Austin Sound

EPs as a format have come to serve a number of useful functions for artists. They can be tightly distilled little nuggets that capture a band at a certain point in their evolution, a cohesive and full narrative in and of its self. They can also be a dump of random material that simply doesn’t fit in with the vision of a larger project or album, unreleased material that is worthy to be heard, but incongruous with a band’s typical vision. And they can also signal a transition for a band, easing fans into what to expect without forcing the harsh shift in a dramatic new direction on a new LP. Where exactly the Octopus Project’s new EP, Golden Beds sits in their oeuvre and functions for the band can’t really be seen until we see where they head on their next full-length, but the release could very well be heard as representing any of these conceptions of the EP. For sure, even with just the five songs, there is a new sound to the O-Pro that could very well hint at big aesthetic changes for the quartet in the future, but the EP also gestures in a number of different directions and could simply be the purging of quality material that simply doesn’t flow with the group’s overall sound. Golden Beds could just be the odd hiccup in their trajectory, or it could be the work that we look back to in the future that harbingered a sea change; either way, it’s a compelling offering from one of Austin’s most dynamic musical ambassadors.

As we witness the continued decline of the recorded music object and the concomitant decline of the greedy music-industry shopkeepers who have made their careers ripping off artists and the public by peddling music to us in mass-manufactured form, it’s interesting to see how the artists themselves are adapting to the new musical landscape. A band like the Octopus Project, Austin’s premier “indietronic” band, might at one time have hoped to eventually “land” a major-label contract, in the hopes that the big tall building bastards in New York or L.A. could help them to “move some product.” These days, what artist in their right mind would even want to get signed to a major? What would be the point? Stick with a local indie label and just do the rest yourself, for God’s sake.

Arguably Austin’s most successful indie label, and current home to local favorites like Octopus Project and Peel, Peek-A-Boo Records announced last week that the label woud be leaving Austin for the bright lights, big city of L.A. Peek-A-Boo founder Travis Hidgon will be loading up the catalogue and moving shop at the end of this month.

In an amusing announcement on the label’s website, Hidgon posted the following in true Peek-A-Boo tongue-in-cheek fashion:

Peek-A-Boo Records has been supporting independent music in Austin for over twelve years with the mission of bringing national and international attention to Texas artists. Now that Town Lake has a monument to Stevie Ray Vaughan, the city has been decorated with “art guitars,” Spoon has performed on Saturday Night Live and Austin is finally reknown globally as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” we feel our job here is done. It’s time for us to move on and bring aid to another struggling music scene. For that reason, Peek-A-Boo HQ will be relocating to Los Angeles at the end of the month.

Now on its twelfth year since beginning here in Austin, Peek-A-Boo Records has established itself as a cornerstone of local indie labels. Behind the efforts of Travis Hidgon, the label is currently home to Austin standouts like the Octopus Project and Peel, and over the years has helped launch bands such as Knife in the Water and Silver Scooter, as well as a little band called Spoon. With the Octopus Project’s upcoming album slated for release October 9 and already garnering a great deal of attention, Peek-A-Boo’s future looks as bright as ever. You can find out more information on the label from their website or on their Myspace.

Is it me, or does the shadow of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah grow vectorially longer with the passage of time? When the rocket fuel of the internet launched their self-released debut from obscurity into the national consciousness in a few short 2005 weeks, it sure seemed as though they would revolutionize the way music and albums were produced and marketed. But I’m talking more about the actual sound and sensibility, for hot on the heels of splashsters The Laughing’s Clappish debut Tiger Cry comes Peel’s self-titled first album, also owing a heavy debt to CYHSY - just in time for their predecessor’s April 28 date with Stubb’s in promotion of their second album, also self-released in this country (they deigned to sign with a label in the UK) earlier this year.