Listen Now: Slack Capital 2 Stream and Slugbug World Premiere

Slack Capital 2 is a compilation of music by 27 of the most exciting bands in Austin. All proceeds go to SafePlace, which provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. We’ve been unveiling one song per day until the the release party on April 14, which is today!

Song of the day: SLUGBUG — “When The Words”

If you live in Austin and care about music– and by music I mean good music– and by good music I mean weird music– you haaaaaave to know about SLUGBUG. SLUGBUG is the longtime musical project of synth ber-wizard Paul D. Millar, who truly forges his own path with his songs of prime neurotic pop bliss. Like a more German-influenced Ariel Pink, or Devo on a hallucinatory trip, SLUGBUG is built quite efficiently to groove you– think Robocop on speed at a disco– but also, even though (but kind of especially because) Millar is never not straight-faced, to make you laugh. “Bread bowl/ I don’t want to eat that” is a phrase you hear at the beginning of the song, a robotic coo spoken into the spheres. SLUGBUG takes its energy from the punk sensibility of protest, and in this case, he’s protesting meaning itself. “Words come out of your mouth/ Can I tell that they say one thing and really mean the opposite?” And “Words come out of my mouth/ Can you tell that the words were/ Nothing more than filler text.” He seems to be saying, none of us know what we’re talking about. Which is the wisest it gets, probably. –Eric Braden

Stream Slack Capital 2 in its entirety here, and download it, or come pick one up tonight at Barracuda for the Slack Capital 2 official release party. $5, doors at 9 PM. Come have fun and help us support SafePlace!

ATX Spotlight: Did You Miss New Slugbug

slugbugA few years ago I raved about Truck Month, my first introduction to Slugbug. Since that time, things have been quiet on that front, and so quiet that I somehow missed the release of his latest release…Stupid Rock EP. One of my favorite things about the songs Paul writes are that he fully embraces oddity, in every sense. His songs never stay wholly in one place as he looks to fill in various spaces with extra textural layers, usually in the way of blips and bloops. If you ever wonder what keeps Austin “weird,” then this is precisely the place to look. Stream the whole EP below, and grab it!

The Bill Ball: An Interview w/ Eric Bill — October 9th @ Swan Dive

12042917_10103610812125518_894458247127330031_nWith all the buzz about Austin music dying and what not, I think it’s interesting to note that there have been a ton of like-minded individuals coming out to create their own curated shows. We did ATX Popfest, Raw Paw had the Alien Zine, Vegas has Good Vibrations and now there’s the Bill Ball at Swan Dive on October 9th. These things have always been around, but they seem to be gaining prominence as people try to create a sense of community here in town. I caught up with Eric Bill of the band Big Bill to grab some of his thoughts on the First Annual Bill Ball…and his band too. Read on for the answers and a video for the Bill Ball! Read more

Top 15 Austin Albums of 2013

Local Albums 2tMan. Austin had a pretty incredible year; it was a far better year than I’ve encountered recently, making my ears, mind and heart quite proud of our hometown.  While it’s obviously difficult to get in on every single band in Austin, I made a list of the albums that were most impactful throughout the year, 2013.  I purposefully left off EPs and singles, not because I didn’t enjoy those, but because this is a list of top ALBUMS!  I’m sorry to those we left off, and encourage you all to send us your music as we continue our push to be a great voice for Austin music.  Without further ado…this is how we do it.  Read more

Introducing Slugbug

4126319756-1You’ve got to trust your record store clerks; it’s the heart-and-soul of music recommendations. One of the Austin purveyors turned me on to Paul Millar, who works under the moniker of Slugbug.  It’s really hard to put the music in any certain genre, as it’s fairly schizophrenic in a fascinating sort of way.  His main muse seems to be electronica, but he blends it with elements of oddball pop and post-punk.  He’s recently released his Layer of Abstraction EP, with more tunes set to come soon on his Truck Month LP (we’ll give more details as they come).  For now, revel in the curious ways of Slugbug; you’ll be glad to find such a unique artist alive and well in Austin. And you can check out a rad old-school type video of the track HERE.

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Download: Slugbug – Linear Narrative [MP3]