Austin Sound

Black Nasty has returned! Mothers, lock up your children, hide the animals, and file your police reports early. Nothing is safe from the verbal abuse spit from the white Austin rapper known for his shockingly brash humor peppered with the right bit of intolerance and teenage dick and fart jokes. Black Nasty’s newest record, Shark Tank follows in the same footsteps of his premier release, Aids Can’t Stop Me, but with vast improvements. Touting a list of indie rock’s elite, Shark Tank is a crude and over-sexed romp through the mind of a sick and twisted individual.

Who knew Alt. Country was still around? I thought the genre had died out almost as quickly as it came in. Austin based San Saba County is setting new roots in the Alt. Country family tree, though. Branching from their obvious Uncle Tupelo influence, lead singer John Saba’s Farrar-esque growl tackles the pain of memory and redemption in their third release …Though Cheating was Never and Option. Most Alt. Country records obviously lend themselves to heartache, frustration, or nights of heavy drinking, but Cheating breathes new life into these old conventions. Still staying true to their forefathers, San Saba County leans slightly towards the more pop side of rock-n-roll while still maintaining its hard edged ways. With sweet and endearing melodies and simplistic song structures, the quartet accomplishes a record that is not just enjoyable to listen to but has a lasting effect on the listener’s memory - conjuring up old memories of frustration and love loss that can only be seen clearly in hindsight.

There is something vaguely familiar about the Pillow Queens that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s not like the sound of the local quartet is derivative. Actually, listening to KooKooLegit is like listening to a twelve track homage of all the things that makes one like pure homemade rock and roll. It’s poppy, it makes you move, and, most of all, it’s fun. Even though their name implies that they are a group of self serving lagabouts expecting to be waited on hand and foot, the Queens are the ones who are working hard for the listener. Their cool blend of witty, dark humor and spastic rock and roll is addictively entertaining.