Tag: Elliot Smith

Angelo de Augustine – Spirals of Silence

angeloRating: ★★★★☆

Angelo de Augustine is sure to be a name everyone whispers behind your back for a few years.  His work is so unassuming that it’s likely to be skipped over by many, to their detriment, as it’s a listen that people will praise from the darkened corners of coffee shops, spreading the gospel beyond until everyone scours Discogs in search for a copy of Spirals of Silence.

It’s going to be difficult for people to look beyond the Elliot Smith references, especially after listening to the opening two tracks, “Old Hope” and “Collections.” Quiet whispers in the vocal quality and even the sound of the strings being plucked are definitely similar, but there’s still some tiny nuances that allow Angelo to find a path all his own.  That being said, if you’re an Elliot fan, then you should find yourself listening to “Collections.”

An instance where I see de Augustine making his own path on Spirals of Silence if on “The Beginning and the End.”  There’s a fragility to the vocal for sure, but there’s also this careful bit of intricate work filling in the empty space beneath the guitar lines.  Sometimes it’s touches of bells or strings, but it comes off sounding more like a field recording as opposed to an ode to the Beetles. It’s those moments that provide a certain level of intimacy that we don’t always find in our musicians, and it seems to be on every track Angelo has left us with.  If you need another example of such quality, then “Tucked in at Home” is another place you’ll find this insight into the soul of the musician. I love the light little “do do do” moments that fill in near the middle of the track; it’s playful yet wholly personal.

I’m still finding myself entranced with “You Open to the Idea.”  It was the first track I experienced from Spirals of Silence, and thus, it’s been the one I’m particularly fond of.  I love the way Angelo rises and falls in pitch and tone within the track; it also never hurts to have a really faint bit of tinkering piano in the far off distance of the song. Still, I encourage you to do your own exploration of the record, as each time I spin it, I find something different and new lurking in the background, or even in front of my face.  It’s a record that’ll make you lost, looking for the key to its secrets, and in the end, it’s just a nice bit of songwriting. Cheers to that, and Angelo de Augustine.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/07-You-Open-To-The-Idea.mp3]

 

 

Another Soft Track from Angelo de Augustine

Spirals-Of-Silence1-608x608Man. I really have been craving some good soft tunes to ease me into the fall, or lack there of.  This new album from Angelo de Augustine has been doing the trick pretty well, offering up some really incredible tunes.  It’s not necessarily sad bastard music, though there’s an intimacy in the way the music has been recorded that likens Angelo to Elliot Smith (as I’ve mentioned before). You can even hear the buzz on the strings, which is always a favorite touch of mine.  Look for his album Spirals of Silence on November 18th.

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Quieted Folk from Angelo De Augustine

spiralzIt’s been years, and I hate to even bring it up, but where’s the next Elliot Smith in this world? If I’m going to throw a name into the hat, it might just be Angelo de Augustine.  I’m not saying that they sound exactly alike, as there’s no fun in that, but there are similarities in the recordings and the intimacy.  There’s a soft touch that makes its way to your heart, and few artists can pull that off.  I know my hopes are high here, but there’s a special place in my heart reserved for music of this sort, so I’m eager to see what the entirety of his Spirals of Silence LP sounds like.  Take a quiet spin today, and pick up the album on November 18th.

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Free Sampler From Kill Rock Stars

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Kill Rock Stars record label are jumping on board the free online sampler band wagon this week with one of their very own digital offerings full of some tasty music.  Older tunes from Elliot Smith and The Decemberists are mixed in with newer stuff The Thermals and Horse Feathers.  With 21 tracks in all, a download is definitely worth your time.  This top song from last year, brought to you by The Thermals, is one of many jams on the sampler.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/the-thermals-now-we-can-see.mp3]

Download: The Thermals – Now We Can See [MP3]

The Theater Fire – Matter and Light

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Rating: ★★★½☆

Theater Fire are one of Texas’ best-kept secrets, nestled in the neighborhoods of Ft. Worth.  They first entered our musical consciousness with their self-titled debut, which attached folk and indie maneuvers to casual Americana.

Their third album, Matter and Light, hits stores nationwide this month, but those in Texas can already get their hand on it by traveling to your favorite independent record store. You will find that this album is a much grander affair, pushing the band in a much more complex direction.

To be fair, it sound strikingly like the final Beulah album, Yoko, only done with a country-tinged personality.  The opening musical number, “It’s All the Same” jumps in with a pounding rhythm backed by horns and piano; it’s a whirling-dervish affair, painted with crystal clear lyrics that come out like one of your best friend’s cousins from Beaumont.  They follow up with “Uncle Wayne,” which goes back to a more straightforward country approach.  It’s guitar matched by percussion and banjo elements, but with a different singer than the first track.  Here, you can definitely understand the David Berman quality to the band.

At this point in the album, the mission of the band is entirely clear, even though you are only two songs in to your listening experience.  The band has continued to push themselves, filling in empty musical space with various forms of percussion or other multi-instrumental elements.  In filling out such empty spaces, it makes the band sound more complete than ever, which is to their benefit.

A particularly interesting moment comes in the middle of the album when the band pays homage to one of our late-great heroes, Elliot Smith. They do a full-on instrumental jam of Elliot’s “Say Yes” that focuses primarily on the songwriter’s ability to create timeless melodies, much as this song does.

They close out the album with “It’s a Secret.”  The brooding quality of this song accompanies the sparse lyrical composition, as a lover or a friend attempts to reveal a secret.  It’s the perfect song for this band, as it plays to all their best traits; using dense vocals that correlate with the large-scale sounds the band have adopted. It’s the perfect ending to a strong album.

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