This is fine.
It’s been right at 3 years since we’ve gotten a proper LP from Chicago outfit Califone and I can honestly say I’ve missed them. Isn’t that sweet? But alas, the band is back and ready to drop a new album our way October 6th called All My Friends Are Funeral Singers. Here’s a first glimpse of that Dead Oceans release, “Funeral Singers”. Welcome back to the game boys.
Download: Califone – Funeral Singers [MP3]
We love the man known as King Khan and we get amped up when he makes new music with The Shrines or with The BBQ show. This new jam comes from the BBQ show and will appear on upcoming album Invisible Girl out November 3rd on In the Red Records. Do these guys put out bad music?
Download: King Khan & BBQ Show – Invisible Girl [MP3]
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A.A. Bondy began to steadily make waves with critics after the release of his debut American Hearts. A short while later, he is releasing When the Devil’s Loose on Fat Possum Records. It’s a record that lives up to the expectation of the record’s title, but in the most stripped down fashion that could only accompany A. A. Bondy.
Just when you think your music player is broken, the soft-spoken strumming of “Mightiest of Guns” comes into play through your speakers. Bondy seems to whisper just as quietly into the microphone, his soothing voice calmly uttering at those lowly decibels. Such an approach is utilized throughout the remainder of the album, to various effects.
“When the Devil’s Loose” begins, you can hear the meandering accompaniment of low-lying drums and various guitar chords that one finds on a M. Ward song. It easily could be seen as knocking off another great, but the story telling of Bondy is what seems to differentiate his songwriting from that of Matt Ward. He seems deeply rooted in the history of Southern storytelling, and in doing such, he tells his tales with the passion of an overly involved narrator. Even during “Oh the Vampyre,” which seems to be sort of a childish ditty, there is an element of struggle, not only in the lyrics, but in the vocals.
Midway through arrives the standout track “I Can See the Pines are Dancing.” One of the more intriguing things about this song is the baritone voice echoing in the background of the song. It works well with Bondy’s silky cum gruff vocals. It’s this sort of touch to an otherwise simplistic approach that manages to grab A.A. Bondy from the relatively mundane world of folk/Americana/etc and push him even further than some of his peers.
Listening to songs like “False River,” the album’s seventh track, you can still see these little flourishes and intricate details, and one can only assume that more will unfold as repeated listens come to be. Walking to the end of this album, you never seem to hear the same thing twice; this is an attribute many people ascribe to great records. However, the pacing of the album is painstakingly slow, and while some will find this aspect appealing, it’s difficult to reach the end of the album as a whole due to the distinctive style and relatively static vocals. While those may seem to some as desperately critical aspects, rest assured that beneath the folds of every tune on here lies a secret waiting for each and every listener. All due to the hard work of A.A. Bondy on When the Devil’s Loose.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/06-I-Can-See-the-Pines-are-Dancing.mp3]Download: A.A. Bondy – I Can See the Pines are Dancing [MP3]
So last year during ACL we worked our tails off trying to bring you guys the best interviews, spotlights, battles and all kinds of crazy lists. We may still be a month out from the festival date but we thought it would be an appropriate time to start our spotlight feature on various ACL artists that we like. Our first spotlight goes to The Dodos and is taken on by our newest addition to ATH, mwiliamrice. So follow the jump for our first ACL feature on The Dodos.
| Date | 9/2/09 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mohawk |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | $12 @ Door |
We really dig that new Fruit Bats record so we are of course excited for their stop in town Wednesday night at Mohawk. Fellow Sub Pop and ATH fave Death Vessel will provide main support with locals The Low Lows starting things off. Best show of the week? Damn this song is really good…
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/fruitbats-myunusualfriend.mp3]Download: Fruit Bats – My Unusual Friend [MP3]
Many of you might have got caught in the rain this past Thursday evening, but Mother Nature decided to take a breather by the time Vicious, L.A.X., and Canadian DJ duo Thunderheist hit the stage. We all know that Emo’s (outdoors) can often feel like a sweltering sauna, but the humidity didn’t stop concertgoers from making good use of their dancing shoes. Luckily, there was room to breathe so you never felt overcome with claustrophobia as you milled around the venue avoiding puddles. Follow the jump to hear our thoughts.
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As the new album In and Out of Control by The Raveonettes draws closer to its October 6th release date, more and more tracks begin to hit the Internet. “Last Dance,” hitting today is surely one of the highlights for what is shaping up to be a great album. I’ll admit, I’ve been a half-hearted fan for awhile, but after hearing the clever-pop goodness here, reminiscent of a female fronted Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I’m sincerely stoked.
Download: The Raveonettes – Last Dance [MP3]
| Date | 9/1/09 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mohawk |
| Doors | 9pm |
| Tickets | $10 @ door |
San Francisco band Sleepy Sun have made their way to Austin and are getting down at Mohawk on Tuesday night. Opening support will be provided by Headdress, The Delta Mirrors, and our fellow local rockers Ringo Deathstarr. Should be a fun way to start your week off right.
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/01_Snow_Goddess.mp3]Download: Sleepy Sun – Snow Goddess [MP3]
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With Curse Your Branches David Bazan returns with his second release with Barsuk Records (his first being 2006’s Fewer Moving Parts EP), and his first full length since the Headphone’s 2005 self titled album. After collaborating with TW Walsh on both Pedro the Lion’s Achilles Heel (2004) and the aforementioned Headphones LP, Bazan once again finds himself the captain of the ship, as well as its only crew member.
Curse Your Branches is a fascinating record in that it feels both new and familiar at the same time. The same plaintive singer/songwriter is still present in Bazan that we’ve come to know and love (or loathe) for almost fifteen years now. Tracks like ‘Hard To Be’, ‘Curse Your Branches’ & ‘In Stitches’ feel lived in upon first listen. That’s not to say that these songs are stale. These songs have an urgency that was missing on the Fewer Moving Parts EP. Bazan brings a newfound confidence to these recordings, both musically and lyrically. On ‘Bless This Mess’, ‘Please Baby, Please’, & ‘When We Fell’ Bazan exhibits a Randy Newman-esque smirk, exuding a swagger not usually found on past Pedro the Lion records.
To address the elephant in the room: David Bazan has written a, as Jessica Hopper put it, “harrowing breakup record” in which he dumps God. I feel that that is an apt description of a heartbreaking record. The lyrics on Curse Your Branches have catalogued the both public and private struggles Bazan has had since Pedro the Lion dissolved in 2004, from alcoholism to his departure from a lifetime of faith. This isn’t your feel good Summer road trip record. It’s weighty with its subject matter, it’s the story of growth, departure, and haunting, like the itch on a phantom limb. This haunting is evident in the album’s closer, ‘In Stitches’: I might as well admit it/ Like I even have a choice/ The crew have killed the captain/ But they still can hear his voice/ A shadow on the water/ A whisper in the wind/ On long walks with my daughter/ Who is lately full of questions about you.
Something must be said about one man in a studio with a clear and concise vision of what he wants to put on tape. Everything, from the reverse playback of the melody at the beginning of ‘Hard to Be’ to the howl of a man with a broken heart on ‘In Stitches’, is in it’s right place. On Curse Your Branches, David Bazan has turned in the most focused album of his career.
David Bazan will be playing at the Mohawk on October 7th.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/blessthismessgfp.mp3]Download: David Bazan – Bless This Mess [MP3]
These United States can’t seem to stop releasing new tunes, and this time around, Everything Touches Everything is going to be full of powerchords and pop magic. It’s hard to see these guys stopping anytime soon, and with songs like this, who would really want them to. The album hits stores September 1.
Download: These United States – Everything Touches Everything [MP3]
