This is fine.
Happy ACL day part 2! For those of us, like me, who couldn’t get away to see much last weekend, today marks the beginning of 3 more music filled days. The weather should be fantastic and some new bands have been added to the already stacked weekend lineup. Today I am finishing off my Gimme 5 feature this year with Toronto based Beaches who play in a matter of hours. So hit the jump and check out their words and picks.
The humidity returned. Record high temperatures were recorded. There was nowhere to hide. It was hot. I guess we have to move the fest back another month?
Day three was pretty chill for me. Plenty of fun shooting to do, though. Going into the fest, Sunday was all about Idles. Instead, I experienced several gems hiding around that powerhouse performance. From mellow to nostalgic to charming, Sunday’s photos include Otis The Destroyer, Thomas Csorba, Faye Webster, Idles, Banks, Third Eye Blind, Kacey Musgraves and a shot of the biggest crowd ever for side stage performance. No, I did not shoot Lizzo as after I checked out TEB and Kacey, the crowd waiting for Lizzo was so huge that making it through before the pit closed was not looking possible without a jet pack. It was crazy.
Rating: 
We still write album reviews? You’re damn right we do! Though it’s been a bit of time (okay maybe a lot of time), we do still like to talk about music and the full album experience. We currently live in a very “right now” society where things need to deliver fast and immediately, but the ATH team still loves a great record. This review of a great record features Scranton, PA based The Menzingers and their new album Hello Exile. Hit the jump for some words and thoughts.
Somewhere in the 1960s, a group of friends gathered outside of a haunted house, deep in the hills, as the sun set, coating the world in darkness…or so the story goes. The soundtrack to that scene very well could be this tune from Pink Chameleons, though we’d have to travel back in time. In the recording of the vocals, you can hear this sort of howl, like the spirits turning notes into ghostly sounds that will haunt the friends. The fuzzy guitar buzz resonates, feeding the line between spirit world and those on the plane of Earth, blurring the lines as the psychedelic stop jangles through your speakers. Cool vibe, no? You’ll catch this track on the band’s new Songs EP, out December 13th via Soliti.
Dehd have been high upon my list of great acts to hit the ground running in 2019; their Water LP (Fire Talk) garnered lots of raves. And, just when you think you know a band, they go and grow into something bigger and more badass; you can still here the slight surfy jangle hanging out here, but it’s spun entire differently. This track, and the accompanying video, belongs to Emily Kempf and her performance. She takes her vocals to the next level, skirting around the edges of traditional pop superstars by adding just the faintest gruff texture to her deliver. I’ll take new songs from this band any day.
Vetiver really know how to plan out the album release, setting up for their newest Up on High LP to drop November 1st, which is probably the day Fall kinda sorta begins here in Austin…meaning I can unabashedly get my mind ready for a mild winter with some folkier vibes. I like the softness to the voice on this one; it’s got that familiarity to it, with just the faintest hint of gruffness that makes we want to don my favorite flannel (but I won’t cuz it’s still in the 90s). There’s something in the craft of this batch of tunes that feels so simple and pure, like we’re celebrating in the traditions of American music (even though I’m pretty sure its imploding). Regardless, this is a gem. Enjoy it.
Next. It was still hot. It was a dry heat, but who am I kidding. Electrolytes, it’s what plants crave.
As Billie Eilish fans sat in pools of sweat, I spent the day chasing the music. It was a good day. The dust started to rise and survival was the utmost priority,. Besides, we had Bayonne, Taylor Bennett, Superet, Men I Trust, Patrick Droney, Brittany Howard, Bones UK, Gary Clark Jr., James Blake and The Cure to keep us on task. No photos of GnR (sorry 19yo me), Metric (sorry RayRay or Eilish (sorry Nathan) due to artist restricted pits and rights grabs release (looking at you Emily). I made up for it with even moar Cure. See more via the Read More.
I imagine the remote nature of crafting music in Anchorage, Alaska has got to be tough, but that hasn’t stopped Matthew Witthoeft from penning great tune after tune for Parker Longbough. They’ve just announced Green and Gold/Drink the Hemlock, their new LP, and with it comes a doozy of a single. The deep tones of Witthoeft’s voice here have this Calvin Johnson lineage, which many a listener has noticed…but I’ve been gravitating towards this really soft pop inflection he’s inserted into this track. The first time it caught me was with the line “I wanted a friend,” and then reinforced with the clever “any millennial memes they could put on the Internet.” It’s these tiny little pop nuggets that I live for; they always make my world better…which is why I wish the band weren’t so far away, so I could connect with them in person. Alas, I’ll just have to wait for the album’s release on November 20th via Wilderhood Music.
A few weeks ago, I went out of my way to encourage you to listen to Olivia’s World and their latest track; I even vaguely reference Rose M’s participation, but I suppose if you don’t come out and say it, no one’s like to do the research. Alas, the band’s back with a video for the tune, so maybe that’s a chance to get you caught back up in the joy of this tune…plus, for what its worth, this track belongs on repeat all day. I kind of figure that folks are getting back into the jangle a little, or maybe they’re just going to look into the band’s current Aussie locale as reason to get in on the tune. Regardless, the track rules, and it’ll be released on the new EP, out October 25th via Lost Sound Tapes.
I think I first discovered Devil in the Woods sometime in the early 00s; the label had put out releases by personal favorites like Bright Eyes and Grandaddy (not to mention Death Cab, GBV, etc.). But, like all great things, changing musical climates and various other forces put the label up on the shelf for a bit. That was until founder Mike Cloward dropped into Mexico and felt reinvigorated by the goings-on in that scene. So, today the label is jumping back into the fray, with planned releases from Nik Freitas, Twin Tones and Espectroplastma…the latter two dropping in from la ciudad de Mexico. Below we’ve got a track from the 7″ with Espectroplasma, which recalls sort of an industrialized version of what you’d expect to find on Holodeck Records. Jumping in full force, the label also has plans for other titles on the horizon, so join me in welcoming the label back into the fold.
