Austin Sound

Given today’s Wall Street news, we probably couldn’t have picked a better time to feature the Good Times Crisis Band. The trio lives up to its name, unloading an urgent punk scrawl that is fevered and fun, their aggressive riffs and forceful drums pushing the serrated but upbeat songs. While the group claims below to want to be champions of “music for music’s sake,” their sarcastic and playful spite in songs like “Cyber Freee” or “Luddites” from last year’s debut LP, Select a Gather Point on the Australian Cattle God label, are ripped with the kind of commentary that calls out the ludicrous world around us. Good Times Crisis Band will be heading up to the CMJ Festival at the end of October, but before then you can catch them at Emo’s inside this Friday, September 19, with Boxcar Satan, Red X Red M, and Megazilla. When everything else is falling apart, at least we can still dance, dance, dance.

Every year, Almost There Records puts out what is far and away the best local compilation (and we say that in regard even to own Sound Advice comps!). This Saturday, they will release Turn 4, another 22 tracks from local artists ranging from Ugly Beats and Lions to the Archibalds and Mike Nicolai, many exclusive to the comp. We had trouble choosing only two to offer up for download below, but decided to feature tracks from artists we haven’t covered here on Austin Sound before and that will be playing Saturday: Nic Armstrong’s excellent new garage rock project Ripe with the song “Holiday” and the raucous Good Times Crisis Band with the appropriately titled “Cyber Freee.” See the full track listing for the comp and Saturday’s lineup after the jump.