natural - Austin Town Hall

Jackie Mendoza Shares Tune for Exitos Varios Comp

July 2, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

There’s so much to love about this post and song, so bare with me. For starters, this track appears on the forthcoming Exitos Varios Compilation…a compilation organized by the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers; the proceeds go to United We Dream, an organization that aids undocumented immigrants; as a human, let alone a Texan, this is an issue of great importance. Second, a few years ago I managed to grab Jackie Mendoza at the last minute on a very last minute SXSW show at Barracuda (RIP); she was just starting to make a name for herself on her solo work, and this one here feels really special. On the tune Mendoza says this”is a song about refusing to cave into the pressures of changing the ways I express myself as a Mexican-American musician.” Why would you want to when it sounds this fucking good? It’s like old-school trip-hop with a vibrancy that can only be expressed by a person straddling two distinctive cultures. Buy the Exitos Varios Comp tomorrow HERE.

<a href="http://unionofmusicians.bandcamp.com/album/exitos-varios-variety-hits">Exitos Varios [Variety Hits] by Jackie Mendoza</a>

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Mint Field Announce Signing to Felte Records with Natural

April 23, 2020 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Back when Mint Field released Pasar de las Luces the band was living in Tijuana, crafting these spaced-out psychedelic tunes; they were one of the highlights of my 2018 SXSW. Now, they’ve moved to Mexico City, signed to Felte Records and prepared a brand new single for us. Our first listen has some obvious changes in the band’s sound, though not entirely stepping away form where we first heard them. Here, they’ve sort of flipped the script…instead of filling the negative space with atmospherics and noise, they’ve just left it completely open, letting the notes resonate in that emptiness. There’s a burst of their old selves coming through at the 2 minute mark, but the song seems to move in a more meditative state, much like the tune’s accompanying video. Still, as interesting as ever.

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Loving This New Julia Shapiro Tune

April 3, 2019 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Whether it’s been through her participation in Chastity Belt or Childbirth, I’ve always appreciated the tracks Julia Shapiro has been a part of through the years. Now, she’s taking a side-step out on her own, and this first listen is wonderful. I love how the song has this innate guitar bounce to it, inducing toe-tapping and joyousness. Her vocals are pretty spot on too; they seem to sort of ride the song’s natural groove, fitting in in between bouncing moments and letting notes hang and drift in the air. Seems like Shapiro has been through a lot of personal strife to get here, so let’s hope there’s joy in this wondrous song she’s crafted; Prefect Vision drops June 14th via Hardly Art.

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Everyone Needs More NOV3L in Their Life

December 14, 2018 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Listening to NOV3L I can’t help running through the various memories in my mind at all the great dance parties we had when kids started revisiting classic acts like Gang of Four…eventually leading us into the realm of Franz Ferdinand and various like minded acts. I mention those two because the Vancouver act, who’ve just announced their debut EP seem to combine the styles of the two in a fresh fashion. The guitars are angular and sharp, just like GoF would rock in their heyday, but there’s still this pop sensibility that pulls folks out of their bar stools and onto the dance floor. Geez….you really need this in your lyfe. Look for the debut EP via Flemish Eye Records on February 15th.

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