This is fine.
| Date | 2/24/10 |
|---|---|
| Location | The Independent |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | $13 from Frontgate |
Have you made plans for Wednesday yet? It’s a tough choice you’ve got to make… Brendan Benson playing at The Independent should definitely be a part of your decision making process. He’ll be joined on the stage by Leatherbag and Michael Kingcaid.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/01-a-whole-lot-better.mp3]Download: Brendan Benson – A Whole Lot Better [MP3]
Prior to it’s March 1st release date, Frightened Rabbit are streaming their upcoming LP The Winter of Mixed Drinks over on their myspace page. Anyone care to give us their first impressions?
Occasionally you get an email with an MP3 from a band you really know nothing about. Usually, you listen once, realize you don’t dig it, and discard. Just the opposite happened when I first put on The Bewitched Hands on Top of Our Heads. Their single “Hard to Cry” went by easily at first, but something about the building harmonies caught me, and I had to play it again. Made up of six folks from France, The Bewitched Hands will grab hold of you, tugging you into their world of intelligent pop music. The band will be around all during the week of SXSW, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted on those events soon.
Download: The Bewitched Hands on Top of Our Heads – Hard to Cry [MP3]
It’s been a little over a year since the release of their last album, but already The Strange Boys are returning with another album. Here we find the local Austin heroes doing their twangy R&B meets country on Be Brave. This time, however, the boys don’t seem nearly as rambunctious, instead they’ve chosen to slow it all down, spending a lot more time with swinging numbers that might just have you wrapping your arms around your favorite pal (or lover) as you swing them to and fro.
There’s an elephant standing in the corner of the room, and it’s best to get that fella out in the open right away. Singer Ryan Sambol doesn’t have the most pristine vocal styling, and some might even call it grating at times. But, despite the fact that he never seems too polished, there is an underlying bit of charm behind such an approach. It seems rooted in the tradition of singers who had very little traditional training, but put every ounce of emotion into their performances. That being said, it is not a vocal style for everyone.
The first song to really put the listener on notice has to be “A Walk on the Beach.” At first, the song seems to stumble through the first two minutes, as Sambol does his warble croon over a light guitar track. But, once that two minute mark hits (1:32 actually) you get a quickened pace, almost as if a train’s coming for you. Just as soon as you get there, you get a switch, as the boys turn into a twangy swing band. The music isn’t really swing, but you can feel the band twisting and turning you with each guitar chord, and after all, there is a blaring horn.
One of the things about Be Brave that shows a bit of a shift in musical strategy, as alluded to earlier, is that the slow burners here have a lot more of an emotional appeal this time around. Take “Between Us” and play it on your back porch while you’re drinking with your pals, and you’re guaranteed to have your arms around each other laughing at old tales of glory. It just has a sort of swing that gets you into cherishing times past.
The Strange Boys clearly have discovered that they can continue along the lines of their self-created genre while still pushing their sound, and their career for that matter. “Dare I Say” is a wonderful tune, and it’s probably one of the simplest numbers on the record. There’s a touch of barroom piano, but mostly it’s just guitar and vocal; it remains one of the more “mainstream” tunes they’ve tossed out. It’s also the song that kicks off a steady string of slow, yet solid, songs. From this point until the end, you’ll find mellow numbers that seem more like solo affairs than anything else. Funnily, “All You Can Hide Inside” sounds like The Strange Boys covering Jeff Buckley, yet you’ll still find it enjoyable.
Be Brave comes to you with little press, at least in contrast to …And Girls Club, yet for those who listen closely, it’s the most complete recording The Strange Boys have managed to put together. Aesthetically, it remains the same, but it’s their ability to find the groove from simple guitars and vocals that manages to make this album more successful than the last. Cheers boys, you’re doing us Austinites proud.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/08-Dare-I-Say.mp3]Download: The Strange Boys – Dare I Say [MP3]
| Date | 2/24/10 |
|---|---|
| Location | The Parish |
| Doors | 8pm |
| Tickets | $13 from Frontgate |
Wednesday night is a busy one in the Austin music scene, but Akron/Family at the Parish is one of your top choices. The 2009 top song winners will be joined by hot up and coming band Warpaint. Should be top notch.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/river.mp3]Download: Akron/Family – River [MP3]
We continue our highlight on a few SXSW bands this week with Canadian outfit Still Life Still. Having formed close to 10 years ago, you would expect this band to be a lot more well known in the national blogosphere. However, when you take into account that the guys formed up as teenagers and have had a few band names changes, it’s not surprising that they still fly a bit under the radar. Still Life Still even fly a bit under our radar, as we sort of missed out on their admirable debut LP of 09 Girls Come Too. The stand out track from that album “Kid” can be found below. It sounds a bit like some old school post-emo bands with a bit more of a pop beat backing it. Also, our SXSW watchlists from here on out will now include a brief 5-6 question interview of questions we generated for our favorite SXSW artists. We hope this helps you to get to know these artists a little bit better. Still Life Still band member Brendon Sarinnen answers our questions after the jump.
New music comes our way today from recently re-located Baltimore band Future Islands. The song below, “Tin Man” will appear on the groups upcoming LP In Evening Air. That one is available May 4th on Thrill Jockey.
Download: Future Islands – Tin Man [MP3]
In a year that already seems full of releases from our favorite bands, there is yet another one to keep us on pins and needles. The New Pornographers are set to release their fifth album, Together, on Matador Records on May 4th. Thanks to the Matablog, we’ve got a new tune to bring your way this morning. Enjoy!
Download: New Pornographers – Your Hands Together [MP3]
For most on U.S. soil, Fyfe Dangerfield might be a name largely unknown, but you might recognize his work with his band Guillemots. They’re a quartet of indie popsters who’ve made waves with British press, but now it’s time for Fyfe to take flight on his own. Fly Yellow Moon is a remarkable debut affair, and one that will surely find fans on all sides of the Atlantic. If you’ve ever been in love with British pop, then this is the record for you.
You’ll start your listening experience with “When You Walk in the Room,” and you’ll find your feet stomping. This number wears the influence of all sorts of British pop, primarily from the late 90s. Fyfe’s throaty vocals find their way into your heart; this has to be one of the single’s of the year.
But just as he has you stomping your feet to the pop, he spins around and goes all Richard Hawley on you. For the next couple of tracks he’s a barroom crooner, and one that seems every bit as passionate and believable lyrically. “Barricades” might rest a bit too much along the lines of Travis, but there’s really nothing wrong with that now is there?
Just as you get comfortable sitting in a bar with your favorite pint, he mixes it up again. The piano-laden”Faster Than the Setting Sun” has a darker quality than previous tracks, as guitars atmospherically fill out the background. At this point, as a listener, you should remark to yourself the dynamics of Fyfe’s vocal performance on the album. You can throw the variance of each song on the Fly Yellow Moon into the ring of praise; it’s clear that you’re witnessing one amazing songwriter.
And so the album goes into a bit of an acoustic interlude, pushing two great acoustic songs upon you. While “Livewire” has a generally folky feel to it, “Firebird” sneaks in with a bit more of an ominous tone to it. Everyone should appreciate Dangerfield’s ability to mix it up, even when the instrumentation seems to be somewhat of the same vein. It’s hard not to say it too much, but not a single song here holds onto its predecessor, yet they all fit together extremely well. Just wait until you go from the quiet “Don’t Be Shy” into the steady beating “Any Direction.” If you added a little bit more bass and snare to the mix, the latter would surely be a club hit across the globe.
Stepping out from behind the safety of a band is never an easy task, but Fyfe Dangerfield seems to have done so with such grace that you’ll be astonished at how remarkable a debut this actually is. It’s not an album bogged down by modern indie rock conjecture or hipsterdom. Fly Yellow Moon is just a refreshing collection of great pop tunes, and in being such a record, you’ll fall in love with just how refreshing it feels.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/05-When-You-Walk-in-The-Room.mp3]Download: Fyfe Dangerfield – When You Walk in The Room [MP3]
Oh how Fridays are always so much better when you get a lil jam like this in your inbox! Since we don’t work much over the weekend, maybe you can enjoy this one during your rough Monday morning? Anyway, this new pop diddy, “Western Hospitality” comes by way of Swedish band Club 8. The song will appear on the now veteran’s upcoming album The People’s Record due out May 12th on Labrador. Good times.
Download: Club 8 – Western hospitality [MP3]
