Stream New Dead Weather
The new Jack White supergroup Dead Weather are streaming their new album Horehound over on Facebook. Check it out now before it drops next week and let us know what you think.
Deer Tick In Austin
Music fans in Austin get excited for Thursday as the day marks the triumphant return of indie-rockers Deer Tick to our little town. Your first chance to see the band is at a Waterloo in-store starting around 5pm with free keg beer of course. A full on proper set is to follow at Emo’s starting around 10pm with tickets running at $10. Dawes and Shed Alfred will join the lineup for the later show.
Download: Deer Tick – Easy [MP3]
Golden Animals @ Beauty Bar (7/8)
One of our favorite acts during SXSW, Golden Animals, are returning to Austin for a night of psych rock at Beauty Bar on Wednesday. Fellow “Golden” act All in the Golden Afternoon will be providing opening support for the event. Cover charge is $5.
Download: Golden Animals – Try On Me [MP3]
New Tunes from The Almighty Defenders
The Internet was abuzz with news that the union between Black Lips and King Khan would finally come to fruition. The group, under the name of The Almighty Defenders, will be releasing their self-titled album on September 22nd. Personally, this track, “Bow Down and Die” has a killer riff throughout, reminiscent of the BBQ Show, but I’m not entirely sold on the echo-y gang vocals, but you be the judge.
Download: The Almighty Defenders – Bow Down and Die [MP3]
Stellastarr – Civilized
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For their third album, Stellastarr opted to go it on their own and release the record, Civilized, on their terms, and their label, Bloated Wife Records. However, nothing about the band seems to have changed at all since their previous efforts, which is either a good or bad thing, depending upon which camp you sleep in with regards to your opinion on the band.
Kicking off the album is “Robot,” and Amanda Tannen’s presents the most throbbing bass lines to date for the band. While the guitars shatter in some other worldly angular atmospherics, Shawn Christensen repeats the lyrics “by design/you’re going to hurt yourself.” The lyrics appear to have less of an impact than on previous efforts, but the cutting edge guitar riffs show that the band means business.
When track three, “Tokyo Sky” sets off, you’re tossed back into that classic new wave sound, with clean jangling guitars, but just as you get comfortable and nostalgic, they press down on the distortion pedal, they pull out some “Today”-era Smashing Pumpkins guitar miming. While the guitars continue to swirl about the song, Christensen does his best to fall somewhere between himself and Davey of The Promise Ring. Oddly, the lyrics refrain of “my Tokyo sky” recall the same refrain of “My Coco” off the group’s first album.
“Graffiti Eyes” probably has the most bounce of this set of songs, which is sad, since the band has been successful with such styles. However, Tannen’s backing vocals provide a great counterbalance to the jagged yelp of Christensen. In the chorus we find the band nearing their most straightforward pop approach to date, although the music doesn’t seem to comply necessarily. Although this is the single for the band, this isn’t necessarily the best song on the album. That award goes to “Prom Zombie” with its entirely playful singalong moments between Tannen and Christensen. It’s the one song on this album that just seem like they’ve been rehashing themselves entirely. And, there are horns! Horns bro.
The latter half of the album is much like the first half, with it all ending in “Sonja Cries,” the one song when you can clearly hear Christensen’s vocals. Surprisingly, this seems like the exact direction the band should have gone to begin with, or at least built into the album as a whole. By this point, the airy atmospherics of the guitars have grown weary after listening to them for three straight albums. In the end, the band has created more enjoyable numbers for you to add to your collection, though they might not be the most memorable moments in the Stellastarr‘s history.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/1-06-prom-zombie.mp3]Download: Stellastarr – Prom Zombie [MP3]
New Music From Portugal. The Man
Staying true to their word on putting out an album a year, Portugal. The Man are ready to release a new one after the moderate success of their 2008 album Censored Colors. New album Satanic Satanist will be available July 21st via Equal Vision Records and features this single “”. Check it out and let us know what you think of this album preview.
Download: Portugal. The Man – People Say [MP3]
Electric Touch @ Emo’s (7/8)
If you’re looking for a show filled with the rock, head over to Emo’s on Wednesday night for a an evening of 3 local up and coming rockers. The evening kicks off with our good friends Whitman, so get there around 9:30, drink some beers, and catch their set at 10pm. After that, The Handshake take the stage followed by headliners and Justice Records darlings Electric Touch. The show is only $8, but Do512 is also running a contest to win free tickets for all you cheap skates out there. You won’t find a better local lineup than this!
Download: Whitman – Light It Up [MP3]
New Tunes from Arctic Monkeys
Everyone’s favorite, Arctic Monkeys, have long been working on the follow-up to their last album. Said album is titled Humbug, and is slated to hit the streets on August 25th. We’ve got our hands on one of the tunes, so that you can sample it for yourself in preparation for the release. This one seems a bit darker, which might be a new direction from the band, but we’ll wait until the album’s out to pass full judgment.
Download: Arctic Monkeys – Crying Lightning [MP3]
Abe Vigoda @ Emo’s (7/7)
Emo’s has a nice lineup of up and coming talent on Tuesday night which should be your best bet for the music scene early in the week. Lineup includes indie-rockers Abe Vigoda, Loser Life, and latest Hardly Art signing Talbot Tagora. Tickets for this one are on sale for $8 and doors open up at 9pm. Here’s brand new single from Talbot Tagora called “Ichthus Hop”.
Download: Tabot Tagora – Ichthus Hop [MP3]
Bowerbirds – Upper Air
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Last summer we met Fleet Foxes, and their harmonious folk led to much acclaim whilst keeping us warm for the rest of the year. This summer, we have Bowerbirds. While they may not share much in common with last summer’s hit, they do seem to dabble in the folk nostalgia, most likely influenced by their location in Raleigh, North Carolina. On their new record, Upper Air, you’ll find them quietly strumming instruments while combining the voices of Phil Moore and Beth Tacular in order to warm your soul–though if you’re in Austin, Tx, odds are you don’t need it that much.
Something in Phil Moore’s voice just evokes emotion. You can tell from the minute he steps in on “House of Diamonds” that he’s got something personal to release, whether truly personal, or as a narrative; you’ll find that his voice warrants repeated listening. Then combine it with Beth’s voice during the chorus, and you have the recipe for the group’s deeply rich melodious folk productions.
Almost every song stands alone on this album, as if they crafted them out of individual stories, yet they all fit together, standing as a woven basket of an album, full of various tales and combined textures. In “Teeth,” the usage of accordion provides a new layer with which the group can tie in their shared vocal arrangements. Crystal clear picking of guitars stand out in the foreground, exfoliating the textured sounds in a beautiful manner.
When you find yourself in the middle of the album, you meet the longest song on this long player. “Ghost Life” demonstrates the group at its best, with some of the stronger lyrics this side of 2009. Here, the paired vocals of Moore and Tacular do somewhat resemble Fleet Foxes harmonies, although you clearly won’t mistake this band as anything other than an original. Such a standout is worthy of being played over and over again on your home stereo, where the pristine sounds of the tune can truly take on a life of their own.
Near the end of the album, you’ll find Moore really pushing himself, in the realm of vocals, on “Crooked Lust.” But, this is just a momentary prelude to the record’s closer, “This Day.” It’s almost a solo number, until you hit the end of the song, where everyone joins together to bring an end to “This Day,” and in doing so, bring an end to Upper Air.
Much like the artwork on the cover, this is folk music for the clouds. Temporarily, it will let you float outside of yourself as you escape the a land created by someone else. It’s a blissful folk journey that the Bowerbirds will encourage you to take, as they took it themselves in completing their best work to date.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/02-teeth-1.mp3]Download: Bowerbirds – Teeth [MP3]