Top Albums of 2024…According to Nathan

I love to wrap up the year later than most, mostly because my real job always has me swimming against the current. But, nonetheless, I’ve got a solid list of the records I loved this year…and you’ll notice a lot of the same stuff as my peers, with maybe a few tweaks here and there to throw my own flare into it. Not really sure how to write an intro into something that seems so opinion-based, so here’s the list of records you should already have purchased if you come to this site frequently!

Read more

Last Week’s Jams (5.13. – 5.17)

After what felt like a down week, things really took off over here, with another collection of great singles and albums we were stoked to hype up on our end of things. The Austin contingent came strong, with new tunes from Genuine Leather, The Sour Notes, Holiday Music, Letting Up Despite Great Faults and Gus Baldwin/the Sketch. Some long time favorites like Club 8, Nada Surf, and Icarus Phoenix made the cut too! Our pal Michael Maly added some words and photos on Slowdive, so of course we included their classic hit. A lot of great pop stuff too from Sad Eyed Beatniks, Laughing and This Is Lorelei, thus you’ll need to keep your focus when you spend some time below!

Friday Album Streams: Crumbs, Mountain Movers, Lightheaded and More

This is one of those crazy Fridays when its possible there’s just too much music to digest; I think we’ve done a solid job of covering most of the stuff leading up to today, except maybe the brand new Crumbs Video! There’s not a great need to wax poetic, as you can trace these records to our coverage the last few months. All you need to do is dive into the listens and see what you need to buy!

 

CrumbsYou’re Just Jealous (Skep Wax)

LightheadedCombustible Gems (Slumberland Records)

Mountain MoversWalking After Dark (Trouble in Mind Records)

Zero Point EnergyTitled Planet (Danger Collective)

Matthew J. RolinTwos (Dead Currencies)

 

Zero Point Energy Share Disintegration

This Friday Zero Point Energy will finally release their forthcoming Tilted Planet LP, and I am definitely going to be spending a good deal of time with it. Today, they offer up another single that’s grabbed my attention, as the music holds to a spirited style of indie rock, but Genesis’ vocal performance offers us a glimpse at something a little different. Where there have been hints at an underlying edginess, the vocals have this guttural growl this go round, providing a bit of a rough edge that slightly changes the band’s dynamic sound. I like that prospect, as it allows for just a hint of differentiation on the listen. Tilted Planet is out via Danger Collective on Friday!

Last Week’s Jams (3.25 – 3.29)

A lot of really great stuff popped up last week, and we did our best to be on top of as much as we could, though admittedly, it’s a bit of a busy season on our parts (life wise). We were stoked to hear some stuff from Austin homies in the Juniper Berries and Strand of Oaks, both offering great new music you’ll love. Zero Point Energy dropped another tune from their exciting debut, as well as new music from Writhing Squares that sees them stretching our expectations of their sound. Plus, got to finally circle back on some things that had been waiting, like Crumbs, System Exclusive and Climax Landers. Oh, and we ran a Rock n Recipes with our friends in Outer World, so be sure to check it. A few acts like Goosewind and Jetstream Pony didn’t have their stuff up on streaming, so be sure to give it a listen if you’d like.

Zero Point Energy Closer to You

I have really high expectations for the debut from Zero Point Energy; the duo has already dropped one banger, and here they are following it up with another gem, although this one goes beyond just its musical relevance. Musically, there’s a steady 90s indie rock vibe to it; the guitars providing this dramatic punch that allows for Genesis to weave his vocals in and out of the mixture. Now, when going through the notes, Genesis wrote this tune as a “trans anthem,” hoping to give an underrepresented side of the trans experience from their perspective. That’s super important to have that narrative for young listeners trying to find their way, but in his commentary on the track, he says ‘I tried to keep it fairly lyrically universal in that its less about becoming a certain gender and more about the fiery somewhat painful forging of an authentic identity.’ As a teacher of young teens, having folks try to build a road map for navigation through adolescence always strikes a chord. Bad ass song: check. Great message: check. Picking up their new album: check. Tilted Planet is out May 17th via Danger Collective.

Last Week’s Jams (2.26 – 3.1)

As we ramp up towards SXSW, things have been in full swing over at the ATH camp. We ran a bunch of our “getting-to-know-you” interviews with the Ophelias, Jess Cornelius, Tigercub and Native Harrow. But, we also covered a shit-ton of new music that’s worth revisiting, if you’re up for it. Our old friends Blushing dropped a new tune from their next LP, plus we got to hear more from Dancer and Torrey in relation to their new releases. Long time ATH faves like Mo Troper and Rosie Tucker made an appearance too, with each having their own new records on the horizon. Plus, a bunch of other greats like Red Sleeping Beauty, Klaus Johann Grobe, Non La and more…so dive on in.

Zero Point Energy Share Over My Head

There’s always something pleasurable in a tune that sort of begs you press the reset button and soak in it, like this new Zero Point Energy. You’ll find this naturalness in the songwriting, a sincerity in its craft that sort of moves it beyond traditional blogger pigeonholing. I was drawn by the guitar sound, particularly in the verses where it has this pristine chug to it; that caught me immediately as it carried this familiarity that seems to have been with me my whole life. Genesis Edenfield’s vocals are offered up in an almost haphazard manner, sort of not wanting to step into the light, so they hide in the shadows of the song to great effect. Really enjoyed this bop; they will release Tilted Planet on May 17th via Danger Collective.

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com