New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
This is one of the most exciting projects we’ve ever heard of. Ex-Shiny Toy Guns’ Carah Faye is involved with a new band: Versant. The demos that we’ve heard ("Push Away" and "Out of Touch") are really well-written. Listen to the demos HERE and mark your calendars on February 17, 2010. That is when the self-titled album will come out. – Nicholas Palumbo
I don’t know if you could ever say that the members of Brilliant Pebbles are under the radar or quiet in anyway, but it seems like they managed to release their debut ep without making the necessary waves. I think it has more to with the new direction of the band the actually ep itself. The self-titled ep is high energy, glamorous, and well-produced, but the new direction of the band is more electronic than this material. I feel the releasing of this seven track ep is more of a ritualistic release to clear room for their new material than anything else. However, this should not affect the listeners approach to the record, this is a colorful carnival of sound and dramatic vocalization and should be a welcome addition to any collection.
Brilliant Pebbles’ debut Ep is now available on Itunes, Amazon, and Emusic, along with local fav Reckless Records.
Over here we are gearing up for our Year End Poll of the Best Emerging Austin Acts of 2009, as voted on by a jury of local writers, bloggers, record shop owners, radio DJs, and all around music heads. More on that to come, for now we wanted to let you know that…
…Ume grabbed the November cover of Soundcheck Magazine; they’re accompanied on the inside by fellow Austinites T-Bird (above) and Black Joe Lewis, reflecting what we believe to be a sensible Austin bias on the part of the Austin-based mag. T-Bird and the Breaks, btw, play a Thanksgiving show at Momo’s, so you know where to go if you need a little old school, deep funky R&B to get your tryptophan-riddled self moving; they’ll be joined by Blues Mafia and Brett Randell, who happens to be the newest addition to our charts. (Climbing?) Over the weekend you’ll have Neon Indian with The Tunnels at Stubb’s on Friday, and some serious stalwarts on Saturday: Alejandro Escovedo at the Continental, Patrice Pike and Suzanna Choffel at Momo’s, and Bob Schneider at Antone’s.
Finally, we have to mention that Matt the Electrician & Southpaw Jones will again hold down their Wednesday night Flipnotics gig (the 25th), and they made an offer to offend & horrify any of your visiting relatives – really, they did, I was there last week…so bring ’em on by, the show is free.
Happy Turkey…or tofurkey…
Werewolves have synthesized pop, psych, punk, and minimalist noise into a cohesive (yet seemingly chaotic) sound that has the capacity to both elevate and destroy the listener’s mind, often in the same song. The guitars slide between effervescent, chiming tones and fuzzed-out riffs, the baritone bass lines weave counter melodies that propel the songs forward or leave them on end, and the vocals hover over the instrumentation with equal parts croon and nightmarish wail. The band’s newest release, Dance Raincoat Glass (BNS Sessions/Plays With Dolls), revels in these disparate elements. – Read Bill Dvorak full feature on the band here.
The idea that our world is the result of musical vibrations and clang phenomena is an old one – fortunately, there are bands like Glad Hearts that, through their musical sense and harmonious interplay, remind us of this philosophical intuition. While listening to this New Jersey based four piece it may easily happen that you find yourself in another world where bells are broken or – to quote the band’s lyrics – “a needle melts wax”. Although at times melancholic and thought-provoking, Glad Hearts, as their name suggests, succeed in bringing forth the joy and naturalness inherent in music, shining with a uniquely diverse and dense sound derived from a huge instrumental assortment that brings the fantastic into the everyday. Their country-tinged indie folk rock album “The Oak and the Acorn” is a promising and multifaceted output – you’re in for a treat! – Read Susi Muhr interview with the band here.
New York based outfit Outernational is readying the release of their debut EP "Eyes On Fire,” produced by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, who is featured on vocals and guitar on “Fighting Song.” Rock at heart, Outernational reaches out to reggae, ska, punk, dub, polka, mariachi, hip-hop, and world music, much as their forward-thinking predecessors and audacious idols. Outspoken and loud, this rock quintet will be celebrating the release of “Eyes On Fire” with an all-ages concert at The Highline Ballroom on Sunday, December 6, 2009 with supporters Japanther and R-Tronika. The doors open a-t 6PM, and tickets are $12 in advance with a free download of the six-song EP on their website, or $15 on the day of the show. – Meijin Bruttomesso
Travis Lee Wiggins continues to impress me not just by how prolific his but with the quality of his music. It was just a couple months ago that we were talking about the massive Essex Chanel love song collection, but now I have the latest effort from The Salts (formerly The Summer Salts) on my desk. Formed in 2006, The Salts are a trio fronted by Wiggins, but also include Mike Rice and Luke Krause on guitar and drums. Broomstick Rock Star will be released on December 22nd, and finds Wiggins presenting a more aggressive indie rock set. Tracks like “Go There” (mp3) and the title track and so many others have addictive poppy hooks, and Rice adds playful and nostalgic guitar riffs through out. There is also a heavy dose of pleasant dance rock on this album. This is a fine addition to the massive catalog that Wiggins is creating.
Chicagoans, you know you’ve heard of Kid Sister aka Melissa Young. She’s been burning up since her performance at Lollapalooza in 2008, and between being the protege of Kanye West and being backed by her little brother’s band Flosstradamus she’s only getting hotter. Before that she was on public aid and working two jobs just to make ends meet. Now, her debut album Ultraviolet just came out to great aplomb and she’s one of the big success stories of 2009. If there’s anyone who represents a true Chicago story, it’s Kid Sister.
The much anticipated Ultraviolet, released November 17th on Downtown Records, is everything that could have been expected from Ms. Young. But with people like Kanye West, Estelle, Cee-Lo, and A-Trak helping you along the way, how could it not? Kid Sister shows her diverse style on Ultraviolet and displays her capability of being a sultry songstress to a raucous rhyme-spitting snake in twelve tracks. Following suit of Young’s first single "Pro-Nails", the material on Ultraviolet is like one big dance party with the beats provided by Josh Young (who also provides backing vocals for his older sis) and Curt Cameruci creating a strong back bone to Kid Sister’s lyrics.
Kid Sister is playing at the House of Blues Wednesday, November 25th with Flosstradamus and with Rob Threezy and Green Velvet supporting. The show starts at 6:30 pm and is all ages. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Nothing like a big dance party to work up an appetite for Thanksgiving. — Amy Dittmeier
As you know Califone will be releasing a film early next year called All My Friends Are Funeral Singers and recently released the soundtrack for the film via Dead Oceans. A few months ago we brought you the trailer for the film, and now here is the music video for the song “Funeral Singers” which also features footage from the film.
Poi Dog Pondering "Complicated" from their 1995 album Pomegranate.
This video from Obits is a lot of fun. The only thing we wonder is… was it really necessary to get each band member to sing the song with the head upside down? Wouldn’t have it been easier to turn the camera upside down? If you are planning on having a true Rock’n’Roll New Year’s Eve Party this year, Obits will play at the The Bell Hourse on 12.31.
