, and that feeling is certainly not fleeting.
You’ll find that every song along the way has extra details added in to create an ornate composition. The folk stylings are merely just the beginning, as the backing band here has fulfilled the promise of Elvis Perkins, pushing his songs far beyond anything he’s written to date, and the listeners will be rewarded time and time again, as each listen unfolds new little secrets.
The week/weekend before SXSW is usually pretty bland for live music, but a few locals have put together a nice little festival going down this weekend. Over the weekend, if you’re not resting up for next week, you should make it out to the new Radio Room (map) for the 2nd annual Psych Fest. The lineup for the weekend events is pretty impressive with big names like Black Angels, Strange Boys, Dead Meadow, Shapes Have Fangs, A Place to Bury Strangers, and tons more. Tickets for the event are on sale now and are going for $45 for a 3 day pass and $15 for individual day tickets. Music starts at 9pm on Friday and 1pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Check out the official website for full schedule and band info or have a look at that trippy flier.
Download: The Black Angels – Young Men Dead[MP3]
