Austin Sound

Perhaps the deepest scene in Austin right now is groups mining classic Sixties garage pop, an entire movement erupting here in central Texas that is putting a new twist on the sounds of the Kinks, Zombies, and, of course, Beatles. One of our favorite new bands in the mix is Ripe, the quartet delivering guitar bleeding tunes that bop and bend behind three talented songwriters and nasally vocal swoons. A touch of Brit-pop authenticity is even fed into their songs courtesy of Nic Armstrong, while Chris Branca and Jake Garcia, both of whom also play in the Love tribute band Forever Changes, lay down their own distinctive slant on the sound. The group is preparing a set of singles for release later this year, and you can get a taste below with Ripe’s contribution to the Almost There Turn 4 comp, “Holiday.” Or you can catch them live this Friday, August 22 at Room 710 with Grand Champeen, the Bellfuries, and Teen Sensations.

This summer, the Astronaut Suit returned with their long-awaited sophomore EP, Soul of a Man. The principle project of Jess Farr, the group unloads an impressive, if improbable, combination of country-tinged twang and spacey electronic jams, like Spiritualized cut with an acoustic and southern sensibility. The title track stomps out a bluesy romp offset by the hazy organ and vocal reverb of “40 days” and battered distortion of “Follow You Down,” while “Rolling Thunder” slowly pulses in the vein of Primal Scream. You can check out the Astronaut Suit this Saturday, August 16 at Club DeVille with locals Deadman and the Come Latelys, or the following weekend at the Parish with the fantastic lineup that includes the Monahans and Dallas’ Doug Burr.

Combining their impressive credentials in some of the most unique and talented bands in towns, the husband and wife duo of All in the Golden Afternoon produce a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of dreamy psychedelic. Rachel Staggs and Carlos Jackson take their group’s name from a poem in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and their music could well soundtrack a trip into the subconscious, mellow tones dripping behind Mazzy Star-like vocals and powerful blocks of distortion and fuzz. The released their fantastic debut EP this past winter, and are preparing their first full length for later this year, from which you can preview an mp3 below. You can also catch the duo this Saturday, August 9 at the Scoot Inn as part of the River City Class of 2008 show, which includes an amazing lineup with Black Black Gold, the Astronaut Suit, the Tunnels, Ripe, the Koreans, the Strange Attractors, and Tia Carrera, with the music beginning at 4:00pm.

Whatever spirit is inspiring the McMercy Family Band, it’s beyond compare to almost anything else in town. Founded last year by Ted Hadji, the sextet testifies their raucous gospel with sly wink, but the harmonies and energy that the group delivers in their tunes transcend beyond typical string band jams. Lindsey Verrill’s high nasal whine delivered behind her thudding upright bass caricatures Old Time Appalachia, but melts perfectly into the soft harmony of her sister Kristen, while Dan Grissom, Ryan Conlin, and Adam Rader supply strings and lower timbers. The McMercy Family Band live is a revelation, albeit a slightly demented one. Witness the power and the glory for yourself this Saturday, August 2, as the McMercy Family Band joins Black Irish at the United States Art Authority behind Spiderhouse.

When he moved to Austin last year, Ryan Goeller brought with him a unique label that consisted primarily of Hip-Hop artists from Holland, an unlikely sound finding an even more unlikely home in central Texas. Beats Broke was the first label to release Dutch rap albums in the US, and the music of artists like Kapabel & Inf and Arts the Beatdoctor translates with impressive style despite the language barrier and has already been embraced in Austin and by a growing contingency nationally for adding a new energy to the genre. You can download Beats Broke’s first release (Kapabel & Inf’s De Avonturen van…) for free on the label’s website to get a taste of the Continental flavor, and look out for a number of new albums in the next year as Goeller continues to expand the scope of our small town from the inside out.

Harlem showed up in Austin a couple of months ago and has been taking the city by storm ever since. There’s something scampish about the trio that makes them incredibly charming, unloading garage pop with a cathartic energy that seems to combine the best elements of local favorites White Denim and the Strange Boys into one roguish blitz of infectious melody and scruffy guitars. Since forming in Tennessee a year ago behind Michael Coomers and Curtis O’Mara, and eventually adding John Hostetter, Harlem has been traveling the country (spending time in Tucson and California) and recording in various studios to produce their freshly released debut album, Free Drugs;-). We can’t recommend highly enough that you catch the trio before they head out on tour next month - they will taking on the Hole in the Wall this Friday, July 18 with a great bill that includes the Black and the Strange Boys.

San Saba County has always carried their country with more rock sensibilities, but over the past couple of years has progressed beyond the typical alt. country sensibility to add a more indie sheen. Though the dark and dusty poeticism of their first two albums remains, their long-awaited third release, planned for release this fall and previewed with the stunning song “Winter Solstice” for download below, promises to expand their sound – “Winter Solstice” wringing with light harmonies and heavy allegories in the vein of Calexico. You can catch them previewing more new material this Friday, July 11, at the Hole in the Wall with You Were Always and KingAir.

The Diagonals slice an infectious cross between classic garage guitar jangle and Eighties underground dance beats. The quintet unloads more than their fair share of quirky anthems, and over the past year has solidified with a distinct sound that adds some welcome new textures to the familiar guitar and synth combination with their touches of surf licks and deadpan delivery. Diagonals are preparing the release of their debut EP this week and full-length in the fall, but you can catch them live any number of times this holiday weekend, including Saturday night July 5 at the new Monarch Events Center with Pataphysics, Silver Pines, Cari and Jason of Belaire, Hollywood Gossip, and Bear Claw, and again Sunday, July 6 with a free show at Red 7 alongside the Strange Boys and Strange Attractors.

Sure, Foot Patrol is into feet. But once you listen beyond the foot fetishes, the group lays down some of funkiest grooves in town, bending Prince-like sex appeal against samples and fervent beats. The eclectic vision of Hung Nguyen and TJ Wade, Foot Patrol’s songs are both hilarious and swaggeringly smooth, rapping out toe odes that will, well, have your feet moving. The group is following up last year’s album Smellabration with a slew of planned projects for 2008, including the Bill Callahan narrated funk opera Toah’s Ark: the Covenant, and you can see the Patrol live this Saturday, June 28, at the Tiniest Bar in Texas (817 W. 5th St).

Balmorhea began as a collaboration between Michael Muller and Rob Lowe, combining to create delicate minimalist compositions between piano and guitar on their eponymous debut. Since then, the group has expanded to add strings, and more recently, drum and bass, filling out their powerful instrumental swells with more rock direction. This year’s Rivers Arms is already among the best local releases of ‘08, a beautifully rich meditation that merges field recordings and striking arrangements in impressionistic movements. The group has offered up a gorgeous new, untitled track below for download as well. You can see the group perform live this Thursday, June 19, at Emo’s with Dosh and Anathallo.