This is fine.
If ever a show served as a reminder of why aged men (such as myself) should wear headphones, then this was precisely the set of bands that would help me come back to this obvious realization. Glasgow’s The Twilight Sad would bring their swirling sonic blast of guitar pop to Austin, and opening up was local act Calm Blue Sea. Follow the jump for the full show review and some hot photos.
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A year ago, I was wrapped up in the work of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. His backstory of struggle and street troubadour was enchanting, equally was his music. Finally, I had the chance to catch the young man live, and I jumped at the chance to hit up this early evening show at Emos. Read more
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I’ve always had rule with the music to which I have chosen to listen. This rule can be encapsulated into a single word: variety. Having limited space on an mp3 player makes for a stringent selective process. You can’t have too much metal, indie rock, hardcore, country, or hip hop for fear of over saturation of that particular genre.
This rule applies even more strictly for “epic” (mostly) instrumental post rock. The bands in this genre (Godspeed You Black Emperor!, A Silver Mount Zion, Explosions in the Sky, etc.) ask a lot of their listeners. When your compositions range from 10-20 minutes you are begging for patience, since the songs pay off is often buried somewhere in the middle or the end. Frankly, too much off these type of bands can kill the shuffle function of an iPod, so I usually keep only about two or three of these bands in a rotation.
Since the release of 2000’s Goodbye Enemy Airship the Landlord is Dead, Toronto’s Do Make Say Think, have struggled to fit into this rotation (I know they have been eager to make it!). Every album DMST put out is a solid release. They are great albums to put on and get creative, but aside from a few really strong tracks, they tend to be ultimately forgettable. That is until 2007’s You, You’re a History in Rust and it’s accompanying 2008 EP, The Whole Story of Glory. These two releases stood leaps and bounds above DMST’s previous ventures. They felt like whole releases rather than a couple of bright spots held together by solid, but meandering, interludes. The high bar set by You… and …Glory had me tremendously excited for what would come next from Do Make Say Think.
The four tracks, clocking in 43 minutes, of Other Truths (Constellation) brings me both excitement and trepidation. The first time I put the album on and listened to the album opener “Do”, I thought that this album would definitely make my year end best of list. “Do” is probably on of the best songs this band (or any band, for that matter) has released in their long career. It is propulsive, carrying along the staccato guitar riffs and fuzzed out bass to epic heights (Seriously, this song is [EXPLETIVE DELETED] unbelievable!). Unfortuneatly, like with most of Do Make Say Think’s albums, Other Truth’s peters out into the comfortable territory of jazzy noodling and repetitive phrases that lead us nowhere.
It’s a shame that bands in this genre become so comfortable with just being background music. It is possible to provide atmosphere without being tremendously boring and predictable.
What? You still listen to THAT album? That record is so 2004! Well, that’s okay, because we really like that one too, which is why we decided to come up with a list of our favorite albums of the last decade (2000-2009). Sure, these might not be YOUR favorite records, or the most critically acclaimed, but we sat down and really thought out every record from the past ten years that we keep coming back to in our collections. You’re likely to disagree with some of these, and we won’t tell you we’re absolutely right we just know that these happen to be OUR favorites. If you think we totally blew it here, feel free to tell us so, but be nice, as our egos are kind of fragile. Follow the jump for more.
Looking for a way to celebrate your 4th of July in style? Why not make it out to Stubbs for a more than fitting night of music with Explosions in the Sky, Octopus Project, and Wooden Birds! As far as shows for the night go, this really is the best bet. Sure you may want to fire up that grill and drink a cold one, but Stubbs has all of these things and more! Unfortunately tickets are sold out for this one so maybe you can sneak your way in… Doors at 7pm.
Download: Explosions – Welcome, Ghosts [MP3]
After …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead’s rowdy set at Funx3 Fest this weekend, ATH had the opportunity to speak with band members Conrad Keely, Jason Reece & Kevin Allen. The Austin-based guys tell us why two drummers are really necessary, what we can expect from their new LP, and how music in Austin has changed over the years. Follow the jump for the full interview.
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Before things really got started during Saturday’s ACL Festival events, we got together with Josh, Toto, and Yvonne of the Octopus Project at Austin Java to ask them a few questions about their band (including the upcoming Fun Fun Fun Fest). You can read the interview in its entirety after the jump.
