This is fine.
One of the few bands I know from Ohio, The State Bird, have a brand new EP out creatively titled 4 New Songs. You can download this entire new EP from The Record Machine website. If your one of those people who values their internet download times, check out “The Bright July Night” here on our website.
Download: The State Bird – The Bright July Night [MP3]
The Clientele just released a new EP entitled That Night, a Forest Grew which is the third in a 3 part series of new EPs for the band. You can download the new tracks for a small fee over on the emusic website or you’ll have to wait a bit longer for your hard copy. We also have track number one from the new EP below called “Retiro Park”.
Download: The Clientele – Retiro Park [MP3]
Sorry for only posting one comic last week. I was a bit stretched for time and although I thought about throwing another one together quickly, I didn’t want to post something that looked like the inane scrawls of a child. What do we look like?
The Broken West out of L.A. are dropping a new album on Sep. 9th called Now or Heaven. You can listen to the sweet new single off that album “Auctioneer” below. Check out some more songs from the new album on the band’s myspace page.
Download: The Broken West – Auctioneer [MP3]
Matt Pryor has evolved quite a bit to get to where he is now. Would you have believed me 10 years ago if I told you he’d be playing shows armed only with an acoustic guitar? Most of the vagrant punk followers would accuse you of mistaken identity and slap you around a bit. Believe it or not you old Get Up Kids die hards, that’s what Matt Pryor is all about nowadays. He went to being a pioneer in the pop-punk world to now being an extremely solid singer song writer who still inspires the young and old.
Show review and pictures after the jump
Rating: 
This album didn’t receive too much press, nor did the band, but this is definitely an ex-Unicorns side project worth noticing. Human Highway consists of former Unicorn–Islands front man Nick Thorburn and singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie–it’s about as Canadian as you can get.
Opening track, “The Sound,” will probably make a cut for many singles of the year lists, and probably mine. It’s got sort of an island feel to it–by that I am referencing the volcanic ocean formations rather than Thorburn’s band, though that is there too. Guthrie closely resembles Patrick Wolf here, but the overall feel pushes you for a little beach time. It’s probably the most upbeat song on the album.
From here they go on to pursue their original intentions in creating this record, that of chasing after the harmonies of 50s/60s R&B groups. They can achieve this fairly easily considering Thorburn’s abilities to tie harmonies in twisted knots, and they do this throughout the record. In fact, this really is the record for the most part. It’s a stripped down affair full of matching harmonies with accompanying guitars and minimalist percussion.
Those of you searching for the awkward catchiness of the Unicorns and Islandswill probably have a momentary lapse of judgment when you listen to this album. Immediately, it won’t be accessible to your ears, but I beg you to go on for a few more listens. This album resembles all those bands and projects you love from Thorburn, but in a more traditional singer/songwriter vein. It’s like an acoustic Islands album, which probably garners it more longevity than Arm’s Way–the album by the aforementioned band that came out this year.
You’ll find all the great harmonies you’ve come to love, and you will find Thorburn’s vocal styling all over the place–he frequently goes from casual crooner to that soft whisper we’ve come to know so well in his productive career. I don’t want to take away from Guthrie’s presence here either–his heavier voice, though gentle, definitely adds a sublime contrast to the higher pitched Nick T. And of course, you will find that the lyrics, though a bit more personal, still have that hint of absurdity.
At the end of the day you will come to find that this album is hard to put away. Each song continuously unfolds for me, turning me into fans of different songs throughout the day, only coming back to revisit the album in its entirety. I might be on an island all by myself listening to this, but damned if I don’t enjoy every instant.
We recently read about this band, The Lord Dog Bird, on the NPR website and found their stuff quite interesting. The band is a stripped down side project of Colin McCann, who plays guitar for Baltimore rock band Wilderness. You can read more about The Lord Dog Bird or order the new self-titled album on the Jagjaguwar record label website. Newest single “The Gift of Song in the Lions Den” from Mr. McCann’s new solo act can be found below. Give it a few listens, and I’m sure you’ll learn to love it.
Download: The Lord Dog Bird – The Gift of Song in the Lions Den [MP3]
For those of you lucky enough to have tickets to tonights SOLD OUT MMJ show at Stubb’s, here is a little taste of what’s to come via ATH’s Dallas TX correspondent.
The band played the Palladium Theater in south Dallas Saturday night to a packed and enthusiastic crowd. This venue is similar to Austin Music Hall in size and presentation, but even with a line stretching around the block waiting on the doors, there were tickets still available (for a time) at the box office.
Show review and pictures after the jump
ATH favorite Black Joe Lewis will be taking the stage this Sunday at Waterloo park beginning at 4:00 PM. Combine that with more than one hundred gallons of hot sauce, and we think that you are pretty much set for the day. Admission for this fine event is free with 3 non-perishable food items. For more information and to see the other bands playing, check out the Austin Chronicle’s website.
Austin Town Hall chatted it up with Jesse and Kimberly of The Dutchess & The Duke before their acoustic set at Mohawk on Wednesday evening. Read the entire interview with the band after the jump.
