Austin Sound

After staking their claim with 2009’s Big Strike in Silver City, Frank Smith is wasting no time in moving forward. They’re shooting to have a new album out this October, which is tentatively titled Nineteen. According to the quartet’s myspace, the album seems to have been originally titled Takers, but they apparently changed it so as not to create confusion with this Oscar-worthy screen-gem. After all, who can compete with Matt Dillon? We’re not sure why it’s called Nineteen instead, but we’re glad to know it’s at least of legal age, especially given the song “L.O.V.E.” that they have shared for download below. There’s a lot here that folks familiar with Frank Smith will dig in the tune - the loping alt-country rhythm, subtle steel, and of course, Aaron Sinclair’s direly graveled vocals. But what has always made Frank Smith so interesting is the unexpected turns they make, and “L.O.V.E.” is no exception. The quiet harmonies and hushed high range that band shifts into in the middle of the song is a surprise, and downright eerie - making us very curious what the rest of the album will sound like. We’ll have a chance to find out tomorrow, September 3, as the band will deliver some of those tunes at the Mohawk with a nice lineup of the Mynabirds and Crooked Fingers. Check out “L.O.V.E.” below.

Whoa, the Murdocks are pissed! What the hell, guys? The trio shared the mp3 for “Black Jesus Knocking” with us way back when, and will finally be releasing their new album, Distornist, this Saturday at the Parish. This is their first LP since 2005, and apparently they’ve pent up a little anger and energy. The new video for “Black Jesus Knocking” is just, well, disturbing. Kudos on finding a little kid that looks like he could actually be a young Franklin Morris, but this kids also got some problems. Actually, the stigmata-palm slapped bullies at the end probably have bigger problems. We imagine this is something like how a tea party rally goes down - first they get really mad and bully folks, then have some kind of self-abusing spiritual revelation. Or something. Check out the video below, which was directed by Tina Carlsen, produced, edited, and written by Noël Kristi Wells, and with cinematography by Travis Ragsdale. And catch the Murdocks CD release show this Saturday, Sept 4 at the Parish with The Couch, Naysays, and Through the Trees.

If you haven’t been following Monahans’ mp3 a month project as they build up to a new album, you’re really missing out. Go here and get all six tracks that they currently have up while you can. Their latest song, “I Break the Silence”, offers up some excellent work from drummer Roberto Sanchez, who is literally a primary driving force behind Monahans’ sound, turning Greg Vanderpool and company’s sound into epic dimensions. The song is purportedly inspired and derived from accounts about “Wounded Knee,” but it’s still pretty impressionistic in usual Monahans’ style. The quartet’s third album, composed of these songs and possibly more, should be out early next year if all goes to schedule, and they will next be playing live in Austin in late September with a show at the Parish, which should be a great room for their encompassing sound. Check out “I Break the Silence” below.

There’s not much to say after you tell the Mayor [Lee Leffingwell] that everything’s going “really ‘effing well” and he walks awkwardly away from you after a proclamation that it’s official Danny Malone Day, but Malone still manages to somehow come through. With blues-rock protégés the Steps and School of Songs in tow, Malone managed to put on a show last month at Stubb’s full of choreographed lights and dance, pomp, and his trademark folk rock worthy of a day of his own deserving. Read our interview with him here, and see photos from the show below courtesy of Will Foster.

Holy hell! If you missed the Sword yesterday in the Waterloo parking lot, this should help you regret it even more. Today the Sword unsheathes their new album, Warp Riders, on Kemado, and to celebrate they have offered up the first of their “Warp Riders” series of videos. Last month, we previewed the mp3 of “Tres Brujas”, and let’s just say that the video lives up to the epicness of the song. We’ll let you tease out what exactly the story is here, basically because we can’t figure it out. The press release says that it is “Seven Samurai crossed with The Magnificent Seven meets Mad Max filtered through the imagination of the Sword”, which works for us except that the Sword is only a quartet. This video will be followed by two more, ““Lawless Lands” and “Night City,” so you’ll have to wait to see how it all ends. We predict total domination by the Sword though. In the meantime, your next chance to catch them locally is at the Austin City Limits Music Fest in October, after they return from slaughtering Australia and Japan. Check out the video below.

Hold your horses there SXSW and Fun Fun Fun Fest, we aren’t done talking about ACL, yet! Today, C3 announced their official after and pre-shows for the early October bash in Zilker Park, and there is some good stuff for those of you that prefer to pass on the heat. We know it will break your hearts to miss those ACL headliners that everyone is so uber-excited about, but hey, here’s your chance to see the Antwoord. For the Thursday pre-shows, you can kick off the weekend with Spoon at the Mohawk (wow!), while Friday our money is split between Emo’s with the Black Lips, Those Darlins, and The Ettes outside, and Givers, Cults, and TV Torso in, while the Black Keys and Foals take on Stubb’s. For Saturday night, we’d probably take Girls with the Soft Pack at Antone’s, but it’s also tempting to see if there might actually be a tune or two that Jimmie Dale Gilmore does with the Monsters of Folk at Stubb’s. Anyway, peruse the schedule below, or here. And tickets for all of these shows will be going on sale August 27 at 10:00am. We suspect that Spoon at the Mohawk will blow out the servers first.

This week’s Chronicle reports that Daytrotter, the popular site based out of Rock Island, Illinois that has made a name for itself over the past 5 years by offering unique recording sessions with a who’s who of indie’s most popular acts, will be branching out to Austin. The site has partnered with local studio Big Orange to start recording Daytrotter Sessions there full time, helmed by TV Torso’s Matt Oliver. Daytrotter has been using Big Orange during SXSW since 2007, but having them set up full time down here is a huge win, both for Daytrotter and Austin’s indie bands. The site has always had its ear close to the ground when it comes to the Austin music scene, continually tapping up-and-coming ATX bands to do sessions, but recording out of Big Orange full time will allow them to also take advantage of the bands rolling through town on tour, rather than, say, trying to convince them to go out of their way to Rock Island! Daytrotter is currently hitting over 100,000 unique visitors a month, so that’s a nice little bit of attention to bring to the table. Plus, given their horse logo, what better place to set up shop than a studio right next to urban stables!!

Late yesterday it was announced that Emo’s and Antone’s owners Frank Hendrix and Susan Antone will be teaming up to help run the venerable blues club. While they reportedly haven’t yet figured out all the financials, basically Emo’s managers will now be helping run Antone’s, which we imagine can only be good for any blues punk bands in town. Hopefully Emo’s first order of business will be moving that damn stage from the center of the room. The reasoning behind the alliance was simply that Susan, Clifford Antone’s sister, wanted to be freed up from some of the more operational stuff like running the bar. Fair enough. But if it’s true that Emo’s’ Jason Sabala and Bill Corsello will now be handling most of the managerial affairs, we really can’t wait to see what happens when they have to endure their first Bob Schneider show. It’s doubtful there will really be that big of a noticeable change for patrons or the bookings, but it is interesting to think how this might play out for the general booking constellation in town (C3 will continue to book national touring bands at Emo’s and Antone’s). With Emo’s admitting to the Chronicle in May that “We’re coming off the worst year we’ve had since we’ve been in business,” and some major changes coming to Red River with the Waller Creek Tunnel Project development, it’s probably smart for Emo’s and Hendrix to branch out a bit.

Let this be a lesson to us all, then: this is your brain when you “listen to coffee all day.” It apparently becomes some glorious freaked up mash of Revel’s “Bolero” in a blender. My, how we’ve missed Bee vs. Moth! The Austin quintet finally has a new album coming out next month, the follow-up to their 2007 debut Soundhorn, which will be titled Acronyms. From what we’ve heard (and you can get a taste with the track “I Listen to Coffee All Day” below), it’s the expectedly unexpected from the group, their brand crazy that falls somewhere between jazz and Zappa (Jazzappa!?). Among everything that they throw onto this release is apparently “vibraphone, accordion, trombone, banjo, percussion, flute, slide whistle, and the intonarumori.” We really can’t remember the last time we heard a good intonarumori solo, hard to believe as that is. Also, be sure to check out their beyond awesome video for “Ugly is the New Black.” Bee Vs. Moth will be rolling into Club DeVille on Thursday, August 19, with Darling New Neighbors and Sad Accordions, and then will tour the album in October. Also in the works is a collaboration with the Invincible Czars on a duel band arrangement of the Mussorgsky/Ravel composition Pictures at an Exhibition. Because someone had to do it! Check out the new BvM tune below, and look for Acronyms next month.

After several weeks of tactical leaks (which apparently has induced us to write in bad rhymes), Fun Fun Fun Fest has finally decided to stop fooling around and dump the full list of bands for their Fifth annual shindig in Waterloo Park this November 6 & 7. We weren’t able to make it down to their press conference (nice touch!), but we really hope that it unfolded like the NBA draft or something. We hear the bloggers were out in full force, and something about fried chicken. Anyway! We have to say, that this lineup is pretty damn astonishing. Bad Religion, Gwar, Devo, Mastodon, Os Mutantes, MGMT, just to name a few. Providing the weather holds and the dust stays settled this year, it should easily serve as the best FFFFest yet, and perhaps we’ll have to quit considering it a little DIY upstart and a full fledged party. Who knows, maybe they’ll actually even make some money this year! Tickets aren’t yet on sale, but you can currently sign up to enter their early bird lotteries. Anyway, here’s list as posted on their website currently.