I’ve had this record, Exploding Head, in my dirty grimy paws for months now, and each time I put it on for listen, it reveals something more mystical and intriguing than the previous spin. The drive home tonight with “Ego Death” playing on the stereo, accompanied by the 3/4 moon all dark yellow and jaundice looking,  hanging low on the horizon and peeking through the low tree branches and power lines, felt the soundtrack of someone’s life, possibly my own.

The album is appropriately titled Exploding Head, and if you have ever been to a live show of A Place to Bury Strangers you would understand how relevant that is. The band will bring it’s beautiful destructive dissonance to the Parish next month performing opening duties for The Big Pink.  A visual and auditory assault is in-store for those scampering in early for the Euro pop-synth sounds of The Big Pink, and “Dominos” will fall…

I chatted with Oliver from APTBS awhile back..

A Place to Bury Strangers and The Big Pink @ The Parish 4/8 Tickets

MP3> A Place to Bury Strangers ‘Ego Death’

The reunion story of the year (technically last year), if you haven’t caught wind of it yet, is Pavement. The 90’s art-rock, indie/alternative band that influenced many a band you have spinning on your iPod these days are doing what all the “cool” kids do these days. A year full of tour dates including some essential festival stops will be accompanied by the release of  the best of Pavement album titled Quarantine The Past. Now, I’m not usually one that recommends “best of” albums, but the band has a pretty lengthy catalog of material, and being the creative edgy art rockers that they were, it would take a bit of work to sort through some of the material that at some times can test the listener. The band’s label Matador has compiled a pretty comprehensive collection of tracks from the band, that really does capture the “best of” Pavement.

Quarantine The Past sees release on March 9th, and is well worth the time it takes to make your way through the 23 tracks on the album. Have I mentioned yet, that Pavement is one of my favorite bands of all time? Yepper, I dig these kids.

The remastered “Gold Soundz”

MP3> Pavement ‘Gold Soundz’

Tour dates as of now: Read more

What do us Americans need most in times when the economy and employment are in the crapper? French pop music of course via Phoenix! Alternative (Pop) Music according to the Grammys. Alternative to what?

They wowed us @ ACL 2009, and recently @ LaZona Rosa, and are coming back for more Austin love.

April 29th @ Stubbs

It’s a short tour with some festival dates. Read more

It’s was cold and wet, and in Austin and for most of us who live a glutenous life of live music opportunities on a 7 day diet, it might be an easy excuse to not go out on a Thursday night. For the few, and what I would imagine to be committed fans, that did venture to Stubb’s last night, a performance that many of us scour the dirty venues in the dark of night 365 days a year, took place.  Alan Sparhawk has made his reputation crafting music that challenges the listener with a tempo and simple structure that works against what most find listenable. He’s most know for his project Low. What Sparhawk has achieved with his newest formation Retribution Gospel Choir is quite the contradiction.  Rich lyrically and pushing the sonic envelope with his guitar skills, Sparhawk along with Steve Garrington on bass and Eric Pollard on drums delivered what was one of the most impressive live performances that I have seen in years. For an artist that has a catalog that runs so deep, Sparhawk seems fueled and possessed by his lyrics, living every note and every line as passionately as the minute that you would think that each came to him.

And to top it off, after the blistering performance that Sparhawk delivered, he directly went into business mode, selling merch from the side of the stage. You wanna make a living playing music? Take a lesson from this man…..

And catch this band on tour…… Read more

With the sophomore release appropriately titled 2, the Alan Sparhawk (Low) fronted Retribution Gospel Choir channel their inner sonic guitar child and let loose a series of songs that you feel Sparhawk has been itching to set free. From the 43 sec guitar thrash of  ‘68 Comeback”, to the anthemic “Working Hard”, and the closing prayer “Bless Us All”, 2 covers a lot of solid ground in a mere 33.8 minutes.

Retribution Gospel Choir return to Stubb’s on Thur night 2.11 with the new songs in tow, and a show that is surely to only breathe more life and meaning into them. Bless us all.

Buy Tickets HERE. 8 bucks early or 10 for procrastinators

MP3> Retribution Gospel Choir ‘Poor Man’s Daughter’

As if music geeks in Austin don’t have a full plate in March with SXSW and various other shows happening, The Flaming Lips add another event to the calendar on March 12th at the Austin Music Hall.

No one else does furries, confetti, fake blood, and tripped out music like the guys from Oklahoma, and you can bet that this show will be an event to remember. Chances are that tickets will move quickly.

On sale this Saturday Jan 30th @ 10 a.m. HERE

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

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….

If A Place To Bury Strangers haven’t been influenced by early Cure, then the bass line on this track is a weird coincidence. One of my favorite songs off of the 2009 release Exploding Head, while the recording as a whole pretty much rules. The band makes a stop here in Austin @ The Parish, performing opening duties for the big bombastic Brit sounds of The Big Pink. That show takes place April 8th.

A few shots of frontman Oliver Ackerman working away at his other full-time gig, his own Death By Audio guitar pedal factory.

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

It’s absolutely official..I have become slightly obsessed with this band. There are so many elements to the sound and the look that are so appealing. Many elements of 80’s indie ala Cure and Cocteau Twins with a dash of psych, and looks that kill.

Warpaint will be in town opening for Akron Family on Feb 24th @ the newly remodeled Parish, and of course SXSW dates will be surfacing soon as well. Get on the Warpaint train as it’s going for a long ride in 2010…

Video for “Elephants” (thanks to Ultra8201 for the heads up)

Denton’s Midlake have been keeping us all at bay for what seems wayyyy toooo long since they dazzled and wooed us with the old world adventures on the 2006 release The Trials of Van Occupanther. The band’s forthcoming release, which is easily one of the most anticipated releases in the already promising music year of 2010, The Courage Of Others is quietly revealing itself. The “Acts of Man”/”Rulers, Ruling All Things” limited edition 12″ is out today, and you can stream both songs over @ The Hype Machine.

Both songs sound amazing as expected, yet not quite as strayed from the The Trials of Van Occupanther as I was expecting.

The band has also released a string of tour dates, which unfortunately doesn’t have an Austin appearance yet listed. I say yet, because if they don’t make an appearance here soon, heads will roll.

Dates after the jump…. Read more

A Place to Bury Strangers

So, the show isn’t happening until March of 2010, but A Place To Bury Strangers @ The Parish is a show that you should mark down on your calender now. The last appearance in town, albeit always enjoyable to see the band, was a bit of bust as a result of having to play inside @ Mohawk because of rain. I’m just now familiarizing myself with the United Kingdom outfit called The Big Pink, but they are stirring the buzz pot here in the states after just completing their first North American tour, and with the Sept 2009 release A Brief History of Love on the 4AD label. You know I love me some 4AD..don’t you?

If you were hoping to catch either band @ SXSW 2010, the chances might be slim with a performance scheduled so close, and the tour ending on the 4/15. Don’t miss the opportunity.

The Big Pink w/A Place to Bury Strangers @ The Parish 4/08/10. Advance tickets on sale 12/12/09 right HERE

MP3> A Place To Bury Strangers ‘In Your Heart’

MP3> The Big Pink ‘Velvet’

And pardon me for just a second, but..HOW in the HELL is this @ 101x show??!!?? They don’t play the cool music but they want to put their grubby hands all over the shows?? Play some A Place To Bury Strangers guys!! And not just on the Next Big Thing.. stop playing the Toadies for crying out loud and get with the program. (for the record, I have nothing against the Toadies, other than the fact that are borderline Classic Rock at this point). Actually I don’t listen to 101x enough to know that they don’t play A Place To Bury Strangers, but I would be willing to bet…..

The Big Pink w/ A Place To Bury Strangers Spring Tour dates Read more

I love the cycle of discovering new music. It seems when I really am craving something new and interesting, it’s a barren desert of a musical landscape I find myself scouring, and when I’m not really paying attention, I get slapped up aside the head with tiny little gems of sweet sounds. One of the most recent sweet sounds I’ve come across is the mostly female outfit Warpaint, based in Los Angeles. The bands originally self released debut EP Exquisite Corpse was re-released on this past October on Manimal Vinyl, and the band has recently signed with Rough Trade Records.

Warpaint and Exquisite Corpse sound a bit darker than what you get from this foursome. It’s delicate echo and reverb drenched pop psychedelia, that at times reminds me of some early Cocteau Twins. Something in the vocal delivery I’m feeling. Song titles like Elephants, Beetles, Stars, and Burgundy are found on this debut EP which I highly recommend.

In a time when the music scene is mostly dominated by Prozac junkie, slag, watered down versions of The Arcade Fire, Warpaint are a welcomed soft glow of feminine comfort.

The band will be hitting the road with Akron Family early 2010 and finds the Parish stage here in Austin Feb 24th. You know who will be there….

MP3> Warpaint ‘Elephants’

The debut recording from the California band Girls titled Album is curious enough in itself with a very lo-fi feel, sometimes a bit psychedelic and sometimes a bit Beach Boys’ish, but the story of band member Christopher Owens is even more interesting. Click on the link found on the band’s myspace page to take you to the “official” website and you land on a pill identification website?

Check out the curiosity for yourself at the Parish here in Austin on January 29th. It’s a ways away, but mark your calendars now, as it might be one of those quiet successes.

Tickets on sale Sat 11/14 @ Frontgate Tickets

MP3> Girls ‘Laura’