Last Week’s Jams (5.8 – 5.12)

Last week kicked off with a bang; we covered a whole bunch of tunes right off the bat, only to kind of fade towards the end of the week. Still, we managed to get up 20 tunes you should listen to, though the Mope City single isn’t out there yet on streaming services. Some Austin love came our way with Tearjerk and Balmorhea getting solid mentions, while we couldn’t help but to continue our fawning over Night Beats and their latest barrage of bangers. Threw in some new Shelflife releases from Lost Tapes and Youth Valley, and in the end, the new stuff from Shrapnel and Special Friend definitely won awards for my faves of the week. You’ve got an hour of legendary streams below!

Far Caspian Releases New Video for Own

One of the modern musicians shape-shifting with almost every song is Far Caspian; Joel Johnston’s approach to indie diversity usually keeps listeners on their toes. Throughout the newest single from his forthcoming LP, Johnston takes a mellower approach than the last tune we heard; this one trickles, running over a perfect guitar chord that recirculates and charms as you listen. For me, the stuff that makes Joel’s work standout is the attention to detail; the light strings and the ghostly backing vocals add the perfect depth of texture to the tune, which is one of the reasons I love Johnston’s construction practices. The Last Remaining Light will be out on July 14th via Tiny Library Records.

Far Caspian Announces The Last Remaining Light

When we caught Far Caspian during SXSW I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the set; I felt like I had pigeonholed Joel Johnston in that sort of post-dream pop realm. But, in that set, I got a glimpse of what was in the works with the Last Remaining Light, definitely leaving a lasting impression on me. This new single works on multiple levels, at times merging math-y tendencies with those dreamy moves, although the nature of Johnston’s voice leaves you with an element of the pastoral. It’s like the world somehow found the next Gravenhurst then forced them to become the next Pinback, and if that makes sense, you’ll totally get why I love this track. The Last Remaining Light is out July 14th.

SXSW 2023 – Wrap Up

Yet another SXSW Festival is behind us and the ATH team covered a whole lot of ground during our week of music and fun. You may have seen some of our collected thoughts via daily recaps or maybe you even read some of our interviews leading up to the festival. Either way, we’ve gathered everything we have and dropped it all into one huge post for you to peruse at your convenience. Top bands, tons of interviews, daily recaps, photos; you’ll find it all after the jump.

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About Last Night – Tuesday, March 14th @ SXSW

I find it strange that there’s so much complaining in the “industry” about SXSW. Sure, the payment issue is a real thing, and I stand with the artists on that issue, but that LARGE fact aside, it’s a pretty unique experience. Almost every performance feels more intimate than your average festival, and you get a chance to run into friends from all over the world who you might never otherwise see. Oh, and you never know when you’ll stumble into your new favorite band, so I call that a win! Anyways…here’s some photos and stuff after the jump!

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Last Week’s Jams (2.27 – 3.3)

We covered a whole lot of ground last week, as there’s always tons of music spilling out into the world. I was really high upon the new track from Daisies, which is why its leading our playlist. There were also tons of ATH regulars like the Reds Pinks and Purples, Lachlan Denton, Jana Horn, Dippers and the High Water Marks. Plus, with SXSW on the horizon, we did tons of little meet and greet posts with the bands: Blondeshell, Meernaa, Foamboy and more. So find a song you love, and go check out what we hit up last week!

Far Caspian Shares Arbitrary Task

Joel Johnston is on his way to SXSW with his project, Far Caspian, and if we’re judging by the response to his latest single, then there’s certainly going to be a lot of buzz swirling about here. This new single hits somewhere in the vein of modern acts like Dummy and Peel Dream Magazine, building in these synthetic layers that mingle with driving guitar notes, all of wrapped tightly around this delicate melody at the core of the track. Me personally, I love the brevity of it; it’s like a quick little taste of what Joel has in store when a full-length is finally in the works.

Light Pop from Far Caspian

I’m a sucker for little guitar notes that add some pep to my step…and the lads in Far Caspian are doing just that. They offer a brand of guitar pop, bordering on moving into the dream pop region with the effects that shine in the mix. But, it’s not all about the beat here, as the group have a really strong vocal presence. It’s gentle, and emphatic where needed, but never really reaching for the top…I like a voice that knows when you can just sit down and chill in the middle of the goings-on. Go ahead, enjoy yourself.