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EP Roundup: Spoon; Literature; the Authors; Your Kisses Cause Crashes In our latest roundup of local shortstacks, we check in on three new bands who are offering up their debut EP's, and get a taste of the latest work from on old Austin favorite. Spoon's surprise announcement last week that they would be dropping a new EP called Got Nuffin' apparently caught their spell checkers once more by surprise as well, but hey, we know the feeling. The three tunes aren't much to chew on, but we reckon at least it's sumpin'. Meanwhile, new group Literature, which features some guitar work by Kevin Adickes of Austin Sound favorites Moth! Fight! (where have those guys gone?), throw out their debut. Though more of a demo than official release, there are some good sparks ignited in the rough production. And just because you can't have Literature without The Authors (no matter what Barthes says), we take on their eponymous debut, which seems to go high on the production end, but falters on originality. Also on tap in our roundup, new quartet Your Kisses Cause Crashes get caught in the headlights. [Read More]
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Features

Interview: Balmorhea»


Ever since the release of last year’s stunning Rivers Arms, we’ve heralded Balmorhea as one of the best bands in Austin, a reputation even further enhanced with this spring’s third album, All is Wild, All is Silent. The band, now expanded from the original collaboration between Michael Muller and Rob Lowe to a sextet with strings and percussion, infuses a classical elegance to their compositions that drift between ambient folk and controlled, understated post-rock textures. Balmorhea returned just this week from their first European tour, and we took the opportunity to catch up with Muller, who discussed the concept behind All is Wild, All is Silent, an upcoming remix project of the album coming out later this year through local label Western Vinyl, and the band’s next record, which is already recorded. If you have yet to see Balmohea weave their exceptional sound live, the band’s show this Friday, May 22, at Stubb’s is a must. Locals Pompeii and Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band open.

Live Sound

Pachanga! Fest (Fiesta Gardens - May 30, 09)»


The second annual Pachanga! Fest probably couldn’t have been a much better event. Packed into one day, the Fest cut a broad swath across the Latin Music scene, from radio stars to indie standouts to the most traditional sounds, and was the perfect sampling of the musical landscape whether as long-time followers or uninitiated newcomers. Contributing to the Fest’s success was the beautiful late May Saturday weather and the event’s move from last year’s location at Waterloo Park to the Eastside’s more intimate and accommodating Fiesta Gardens. With two smaller stages alternating on the Park’s east end and the large Pavilion Stage a short, shady foot bridge walk away to the west, the music was constant and more than could be fully absorbed. The Pavilion handled a combination of most of the bigger acts and more traditional sounds (Michael Salgado, the Chris Perez Band, and the sprawling female Mariachi troupe), but the smaller two stages offered up the more intriguing performances of the day (Mexican Institute of Sound, Brownout!, David Garza, Charanga Cakewalk). Altogether, Pachanga! offered 20 bands and one of the best single days of music that Austin has seen in a while.

Sound Off

Sound Off: Los Bad Apples»

There may be no group in Austin right now as suave, sultry, and infectiously grooving as Los Bad Apples. Helmed by Anita Benner with local standout rapper Zeale serving as counterpunch and opposite anchor, the quintet melds smooth R&B and Hip-Hop with jazz and Latin influences and hard driving dance beats. While the Black Eyed Peas are an inevitable point of comparison, as much for LBA’s diversity as their sound, the group’s eclectic vibe feels like a distinctly Austin hybrid, and their backgrounds from classically trained Bossa Nova and jazz, to streetwise rhymes, to Latin pop all come to bear on their recently released, eponymous debut album. Los Bad Apples have already started garnering international acclaim, and have some exciting upcoming collaborations in the works that will likely be bringing them much more attention in the next few months. Catch them while you can this Friday, July 3, at Lambert’s, for a show that will also bring DJ Chicken George back into the LBA fold.


Sound Reviews

EP Roundup: Spoon; Literature; the Authors; Your Kisses Cause Crashes»
In our latest roundup of local shortstacks, we check in on three new bands who are offering up their debut EP's, and get a taste of the latest work from on old Austin favorite. Spoon's surprise announcement last week that they would be dropping a new EP called Got Nuffin' apparently caught their spell checkers once more by surprise as well, but hey, we know the feeling. The three tunes aren't much to chew on, but we reckon at least it's sumpin'. Meanwhile, new group Literature, which features some guitar work by Kevin Adickes of Austin Sound favorites Moth! Fight! (where have those guys gone?), throw out their debut. Though more of a demo than official release, there are some good sparks ignited in the rough production. And just because you can't have Literature without The Authors (no matter what Barthes says), we take on their eponymous debut, which seems to go high on the production end, but falters on originality. Also on tap in our roundup, new quartet Your Kisses Cause Crashes get caught in the headlights.
Monahans - Dim the Aurora (Misra)»
A recent surge of electronic-based independent music has marked an absence of some of the most basic elements of bands. Guitars, drums, bass – once the staples and centerpieces of bands have played second fiddle to the synthesizers and keyboards, which once functioned as little more than the extra bells and whistles to a song. Electro and synth-pop inspired music can be found at every corner, from the underground to the mainstream airwaves. Like all trends, however, the constant barrage of the genre can begin to wear thin. That’s where Monahans step in. Amidst bands with engineered, electric sounds, Monahans’ second album and debut for Misra, Dim the Aurora, takes a back-to-basics sound as simple and secluded as the West Texas sand dunes that the band is named after. Monahans has wholly encompassed the traditional American rock, while simultaneously making it relevant and fresh for a modern music scene.
Coma in Algiers - Your Heart Your Body (SR)»
Reviewing an album isn’t an easy task; sometimes, it seems like reviewing an album is harder and more arduous (or at least time consuming) than writing and recording one. Case in point: Coma in Algiers’ sophomore release, Your Heart Your Body. One of the more established noise rockers in a city more attuned towards country and blues rock, Coma in Algiers is a tough nut to crack, a hard meal to digest, and an acid tab slow to absorb. Keyboardist/vocalist Killshire and keyboardist/bassist/vocalist Archbold’s founding inspirational moment is self described as how the two of them were “listening to the Electric Eels and were full of disgust & joy for their lack of talent” — and it’s hard to know if that’s the Electric Eels lack of talent or Killshire and Archbold’s own self assessment.
Some Say Leland - Fifty Miles Into the Main (SR)»
Some Say Leland’s sophomore album surprises with its subtlety, full of gorgeous tunes and wistful narratives that flow with an easy but unsettled beauty. Despite the release of 2005’s Kings, Bishops, and Pawns, the self-released Fifty Miles Into the Main feels much more like their proper introduction. Since relocating to Austin from Nacogdoches, ssL foundation Dan Grissom has integrated himself into the new local lo-fi roots scene that has sprung up around the Secret Shows, not only with Some Say Leland, but also solo and with the McMercy Family Band. What separates Some Say Leland from those other groups, however, is the quality of the album and intricacy of Grissom’s songwriting, which forgoes the ribald and wild enthusiasm of his contemporaries for more contemplative and controlled ballads. Likewise, Grissom’s solo album from last year, What Was, was promising, but also rushed and somewhat haphazard, so Fifty Miles feels like a true representation of his talent given the tools and time to have it properly developed.