Tag: lo-fi

This Half Japanese Song Is Pretty Good

halfsiesNo! This song is not half-English, half-Japanse. It’s the name of the band, Half Japanese. The legendary outfit is returning with their first record in 13 years, which is probably about the first time I ever heard of the group.  Listening to these songs sort of shows me how influential the group has been, though it’d be hard to trace the exact influential lineage.  Still, if you listen to a lot of the lo-fi or oddball pop being crafted, it seems like there had to be an origin somewhere; I like to think it was with this band.  They’ll be releasing this new album, Overjoyed, via Joyful Noise Recordings in just two weeks!

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Lo-Fi Pop from Jackson Scott

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tumblr_inline_mhpmrvFGQc1qz4rgpDon’t you love it when there’s a shroud of mystery swirling around a musician and his work? Sure, it adds intrigue, but it also seems like the artists is making a statement like “hey, you don’t need to know me, just listen to my music.”  In the case of Jackson Scott I’m completely okay with that attitude, especially considering the songs are so ridiculously good.  There’s definitely a creepy vibe going on in these lo-fi pop jams, but I can’t help but find myself completely sucked in to the songwriting. He’s currently giving away his album, Melbourne, right now, so go HERE and get lost in his world.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/02-Evie.mp3]

Download:Jackson Scott – Evie [MP3]

Great New Lo-Fi from Fantasmes

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I haven’t really been able to find some super punk rock lately, so I’ve been delving into some weird lo-fi tunes left and right.  My latest discovery, via some secret special friends, comes to us by way of Puerto Rico/NYC outfit Fantasmes.  Their latest effort Redness Moon just came out today, and this title track is something I’ve been obsessing over.  Whether it’s the brooding music or the way the lyrics casually glide over it all doesn’t matter, but what matters is that I’m just going to play this song on repeat.  I can see some psychedelic links too, so that should appease friends looking to drop out.  Regardless, it’s interesting, so give it a go.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/02-Redness-Moon.mp3]

 

New Jam from New Faultlines

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I’ve heard a few rumors about this band, and since they’re from San Francisco, I figured I could trust the sources.  While it’s not entirely like the usual fare coming from the city, I’m really digging what I’m hearing from New Faultlines.  You’ll hear a nice little jangling guitar being strummed throughout, which goes along with the feel of the vocals; yes, I know they sound a bit unhinged.  It gives me that fuzzy feeling the first time I heard Twerps, so hopefully that’s gotta be worth something in your book.  As of now, that’s all the info I can find on the band, but I’ll keep you posted when I hear more.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/56020338″ params=”auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=ff7700″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New Pop Gem from Opposite Sex

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It’s been a great year for the Oceanic music to break big all over the world, from Twerps to Geoffrey O’ Connor and now to Opposite Sex.  Their self-titled album is something that should definitely make it into your weekly playlist, otherwise you’re going to be missing some special goodness.  In my mind, the first run through, I thought of a cleaner, more playful version of Love Is All, which is one of my favorite acts.  It’s got a little bit of an off-kilter stutter to it, and that definitely provides the playfulness that I hear when it comes through my speakers. Singer Lucy definitely has my attention, but the solid backing of the rest of the group is what makes this listen really fulfilling.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Opposite-Sex-Opposite-Sex-02-La-Rat.mp3]

Download: Opposite Sex – La Rat [MP3]

FT5: Worst Trends In Indie Rock

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So while recently looking back on our earliest days here at ATH, I skimmed over on an almost 2 year old post about our least favorite things in the music world.  If you don’t care to read that old piece of journalism, it was more a focus on trends in the extremely popular media world.  We ranted on myspace, the loudness of some new rock bands, and the decline of albums as an art form.  Looking back, I’d say myspace is really on it’s way out, loudness is a declining trend and albums seem to be on the rise.  We made a difference!  For today, I’d like to focus on 5 things that really erk me about our little niche known as the “indie music world”.  Of course with bands like Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, and Spoon topping the charts, these trends are slowly making the move from indie to popular.  We must put a stop to them now!  Follow the jump for more.

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No Age – Losing Feeling

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no-age-losing-feelingRating: ★★★½☆

It must be noted that I have never been a fan of No Age.  Their two albums Weirdo Rippers and Nouns have tried and failed in making a home in my music collection. My ambivalence towards the lo-fi indie rock that is all the rage these days probably has something to do with this bitter taste that I have towards No Age.

But something keeps pulling me back to this band.  Maybe it’s Randy Randall and Dean Sprunt’s predilection towards ‘guerilla gigs’ or reviving Husker Du, complete with Bob Mould or live scoring the film ‘The Bear’. Sure, No Age’s music is lo-fi, but their drive to bring something special to the scene is highly admirable.  This admiration drove me to give the new four song Sub Pop EP Losing Feeling a shot.

Losing Feeling, while sharing similarities with No Age’s previous releases, feels different, more fleshed out. The songs no longer seem like a wall of fuzz and reverb, but like dynamic songs that change from track to track.  The opening title track plays like a contemplative slow burner, strangely reminiscent of Andrew Bird and leads into the delicate and drumless ‘Genie’.  My favorite track on EP is the instrumental ‘Aim at the Airport’ which slowly builds tension on layers of effect laden guitars and tape loops leading to the EP’s climax, ‘You’re a Target’, the sole rocker on the EP, that I can’t help thinking was influenced by their time with Bob Mould playing Husker Du songs.

While I still wouldn’t call myself a No Age fan, I do respect what they are doing. On Losing Feeling the band has delivered a great listen from start to finish.

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