Snailosaur Release New EP

I love when I stumble across an act completely unknown to me, like New York’s Snailosaur. Their sound falls somewhere in between the vibes of Silver Jews and Dinosaur Jr, though probably more on the former for the song we’ve got featured below. It’s the opening track on their Snailosaur EP, introducing themselves to the world, and the first tune I heard that turned me on. I love the snappiness of the drums throughout the jam, as it feels like it breathes life into the solemn vocal delivery. Plus, fiery guitar lines chop right through the vibe, sure to let us know that while we’re getting the mellow up front, this lot aren’t afraid to rock.

Species Traitor Drop Self-Titled LP

Over the years, Vancouver’s been delivering some quality acts, so let’s go ahead and add Species Traitor to that list of rad bands from the area. Having just released their self-titled LP, I wanted to point folks ears in their direction, particularly for those in love with the sounds of Silver Jews. A great many of the tracks have that playful folk style, drawing on heavy vocal tones and the ambiance of the accompaniment. I tossed up the song below as it gives a bit of a glimpse of the band’s capabilities when they put their foot on the pedal, as it picks up a bit more flare and drive. Something I reckon you oughta check out now that we’re back in it!

Listen to New Sat Duets Tune

satnightBetter start off today right, and seems like that’s probably best done if you get into this new track from Sat. Night Duets. Seems part casualindie rock, in the vein of Silver Jews, but part classic country-infused rock seeping through the pores. There’s just something in the vocal tones that grabs me; it’s a pretty deep tone, but sung with such calm that I find myself enchanted. The Milwaukee group are set to release their brand new record, Air Guitar, on September 16th via Father Daughter Records.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/271179809″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Brand New Gun Outfit

gunsHonestly, I didn’t expect this week. It seems like hit after hit has come my way, via my searching or just a massive amount of tunes being pushed out there. Still, it wouldn’t be a great week without this Gun Outfit tune to wrap things up with a little bit of alt-country perfection. Their new album Dream All Over just came out, but they have this great new Two Way Player EP ready for your ears via Wharf Cat. Maybe it’s a stretch, but it seems like this song is the crossroads where Kurt Vile and Silver Jews meet in the middle…it’s the sound of rolling on with just a hint of being an outsider; it’s the sound you’ve been looking for but didn’t know you were looking for, yet. The EP will be out on February 21st.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/233368666″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Chill New Tunes from Soltero

I’ve been looking for something just like this new tune from Soltero for a couple of weeks now.  The Brooklyn group just released their new album, 1943, and it’s full of some ridiculously good songs that I can’t stop playing over and over. For me, my first hook was the similarities to the delivery and the writing style of D. Berman of Silver Jews, but there’s a bit more of a mellow jangle going on in these tunes.  This song starts off slow for a few seconds, but just wait until it delivers the subtle hooks that made me fall in love with this new album.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Soltero-Rescue.mp3]

Download:Soltero – Rescue [MP3]

Old Jam (but new to many) from Silver Jews

Make no mistake about it, Silver Jews has definitely left a mark on the indie scene, especially considering the line-up of Dave Berman, Stephen Malkmus and Bon Nastanovich–they’re the only ones playing on this track.  Drag City is digging deep and releasing Early Times on June 19th, which is comprised of tracks from the group’s early EPs.  Just listening, you’ll notice the recording isn’t necessarily the best, but that’s what makes it such an interesting song, as it contains the talent the band went on to display, but also those tiny imperfections that endeared us to Berman and Malkmus in the first place. Hope you like it.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1-06_Secret_Knowledge_of_Back_Roads.mp3]

Download:Silver Jews – Secret Knowledge of Back Roads [MP3]

Top 40 Songs Of The Year

So when we thought making an albums of the year post was hard, this one proved to be even harder.  How do you take literally thousands of songs and narrow it down to the best 40 of the year?  Not too sure how to answer that question, but we tried.  Each of these songs scream 2008 in our ears.  As evident by this list, the year in music was quite a good one and we had some tough choices to make.  We’ve got some of the songs streaming for you or links to the song on youtube.  Follow the jump to see if your favorite tune of the year made the list.

Read more

Albums Of The Year: 15-1

A few days ago, we gave you part one of our albums of the year list.  Today we bring you the best of the best from a wide range of artists who brought the noise this year.  We’ve fought it out amongst our ATH writers for weeks and these are the albums that we all loved.  These 15 albums went into thunderdome and emerged victorious.  Follow the jump to see if your favorite band made the Top 15 of 2008.

Read more

1 2