This is fine.
Lists are arbitrary and burdensome, but why not join the fun everyone else is having? We gathered our lists, separate lists for all of us, then combined them into one that had 50 albums. What you get here are the four writers/contributors of ATH, giving you their meaningless opinions on what we thought was the jam in 2017. It’s alphabetical, and we put the initials next to it so you could track down your enemy!
Nicole and I are going to tag team coverage for The War on Drugs with Land of Talk at Stubb’s plus bonus coverage of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Mohawk.
NB: Saturday night was another one for the books as Austin was lit up as ever with great bands and crazy antics on Red River. My main event was at Stubb’s for The War on Drugs, touring incredible latest album, A Deeper Understanding. B. Gray was on double duty–taking killer shots of The War on Drugs and then bouncing over to The Mohawk to catch King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. Follow the jump to see his pretty pics and read some brief thoughts on a night at the gravel pit.
BG: Click through, y’all.
What’s this? Nightlands crafting expansive pop music? Absolutely, and this is a return to the stunning form that captured my ears when Dave Hartley first announced his product. This song’s all about the vocals, with the strumming and echo of a slide guitar merely serving to fill in the negative space for a complete sound. There’s some great vocal modulation on this tune, from this high pitched note that opens the song to a deeper vibe in the verses; it’s a really stunning recording, perfect for the rainy day we’re getting down here in Austin. Speaking of Austin, the new Nightlands album, I Can Feel the Night Around Me, will be released by our very own Western Vinyl on May 5th.
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Some days you just want to sit in your chair, drink a beer and listen to some commercial rock with your friend Mark Kozelek. If you’re up for it, I think the two of you will likely be listening to Sofa Pets. The Helsinki band has that same guitar sound popularized by Budweiser and War on Drugs, and there’s a slight hazy emotion that shines through the lead single. There is a loftier vocal approach in here too, soaring high above the mix, meeting the swirling guitar work at the highest notes. Look for their debut EP soon on VILD Recordings.
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It’s still rather early in the year to start talking about best records of the year and what not, but as we’re midway through 2014, every one is doing it…so why not join in the fun. But, with this in mind, remember that these lists are arbitrary, and if anything, pretty meaningless in the long run; you never know if your thoughts will change in six months…and really, they’re just like, our opinions man. We’ll have two sections…one for national albums and another section of Austin albums released up to this point in 2014. Read more
I’ve had a few days to recuperate from the fest that doesn’t sleep and have gathered my thoughts on the sets from Friday and Saturday of Primavera. Read on for highlights and some comments about Parc Del Forúm and the festival itself in case you’re thinking Barcelona is on your music festival horizon.
We get closer to the inevitable demise of the original Emo’s. I get closer to getting through all the photos from shows this month.
This installment features War on Drugs, with Carter Tanton and Purling Hiss opening. I have a few comments and plenty of gloriously bathed in red and yellow shots to burn into your memory. Loud show, good way to end the run I was on…
Surprisingly, I wasn’t quite exhausted from SXSW, and nor was the near sell-out crowd over at the Mohawk this last Friday night. We all gathered to watch Destroyer, better known as Dan Bejar, not to mention the excellent War on Drugs. As a nice breeze floated in to the venue, you had to know it was going to be a special night.
