The ATH Top 50 Albums of 2015

Albums ListYear-end lists are everywhere…and I can see why they’re important to people. But, seeing as we generally walk off the beaten path more often than not, our list of the Top 50 Albums of 2015 is in no particular order, save alphabetically. It seems pointless to rank one piece of art higher than another, especially when the four of us at ATH all have varying tastes. We just put this list together of the albums we loved the most this year. Are we saying they’re better than records by Grimes or Kendrick Lamar? No, we’re just saying that these are the records we loved more than others. So, you can read on for what we thought was hot.

Also…put links to individual stores where you can buy the albums from the bands…as that’s how we all survive in this music world.
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Show Preview: Lady Lamb The Beekeeper @ Lambert’s 04/17

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Date 04/17
Location Lambert’s
Doors 9:30
Tickets 10$ Here

Riding high off the release of her stunning album, After, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper is gracing our great city with her incredible live act that is at once intimate and high energy. Aly Spaltro is notorious for her powerful vocals and while these vocals serve as the backbone to her music, it’s impossible to overlook the rest of the musical elements that we encountered on her most recent release that made for a large collection of excellent and infectious pop tunes. Lady Lamb will have you dancing your ass off one minute with sunny pop driven by the bouncing percussion, and then pulling at your heartstrings in the next with a stripped down tune. At only ten dollars, there is really no reason that you shouldn’t be at Lambert’s this Friday night. Don’t miss out on this one.

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Lady Lamb The Beekeeper – After

LadyLamb_AfterCoverRating: ★★★★½

When Aly Spaltro recently signed with Mom + Pop Music and gave us a taste of what she had in store for us on After, I had a sense that this album would be something special. In an age in which the concept of a cohesive album feels sometimes forgotten, a single becomes what we look to in order to gauge the worth of an artists’ unreleased work. “Billions of Eyes,” in all its garage spunk and jangly guitars, is misleading in that its warmth and exciting sound may convince listeners that this is as good as it gets for Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, but as a true single should be, it is merely a hearty slice of After.

This album starts incredibly strong, with its first four tracks each battling to be your favorite tune. “Vena Cava” opens, immediately showcasing Spaltro’s bluesy and powerful vocals that Then you’re hit smack in the face with pop goodness from the aforementioned single “Billions of Eyes,” which is both a catchy and emphatically well written track about finding positivity amidst stress. “Violet Clementine,” comes next, mixing it up with its theatrically folksy roots, and even bringing in some killer horns near its end, wowing you with all this song has to offer. “Heretic,” the fourth track on this album, is four minutes and fifteen seconds of sunshine, alternating between the glossy chorus that begs you to sing along with Spaltro as she hits the notes effortlessly and the more grounded verses in which the rambunctious guitars take over.

But Lady Lamb doesn’t stop after this ridiculously infectious line up of hits. No, the rest of the album keeps on this pace, throwing you more and more tunes to fall in love with; there isn’t even a mildly mediocre song on here. After transitions through several genres, from outright garage/jangly pop, to more simmering percussive based jams like “Spat Out Spit.” I don’t mean to downplay pop music, but there’s a craftsmanship here that you wouldn’t expect from such euphonic pop music. Each instrument and note feels right in the mix—it’s pretty and easy to listen to, but neither vapid nor trite. The lyrics and the seemingly endless combinations of instrumentation and Spaltro’s enrapturing vocals prevent you from ever straying from the music.

After is everything at once: one moment it’s soft and delicate, the next it’s a gale force wind of sputtering rock, but above all, it’s all a delight to listen to. With every trip through its collection of tracks that work together quite well, I find myself latching on to more of the tracks than the previous listen. I expect this album to find itself on top of year-end lists, as Lady Lamb The Beekeeper has knocked it out of the park with this one, giving you pop hooks as well as depth of sound. This is one of those records you will tell all your friends about.

 

New Music and News From Lady Lamb The Beekeeper

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Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, aka Aly Spaltro, has signed to Mom + Pop Records and has announced a new album that will be coming your way March 3rd of next year. This may seem quite a ways off before After, the new LP, will be released, but it will be here before you know it and until then, Spaltro has given you a track from this album to entice and hold you over in the meantime. “Billions of Eyes” has me fawning over the combination of both laid back and high strung pop sensibilities. Spaltro’s voice is pushed to its limits at one moment and then released to its relaxed lower register in the next. Take a listen and preorder the album here.

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Show Preview: Torres + Lady Lamb the Beekeeper @ Mohawk (6/12)

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Date Wednesday, June 12th
Location Mohawk – Inside
Doors 9:00 PM
Tickets $8 from Mohawk


If you’re looking for a show full of powerful female songwriters, then you better make your way out to the Mohawk on Wednesday night. You’ll be greeted by three incredibly talented ladies, and their accompanying bands.  Torres is the headliner and the project of Mackenzie Scott, touring behind her excellent self-titled LP.  She’ll be preceded by the incredibly talented Lady Lamb and the Beekeeper, who released Ripley Pine to rave reviews earlier this week.  And of course, we couldn’t be prouder to throw our support behind Austin’s own Dana Falconberry, who will open up the night for you all. It’s going to be an evening full of beautiful voices and intimate moments–you can’t miss out on this one. Here’s tunes from LL and Dana to get you in the mood.

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Rocking Number from Lady Lamb the Beekeeper

Most of my experience with Aly Spaltro, who performs under the moniker Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, has seen her working on the softer side of things, with her voice living it up as the most powerful element.  But, on her latest single “Bird Balloons” you’ll find a much more emphatic orchestration surrounding her voice, creating a song that’s both moving and accessible; it also exhibits her playful side, which you’ll definitely appreciate.  You can pick up her debut album, Ripley Pine, on Feburary 19th via Ba Da Bing Records.  It’s not your typical musical affair, which is all the more reason to enjoy it.

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New Music from Lady Lamb the Beekeeper

It’s that time of year when we start to get a sneak peak at how our 2013 is going to shape up, and it’s looking like a good year already.  Aly Spaltro and her project Lady Lamb the Beekeeper are definitely on my list, especially now that Ba Da Bing have announced the release of her album, Ripley Pine, which comes out on February 19th.  In a short time she’s garnered a lot of praise for her intimate performances, and her background story of a video store clerk turned songstress is sure to play into the narrative of her record.  Enjoy the sample of good things to come.

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