This is fine.
In a year that already seems full of releases from our favorite bands, there is yet another one to keep us on pins and needles. The New Pornographers are set to release their fifth album, Together, on Matador Records on May 4th. Thanks to the Matablog, we’ve got a new tune to bring your way this morning. Enjoy!
Download: New Pornographers – Your Hands Together [MP3]
Everyone’s all over this album lately, especially with the release of the second web single for Ted Leo. As we prepare for his new album, The Brutalist Bricks, we’ve got a few thoughts to share. Writer RayRay says it’s his favorite album of the year so far. Personally, after years of adoring Ted, I think this is finally the album that combines his traditional pub rock leanings with his energetic stage presence. It’s everything you always wanted a Ted Leo record to be, and you, too, can get your hands on it March 9th via Matador Records. So here’s that new tune, the album’s opening track “The Mighty Sparrow.”
Download: Ted Leo – The Mighty Sparrow [MP3]
Earlier today Shearwater dropped this new track “Black Eyes” from their upcoming LP The Golden Archipelago. This is prior to the slated February 23rd release on Matador Records. We also just received a promo copy of the new album in our inbox today and this thing is an epic adventure to say the least. I suggest picking up a copy when physical copies are available.
Download: Shearwater – Black Eyes [MP3]
As if they didn’t have enough going on already with their steady stream of shows all over town, Austin’s local band du jour, Harlem, are prepping the release of their debut album, Hippies, for Matador Records. While I’m not always a fan of their live show, this new tune shows a lot of promise, and a whole lot more focus, musically, while still maintaining that garage-band sound that has won them a slew of fans.
Download: Harlem – Friendly Ghost [MP3]
Austin’s Shearwater are preparing for the release of their third album, The Golden Archipelago, in 2010 on Matador Records. We’re sure that it will be something you will all swoon over, at least we know that we will be doing so, as we are avid fans of the group. Maybe this will be the album that makes them a name everyone is talking about…they should be bigger than Grizzly Bear. And check out Matador’s site for some cool pre-order deals!
Download: Shearwater – Castaways [MP3]
How I love thee Ted Leo. Luckily for me, and all you like-minded fans, Ted Leo will be bringing us a new album on March 9th titled The Brutalist Bricks, his first album for Matador Records. We’ve gotten to hear the new single, and it’s everything you’d expect from a Leo-penned tune. The man’s no stranger to power-pop, nor classic pub-rock, and you’ll find hints of each in the workings of this new tune. Hope you dig it like I do.
Download: Ted Leo – Even Heroes Have to Die [MP3]
This new tune by Philly songwriter Kurt Vile has been all over the internet the other day and we just can’t resist posting it on the ol ATH. It’s a dirty little guitar heavy tune that’s simple yet somehow memorable at the same time. You can hear this track “Hunchback” and more on upcoming album Childish Progidy out October 6th on Matador Records.
Download: Kurt Vile – Hunchback [MP3]
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Most people who have followed this band will surely know that the components that make up The Cave Singers have established themselves in a world outside the folk realm in which they currently live. Guitarist Derek Fudesco, for example, probably is most well known for his role in Pretty Girls Make Graves, but let’s not get carried away here, as the band are now establishing themselves as a new voice coming out of the rainy Northwest. Welcome Joy is their second album, and it builds upon the strengths of the last record, and in doing so, finishes as one of the better releases of the summer.
When the gentle strumming of “Summer Light” begins the album, you immediately find yourself lost among the foothills of the Appalachians, coated in an earthy morning mist, as the guitars gently strum. Pete Quirk’s throaty vocals are met here in this scene with additional vocals from Amber Webber of Black Mountain. You expect campfire songs from this band, but you don’t expect them to come off as beautifully simple as this one.
As the group introduces you to “At the Cut” you can here the post-punk influences in the vocal, and they seem to carry over through the song itself, giving it more than just your traditional neo-folk appeal so many people have been living with lately. It’s this interesting aspect that makes The Cave Singers so appealing to so many. They aren’t here to play the role of pretty balladeers, though their songs may come off as such; they came here to rock a bit…jangly percussion and all.
While it appears at times as if Quirk smoked too much at times, this album finds him with perfect accompaniment. Amber Webber is joined by her sister Ashley on “Shrine,” and it carries the song from something rather banal into an otherworldly country stomp towards the end of the song. This is followed by “Hen of the Woods,” which stands out as one of the great tracks on this album, among many great tracks. There’s nothing you can really explain about this song, but you’ll be sure to feel it as it comes through your stereo.
“VV” is one of the brighter songs on the album, coming in near the end with harmonious guitar parts, as light as you’ll find on this album. Oddly, this is the one song on the album that seems rooted in traditional folk writing, although the structure of the song itself towards the middle definitely has a more modern spin upon it. And as Welcome Joy draws to a close with “Townships” and “Bramble” you begin to notice the care that The Cave Singers put into the production of this album. Every inch of space seems well thought out, as if they left various places open for your mind to wonder in the woods of your own brain. To top it off, it never seems to get old; it never runs in place. An album such as this is a delight, and dare we say, a Welcome Joy, as the summer comes to a close.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/the-cave-singers-at-the-cut.mp3]Download: The Cave Singers – At The Cut [MP3]
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Julian Plenti isn’t really a new band, rather it’s the sidecar for Interpol frontman Paul Banks. His latest release on Matador, Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper, attempts to re-up the ante for his career, and honestly, that of his band. After a brief departure into a more mainstream approach Banks is seen hear , expectedly, treading the ground he’s walked upon for so long now.
Opening track “Only if You Run” demonstrates that despite going it alone, his heart is never too far away from his mainstay. However, the trickling guitar lines show a touch of brightness, which also seems to collide with the lyrical content. He does however bring back that recognizable throaty vocal when he shouts “surprise” near the end of the track.
“Skyscraper” begins with a great deal of promise for new direction, as punctuated guitar strumming is accompanied by symphonic flourishes. It’s a brooding number, one that might benefit greatly for some strong vocals, and just as you think there won’t be any, Banks enters the picture. Haunting as he can be, it would have been nice to see him go a bit further in this direction on the entire record.
“Games for Days” probably sounds exactly like what you would expect from this album had you heard nothing else other than the involvement of Banks. It’s as close as you get here to an Interpol cover song, although his work in the chorus does seem as if he tried to push himself a bit into new space, especially with the guitar work that crashes at the end, coming off a bit like a heavier version of The Killers. Of course, this song backs up to “Madrid Song” which is about as minimal of a song as you can carry on with. It’s all piano and soundbytes; it would have been nice to see the album here.
But the thing is, you could see this train coming from miles away with the blogosphere telling you of the arrival of new work from Paul Banks. Those of you who were die-hard fans of Interpol were salivating, and there are definitely moments here that shine, or rather give off a faint sparkle. Still, aside from interesting moments such as “Unwind” with the blasting horns and marching vocals, the album is fairly predictable in regards as to the direction that you would expect it to venture. This isn’t entirely a bad thing, after all, the last record was sub-par. Julian Plenti is a solid reminder that the forces of Interpol are still something to be excited about as we head into the future.
We’ve mentioned The Cave Singers before, and we loved their set a few years back at Fun Fun Fun Fest, so when news came about concerning a new album, we were excited. This new album, Welcome Joy comes out via Matador on August 18th, and we’re sure it will be nothing short of delicious. On the new song, there is a bit of an edge to it, which isn’t surprising considering the past of the trio.
Download: The Cave Singers – At The Cut [MP3]
