Tag: singer songwriter

ATX Spotlight: Gustave Ochoa

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Per discussions with lots of pals in the music community here in ATX, it’s often easy to get bogged down with the current state of scenes and styles – rock, shoegaze, gimmicks, and what have you. While combing through it all, often it is a welcome change to find an artist who can cut loose from the norm and get back to true songwriting at its core. Really, that’s what Austin has always been about.

If you are yet to know the name, my pal Gustave Ochoa looks to carry on that great legend and mystique of Texas songwriters with his new debut solo EP Highwire. With his lyrics and style, Ochoa is clearly gifting us with a small glimpse into some of the things he holds most dear and closest to his chest. I have always found some of the best and most classic singer/songwriter moments come in those moments of personal vulnerability. You gotta check this one out below or over on Spotify. Stay tuned for heard rumors of more to come.

Album Stream: Adrian Marner’s The College Years

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Adrian Marner first popped into my eras when we covered his single “Cracks of Time;” it had the sort of innocence of Elliott Smith, albeit with a bit of a more of a pop sparkle to it. This approach sticks around for the College Years, bringing you bedside as Marner works with heavy strums and a voice that wears a bit of production magic. While standout singles like “The Unsaid Goodbye” and previously mentioned “Cracks of Time” are surefire hits; I’ve found myself gravitating towards “Rock Star Fatigue” and “My Best Friend” as other stopping points for those just popping in for a quick listen. Each song has its own little charms if you dig in, and in the grand scheme, it feels like Marner is setting the scene for what could be a very promising catalog. The College Years is out today courtesy of Zerowell Records.

Simon Merle Drops Solo LP

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To be fair to Simon, he’s received tons of coverage on this site, though that’s been entirely due to his songwriting duties in the now defunct outfit, the Bankees. Simon’s voice has always been a strong pull for me, and it remains one of the central focal points on this album, as he’s working with pretty barebones construction here, mostly wrapping his voice around soft strumming (and the occasional backing vocal) throughout the LPs entirety. But, there are moments when little details creep in, like on my favorite “I Can’t Talk.” There’s even some Bolan-esque ballads here, like “Never Be Famous,” so you’ll likely spend a good amount of time immersing yourself in the entirety of this album. Give a listen and its a NYOP download!

 

Miss Miranda Shares Daniel

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Miss Miranda is the songwriting moniker of Miranda Haney, a recent Austin transplant via Baltimore who I met through my wife’s sister’s boyfriend. She’s been writing some tunes, though Austin hasn’t quite been treated to her songwriting often enough ( insert something about pandemic), so I figured I oughta share them up here. Her latest single is an intimate affair, mostly working with Haney’s voice atop the strum of her guitar. I love the faint quiver in the rising vocals when she meets the chorus for the delivery of “he’s got a voice like Daniel/and a voice you’d recognize.” That there my friends, gives you that 10 seconds of bliss I always crave in my tunes! Anyways, Mondays always end up fairly sedate, so figured I’d close out my day with this one here…a strong new voice from Austin.

Jana Horn Announce Optimism

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Earlier this year when I helped organize Slack Capital 3 (with Eric Bill/Howdy Gals), we got an early peek at new music from Jana Horn when she let us use “Time Machine” for the compilation. Now, she’s announced her debut solo LP, Optimism, and dropped another powerful tune I’d love you to enjoy. While her musicianship has always been extremely moving, this new single shows the strength of her voice alone in the world. There are some barely audible strums faintly hanging from the distance, carefully uplifting Horn’s airy vocals. She’s one of my favorite Austin songwriters, gifted in so many ways, so you’ll definitely want to check out Optimism when its released on September 18th.

ATX Spotlight: Matthew Squires Returns

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Austin based amigo Matthew Squires has long been a favorite around these parts and we are totally excited to hear he is returning this year with new music. For a preview of what the new album might sound like, Squires has just released this new single called “Strange Day”. At first, it sort of sounds like older, quirky material we’ve always known, but then it slowly evolves about two minutes in with a louder guitar, faster pace, and heated vocals. Might sound like a Neil Young song to some if you know his older material, and that’s perfectly all right with me.

Squires will release new album Visions of America on August 30th.

Fun New Single From Jason Matu

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As many of us head back to work full time for the first time in awhile, it’s important to find some music to uplift your spirit and keep you focused. My new friend Mr. Jason Matu out of Brooklyn, NY has just the thing for you with his new single “I Don’t Wanna Do It”. His sound reminds me distinctly of a guy like Damien Jurado if he wrote more ironic/funny songs like David Bazan. Those are of course two artists I love so naturally this track is tailor made for me and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Another Beauty From Dan Mangan

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Earlier this summer I was reminded of the greatness created by Dan Mangan and his music. Still unsure as to why he fell off my radar over the years, these new singles from his latest album are a wake up call. This new track “Just Fear” is yet another beauty of a songwriter tune which will fall in with some of the best works of Mangan’s career. Though he still flies somewhat under the radar, the guy is a true genius.

Mangan will release new album More or Less on November 2nd via Arts & Crafts.

Great New Tune From Kyle Craft

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Kyle Craft

I’ll always be a sucker for quality singer songwriters and Kyle Craft is a new artist on the scene who write some great tunes. Today I’ve got this one called “Lady of the Ark” to share with you peoples out there. Craft will be the first one to tell you who gets compared to Dylan frequently, which should be considered and honor, but I think the lad offers more than just some lazy comparison. The song is heartfelt and you can hear the passion in his voice. I suggest you check it out.

Craft will release Dolls of Highlandon April 29th via Sub Pop.

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Chief Ghoul Does It For Me

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ghoulThere’s something in the simplicity of singer-songwriters that often make it’s difficult to really immerse yourself in the music, at least for my ears.  But, occasionally you lock into something that seems really special, and you hold onto it…which is the case with Chief Ghoul.  I mean, listening to this song, the lyrics seemingly get repetitive, but the sound of the guitar and the passion in the voice just drags me in.  Must have played this song nearly a dozen times in the last thirty minutes. His newest album, III, should be hitting very soon, so keep an eye out.

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