star - Austin Town Hall

Jawdropped Sign to Angel Tapes

November 5, 2024 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

I love when a label you follow turns you onto someone you’ve likely been waiting to rock out to, like the case for Jawdropped. The LA outfit remind me a lot of a some of the newer brand of indiepop around the late 00s, brandishing these polite jangles and letting dual vocals force melodies through your speakers. That said, you’ll find a big solo lurking in the middle of the tune, ripping right through like some of the best 90s pop rock…and I absolutely adore it. This is their first single for Angel Tapes, who’ve just signed on to work with the group going forward.

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Pretty In Pink Share Star Video

July 12, 2023 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

One has to have something pretty remarkable at hand in order to completely captivate a listener by stripping a track of traditional percussive elements. In fact, Pretty in Pink really operate their latest single with little more than guitar lines and these heavenly vocals that seem to sway back and forth through your speakers, like the wind blowing across tall plains grasses. For me, I had to take a deep breath as soon as I heard the jangling guitar line dance against the quieted strum behind it; I knew I was in for something supremely moving. Those guitar lines don’t stray from one another as the tune unfolds, blanketing the tune in intertwined DIY ethos. Those vocals though, have the power to carry you on their wings, drift you off into this magical land where everything blankets you with warmth; I like the nice touch too when all three members combine near the song’s end, deepening the song’s magic. You’ll hear this track on the group’s next LP, Pillows, out in September via Little Lunch/Hidden Bay/Subjangle.

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Dreamy Track from Star to Be Re-Issued

January 26, 2016 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Ok, so this is an old track from Star, almost ten years old in fact. But, I was cruising through Saint Marie Records, just jamming, and saw that they’re going to re-issue Devastator, the band’s 2007 hit album. It’s funny just how much you can see present influences in this old tune; there’s dreamy elements via Shannon Roberts voice, but a distorted guitar knifes it’s way, building a nice wall of sound. Is dream-gaze a genre? It has to be right? No word yet on when the re-issue comes out, but it sounds pretty great, so I’m digging on it.

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