Featured Story
Follow That Bird; Dikes of Holland; Kingdom of Suicide Lovers; The Distant Seconds; The Persimmons (Beerland - Feb. 4, 10)
Night One of the three pack of shows celebrating the release of Casual Victim Pile could not have gone off much better for curator Gerard Cosloy, Matador Records, and – most importantly – the five bands representing the Beerland-centric compilation. Sure, it might have been more reassuring to see their home turf packed with only familiar faces, but no one was complaining that many in the full house were hearing (and enjoying) the tunes for the first time. Blasting out five tight, blistering sets on a chilly evening, The Persimmons, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom of Suicide Lovers, Dikes of Holland and Follow That Bird generally did their fans, friends, and the Austin underground proud. [Read More]
Features
Follow That Bird; Dikes of Holland; Kingdom of Suicide Lovers; The Distant Seconds; The Persimmons (Beerland - Feb. 4, 10)»
Night One of the three pack of shows celebrating the release of Casual Victim Pile could not have gone off much better for curator Gerard Cosloy, Matador Records, and – most importantly – the five bands representing the Beerland-centric compilation. Sure, it might have been more reassuring to see their home turf packed with only familiar faces, but no one was complaining that many in the full house were hearing (and enjoying) the tunes for the first time. Blasting out five tight, blistering sets on a chilly evening, The Persimmons, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom of Suicide Lovers, Dikes of Holland and Follow That Bird generally did their fans, friends, and the Austin underground proud.
Sound Off
Sound Off: Woven Bones»Woven Bones are all about rhythm - a hard driving, insistent pummeling of percussive backbone propelling the unholy fuzz and scrawl of guitar and bass from Andrew Burr and Matthew Nichols. With an intensity that leaps from the Cramps and Stooges fury to the intimidating and hazy barrage of Primal Scream and the Jesus and Mary Chain, the band is finally prepping the release of their debut LP for this summer. But already behind the release of three vinyl singles and an EP, as well as the incomparable surge of sound at their live shows, Woven Bones have emerged over the past year as one of Austin’s most promising bands about to break out of the gritty Red River garage scene. That reputation will be further advanced this weekend as they help celebrate the release of Matador Records’ Austin compilation, Casual Victim Pile, with a three night, 17-band stand at Beerland. Woven Bones plays Friday, February 5 alongside Wild America, The Young, The Fleshlights, Elvis, and the No No No Hopes, but the party kicks off on Thursday night and continues through Saturday.
Sound Reviews
Candi and the Strangers - Candi and the Strangers (SR)» It’s startling to hear a band so decided in their sound on a first album. You expect them to be scattered and unsure of themselves — to have almost unwittingly stumbled upon something to be perfected in future albums. But Candi and the Strangers self-titled debut LP seems to have such an assured character already. There’s something intentionally seductive layered into Candy and the Strangers LP - a permeation of sex into dark, driving, indie-rock, which makes for good listening by principle (think of the successes of international act the XX, or the awkwardly erotic phonetics of Nico with the Velvet Underground.) A little tension is good, and Candi and the Strangers seem to revel in the fusing of dark, bedroom-style synth-pop with breathy, subdued, near-hypnotic female vocals.
The Laughing - Fever (SR)» Despite their frequent label of jungle-pop, the Laughing has all the makings of a progressive rock band. At their core, there is heavy percussion passively aided by keyboard and able bass, and, most importantly, a strong lead guitar that frequently digresses into guitar rants typical of the genre. Separated from this often doomed-from-the-start formula of normalcy is the jungle elements that throw them loosely under the label of “tropical”. Although it can be taken too far at times, the local quartet's first full-length album, Fever, is a jungle playground that is neatly executed with a dangerously typical backing.
Ola Podrida - Belly of the Lion (Western Vinyl)» Sorry old elementary school adage, but sometimes you can judge books by their cover, or in this case, an album. The cover for Ola Podrida's Belly of the Lion, with its silhouetted figure half standing out in the waning sunlight, half blending into the flat Texas landscape, suggests a number of the isolating themes and sharp dynamics held within these otherwise soft layers of instruments and nonthreatening vocals. It's a fitting image, too, as Ola Podrida's sophomore album and debut on local label Western Vinyl also presents the return of David Wingo to Texas after time the songwriter spent in New York.
