Austin Sound

By year’s end, Austin will have boasted an impressive number of singles. Credit the the downturn of the economy, the upturn of vinyl, or the changing culture of Mp3s and singles, the result has been a boon for short-stack lovers. No doubt, however, that these four recent vinyl releases serve as a nice capstone for local one-offs this year, with Follow That Bird and the Sour Notes both offering up excellent follow ups to debuts that appeared in the past year, and the much anticipated new project of Sound Team’s Matt Oliver, TV Torso, delivering a double shot of 7″ vinyl as a debut. As indicators of what might be around the bend with bigger releases for each band, all of the efforts suggest next 2010 will be a good year for local music.

TV Torso: “Days of Being Wild b/w I Can See Your Face”; “The Black Mask” b/w “The Eye in the Pyramid” (SR)

The new project of Sound Team-ers Matt Oliver and Jordan Johns, along with bassist Austin Leonard Jones, TV Torso dropped two singles this fall that suggests the splinter of the ST outfit may have bloomed productively for the local music scene. While Bill Baird’s Sunset has matured over the past several years, frontman Oliver has plotted a more calculated course. His new trio, formerly dubbed the Minotaurs, is an impressively coherent and directed project, especially against the inevitable comparisons to Baird’s sprawling and ever-evolving Sunset. For all the promise of the band, though, it doesn’t quite emerge full force on these two 7-inchers. Oliver’s voice carries a scratchy hew that immediately recalls Britt Daniel, and it’s easy to anticipate the band eventually showcasing Spoon-like brilliance, even if not quite there yet. “Days of Being Wild” b/w “I Can See Your Face” is the poppier of the two singles, the A-side punctuated by jumpy horns and intermittent shots of scarred guitar atop the steady drums. B-Side “I Can See Your Face,” rocks harder, touring into Sixties psych-rips with a push and pull that races and collapses through a rough mix. Its dark-covered counterpart – “The Black Mask” b/w “The Eye in the Pyramid” - cruises more smoothly on the front, but with a much darker and unsettling vibe to spite Oliver’s calmer croon. He sounds almost resigned though “The Black Mask,” harmonies lingering out amid the swell even as they get buried in the beat. But “The Eye in the Pyramid” proves by far the most polished, the minimal backing allowing Oliver’s lyrics to push to the fore. While the double debut teaser is still rough around the edges, as a taste of what an LP might showcase, Oliver and TV Torso show amazing promise.

Website:
www.tvtorso.com

The Sour Notes – “Never Mix Never Worry” b/w “Rose Puzzles” (SR)

Local quartet The Sour Notes have highlighted pitch-perfect pop tunes across two excellent albums – last year’s The Meat of the Fruit EP and this year’s debut LP, Received in Bitterness. Their new 7” only pushes that credit further, but dips into some expertly and unexpectedly heavier territory. A-Side “Never Mix Never Worry” announces those intentions with the immediate pummel of the chorus, the hard-lined pop bounce that opens to match Jared Boulanger’s high-hitting trill at first subtly meshed with a slant of distortion, which then ricochets full force. The teasing build ultimately explodes, but never loses its melodic center even in the wave of climax. “Rose Puzzles” falls much more in line with the group’s established sound, the pull of Boulanger’s sweetly tortured vocals leading the tune. Yet even here, the band turns up the pulse in release with the lyrics - “Where no roles confine us, Where no laws define us” – surging to the guitar barrage close. With yet another new album ready to drop next January, The Sour Notes remain one of the brightest, and probably most under-appreciated, groups in town.

Websites:
www.thesournotes.com
Myspace

Follow That Bird – “I Want You to Know” (Monofonus Press)

Following on the heals of this year’s debut eponymous EP, Follow That Bird’s new one-sider 10-inch offering from Monofonus Press picks the best pieces of the previous release and gestures to a band that has finally found its own formula and sound. While the touches of Sleater-Kinney, Karen O, and a little Patti Smith still run around the edges, the three songs on the latest effort settles itself marvelously. Lauren Green can still wail like a banshee possessed, trembling and contorting in vocally vicious cuts, as on the opening title cut, but there is a confidence evident here that allows her to calm the effectiveness as well. Part of this is simply the trio’s better all-around movement – Tiffanie Lanmon capable of keeping a steady surge behind that kit that proves equally dramatic when needed, and bassist Mitchell Tellstrom leading a heavy bass rhythm that allows Green to maneuver marvelously on guitar. The balance between Green’s almost lethargic, day-dreaming and reflective vocals with her moments of all-out catharsis especially comes to full fruition on “Where They Rest.” If there is one lingering piece of the puzzle that FTB still needs to find, it’s a counterpart to Green on vocals, even if simply some shading harmony. Her voice is so intense that even after only three tunes, it’s almost too acute to sustain for the listener, and even at her most vocally reserved, she draws contains an encompassing presence and fervor.

Website:
Myspace