Bringing the jams
Jackie Mendoza is here today with her responses to our SXSW questionnaire. She’s signed with Luminelle Recordings, the label run by GvsB, so you know that she’s going to have a huge year, as Chris has long been one of the premiere taste-makers. Check out what she had to say! Read more
One of my favorite albums from 2018 was the latest release from The Lovely Sparrows; I think it came too late in the year to catch everyone’s attention, but with this new video, perhaps we can encourage you to give it a look-see. The video alone is pretty special, relying upon still images in the stop-motion format. But, please keep your ears perked to the majesty of this track; I love the light stick work in place of louder percussive elements; the way the guitar chords jump out when needed gets me every time. Oh, and those harmonies make me swoon! Grab the Shake the Shadows LP HERE. Oh…and the band will also be playing a very special SXSW show, put on by us and Side One Track One…check out the lineup HERE.
There’s less than a month until SXSW hits, and so we’re going working to get all these interviews up, so you can be an informed consumer. Today we’re sharing our chat with Weakened Friends, fresh off the release of Common Blah late last year. They currently have me wondering what on Earth a mommy carwash is? Can my wife go? These are things you and I both need to know! Read more
Benedict Benjamin, formerly of Peggy Sue, has a new album coming out in May of this year, and he’s letting us all have a nice little peak at what’s to come our way this Spring. It starts with this rolling stomp from the percussion, allowing the track to sort of gallop its way towards the listener. For his part, Benedict carries the high pitched tones with such warmth that it feels as if you’ve been covered in a heavy blanket. Plus, slight little elements uplift the track, moving it into this more progressive brand of indie rock; you’ll have to give it a close ear. Look for Truant to pop up in a few months.
You think we’d sleep on another up-and-coming Melbourne act? Think not, especially when it comes to churning guitar pop like Quivers present to us here. There’s a classic alternative sound to this track, something that’s faintly reminiscent of early U2 or REM, though they’ve reworked the style to fit right into today’s musical landscape. I love the sharp guitar stabs that shine through your speakers, and you don’t have to get me started on the vocal harmonies that float throughout the entirety of the single. They fill this track with so much delicate musicianship that I keep going back and hearing little chords or melodies that I hadn’t heard the first time, so please, give this at least 12 listens. Oh, and did I mention they’ll be at SXSW?
During the busy fall release schedule, we perhaps neglected to tell you about the great Failure to Slide LP from the Zells. A few months on, a tour and some shows behind them, the band have shared a new video for standout track, “Tracy.” This song reflects the band’s devotion to 90s slacker rock, but perhaps hitting home for me is the band’s natural exuberance recording/playing together; it comes out in so many moments on this track. And, as if they knew what I was thinking, they crafted a video built around their times on the road supporting the record; it’s always endearing to see the fun a group has together on tour. There’s a few copies of their album left over at Crafted Sounds, where you can stream the record as well!
I look out the window a lot as of late, hoping for some sort of daydream to take me away, albeit for just a bit of respite. Today, while I’m envisioning my mental journeying, I hear Dark Tea as the soundtrack to that adventure. I think there’s something sublimely intimate about Gary Canino’s delivery on this track, like a half-hearted whisper, as if he’s afraid to share his secrets with you; he seems vulnerable, which is perhaps how I like my songwriters best. Balladry in the bedroom fashion you say? Well, you’ve got my ear; let’s see what the self-titled album has in store when it drops via Fire Talk on March 22nd.
As a web site, we cover stuff from all over the globe, but as ATH Records, we’ve mostly focused our attentions at home in Austin. Then I heard this new album from Bones Garage, and was floored, so I reached out to the band hoping they’d let me put out a tape for Oi Ma Yeah. They complied, so here I am sharing the newest single from the group; the expansive “Homo Sapiens Love.” While the first two singles were straight pop material, this track spans over 6 minutes, working back and forth between post-rock and thoughtful pop. Ambient moments and buzzsaw guitars ring out, though the band uses their patience to calmly tease out the track’s pop sensibility, which floats in with this light guitar bit. I could probably write about this track forever, and never cover all the finer details, so see below for yourself! The album drops March 29th, but if you’re looking for acts to catch at SXSW, pencil this bunch in your schedule.
As I sit here writing, I think I constantly search for music I can take back to my mom and dad, something that represents the music I love. I think the blend of nostalgic songwriting and the penchant for pop that Bill Pritchard is offering up would be just the perfect musical conversation starter. Natural harmonies hang in the way Pritchard delivers his words, and the song seems to have this casual feel that doesn’t overwhelm listeners, like my aged parents. There’s just something so purposeful and everlasting in Bill’s work, and I hope that Midland Lullabies continues to bring him a bit more popularity; it’s being released March 8th via Tapete Records.
After a brief period of radio silence, Boyracer is going to return this year with a brand new LP; the band admit to recording over 20 brand new ditties to better your life…and today they’ve shared one of these tracks. It’s a short fuzzed out ripper that begs the question, why haven’t more people fallen in love with the group over the year? It’s catchy, making it memorable; it’s upbeat, thus perfect for jamming in the morning, on the drive down the sunny highway, or just when you want to rock out with your friends. This song will be on a hyper-limited 7′ lathe cut, with word that there’s a similar Monnone Alone you can read about right HERE. All these great things courtesy of Emotional Response.
