Austin Sound

Giving standard alternative rock a dramatic flair, Loxsly obviously marches to the beat of their own drum, but the quirky antics of Loxsly’s first two albums have garnered plenty attention from both musical connoisseurs and more sensitive ears. These part-time experimentalists/ part-time pop musicians blend the unexplored with the overdone. Drawing frequent comparisons to The Flaming Lips, the local quintet had all the symptoms of becoming another predictably unpredictable band, but their latest release, Tomorrow’s Fossils, still masters the element of surprise. The elegant piano styling and the sweet, unassuming voice of Cody Grounds provide the initial draw and hook into the Loxsly experience, serving as the fuel to get listeners through even the most bizarre musical tangents that the band goes on, though even Grounds cannot salvage some of the compositions from the shaky grounds that their experimentalism sets.

We’ve been anticipating Loxsly’s new full-length ever since they blew us away with 2008’s Flashlights EP. We weren’t the only one’s either, as the local quintet has taken nearly 3 years to construct the loose concept album of Tomorrow’s Fossils. The video for lead single “As the Constellation’s Arms Uncurled” is a dreamlike stop-motion indulgence of the scientific process, digging deep into their fascination with natural world as the song beautifully dances with an organic delight. The video was made by frontman Cody Ground, and we figure this is probably just spare footage of random experiments he just conducts for fun in his in-house lab. Loxsly will be releasing Tomorrow’s Fossils this Friday, May 15, at the Mohawk with a great lineup of Oh No! Oh My!, the Corto Maltese, Booher and the Turkeyz, and the new project from former Sound Team frontman Matt Oliver called TV Torso. Check out the video below.

Loxsly has been a staple of the Austin scene for years now, but with last summer’s magnificent Flashlights EP, the band flashed a promise that they had only hinted at before. Helmed by Cody Ground, the quintet unloads smooth guitar and keys rhythms with the subtle force of Wilco and Death Cab for Cutie. Ground lets his songs linger with an oblique poeticism that is carefully crafted, a catchy melodicism behind his slightly scratchy, Tweedy-esque vocals that nonetheless remains alluring elusive. The group has had their new LP, Tomorrow’s Fossils, finished for a while now, and will finally be releasing it this summer on vinyl. You can hear the new material this Friday, March 6, at the Scoot Inn as they help the Corto Maltese celebrate the release of their EP along with Brazos and Ian Orth of Learning Secrets.

Loxsly’s Flashlights EP, released earlier this year, was a fantastic 4 song surprise from a group that has been kicking around just below the radar of the Austin scene for a while. Now they’ve come out with an equally polished video for the song “Lamprey Eels,” directed by guitarist Garrett Johnston. Join us as we follow our hero on pharmaceutical trip through the modern state of everyday anxiety. We think we know this guy. Oh wait, we are this guy!!

Once more taking stock of a solid batch of local EPs released in the past few months, we present yet another EP Round Up. This set features new material from Loxsly, whose Flashlights is an impressive step forward, Erin Ivey’s Sweet Little EP, and overdue coverage of iKiLLCaRS and Danny Malone.

Loxsly - Flashlights (SR)

It’s been a few years since Losxly has given us new tunes, but their recent EP, Flashlights, was so worth the wait. They have progressed tremendously since Cody Ground’s baby, Forecast a Brainstorm, and even the 2005 LP Maps and Organs, featuring Loxsly’s current lineup. Still maintaining that synth pop sound we all love, the quintet of Justin Douglas, Cody Ground, Garrett Johnston, John Kelly and Eric Lugo have produced four more tracks for our listening pleasure. Ground’s raspy, whisper of a voice seems stronger and more confident; which is also more representative of how they sound live.