Austin Sound

Extending a thanks to Fun Fun Fun Fest for “making it summer again,” Brooklyn-based noise rockers Parts & Labor (one of our recommended bands for Saturday) hurtled into a set that brought their glorious melodies and howling noise-stylings to bear. Keyboardist/Electrician Dan Friel hovered over a pile of effects boxes creating sweet sine waves and [...]

After the warm-up round, compliments of The Austinist, it’s time we get on to the two-day main course of Fun Fun Fun Fest. With two whole days spread across four stages, the festival boasts a wide variety of talent both local and national. Here we have a few picks for Sunday to get you started.

On Friday night, in an effort to warm up the crowd from the main event this weekend, the Austinist hosts their sixth “Local Music Is Sexy” at the Mohawk and, if we may say so, we think this one may be the sexiest yet. How do we know? Let’s count the reasons…

After the warm-up round, compliments of The Austinist, it’s time we get on to the two-day main course of Fun Fun Fun Fest. With two whole days spread across four stages, the festival boasts a wide variety of talent both local and national. Here we have a few picks for Saturday to get you started.

“If time was a river you wear like a sleeve, it’s sewn with a thread of hope so short you’d hardly believe,” sings Shawn Jones, a faint hint of sarcasm in his voice, though not enough to overcome the imagery of the phrase itself. Jones may very well be the thread that holds in the loose stitching of the album’s conflicting themes – everything from Pulling Up Floors-style emotional confessions to dark cynical humor – but also incorporates that small but distinct glimmer of “hope.” The space of the full-length allows the themes and instrumentation that were so densely crammed into the Lovely Sparrows debut Pulling Up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint EP to diffuse and develop more distinctly, though hardly in isolation. The album is Jones at his best, refusing to allow his listeners to take his heart’s complaints too seriously, but reminding us behind every good joke is a stark reality.

Humor me as I get in at least one good metaphor before the real “criticism” kicks in: the Okkervil River “leftover album” concept is a lot like Thanksgiving Dinner. After feasting on any number of delicious Pilgrim-themed foodstuffs, the average American spends a good week and a half eating cold turkey sandwiches every day for lunch because, no, even a solid party of 10 couldn’t finish off that forty-pound turkey. This is colloquially known (at least in my family) as the “leftover principle”; essentially, a tasty turkey yields a tasty week of lunch meat, same as a brilliant album yields equally brilliant leftovers, even they aren’t quite as good as when they were hot out of the oven. To put it even more bluntly, if you liked The Stage Names, you’ll probably like The Stand Ins.

It seems most Austin bands know that the best way to escape the summer heat is to shack up in a climate-controlled studio all summer long. Or at least that’s the impression we get with the number of new releases coming up in the next month. We start this week with new material from The Lemurs, who will be unveiling their new album Million Little Bits Saturday at the Mohawk along with Belaire, Pink Nasty and Low Line Caller (whose own new material is due out soon). Don’t miss Friday night at the Beauty Bar where the now-controversial Boxing Lesson play along with The Story Of and The Calm Blue Sea (whose new LP we just got a whiff of). Oh, and don’t be afraid to drop a few extra bucks on Lone Star this weekend because Red 7’s got your back with a free show Sunday night featuring Muchos Backflips, Opposite Day and La Snacks (who also have new material in the works for next month). Let’s start the show.

It’s taken Shawn Jones of The Lovely Sparrows nearly two years to craft an album worthy of following up the EP that completely redefined the band’s sound in 2006, Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint. The new album, titled Bury The Cynics, is more expansive, both musically and lyrically, than its predecessor, but its writing was marred by its own set of problems, including the theft of a laptop containing most of the demos. Now on the brink of the album’s release, we sat down with Shawn Jones to talk about the new album, the state of the band, his view on the local scene, hipsters, swing music and, most importantly, to reprimand him for his lengthy absence.

If local thrift stores selling old pearl snaps along side vintage instruments wasn’t enough to convince you that Austin might be a town that values a “revival” spirit, the Jungle Rockers might be the kick in the 40-year-old Levis you need. In fact, the new EP by the Jungle Rockers, which follows in the footsteps of last year’s eponymous debut, would be more at home on the shelves of one of a hundred “vintage” stores, or perhaps even your dad’s record collection, than next to most new music today. While venturing into the same territory as thousands of garage bands across America, the Jungle Rockers recreate a bygone era with striking success; but whether or not mere revival of the classics is cause for celebration hinges on a simple question you should probably ask yourself: Am I looking for one hell of a rockin’ good time?

Hello Lovers is one of the most unique groups in Austin. Behind John King’s volatile, swooning moans that pitch in gritty, operatic swells atop lush strings, Hello Lovers melds Antony’s passionate croon with Scott Walker’s dark orchestral visions, cut with a southern flair. Last year’s debut EP, Vanity Fair, was an unsettling yet graceful baroque construction, and their new full-length, Gone With the Wind, proves even more impressive as the group has come together into a dramatic force of strings and piano. Hello Lovers will be releasing the CD this Thursday, July 17 at the Mohawk, and we spoke to the band about the origins of their stunning sound and the making of the new album.