Start Your Day Off with The Bats

batsFriday’s got some great tunes for you, including this new one from legendary Flying Nun act, The Bats. Apparently the band are prepping a brand new record for 2017, and your first listen should be one that puts the LP high on your anticipation list…it is for me. Their style has this playful guitar ring to it, with the slightest hint of a bounce in there. While the majority of this track has a deepened tone, but I love the turn at the 3 minute mark where they get drawn out with the phrase “don’t want to fall on the antlers.” This is lovely, and the perfect way to begin a Friday.

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Show Preview: The Antlers @ The Parish (7/20)

antlersIt seems like a few years ago, The Antlers were on top of the indie rock world.  They’d crafted two great records, won over countless fans, but with their latest album, Familiars, they didn’t seem to get as much fanfare as one would hope for.  Personally, I think that’s quite sad, as the ornate qualities of the record have made it a repeated joy to listen to time and time again.  They’ll be bringing their careful craftsmanship into town on Sunday night over at the Parish, which seems like the perfect venue for their sound. The show will start off at 8 PM with Thus Owls, so if you’ve got tickets, be sure to get there early to catch them as well.  You can see the latest live video as a reason why you need to show up early  HERE.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/01-Palace.mp3]

 

New Music from Antlers

The Antlers - PortraitsThis tune was all over those Interwebs  yesterday, and deservedly so.  This is one of those Antlers tunes that, whether you’re a fan or not, doesn’t matter, as it makes for a remarkable listen.  Personally, one of the reasons I love this song is the light bit of horns that quietly blast from the distance; I blame my days spent as a band nerd.  But, you also won’t want to miss this vocal performance, which is possibly one of the best ones the band have finished to date.  Get prepared to enjoy their new album, Familiars, on June 17th via Anti; it’s creeping into album of the year status.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/03-Hotel.mp3]

 

 

Albums Of 2011

We’ve already brought you our songs of the year and Texas albums of the year, so now it’s time for the much anticipated albums of the year list.  I’m sure many of you will notice some big names off the list and you will be ready to plead your case about why we are wrong.  We’ll hear ya out… Feel free to drop us a comment with your own list or just to debate with us.  Follow the jump for list.
50) The New Tigers – s/t

49) Secret Cities – Strange Hearts

48) AM & Shawn Lee – Celestial Electric

47) Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing

46) Blue Skies for Black Hearts – Embracing the Modern Age

45) Geoffrey O’ Connor – Vanity is Forever

44) Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams

43) Destroyer – Kaputt

42) Obits – Moody, Standard and Poor

41) The Rosebuds – Loud Planes Fly Low

40) Tim Cohen – Magic Trick

39) Bad Sports – Kings of the Weekend

38) Chelsea Wolfe – Apokalypsis

37) Chad Van Gaalen – Diaper Island

36) Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts

35) Crystal Stilts – In Love With Oblivion

34) Cold Cave – Cherish the Light Years

33) Devon Williams – Euphoria

32) Okkervil River – I Am Very Far

31) Sonny and the Sunsets – Hit After Hit

30) Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde

29) Wax Idols – No Future

28) Grooms – Prom

27) Cut Off Your Hands – Hollow

26) The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient

25) Ducktails – Ducktails III

24) Papercuts – Fading Parade

23) Atlas Sound – Parallax

22) Mind Spiders – s/t

21) Craft Spells – Idle Labor

20) Yuck – s/t

19) The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar

18) Comet Gain – Howl of the Lonely Crowd

17) The Drums – Portamento

16) Snowmine – Laminate Pet Animal

15) King Creosote and Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine

14) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong

13) Girls Names – Dead to Me

12) Light for Fire – s/t

11) Other Lives – Tamer Animals

10) Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

9) Iceage – New Brigade

8 The Antlers – Burst Apart

7) Seapony – Go With Me

6) Pure X – Pleasure

5) Cloud Nothings – s/t

4) Real Estate – Days

3) Gold Leaves – The Ornament

2) The Twerps – s/t

1) Wye Oak – Civilian

So that’s it ladies and gents, we are officially putting an end to 2011.  What do you like and what do you not like?  Let’s hear it.

ATH @ ACL 2011 – Saturday

Friday night’s headliners meant leaving the park early and challenging my liver at a friend’s house upstairs from Zilker. That first hill is brutal. We snacked, reminisced, planned and then went our separate ways to get some sleep for Saturday. Would we get the big rain?

Head on past the break for some images from Saturday.

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Show Review: Antlers @ Emos (6/7)

As the heat beats down upon us, it’s always nice to find yourself enthralled in a decent evening of carousing with the locals, especially if said shenanigans include a night filled with incredible musical accompaniment.  I’m pretty sure that’s what all of us got over at Emos on Tuesday night, with Antlers and Little Scream giving us just what we needed.

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Show Preview: The Antlers @ Emos (6/7)

Date Tuesday, June 7th
Location Emos
Doors 900p
Tickets $15 from Ticketweb

Well, we all know about the ride of fame that the Antlers have been on for the last few years, and their latest release, Burst Apart, has gotten acclaim all over the place, including from us.  Now, with the summer season upon us, it’s probably pretty important that we get in as many incredible shows before the heat bogs us down, so you need to make it out, ya hear? And, yet another reason to make it out is the opening act, Little Scream.  It’s rare to come across delicately crafted music accompanied by a truly inspiring vocalist, and such is the case with LS, who you must make it out to see. Come on, every one’s going to be there, and we can’t afford to be left out.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/07-Two-1.mp3]

Download: The Antlers – Two [MP3]


2009 Top 50 Albums

bestof2009cover_albums

Creating a Top 50 Albums list is never easy.  You have to battle with what you think the world believes, and what you truly believe in your heart, to be solid jams.  We have even more trouble because we have to three writers, all who have different ideas, and we have to make those ideas fit into a neat box.  Well, we got it done, and honestly, our criteria was based on two things: how great we thought the album was, artistically speaking, and how long we listened to it without getting bored.  That’s it. It’s fool proof; you might not like it, but it’s our list, so here it is… Read more

FT50: Songs of 2009

bestof2009cover_songsWe have to start this list off with a disclaimer.  We have three writers, all with different tastes, so the list should reflect that a little bit.  Also, these are our opinions, and by no means, are they meant to be seen as an “end all be all” to the question of what were the best songs of 2009.  That being said, we like our list quite a bit.  Sure, it’s got some expected numbers at the top, but the rest of the list is genius.  We’ve got some of the songs streaming for you, and the rest take you straight to youtube.  Follow the jump for full list.

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