Last Week’s Jams (8.7 – 8.11)

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!

Elephant Stone Return with Lost In a Dream

Having dropped a few of their more exploratory pieces already this year with the Dawn, Day, Dusk EP/Single, Elephant Stone is continuing their path through the forest of psychedelia. Listeners get pulled in quickly by the snappy drum work; it’s propulsive in nature, thus providing the guitars plenty of space to move in and out of the dreamier realms. Velvety vocals were prescribed, but as much as I love them through the verses, there’s a really striking moment at 1:20, shining a ray of sunshine right into your ears that completely melted me. I’m continuously impressed by the band’s ability to grow and turn back on themselves some 14 years into their career, consistently carving their own path in this musical realm.

Last Week’s Jams (5.1 – 5.5)

Last week started off with a smattering of great tunes, but I’ll admit to wearing out by week’s end…for some reason just felt like there wasn’t a whole lot out there tugging at me! We were really excited to share some great ATX stuff like the latest from Feeling Small and Johanna Heilman…with Alien Eyelid‘s great new single just a few hours away from our home base. Lots of acts we’ve been harping on had new singles, like Daisies, The Soft Walls; we also got a new single from one of our SXSW raves, Lifeguard. Oh, and we’re starting off with the Particles, as we’re over the moon they’re getting some reissue treatment from Chapter Music.

Elephant Stone Share New Music: Dawn, Day, Dusk

There has always been something in the work of Elephant Stone that seemed to move beyond the traditional psychedelic territory; they seemed to take the standard staples and build upon them to create something wholly new. This is precisely where we find them with their new release, Dawn, Day, Dusk; it’s a brief release, highlighted by a 7 minute tune that is inspired by Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy; the song also incorporates classical Indian music, supporting my idea that the band have always been so much more than just your run of the mill psych act. The track has a journey too, moving between spacey stomps and effortless bits of classical pop charms and then those bits of Indian music, all of it feeling like storytelling in musical form. Give it a go!

Last Week’s Jams, Today (2.14 – 2.18)

What were the hot jams from last week? Well. We have them. We put them on a nice little playlist (you can complain about it later) so you could enjoy revisiting the hits. We’ve been running spotlights on SXSW artists, so you’ve got tunes from Logan Lynn, Grant Pavol and Elephant Stone, hoping it’ll catch your eye and get you to check out the interviews. Our friends in Good Looks dropped a new tune, plus we’ve got absolute rippers from Bodega and Dehd, plus some cool shit under the radar from Star Party, Salt Lake Alley, Red Pants and Howless.

SXSW Interviews: Elephant Stone

Well folks, it’s that time of year again here in Austin, TX. Well maybe not just yet, but it’s at least time to start talking about SXSW festival and the slew of bands coming into town next month. I’m sure many of you, like me, are wondering if we will all “be back to normal” or what sort of protocols will still be in place come 4 weeks? None of us truly know so it’s best to push ahead and get some excitement going for our favorite time of year. As we return to normal operations, the ATH crew will of course be prepping you as we usually do with interviews, previews, guides, photos, etc. Today we kick off our official SXSW coverage with our very first interview from Quebec based artist Elephant Stone. Hit the jump for more on the band along with full interview.

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SXSW Interview: Elephant Stone

Amidst the talks of a possible SXSW festival cancellation, the ATH team is planning to go full steam ahead as if this thing is still going down. Even if something were to happen, it’s still fun to create SXSW playlists and talk to bands on the festival list. Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you interview responses from Montreal based outfit Elephant Stone. They have a slew of shows lined up in a couple of weeks and I’m sure they’d appreciate your presence at one or all of them. Hit the jump for more.

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Elephant Stone Share We Cry for Harmonia

Over the last year or so, Elephant Stone has slowly been offering up singles from their new record, Hollow. For me, I think my favorite thing still rings true with their latest work; they seem to nod towards psychedelia (especially considering the sitar gifts of founder Rishi Dhir), but they’ve always had a strong sense of melody. There are light twist and turns in the guitar work here, looking into the current psyche genre, but overall, you get the sense that these songs are crafted with the intention of seducing the listener. They do offer a nice burning jam in the song’s latter half, again paying homage to their pigeonholing. Listening through, you get transported to a new space, which definitely ties into the concept of the album, said to be about humans finding a New Earth after we’ve finished destroying our current home. Hollow is out on February 14th via Fuzz Club.

Fresh Single from Elephant Stone

elephantIt’s really interesting watching a band, such as Elephant Stone, progress through their various albums. In the beginning, it was easy to typify them as a purely psychedelic act, but this new single seems to indicate that the band has continued to progress throughout their releases; I feel like this one takes a more pop-centric exploration of the acid-house of late 90s Britain. It’s got a great melody, but often times it’s purposefully obscured by slicing guitars, vocal samples and synth washes. This single appears on the group’s new record Ship of Fools, which sees a digital release in September and a physical LP via Burger Records in November.

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Another Brand New Elephant Stone

elephantsBased upon the singles we’ve already heard, Elephant Stone are happily branching into a new direction, musically. This new tune sounds an awful like a more controlled Flaming Lips; it’s creative and artful, yet still has a great deal of pop sensibility, gearing it up to be adored by scores of listeners. It’s just another indicator, to me at least, that their new effort, Ship of Fools, is going to be a delight in so many ways. Plus, the band’s on tournext week as they make their way to Austin for SXSW; they’re always a local favorite here.

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