Friday Album Streams: Echo Ladies, Swansea Sound, Sharp Pins + More
It’s Friday, and while you gaze towards the weekend, maybe you need some musical recommendations to get your day started. I’ll try not to wax philosophically on these, as we’ve covered singles and what not heading into the album releases…so without further ado.
Swansea Sound – Twentieth Century (Skep Wax Records)
Members of Pooh Sticks, Heavenly return with another great collection of pop rock with a subtle political bent.
Echo Ladies – Lilies (Rama Lama Records)
Dark, noisy and beautiful. One of my favorite releases this year I wish more people could put their ears upon.
Friday Boys – Depressed Gang (Self-Released)
Good old fashioned punk rock from here in Austin. Now with more hooks! Friday’s jams from Friday Boys.
Kath Bloom – Finally (Chapter Music)
Chapter Music celebrate the 1990s recordings of Kath Bloom with the first ever vinyl release of Finally.
Sharp Pins – Turtle Rock (Tall Texan Records)
Another “first ever” release for the solo-project of Kai Slater of current Lifeguard fame, courtesy of Tall Texan Records.
DAIISTAR – Good Time (Fuzz Club)
New up-and-coming Austin act drops their debut LP. Sweetness amidst walls of noise.
Admittedly, we might have outdone ourselves last week; I’m fairly certain I’m the one to blame. Somehow, we tossed up 40 songs, though a few are unavailable in the streaming sites, so you’ve only got 38 tracks on this week’s playlist. There’s a ton of Austin stuff, with new music from Daiistar, Semihelix, Half Dream and more…obligatory A Giant Dog is in there and such. Plus, still continuously impressed by the magic that is Prewn. Oh, and Australia’s buzzing at the moment, and their music isn’t half-bad either, with new tracks from the Small Intestines and Soft Covers being considered as must listens. So, if you’ve got an hour or two to kill…go on and stream!
I’m sure you missed our weekly re-runs of all the fun stuff we post, but I was on vacation! So, I hurried this week to play catch up on all those tunes, then hurried with RayRay to get them up for your ears. We had tons of stuff covered, from ATX faves A Giant Dog to a premiere of the new track from Pretty in Pink; there was nothing short of a bunch of bangers to run…and some aren’t even up on the DSPs, so we couldn’t get those in the list. Anyways…peruse the hits below, go back and read what we had to say, or don’t, just be sure to enjoy yourself a bit.
After being out and away from the Internet, I couldn’t help but slide right back to the swing of things…and what better way than with this killer track from Malmo’s 
If there is one song I want you to listen to it has to be the absolute smash hit from Maine’s Big Blood; I think I’ve listened to that track 1000 times since I’ve heard it, if not more. Of course, there’s other great tunes to enjoy as well, like that pop ditty from Tough Age, or Rama Lama’s new signing, Echo Ladies. Plus, Austin held its own again with new stuff from Dress Warm and RF Shannon. And, if you’re looking for something with some legs, there’s at least a handful of tunes stretching beyond the 4 minute mark, so indulge as you must.