This is fine.
I hear some people are downloading free software off bit-torrent sites. Not me. I would NEVER condone something like that. I can assure you this comic was made using software that I gladly payed hundreds, perhaps even thousands of dollars for.
We’ll be making our first return to Victory Grill since our SXSW showcase on Thursday night for the KVRX Pledge Drive Benefit Concert. The UT radio station is keeping it local with Austin bands Heartstring Stranglers, Breakfast Club Crew, Sohns, Wine & Revolution, Wild Moccasins, and DJ Car Stereo (Wars) all joining in for the nights events. A suggested $7 donation will be taken at the door which includes free BBQ and beer while supplies last. Things kick off around 8pm.
Download: Wild Moccasins – Fruit Tea [MP3]
This may be a bit sad bastard for some of you, but I think this is a nice little jam that goes well with the change of the season. Mastermind of Pink Mountaintops, Stephen McBean, is most widely known as the front man for Canadian powerhouse Black Mountain. Call it a side project if you want, the “band” has a new album hitting stores on May 5th via JagJaguwar called Outside Love. Breezy little single “While We Were Dreaming” is bellow for your enjoyment.
Download: Pink Mountaintops – While We Were Dreaming [MP3]
Rating: 
Art Brut burst onto the music scene a few years back wtih their stellar Bang Bang Rock N Roll. The band was energized, and Eddie Argos self-deprecating wit came out swinging. Now, three years down the road, Art Brut are preparing to take on the devil himiself for their third full length, Art Brut vs. Satan.
Round three has the band coming out with a barrage of tightly wound rock fury; the flare is back again, and you can feel the power in the chords. Interestingly, the driving force does not appear to be the music, however, as singer Eddie Argos is pushed way up front in the final mix. For some artists, this might not be a bad decision, but I don’t think Argos dead-pan delivery warrants such a focus, despite the cleverness of his lyrics. Often, the band brings a tour de force like Les Savy Fav pummeling our ears with a frenetic pace. Angular guitars cut through thin air with sharp turns of melodious guitar chugging around each corner. Still, the focus has been, and always will be, on Eddie Argos.
Opening the album, Eddie tries to rehash his evening of drinking in “Alcoholics Unanimous” by sending out a group text, as he is sure he was up “all night making mistakes.” Clearly he has no problem with calling himself out, as he continues to do so on “The Replacements” where he admits he hasn’t heard of The Replacements at this point in his life; this is a bit sad, or at least it seems like some egregious error. Even so, you’re left to question whether or not he trying to good you into buying into everything he has to say. Perhaps this is his point. Argos wants us to question the way we listen, or why we listen, or even who we listen to these days.
Altogether, the album comes together quite nicely; it’s as consistent as their debut album. One will always wonder what would come of the band if they ever had a full-fledged singer at the mic stand, but even now, without such a person, they band sound as brash and enjoyable as ever. This is an album that will hold your attention through to the end.
Okay, admittedly I have no idea what on Earth Shugo Tokumaru is singing about, but I do know that every time he creates his grandiose gems I fall in love. Shugo has a new EP coming out, though you’ll probably need a translator to get your hands on it. But, you can check out this cool site to listen to more tracks. Here is “Rum Hee.”
Download: Shugo Tokumaru – Rum Hee [MP3]
We brought Boston band Pretty & Nice to our SXSW showcase at Victory Grill and have been awaiting their return to Austin for a proper show. We are in luck, because the band has a show lined up next week at Emo’s on Thursday (4/30). We’ll remind you about that next week, but for now, check out an interview with band member Jason Mendicino. It’s quite insightful. Follow the jump for full interview with Jason from Pretty & Nice.
News has slowly been drifiting about the newest Sonic Youth release, The Eternal. Matador Records even gave us a little bit of a teaser by throwing out some 7″s on Record Store Day featuring the band so as to whet your appetite. Now, to further your interest, we have the first complete single, with Kim manning the wheel here. If you ask me, this is a good start. Let’s hope it all sounds this good on June 9th, the album release date.
Download: Sonic Youth – Sacred Trickster [MP3]
Baltimore two piece Wye Oak just dropped a new single that we’ve been spinning around the ATH offices over the last few days. The new track will appear on upcoming album The Knot due out July 21st on Merge. What do you think of the new material?
Download: Wye Oak – Take It In [MP3]
Okay, so we’re not completely sure about all of this, but as of this point, it seems pretty legit. Last night, a few sites showed this site , which seems to indicate that a new album, titled Minotaur, will be released by the band at some point this summer. You can pre-order starting June 15th. But, we have no news on singles or who is going to release it, although the majority of Pixies releases came our way via 4AD. I’m not going to lie; I’m a wee bit excited here.
Download: Pixies – La La Love You [MP3]
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Something seems to exist in the Glaswegian waters these days, as more and more substantial music sets sail for America via Scotland. The newest album, My Maudlin Career, from Camera Obscura is just another example of a country that is pushing out superb tune after superb tune.
Long has the band been haunted by their kinship to Belle and Sebastian, but here we see them completing the step away from such association, much as they did on their last album, Let’s Get Out of This Country. They’ve stepped away from the modest pop stylings of their earlier days, immersing themselves instead in a history of 60s soul and R&B. This time around, the band has gradually drifted into the perfect dance halls from historic days long gone.
Tracyanne Campbell is the focal point of this entire album, as it should be. Her delivery, especially in songs such as “French Navy” is nearly perfect, spinning masterful webs of melody at every turn. She finally seems comfortable in the limelight, and that confidence shows through and through. But, she’s not the only vocal presence here, as there are some carefully placed “oohs” and “ahhs” visiting the landscape of this album (see The Sweetest Thing).
Musically, the album is quite close to its predecessor. It’s as if the music was crafted carefully in the Motown studios; all the arrangements are done with such precision that you’d be hard pressed to find a point in this record when anything seems off-kilter. One thing that might be lacking for some listeners, however, is that the music doesn’t have the pace, or some of the urgency, that went with the last album. Sure, songs like “Swans” and “My Maudlin Career” have a sligth pace, and a certain vibrance, but there is no “Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken.” But, this serves the album sufficiently well, as the album comes across with a lot more balance than the previous effort. Its nostalgia is fitting, and the album is the most even output in the band’s history.
Through and through, the album comes across with moments of meandering melody and a whispering sense of longing, which, afterall, seems to be the lyrical focus of the album. The very mention of “maudlin” recalls a certain sense of emotional sentimentality, as if you’re looking back with a sense of longing. It’s no mistake that the lyrics match this focus; the music seems to further the intent as well. And of course, the ever present ideal of love, and loves past, present and future.
Listeners be sure to make it all the way until the end of the album, as “Honey in the Sun” is one of the most rewarding songs on the album. It’s the bookend that sums up the thematic elements of the lyrics, and adds further detail to the growth of this very talented group of musicians from Glasgow. Nicely done Camera Obscura.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/11-honey-in-the-sun.mp3]Download: Camera Obscura – Honey in the Sun [MP3]
