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It’s that time of year again, with the Austin City Limits Festival just around the corner. As one of our favorite festivals, and one of the many musical outlets in the city, we thought it was our job to keep you updated on the acts that are vital to a successful weekend out at Zilker Park. Our first act to take a look at is Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs. Read more
Chaos in Tejas is among us, and it’s fueled with punk fury and unkempt hordes, but beneath it all lays the music; we absolutely love the music, especially Iceage. Read more
We continue our Chaos in Tejas coverage with one of the bands that I’m most excited to see, New Zealand’s The Clean!
Anytime you listen to some jangling garage pop track, or off-beat power pop, the odds are, that band was influenced by the Clean, who’ve been releasing songs since 1981; their first single is the track we’re featuring below.
They didn’t actually release a full-length album until almost a decade into their career, instead compiling tons of singles to release as compilations on the legendary Flying Nun label in their home country. But, disbanding and focusing on different groups, often incestuous groups with other NZ acts like the Chills, saw them sort of sputter out, barely making the radar outside of their island home. Hopefully, that all changed when Merge released their album, Mister Pop, a few years back, bringing the band some new fans.
For me, I say start with the Anthology, as that was my first introduction to the band many years ago; it’s got tons of great singles waiting to be your favorite track. Within those songs you’ll see the energy and wit that defined the group’s sound, leading them to be one of the most revered, yet underappreciated acts, of all time. I’ve never seen them though, and I know it won’t be the same as watching them back in the day, but just to hear some of these songs live will further complete my life as a music fan. They’ll definitely be worth your time.
They play at 11 PM at Club Deville on Saturday, June 2nd.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/03-Tally-Ho.mp3]Download:The Clean – Tally Ho [MP3]
Seeing as Psych Fest is going to be taking over Austin this weekend it seems only fitting thta we rep one of the many great Austin bands: The Ripe. This week the group just released their album, Into Your Ears, on Get Hip Records, and we’ve had a lot of fun spinning it for ourselves over here at ATH. Just one look at the album’s cover and you might think these guys play on the darker side of the Psych realm, but you’d be asboslutely wrong. There’s a light-hearted garage feel to what they’re working on, and fans of both modern indie rock and classic tunes will enjoy themselves. These dudes have gotten some great press from all over the world, so it’s about time people in Austin pay attention, and that means you!
The Ripe will take over the stages at Psych Fest on Sunday, April 28th at Emos at 4:00 PM. See you there!
Here’s an MP3, plus you can sample the band’s whole album right HERE.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/drawning-sound-june-2011.mp3]Download:The Ripe – Drawing Sound [MP3]
