Austin Sound

I shouldn’t worry about the future. Obama is President, the world still turns, my cats are healthy. And yet I have a nagging feeling of anxiety; maybe it’s because the economy, as I write this, is entering one of those death spirals that promises to drag us all down to depths of hobo-like destitution the likes of which haven’t been seen outside of American Experience documentaries. Maybe that’s it. And so, given our strange contemporary combination of happy political developments and dark economic ones, we need a soundtrack that speaks to what’s ailing us - some audio pick-me-up for our new Great Depression.

And then along comes the latest Many Birthdays EP, Emptiness Is Forever and we’re almost there.

The inaugural album of Austin’s Silent Land Time Machine has finally arrived after at least a year of waiting, & Hope Still… - co-produced under Time-Lag Records (in Maine) and SLTM’s own Indian Queen Records - does not disappoint. At all. Fueled by a cadre of instruments and energy, a unique and fulfilling sound permeates the entire album and allows for a range of emotions across its 7 largely instrumental tracks. It’s an aural document as fascinating as the sepia dripping artwork in which the cd is enclosed.

The album launches with a high-energy, polyphonic locomotive in “Everything Goes to Shit.” With a somber and pensive melody, it is difficult to imagine the song - which is filled with a beautiful and at times cacophonous assortment of accordion, slide guitar, and viola - come from only one man.

Anyone who has ever heard songs written by The Pons’ Tommy Mazzi knows to expect infectious melodies complete with a little late 90s indie guitar rock and tight, witty lyrics. Beginning with Lalaland, the previous incarnation of The Pons, and 2004’s single “Let’s War”, Mazzi has always cocked a curious eyebrow towards our society’s ongoing emptiness – empty wars, empty consumerism, empty hearts. “Wherever You Are”, the lead off track from In the Belly of a Giant, is no exception. With Mazzi solemnly singing of “still fighting daddy’s wars/ still doing daddy’s chore/ turn your life upside down/ and everything falls out” right before he and bassist Ruby Painter gorgeously harmonize on a lonesome chorus of “Wherever you are/ Wherever you are”, the aching is perfectly captured in one of 2008’s best album openers. Not stopping there, The Pons then proceed to rip off a wonderful cathartic coda that shakes off the lingering sadness.

Over the past few years, the Golden Boys have fostered their reputation as the apex of Austin bar bands, at least in the sense they will drink anyone under the table and unload one of the most raucous live shows while doing it. The quintet’s fourth LP evidences the epitome of that sound – loose, unrepentant, and gritty – while also improving on the best elements of last year’s Whiskey Flower. And the title, Goodbye Country, couldn’t be more apt, for though some traces of their rootsier sound still survive, overall the album is garagy and rocking, with more emphasis on the sloppy psychedelic roll that they’ve pummeled into perfection.

Ambient, instrumental rock floats heavy throughout The Calm Blue Sea. The five member local band manages to kidnap you and take you on a stormy instrumental joyride that sails from atmospheric rock to a tidal wave of instrumentation that washes over you and leaves you breathless. In their debut album, they build on a smooth wave-like effect of peaks and troughs that lets you drift and rumble and tumble throughout the crashing, splashing down of drums with long guitar distortion seemingly aimlessly steering the boat.

Let’s just get the completely obvious out of the way: Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir is clearly and unequivocally influenced – heavily – by Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. From the piano playing, to Smith’s vocals, to the production and orchestration, to the lyrics, to the obvious lead-off track “Nilsson sings Newman.” And, it’s utterly fantastic and pleasantly refreshing to hear homage to songwriters not named Dylan, Young, Springsteen, and Costello. Drew Smith and his band, the Lonely Choir, create perfect pop classics that will warm the ears of Newman and Nilsson fans – and likely the fans of indie acts like Spoon, and The Shins.

Infinite Partials’ debut album End of Begin is an evolution of extant sound rising from Appalachia, classical concert halls, folk, world, and even the tiniest measure of ginger ale acoustic pop. It is a warmly alluring and exceptionally well-produced album that lights upon selections from any person’s musical memoirs. Maybe Andrew Noble’s mandolin chews up the musical jargon dictionary. Perhaps Andy Strietelmeier and his violin slice through expectations. Jesse Jones’ djembe and Andrew Davis’ cello certainly rebuff the advances of critical tarts. You can practically feel the sunlight streaming through the windows and the soft reverberations flow through and fill the room; as a producer, Stephen Orsak should be proud.

Yet while the music rises above one’s expectations, it is the Frenchman-wave of Grant Hudson’s literally abstract songwriting and musical direction that remind me of the moonflower, Ipomoea alba.

Low Line Caller already had a well-established spot as an instrumental indie band in Austin’s music scene before recruiting vocalist Marc Ferrino last year. While the quintet has made some slight adjustments to their overall sound since the addition of their new singer, it’s all been for the best. Without the focus being placed on heavy synth sounds and drumbeats, they’ve progressed into a more genuine brand of melodic post-rock. Their sophomore release, Hi Def Soft Core, is a testament to this fact. Even the title of the six-song release is well suited for their sound: shoegaze tunes that are never too soft or sweet, all the while with an experimental edge.

Months before Fight Bight’s debut album Emerald Eyes was finished, indie music know-it-all’s Stereogum chose the Denton synth-pop duo as a “Band to Watch.” While the title is surely coveted among unsigned bands such as Fight Bite, it undoubtedly placed unwanted pressure on the creation of the rest of the album. In spite of the expectations, Fight Bite have come through, delivering a lulling pop album that just might spill out from the sides of your headphones if you’re not careful.

When listening to Emerald Eyes, it’s easy to forget that Fight Bite is just Leanne Macomber and Jeff Louis III. Layers of synths create a wall of sound so imposing that it’s a wonder how the delicate whispers of Macomber ever make it through.

In many ways, the singer-songwriter has become a cliché. Maybe it’s too easy - pick up an acoustic guitar, pen a few flowery lines about heartbreak, add some recycled melodies, and voila! Thankfully, Sarah Jaffe breaks that mold. At 6 songs and 21 minutes, Even Born Again, Jaffe’s proper debut and produced by the Paper Chase’s John Congleton, is a mini-masterpiece. The Denton artist’s mournful melodies are wholly original yet comfortably familiar and every element of the EP, from the unique vocal delivery to the haunting strings, is emotionally gripping in all the right ways.