This is fine.
This just in: Tickets and 3-day passes for October’s Austin City Limits Festival are going on sale tomorrow at 10am. These things sold out real quick like last year, so head to the ACL website and make a purchase. Passes for all 3 days are going for $185 with all fees included in that price.
The troubled history of Roky Erickson has been well-documented in the past, especially in the touching You’re Going to Miss Me documentary. However, the last few years have seen a resurgence for the famed singer, and he returns now accompanied by another local act, Okkervil River. But, you can put all that business aside right now, and turn your focus to what a phenomenal listening experience you will have listeninig to True Love Cast Out All Evil.
We get a brief glimpse into the history of Roky as the album opens with “Devotional Number One,” which is a field recording from his time spent at Rusk State Hospital. There’s an eeriness to the recording, but his voice is so warm, yet so fragile that you can’t help yourself from falling into this song.
Listening to this record over and over again, the first track that really hits you is “Goodbye Sweet Dreams.” There are flourishes of orchestral work in the background, which you can leave at the foot of Will Sheff who manned production. But, when Roky says “don’t leave me now/my love does not too bright burn” you get a hint at the soul of a man who no longer wants to be left on his own. You can’t look away from him now, or I suppose turn a deaf ear.
As the record progresses you’ll notice that no longer is this a man delving into psychadelic rock; he’s gone completely country, and it’s so heart-felt that he’s bound to receive accolades left and right. “Be and Bring Me Home” has that countryfied warble to it, and light touches of piano only emphasize the voice that much more. “Please, Judge” is a wonderfully soft-spoken ballad that relies more upon the imagery of Erikson, and while the lyrics aren’t first person, you can’t help but feel a litlte bit of the singer inside. You can even hear a few squalls of noise throughout, making it all more than just a mere country ballad.
What’s great about this record is that even though it stays in one place (the country) you still get some rockers out of True Love Cast Out All Evil. “Bring Back the Past” is a pretty upbeat number, even when supplied with a bit of a Nashville stomp. It fits perfectly with “John Lawman,” though the latter has a much more devilish undertone. Feedback lies beneath the lyrics “I kill people all day long,” chasing the lyrics throughout the entirety of the song. It’s one of the most spectacluar live numbers too, as you can hear the scratchiness and emotion of Roky behind the mic.
Closing the record, we return to the intimate setting of Mr. Erickson. “Birds’d Crash” is a slow burner using vocals and a ringing guitar line to really flesh out the song. For me, I just love his approach to writing lyrics, and the clarity of his voice is incredible throughout the whole of the album. To bookend it all, we find ourselves with another field recording. Listen closely to this one, as its an awful bit quieter than the album’s opener, but in putting your ear close to the speaker, you get to end the album in Roky’s world.
As an album, it’s remarkable how seamlessly True Love Cast Out All Evil really is. You have to credit Will Sheff for not really putting his stamp on the album, instead choosing to let Roky Erickson do all the work on his own, with just a little help from his friends. It all points to one thing: Roky is back, and with a record like this, we’re all entirely grateful to have him here again.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Roky-Erickson-Okkervil-River-Goodbye-Sweet-Dreams.mp3]Download: Roky Erickson & Okkervil River – Goodbye Sweet Dreams [MP3]
This should be a show post about the killer evening of tunes over at Antones Friday featuring Local Natives and Suckers (2 of our favorites this year). But, instead, we’ve got something for you. We’re running a little contest to win a free Local Natives “Sun Hands” 7″. All you have to do is leave us a comment telling us what your favorite album of the year is, besides Local Natives (as that should be near the top), and don’t forget to leave a valid email address in the email portion of your comment. We’ll pick the winner by tomorrow morning and take care of the rest.
Oh, and our top secret spies tell us that the first person to buy Gorilla Manor starting today at Waterloo Records wins two free tickets. Get over their now. And be sure to show up early as you’ll love the Suckers too!
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/02-Airplanes-1.mp3]Download: Local Natives – Airplanes [MP3]
| Date | 4/21/10 |
|---|---|
| Location | Chain Drive |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | $2 @ Door |
We’ve taken a liking recently to the post-punk sounds of this relatively new Austin band Seaholm Electric. The band, being as new as they are, don’t have many photos or information floating around about themselves. They do however have a new self-released EP out that you can stream over on their website. The band is also playing on the cheap at Chain Drive tomorrow evening along with fellow locals Persian Wars. We’re thinking you’ll want to get on board with this band quick like before they start selling out all over town. We’ll keep you updated on the band as the information gets to us. Until then, check out why we’re backing these guys with this catchy number “A Million Points of Light”.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/01-a-million-points-of-light.mp3]Download: Seaholm Electric – A Million Points of Light [MP3]
So the much anticipated release date for Band of Horses new joint Inifinite Arms is still a solid month away. Prior to that heralded day in May, the band has made the opening track “Factory” available for free download over on their website. This is in addition to the free streaming video of first single “Laredo”. Here’s to hoping that they pull through on their 3rd studio album.
Download: Band of Horses – Factory [MP3]
Sebastian Krueger has a lot of creative friends, but it’s his own talents as the creator for the Inlets project that really make the listening experience completely worthwhile. Inter Arbiter is the newest album from the group, the first since the Vestibule EP. While it has many traces of the last outing, it’s clear that the whole construction has only gotten more detailed, building layer upon layer of instrumentation to craft an ornately beautiful album.
“Canteen” is the first real track to demonstrate the process of Inlets, with that odd time signature guitar playing, and minimal percussive accompaniment. While many people see the minimalism as a nod to Steve Reich, there is a much more pop-oriented structure to the writing of this record, as evidenced on “In Which, I, Robert.” This track is by far the most accessible of the ten, with the hook being brought into play by the vocal performance, and the call-and-response vocals that jump out in the background. It’s probably one of the shortest numbers, but it’s the one many people will go back to as their favorite.
“Bright Orange Air” was the band’s first single off Inter Arbiter, and while it carefully walks you along the cusp of Krueger’s falsetto, the musicianship is what will stick with you long afterwards. As much as you don’t want to draw comparisons to Grizzly Bear, you can definitely sense the relationship between the two bands here, from the rim shots on the drum that keep pace to the vocal melody, all accompanied by what is surely a clarinet (or another woodwind). It’s this interesting approach that perhaps draws people to make the Reich comparison, but really just needs to simply go in the books as superb craftsmanship. Interestingly, it’s often the vocal performances on the most diverse songs that really grabs at the listener. This is precisely the case on “Bells and Whistles,” which does have all that the title suggests, but I found myself holding onto the vocals, and the way they seem to rise and fall in the middle of notes. Just beautiful.
Near the end of the album, “Famous Looks” offers more of the same, though with a bit of a faster pace. It leaves room for the next album to show continued progression, as one can’t stand in place for too long in this genre without appearing too redundant. Perhaps it is the much more pronounced percussion breaking through, but this song is one of the more exciting, if you can even call it that. Oddly, that’s not what Inter Arbiter is about at all.
The new album from Inlets delves into extreme craftsmanship that remains soft and gentle throughout, despite the ebbs and flows in the mood of Inter Arbiter. For those looking for a more experimental approach to modern pop construction, this is a brilliant place to land, while others can simply bask in the warmth created by Sebastian Krueger and friends.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/inletsrobert.mp3]Download: Inlets – In Which I, Robert [MP3]
I’ve been following Joe Pernice for a long time. His voice always seems to fit into my life at some point or another, so I’m glad to welcome a new tune from Pernice Brothers. This tune comes from their upcoming record Goodbye, Killer, which will be out June 15th via Ashmont. First listen sees the band a bit more upbeat than their last go round, but I know old Joe will fill this album with pitch-perfect pop ditties to keep me humming along for some time to come.
Download: Pernice Brothers – Jacqueline Susann [MP3]
| Date | 4/22/10 |
|---|---|
| Location | Emos |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | Sold Out suckahs! |
It’s a busy weekend in Austin and a show by Beach House at Emo’s on Thursday should kick starts your weekend the right way. Opening support will be provided by Washed Out. Unfortunately friends this one is sold out so try your hand at craigslist or scalping.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Beach-House-Norway.mp3]Download: Beach House – Norway [MP3]
Seattle based band Hey Marseilles write some crazy catchy pop tunes that I’ve been jamming out to recently. The band’s debut LP, To Trunks and Travels, is slotted to hit the shelves in June. Until then, check out this joint “Rio” from the release. I dig it.
Download: Hey Marseilles – Rio [MP3]
Our friends over at The Music Slut debuted this brand new tune from Depreciation Guild on Friday. The track, “Crucify You”, will appear on the band’s upcoming LP Spirit Youth which comes out next month. It’s got a similar twee sound we grew to love from POBPAH and promises good things for this trio.
Download: Depreciation Guild – Crucify You [MP3]
