Austin Sound

No matter how hard we try to deny or hide it, Texans have an accent. Not everyone’s is obvious in everyday speech, but after a few beers the twang starts to become more pronounced and difficult to ignore. And it doesn’t take long for that accent to take hold upon adopting the state either. Such is the case of singer-songwriter Claire Small. The Austin-by-way-of Nashville songwriter’s sophomore full-length, How Do You Like Love?, would be mislabeled under country, as her ambient folk-rock influences contradict the traditional structure too openly. Still, throughout Small’s dreamy LP is the presence of elements like honky-tonk electric organ that allow her pop-inflections to fluctuate from light country shadings to full-blown country homages.

Claire Small seems to epitomize the Austin influence, that ideal of bringing both flower children and cowboys together to shake hands on neutral ground.

Love songs are perhaps the most prevalent staple in music. The sometimes too obvious subject has produced some of the greatest (and worst) songs of all time, driving many great artists’ catalogues. Still, love songs can easily toe the line between endearing and cheesy. The thought of a syrupy, six-song EP could automatically bar some listeners, but to it’s credit, Quiet Company’s Songs For Staying In isn’t a late night infomercial holdover compilation of yesteryear love songs. The EP bends the usual parameters, avoiding clichés both lyrically and musically in their sophomore release. Although the songs flirt with the typical, Quiet Company’s smart composition and variance gives a fresh take on a timeless topic.

Quiet Company never fully embraces the prototypical sunshiney romance in Songs For Staying In. Rather than violins and crooning or gleeful adorations, the songs’ tone is less fussy.

Even the first second of the Paper Shapes’ debut, Shape Invasion, is a full-force wall of sound. Without warning or introduction guitars and bass sweep in for a non-stop frenzy for the entirety of the short EP, which falls under 15 minutes. Jaw-dropping, swift bass and guitar lines tangle together for an unrelenting solidity. The band’s talent is undeniable, it takes deft fingers to keep pace of the Paper Shapes’ guitar and bass, even if a lack of fresh elements give the EP a déjà vu feel.

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.

Texans take their country seriously, but in times when any pop song sung with an accent is labeled as country, there seems little left for enthusiasts of the genre. There still remains, however, a specific, unmistakable brand of the genre that belongs exclusively to the southwest. Laden with lap-steel guitar cries and lonesome harmonicas, the sound has become synonymous with Texas. When Frank Smith (“a band, not an artist,” as the boys proudly proclaim on their website and Myspace) relocated to Texas from Boston, they came with open eyes, and, most importantly, ears. Their fifth release, Big Strike in Silver City, is the culmination of the band’s two years spent in Austin and seals their initiation into Texas culture.

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.

Giving standard alternative rock a dramatic flair, Loxsly obviously marches to the beat of their own drum, but the quirky antics of Loxsly’s first two albums have garnered plenty attention from both musical connoisseurs and more sensitive ears. These part-time experimentalists/ part-time pop musicians blend the unexplored with the overdone. Drawing frequent comparisons to The Flaming Lips, the local quintet had all the symptoms of becoming another predictably unpredictable band, but their latest release, Tomorrow’s Fossils, still masters the element of surprise. The elegant piano styling and the sweet, unassuming voice of Cody Grounds provide the initial draw and hook into the Loxsly experience, serving as the fuel to get listeners through even the most bizarre musical tangents that the band goes on, though even Grounds cannot salvage some of the compositions from the shaky grounds that their experimentalism sets.

The music of seamen and pirates is usually equated with rambunctious drinking songs. Jigs, rum and an overly energetic accordion player are what come to mind to accompany men who spend their time isolated on the ocean. Austin’s the Able Sea is not recalling these typical slovenly mariners. As indicated by the name, this three-piece band writes of the wandering souls of the ocean, and an essay included with the album, without directly doing so, instructs listeners to imagine lonely seamen bobbing among the waves. Yet these are not the rowdy pirates the Flogging Molly sings of, but rather what pirates would have been like if they had psychedelic drugs. The Able Sea’s self-titled debut is nine songs of drifting, sleepy pop with a ‘60s twang. Although the album as a whole is effortlessly smooth and all but melts out of the speakers, individual songs fail to leave much of an impression.

After emo music received its first whiff of cultural significance, the genre was blacklisted by music purists. Pioneers like Sunny Day Real Estate opened the door for pop-emo acts that brought a new brand of angst rock on to the mainstream stage. Hundreds of DIY bands came after, following a cookie cutter sound that traded the original intentions of emotional expression for a fashion statement. Since then, aside from those holding Hot Topic frequent buyer cards, any “emo” has been dismissed by underground audiences. At first listen, Pompeii sounds like just another product of the post-mainstream emo movement. This band, however, deserves a closer look. Pompeii’s solid debut, Assembly, gained them critical acclaim, and left the doors open for judgment on their next move. And their sophomore LP, Nothing Happens for a Reason, does not disappoint. Pompeii channels Sunny Day Real Estate, combining it with just the right amount of indie rock to draw in emo skeptics. While the songs are often long winded and predictable, the smart warmth of a cellist pulls this band ahead of the pack.

After releasing two much celebrated full length albums, Golden Bear has come out with their first release in over a year, much to the delight of an ever growing audience left enchanted by the five-piece band. With new bass player Austin Jenkins, Golden Bear offers up Everest, the new digital EP. The sound delivers an often times fuzzy guitar, the delightfully unsure voice of lead singer Chris “Grizzle” Gregory, and the steady tinkling of keyboards that has served as the backbone for this super-group. This five-song collection, highlighting the continual progress of the band, gives longtime fans the same sense of pride one has when watching their best friend’s high school band - providing that your best friend is immensely talented. As for Golden Bear newcomers, prepare to be charmed.