Austin Sound

Last year, the long-time-coming new project from Matt Oliver finally took full shape with the release of two excellent 7-inches: “The Black Mask” and “Days of Being Wild”. Both were a testament to just how polished and promising TV Torso is right out of the gate, and suggest the trio could easily be the next local act to break big. Much of that will depend on their upcoming full-length album, planned for release later this year. Balancing disenchanted pop with heavier, guitar-ripped psych washes, all twisted together behind Oliver’s rough-hewn, Britt Daniel-esque vocals, TV Torso can slice simultaneously beautifully infectious and darkly intensive. The band will be playing inside at Emo’s this Saturday, February 20, along with the Corto Maltese and Jesse Woods - your last chance to see TV Torso before their secret gets out at SXSW.

By year’s end, Austin will have boasted an impressive number of singles. Credit the the downturn of the economy, the upturn of vinyl, or the changing culture of Mp3s and singles, the result has been a boon for short-stack lovers. No doubt, however, that these four recent vinyl releases serve as a nice capstone for local one-offs this year, with Follow That Bird and the Sour Notes both offering up excellent follow ups to debuts that appeared in the past year, and the much anticipated new project of Sound Team’s Matt Oliver, TV Torso, delivering a double shot of 7″ vinyl as a debut. As indicators of what might be around the bend with bigger releases for each band, all of the efforts suggest next 2010 will be a good year for local music.