Austin Sound

It’s a rainy afternoon here in Austin today, so why not see if All in the Golden Afternoon can brighten things up a bit. The dreamy psych duo has been trying their damnedest to get their debut LP and follow up to their 2008 EP out for a while now, but have unfortunately run into the typical label frustrations. So for now, Magic Lighthouse on the Infinite Sea is available for digital download, or you can pre-order the vinyl and still get the download on January 15. In the meantime, you can get a taste for the duo’s (actually a trio for this song, thanks to some keyboards from Chad Merritt) new music with a download of “Gulf Coast Highway” below. The album also apparently features some additional help from the Octopus Project’s Yvonne Lambert, which we assume means some hot theremin action! Unfortunately it doesn’t look like All in the Golden Afternoon have any local gigs coming up, though if you happen to find yourself in Croatia at the end of March - well, then you probably have bigger problems to worry about than catching AitGA.

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.

Last Sunday, the Hole in the Wall inaugurated their new Shoegaze Sunday showcase, and lord knows there are enough distortion and drone in Austin to keep them stocked at least until the end of summer. Not that we’re complaining, but we are jonesin’ to get in on some of that My Bloody Valentine reunion. Until then, though, we’ll keep digging the haze of local duo All in the Golden Afternoon.

The quality of AitGA’s new video for “Up All Night” is a little rough, but it kind of fits the music. The video was made by the female half of the couple, Rachel Goldstar. You can get your shoegaze on with All in the Golden Afternoon on July 20 when they hit the Hole with the Tunnels and DJ Scorpio. This Sunday, July 13, Rachel Goldstar will be holding down DJ duties as the Hole hosts Honey Thief and A Five and Dime Ship.