Austin Sound

This one almost slipped by us in the madness of last month, but Ume released pretty damn rockin’ video for “The Conductor,” the lead single off of their excellent Sunshower EP. The video is fairly straightforward, but captures the band at their best. It was done by local production company Population Boom, who have previously [...]

January may seem a bit early to declare the best record of 2009, but I am prepared to set caution aside and predict that this time next year UME will be topping best-of lists. The band’s new EP, Sunshower is at once beautiful, brutal, flawlessly executed, and completely unpretentious. It’s the type of record that grabs the listener immediately and demands repeated listens. It’s the whole package – as close to a perfect rock record as has come out of Austin (or anywhere for the matter) in quite some time. Like all great bands, UME’s sound is impossible to nail down in simple terms. They are shredding guitars and vocals that shift from beautiful whispers to raspy growls. They merge the anthemic and with the intimate — sometimes delicate and sometimes explosive.