This is fine.
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]
After spending time working on various projects, David Wingo finally returns to the writing of his fantastic soft-spoken numbers under the name of Ola Podrida. Rumor has it that he’s returned to Austin, but either way, we love the quiet beauty he’s given us in the past, so we’re looking forward to the release of his new record, Belly of the Lion, on November 10th. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s releasing it on Austin’s own Western Vinyl.
Download: Ola Podrida – Your Father’s Basement [MP3]
| Date | Tuesday, September 1st |
|---|---|
| Location | Flamingo Cantina |
| Doors | 900p |
| Tickets | $18 @ the Door |
How can you not want to go see the 73 year old dub-reggae master get his groove on at Flamingo Cantina? Let’s face it, if you like reggae, and I do, you need to get stepping to see Lee Scratch Perry. Dr. Dubbist will also be in attendance. Perry produced the following song, which is one of my all time faves, so if you love it, see you Tuesday night.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/02-police-and-thieves.mp3]
London’s Stricken City are known for their avant garde videos and the beauty of their lead singer, but now with the release of Songs About People I Know awaiting release on November 3rd it’s time to focus on the music. You can feel the bounce immediately here, and Raa’s sex-kitten vocals make it difficult not to fall for this song.
Download: Stricken-City-Pull-The-House-Down [MP3]
