Have Spoon made one of the most important records of their career? Transference is a deliberate shift in direction in regards to sound, and for many of us a welcomed shift. Sorry guys, but Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga in all of its slick, commercial ready glory was lost on this guy.

A simple video for “Written In Reverse”

Man, I’ve gotten lazy with writing lately…..

The Black Angels and Reverberation Appreciation Society have announced the location and dates for the 3rd installment of Austin Psych Fest.

Lineup is still pending announcement, but you can mark your calender for April 23rd, 24th, and 25th and set your sites on The Mohawk.

The Austin Psych Fest 2 DVD was recently released, featuring performances by A Place To Bury Strangers, Dead Meadow, Golden Animals, Wooden Shjips, and more. You can purchase HERE.

Our good friends over at the fine Austin music blog Ultra8201.com are celebrating 4 years with a little style. The poster says it all. Come out for some fine entertainment, a lively crowd, and some good times with a few friends.

Shearwater have established themselves as a band who make beautiful music that is more cerebral and less inviting upon first listen, but always delivers upon time committed. The third release from the band The Golden Archipelago is already being pitched as “not an easy or immediate record”, confirming that the band is staying true to the musical path that they have chosen.

The Golden Archipelago is set for release digitally on Feb 16th and will see physical, both shiny and waxy, on Feb 23rd.

Released MP3 from upcoming album

MP3> Shearwater ‘Black Eye’

Shearwater tour dates Read more

The fine folks over at Austin Sound have stirred up some s*** in the music media scene with a recent blog post. Seems some were quick to jump into the fray without thinking through what they had actually read.  Honesty is always the best policy, so says my mother…

Pillow Queens Pack It In Tomorrow Night (And An Open Letter to Patrick Caldwell)

Spoon. If you don’t know who they are by now…..well, I wouldn’t know how to respond to that exactly.

The band is set to release it’s newest offering, and it’s first self-produced, titled Transference on Jan 19th. You can stream the entire album currently @ NPR’s “Exclusive First Listen”, which I’m doing right now. If you are looking for an album that is going to follow closely in the footsteps of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, you might be a bit surprised. Britt Daniel and Co return to the sound that established the band as one of the more original and creative indie band’s over the past 15 years. A bit raw and crafty in timing, while holding on to some of the stylistic songwriting that Daniel has achieved over the years. Upon first listen..Bravo!

In another collaboration with NPR, Spoon will play Stubb’s on March 17th as part of the station’s SXSW coverage.

More Spoon news to surface soon, I would suspect….

Matador Record’s and current Austin resident, Gerard Cosloy has pieced together a compilation of Austin artists and their songs to be released on Jan 26th. Casual Victim Pile seems a likely title taking into consideration Cosloy’s loss last year when his Austin home burned to the ground. In addition to the release, Matador, WOXY, and The Austinist have put together a string of shows featuring artists from the recording.

The track from a band currently on my radar, Follow That Bird!

MP3> Follow That Bird! ‘The Ghosts That Wake You’

Cosloy’s own words in regards to the release and show(s) details after the… Read more

Lions live

Being the “Live Music Capital” of the world, the perpetual buzz of bands taking to the stage only comes to a subdued hum for a couple of weeks each year as the holiday season sets on the city, only to roar out of its slumber on Jan 1st when the annual Free Week begins. For those not familiar with Free Week, it’s like  a mini SXSW, but for locals only. A giant celebration of Austin bands and music taking place in a handful of venues mostly around the Red River strip, for a little more than a week actually, and for..free. That would be 10 days of some of the best local music in some of your favorite venues, all within a short walk of each other, at no cost to you.

Graham Williams began Free Week about 6 years ago when he was with Emo’s, and carried on the tradition when he started up his own Transmission Entertainment which books The Mohawk, Red 7, and Club De Ville. The tradition has since grown legs and spread to include several other venues around town, with the newest editions for 2010 including Stubb’s Jr and The Parish. While not all venues are planning shows for every day of Free Week, Emo’s and The Transmission Entertainment venues and Emo’s both have their schedules full for most of the 10 days providing plenty of opportunity to take advantage of this generous offer. With much time spent on catching as much as possible of the constant stream of touring acts, Free Week presents the perfect opportunity to catch up on the rich offerings in local talent.

Some notables that are on my list for the week:

Lions @ Mohawk (outside)  Sat 1.2 – c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, get your party metal on!!

Harlem @ Emos (outside) Sat 1.2 – Pill poppin junked out garage rock that took Austin by storm in 2009, and made the face of Busted.

Brazos @ Mohawk (outside) Thur 1.7 – Martin Crane and Co. quietly remain on the lips and minds of many with the latest release Phosphorescent Blues.

Mothfight! @ Emos (inside) Thur 1.7 – Arcade Fire spawned a new attention to bands with many instruments and just as many players slowly edging out guitar fronted rock than many of us still love. You just might be a fan.

T-Bird And The Breaks @ Mohawk (outside) Sat 1.9 – Black Joe Lewis might be the reigning king of bluesy rock inspiring ass shakin, but T-Bird And The Breaks are just as inspiring and the band has it’s pretty face as well. Lady singers always help.

UME @ Emo’s (inside) Fri 1.8 – If you missed their Mohawk performance early during Free Week, and speaking of guitar rock. Get there early for a bill full of 2010 hopefuls with The White White Lights,The Authors, and Speak. Get there really early for the bluesy punk of Follow That Bird playing the first slot on the outside stage.

And there’s a ton more of great stuff to see during Free Week….Give it a whirl, it’s free!

Spoon’s upcoming release Transference has much of us chompin at the bit in anticipation of it’s early 2010 appearance, compliments of the released track “Written In Reverse”.  A return to a sound that might be more reminiscent of a younger Britt Daniel at work? January will tell all soon enough.

In the meantime, some video cut of the Spoon boys behind the scene and behind the music with Howie Weinberg…

Eagerly awaiting more news about the pending 3rd installment of Austin’s Psych Fest? Satisfy your psych needs and take a trip down memory lane this Saturday Dec 19th with a special screening of Psych Fest 2 DVD produced and directed by Alta Real Pictures Oswald James, @ The Mohawk. The movie shows @ 8 p.m. and will be available for purchase on premise as well. Live music as well and it wouldn’t be a Psych Fest event without mind altering visuals. See poster for more deets…

Bloggers, bloggers, bloggers….blahgers. It’s a bloggers week this week in Austin, starting with the Bleet-up on Thursday night, and the official Fun Fun Fun Fest kickoff on Friday night with After The Jump followed by Local Music Is Sexy. If you’re a music nerd and are thinking about, or have a music blog, or think you have a relevant opinion about music, these are two events I expect to see your pretty little face attending.

After The Jump is a panel discussion featuring notables from Spin, Aquarium Drunkard, Idolator, My Old Kentucky Blog, Billboard, and Austin American Statesman (?) hosted by Austin’s own lovely and talented Paige Maquire. The topic? The ever thinning line between mainstream and media. Panel starts @ 5:30 and then @ 8 the music starts. Lineup on the poster, and it’s some of the best local indie rock our town has to offer. Do I see The Authors in that lineup? Nice.

Spoon have a new record coming out in January, much to the delight of Spoon fans around the world. January 26th is the date that the newly recorded material drops legally.

Britt Daniel has posted on the Myspace about the new album:

This is the first record we’ve made without a producer or heavy of any kind and I don’t know for sure because I’ll never hear this record in the same way that someone who didn’t make it will, but I think you can tell it. When I listen to it I think, hey, that’s how I woulda done it! Which is really what you wanna to hear from a band, isn’t it? This one is pure Spoon. For better or worse and all of it.

The following track cuts off a bit early before the ending, and is reported to be track 3 off of the upcoming release Transference. And it probably won’t last long, so check it while you can.

MP3> Spoon ‘The Mystery Zone’ (requested to be removed by Merge)

Do people really want to meet the Austin bloggers? Or is it just another excuse for us bloggers to get together and stroke our own egos? Maybe it’s just a cool party with some fun treats and some good music. Either way, I would suggest that you check it out. It’s a great way to kick off the Fun Fun Fun Fest weekend!

First 50 people will receive a FREE Lonestar and a swag bag filled with goodies, including a $50 coupon to the spa at Four Seasons.

RSVP @ the Do512.com

And look..Sad Accordions are playing! Sweeeet!

Tonite, Friday Nov 30th, Austin’s own Black Angels descend on The Mohawk, to spin their unique style of drone-n-roll, and if you don’t know what that is, do yourself this favor, and go. The band plays few shows around town, so this a special opportunity.

Aside from the Psych Fest 3 preparation, and their legal woes, I hope that there’s newly recorded material on the horizon. I’m sure that there will new tunes tonight.

Friday Nov 30th: The Black Angels, Kurt Vile, and Shapes Have Fangs

Mohawk: 10 p.m.  Tickets

MP3> The Black Angels ‘You On The Run’

Not only is it a great cause to contribute to, but the lineup is friggin sweeet! Port O’ Brien was a welcomed discovery this past year @ SXSW 2009, as the live show was a huge exclamation point to the music.

On the inside stage @ Emo’s

Sea Wolf – 11:30

Ben Kweller – 10:30

Port O’ Brien – 9:30

Sara Luv – 8:45

Tickets

Read more about the Pablove Foundation and the Pablove Across America trek @ Pablove.org

MP3> Port O’ Brien ‘Stuck On A Boat’