This is fine.
Your friendly ATH team somehow made it out for yet another day of fun and music at SXSW in Austin on Friday. Though a few of us were struggling to survive, we still manage to see a ton of bands at all kinds of locations throughout East Austin and on Red River. As usual, we each selected our top bands from the day and have a few thoughts to share from our experience throughout the day. Hit the jump for everything you need.
As many of you know, The Appleseed Cast is one of my all time favorite bands. If you asked me to make a list of my top 10, or even top 5 bands that have impacted me heavily over the years, the Lawrence based legends would certainly be on that list. With that out of the way, I’m incredibly excited to share with you today the band’s first single in five years called “Time the Destroyer.” Fan of the band or not, anyone with some taste will immediately praise the beautiful progression of this song from the slow 2.5 minute build up to the extreme break down and back again. Band leader Chris Crisci has continually found ways to add new elements to his ever-progressing sound, and this track, with some loud, electronic synths is more evidence that he will continue to evolve. Epic.
UPDATE: It’s worth noting that Crisci enlisted friends Sean Bergman, Ben Kimball, and Nick Fredrickson for help on the new album.
The Appleseed Cast will release new album The Fleeting Light of Impermanence on June 28th via Graveface Records.
Did you ever listen to that Black Out album by the Good Life? It was filled with these beautiful little folk songs, poured over electronic backbeats and textured soundscapes. That’s sort of where I find this latest Dreamend tune, though I think the vocals have a slight bit more exuberance than the aforementioned act. This tune’s all about building tension, and you can feel the track rise, culminating in its battle with the electronic pulses that invade the tune’s latter half. Strap in and hold on; look for the new self-titled LP on April 6th via Graveface.
Dreamend have been toiling around crafting a diverse array of sounds for quite some time…early 00s was when I first took notice. Over a career that long, Ryan’s been able to blend and spin various genres; his latest single has him dancing around collage pop. There’s an amalgam of instrumentation, from the steadying percussion to the loops to the vocals as instrument; layer upon layer seamlessly combined to create a mesmerizing pop number that shimmers more and more as it unfolds. Look for the new self-titled LP to drop on April 6th via Ryan’s label, Graveface.
This track popped up the other day, and I’ve had a really hard time getting it out of my head. There’s something about the wash of atmospheric guitars that creates this interesting brood, while another guitar track angularly plays beneath. I like how those guitars, however, are rather low in the mix, meaning the band could unleash fury in the live setting, or hold onto the pattern presented here. Either way, Whirr is likely to cause a decent stir when they release their album Sway, followed by a fall tour; it’s being released on September 23rd via Graveface Records.
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Yesterday we got word of this new project called The Nighty Nite formed by John Congleton and Jason Garner of the Paper Chase along with members of Shearwater, Wires Under Tension, and The Hospital Ships. Coming from a short recording session, the new group produced four songs for an EP entitled Dimples due out June 21st via Graveface Records. You’ll obviously hear the heavy influence of The Paper Chase in these tunes with that familiar indie horror music style that we’ve grown to love. Glad to hear these guys are continuing to create enjoyable tunes.
Download: The Nighty Nite – Dimes In Their Dimples [MP3]
