This is fine.
Despite some of the self-inflicted guilt of being part of the machine, we’re still out there trying to cover as much music and see as many bands as we could on Thursday. We were able to really bounce here and there, with the Valhalla and 13th Floor giving a prime location for the bloggers crossing the road. I think we all squeezed in some bands that we had wanted to see this year, so that’s an added bonus getting to cross a rad act off your list!
Admittedly, having a 1 and 4 year old has perhaps made my listening a bit timid, but this Texas heat and the start of the school year has me turning towards the more boisterous brand of rock n’ roll, like Balloon Thief. The Rhode Island outfit just popped out a 5-track EP coming in under ten minutes, so you know you’re in for a quick spurt of catchy punk bits. “Sodium City” reminds me of the Terry Malts meets the Spits, particularly if you dig into the chorus. “Noble Steed” has this sort of freaked out psychedelia, like the Ohsees at their most riotous, just sputtering off in a furious fashion. Hop on board this ripping self-titled EP.
I’m always down to listen a new record from the Spits; it only seems fitting that they announce a new record during the month of October, as they’ve always had this sort of spooky element to their sound. Buzzing guitars drive the song, almost marching towards the track’s finished on the back of precision drumming. There’s this dense fuzz encircling this tune, building in that sort of suffocating feeling while the vocals howl from deep within the cavern of the song. Any day you get one new track from the Spits is a plus, but a second one can be heard hopping over HERE. VI will be out on October 30th!
While people reading the press release for Flat Worms will gravitate towards “members of Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall,” the reason I caught onto this was that it features Will of Dream Boys. It’s always interesting to see how people that can play wonderful jangling pop songs can turn on a knife’s edge with some pummeling punk, like Flat Worms. It sort of sounds a little bit like a murkier version of the Spits, in my eyes, so that gets an additional nod in my book. The new project will release the Red Hot Sand 7″ on April 29th via Volar.
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With all the year end list hoopla, we’ve been slacking a little bit on our show previews, so I wanted to make sure you knew about he goings-on this weekend in our fair city. The weather’s just nice enough to entice you to get out of your house, and who knows, you might even find yourself a new favorite band to love. So, without further ado…here’s your Austin Weekend Show Spotlight. Read more
Ahhh. Home, sweet home. Back on the pit to bring you nine kinds of performance shots.
Saturday’s shots include Residual Kid, The Young, Gold Fields, Brendan Benson, Daughn Gibson, The Helio Sequence, Braid, The Spits, Surfer Blood, Tanlines, Paul Banks, Real Estate, Wavves and PiL. More from around the fest, of course. Fun was had by all, just bummed that I missed shooting Refused from the pit. It was “too busy”.
Click through to feed your eyes…
We’re all wiped out from a late night finish on the first Fun Fun Fun Fest evening, but we’re back up and at em’ ready to head in to Day Two with some rehydration and sunscreen. Here’s my picks for Saturday, and they might not be your run of the mill pick, so be sure to pay attention! Follow the jump for more. Read more
Rating: 
The Spits are technically five albums into their career, but the odds are they’ve written more than that, with limited edition pressings and such. If you’ve followed the group, then you’re accustomed to their sound; it’s pop punk if you washed it with fresh sewer water. Yeah, I said it, and I’m going to say I love it.
“All I Want” blasts out from the beginning, bringing you a bit of dark edged punk, though the lyrics lean towards a bit of a love song. It’s the great dichotomy of The Spits brand of rock n’ roll. They’ll take you on an even more furious ride with the next track, “My Mess,” which definitely has a sloppier feeling to the vocals. Don’t get stuck on this one too long, as it’s pretty much over almost as quickly as it started, closing out with steady machine gun drumming and odd bits of telephone noise.
Perhaps one of the things that seems to differ on Volume V is the steady inclusion of this slacker, or subdued vocal. It’s as if singer, Sean Spits is relaxing while the rest of the group blasts through each track. Lead single from the album, “My Life Sucks” see the band pushing forcefully towards the end, while Sean seems to lackadaisically lay his stories atop the tune. It’s not so much the lyrical content that does well to break up the monotony of typical punk fare, but the overall delivery, pushing a different spin on punk rock.
For me, it’s tracks like “Fed Up” and “Acid Rain” that grab at my punk heartstrings. They’ve got a much more traditional feel, not that I necessarily need that, but that’s definitely where nostalgia and appreciation for modern punk meet. I even feel as if I hear a bit of The Riverdales in “Fed Up,” but perhaps that’s just wishful thinking on my part. It’s everything a good old punker needs: simple and fast–the perfect recipe.
Interestingly, The Spits never seem like they’re willing to settle in one place, which is perhaps why they’ve attracted me so much over the last several years. Closing number “Last Man on Earth” has this Ian Drury approach to the songwriting, all placed over what seems to be a synthesized drum beat. This isn’t the sort of thing you’d expect from a band such as this, but its successful because it never grows stale, always giving you something to look forward to, or at least talk to your friends about in the end.
Regardless of whether the group is up your alley or night, you’ve got to appreciate the fact that they’re not settling for your run of the mill punk rock. They’re pushing the boundaries, even within their own group, making Volume V as in enjoyable, if not more so, than all their previous records. You’ve gotta love the Spits, and if you don’t, you’re missing out.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/07-My-Life-Sucks.mp3]Download: The Spits – My Life Sucks [MP3]
Man, since I’ve really been pushing myself back into rock n’ roll this year, my part of the site might have gotten a little bit heavier than we’ve had in the past, but I’m totally down with that. One of my favorite acts, The Spits, just released their new album today on In the Red Records, and of course I had to get my hands on it. This new little number is quick and to the point, and it’s definitely one of the muddier feeling tracks on the record. Lyrically you might not find a great deal of inspiration here, but hey, I’d buy it just for the cheap price and the album cover.
Download: The Spits – My Life Sucks [MP3]
The first band in our installment of highlights for the wonderful Chaos in Tejas is The Spits. They’re a Seattle punk group who’ve released four LPs and a slew of compilations and 7 inches. Listening to them, I get this old Misfits feeling, though I’m sure that’s just wishful thinking on my part. They’re known to don costumes on stage, such as in this picture, and you’re guaranteed to get fast, dirty punk rock that’s going to have you bobbing your head, jumping up and down, or at the very least, tapping your toes. The band will be playing their darkness punk at Red 7 on Thursday, along with some great acts ( a few from Austin) like TV Ghost and High Tension Wires. For those with a passion for the harder edge, this is a great night to kick off the festival, so be sure to show up early and get your punk on with the Spits.
Download: The Spits – Tonight [MP3]
