Spiritualized at Emo's Tonight

Back in 1997 when Radiohead were touring in support of OK Computer they chose Spiritualized to be their support act. Spiritualized had just released their, now classic album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. It was filled with songs that mixed elements of shoegaze with elements of American gospel. Even today, 15 years after that album's release the tracks still sound fresh, innovative and like nothing else that has even been released. So, now it's 2012 and Spiritualized have released their 7th record, Sweet Heart Sweet Light. In interviews, Spirtualized's Jason Pierce has said that the recording and production of the lastest record was largely influenced by the performances of Ladies and Gentlemen... in full at 2007's All Tomorrow's Parties Festival. In many ways the record is a return to form, with sounds that move more toward pop than anything the band has released in the past. Obviously, when a band's first single is over 8 minutes they still haven't full embraced the pop aesthetic so if you are a fan of the musical meditations of Spiritualized's previous releases don't worry.


Spiritualized - Hey Jane video via YouTube

Tonight, you have the rare opportunity to see Spiritualized perform live at Emo's. The band doesn't play U.S. shows very often so even if you just consider yourself a casual fan it's worth the cost of the ticket to head over to E. Riverside tonight. Also, for those of you who collect vinyl bring a little extra cash because chances are you'll be able to grab the latest LP at the merch booth a week before you can buy it in stores. From what I've seen online the packaging is beautiful and the album is pressed on white vinyl.



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Washed Out and Memoryhouse at the Mohawk

Recently, one of my co-workers asked me what I thought about Washed Out and my response was that they are the best live band of all of the "chill-wave" bands. Generally, I like most all of the bands who have been dubbed "chill-wave" and I have seen many-most of them throughout my years here in Austin and last fall's performance by Washed Out at the Mohawk definitely stood out. In the live setting, Washed Out sounds much less warbly and self-conscious compared to their recorded sound. The band is driving, energetic and just bad-ass in an over-arching way. Ernest's vocals are usually kind of buried on the Washed Out records but in person you can hear his voice much more clearly and it sounds good! Unfortunately, if you don't already have tickets to tomorrow night's show at the Mohawk then you won't know the joys of seeing Washed Out live because it's already sold-out. Sorry to be a buzz-kill y'all but this is why you really need to pay attention to those handy little planning ahead ticket-roundup posts I write.


Washed Out - Amor Fati video via YouTube


I'm just as excited about tomorrow night's support act as I am about Washed Out. I have been a fan of Memoryhouse since I first heard last year's cinematic EP, The Years. However, that EP only hinted at the full sound that is evident in their full-length, The Slideshow Effect. The vocals are much more pronounced and frequent, the music is more propulsive but still balances the elements of ambient music that made the EP so great. In other words, for the love of Oprah, make sure you get to the Mohawk early enough to bob along to the sweet sounds of Memoryhouse tomorrow night. In the meantime, read my interview with the band from last year.


Memoryhouse - The Kids Were Wrong video via YouTube

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Review: Tennis at the Parish

Last night was my third time seeing Tennis perform this year and I had so many thoughts throughout the show. The first one is superficial but I was somewhat fixated on it. Does Alaina get spiral perms or is her hair naturally curly like that? Or perhaps both? My next thought was about her singing. Did she perform in church as a child or just listen to a lot of Whitney Houston? I had a vision of a younger, more awkward looking Alaina as a child, in her bedroom singing along to Whitney records into a hair brush. Her voice is so plain but so powerful and she really delivers when she sings live. I feel like if you met her on the street, or she were your co-worker at Starbucks you would never suspect that she had such a powerful, soulful voice, which is part of the appeal of her as a singer.

Musically, the band is always on point. They aren't reinventing the wheel with their synth fueled surf-pop but what they do have in abundance is restraint. It's pretty obvious that all of these musicians could play much more complex arrangements but they stick to their wrote parts perfectly. Tennis' music does not fit neatly into any specific genre box, with elements of pop, surf, and jazz but one thing you can say is that if any element is out of balance it throws off the entire composition. In other words, it's difficult to play stuff that is so simple on the surface.

In terms of reviewing the crowd, I give them a B+, A-. This wasn't your typical, let's chat through the whole show kind of crowd, that you find at most Austin shows. People were largely attentive and rapt with the band's performance. I feel like sometimes Austin audiences can be a bit unnerving to some bands because we don't, necessarily dance around a whole lot, we tend to be either laser-focused on the performance or largely disinterested and chatty. My biggest complaint with the crowd last night has to do with one girl who was between myself and Tennis who had her iPhone right in my line of sight throughout 3-4 full songs, repeatedly trying to take the perfect cell-phone photo. Obviously, I like to take shitty cell-phone photos at shows and it can be tricky to get a good one but there is a line of respect for your follower patron that was crossed by that one girl last night. Don't leave your fucking phone in my fucking line of sight throughout an entire song or an entire set of songs. You pop the phone up, you shoot a couple of photos then you get it out of my fucking face. This is even permissible at several points in the show but have some fucking dignity and respect. Your shitty iPhone shots are an embarrassment to you, to Apple, to the band and to your fellow patrons.

So, other than that one girl the crowd was cool, the sound was impeccable, the lights were fancy and the drinks were out of my price range. In other words, it was a typical show at The Parish. Check the Tennis tour page to see if they are playing your (non-Austin) metro-area.

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MSTRKRFT, Araabmuzik at Emo's

Alright y'all, so I wasn't going to preview this show until a bit later in the week but if you buy tickets today you can get them for $10 less. Just use the promotional code "PARTYHARD" and you could be partying hard at Emo's on Saturday night. MSTRKRFT has been making asses shake since 2005 with one of the dudes from Death From Above 1979 and the dude that used to produce their records hitting buttons, turning knobs and dropping beats. Together these Canadians have remixed some of the biggest names in music from around the globe and seeing them live is always a party.


MSTRKRFT - Back in the USSA video via YouTube

Arrabmuzik has been making music in Providence, RI since 2006 but it was only last year that his star began to rise. He is known for his YouTube videos showing him using the MPC to create complicated live drum patterns. His Electronic Dream mixtape made a lot of Best of 2011 lists and has even been reissued in a deluxe edition with 6 bonus tracks. His sound is bases in hip-hop and he likes to use vocal samples from soul records (who doesn't?). Lately he has been working in the studio with some hip-hop heavyweights producing backing tracks for them to rhyme over. Look for his name in the production credits of lots of upcoming hip-hop releases.


AraabMUZIK - Flippin a Beat video via YouTube

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Tennis at the Parish

You may remember from my SXSW 2012 coverage that one of my favorite trends in indie-rock right now is the proliferation of excellent female musicians. What was once a boy's club now has a lot of really talented women taking over and I highly approve. Denver-based band, Tennis is one of the truly fantastic, female-fronted acts that I saw during SXSW this year. Their music is pop perfection, with infectious melodies and really hooky choruses. Their latest album Young & Old sounds instantly classic and the band truly delivers in a live setting. Don't take my word for it, go to the Parish tomorrow night. For a mere $13, you can grab yourself a ticket and bask in the glow of Tennis' sunny song cycle.


Tennis - My Better Self video via YouTube

I don't know a whole lot about the support act tomorrow night other than I just discovered Vacationer via Spotify and I really dig it. Their music mixes singer-songwriter vocals with hip-hop beats, it won't be for everyone but I enjoy it and I bet it will be big on college campuses. Perhaps it is already for all I know. Regardless, you should arrive early enough to form your own opinion on Vacationer.


Vacationer - Good as New video via YouTube

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Don't Miss the Opener: Youth Lagoon

I know many of you are going to see Death Cab for Cutie at ACL Live tonight and I won't judge nor fault you for that. After all, who hasn't been caught in the spell of the Gibbard? Even Zoey D. was temporarily under his spell in spite of the fact that he once wrote a song called Why You'd Want to Live Here all about what a wretched place Los Angeles is and how all of the people who live there are vapid and shallow. Enough gossiping, the whole purpose of this post is to highlight Youth Lagoon. They are playing the support slot for DCFC and I really want those of you with tickets to catch their set. On record, Youth Lagoon is the brainchild of Trevor Powers who wrote the songs that make up his debut as an outlet during his time at the University of Boise. The Year of Hibernation is already a critical darling and I count myself in the chorus of people who champion the record. I'm not in love with the production values but the songwriting is truly solid and I expect the live show to be quite impressive.


Youth Lagoon - Montana video via YouTube

For those of you, like me, who won't be at the DCFC show tonight and thus won't be catching Youth Lagoon we'll have another chance in November. I know it's quite a ways away at this point but Youth Lagoon will be doing a headlining tour at the end of the year that will make its way to Emo's in November. Although, I suppose that information might have been referring to November 2011, I don't remember?

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Active Child at the Mohawk

Photo Credit: Ricky Chapman

Active Child is the musical expressions of a tall ginger named Pat. He has a high tenor voice and he sang in a boy's choir in Philadelphia as a child. His Dad moved the family out to L.A. where he worked for the record label that released the first N.W.A. record. The first time I heard Active Child was at FunFunFun Fest 2011. I missed most of their set but caught the last song and a half. I was completely mesmerized by the mix of electronic textures and that other worldly high voice coming out of that giant of a man. I listened to the album a few times on Spotify then out of nowhere I found myself listening obsessively. First it was just the song, Playing House over and over, then it was the first 3-4 songs, then I couldn't stop singing Way Too Fast. Next thing you know, I"m at End of an Ear and Waterloo Records digging through their vinyl bins on a mission to own You Are All I See on vinyl. It took several trips and much inquiry but now I have the album on vinyl and I listen to it whenever I have a lot of writing to get done. It is a musical mediation, with themes of love and loss, obsession and pain and I can't get enough of it. You can find out what all the fuss is about at the Mohawk tonight for a mere $10, or $12 if you want to risk it and just pay at the door.


Active Child - Hanging On video via YouTube

Balam Acab and Superhumanoids are playing the support slots starting at 9pm. Expect Active Child to take to the stage around 11pm, it's Friday night so the sound curfew goes a little later.

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Justin Townes Earle with Tristen

Photo Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

Justin Townes Earle lastest album, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now, is his most intimate record to date. It has Jazz, Country, and Americana influences and feels like his most personal work. Imagine Van Morrison and Dr. John collaborating with Ryan Adams and you are getting close to the sound of NGCTWYFAMN. I don't know what informed the songwriting for JTE's latest album but it sounds like he was in a relationship and they drifted a part. This isn't a typical break-up record, I mean just look at the title, that isn't a you cheated sort of situation that's a what happened to us situation. Shit got real y'all and JTE is exorcising the demons of love. Catch him at Antone's tonight, tickets will only set you back $16.


Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now (trailer) video via YouTube

If you are going to see Justin Townes Earle at Antone's tonight, promise me you will arrive early enough to see Tristen. If you haven't seen me write about Tristen then you haven't been paying attention. I adore her and I want everyone to love her as much as I do. I have seen her perform three times and each time was with a different combination of musicians. One of those performances was just Tristen, Buddy and a drum machine it was good but to get the true experience it's best to hear her with a full band. Well, on this tour Tristen will be backed by a full band and she does not mess around in choosing her touring musicians. She is based in Nashville and she selects some of the city's best available talent to propel her music. At the moment, Tristen is still supporting her 2011 release, Charlatans at the Garden Gate but you can expect to hear lots of unreleased material as well. She is a prolific writer and she refuses to play the same song cycle over and over.


Tristen - Baby Drugs video via YouTube

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Planning Ahead: Another Ticket Link Roundup Post

Well folks it's a new month, which means it's time to get prepared for all of the awesome upcoming shows in and around Austin. As usual, this list is not comprehensive, it is simply intended to be a highlighter. I do not, necessarily, endorse all of the shows I will link to some of them I have included for you more than for me. If the show appears with a strike-through then unfortunately it is already sold-out, if the artist's name is simply bold without a link that means there is no ticket page (yet). All you have to do to buy tickets is to click the name of the artist, the ticket purchase page will open in a new window and you can take it from there.

Let's start with tonight shall we? Austin's-own Strange Boys are back in town and they'll be tearing up the Mohawk's outside stage. I don't think all of the band is based here anymore but we will still claim them as our own, just like we do with Spoon and all of the other bands who may or may not actually live in Austin anymore. Their latest release Live Music really sort of floated under my radar but it has some really great tunes. It's not a live album and in fact the title is with a short "i" sound as in live and let live. Tickets are still available and since the show was announced not too long ago you may even be able to just pay at the door.


Strange Boys - Doueh video via YouTube

Friday, May 2nd

• Active Child at Mohawk
• Death Cab for Cutie/Youth Lagoon at ACL Live
• Tristen/Justin Townes Earle at Antone's
• Sarah Jaffe at Parish

Saturday, May 5th

• Rodrigo y Gabriela at Stubb's
• Quiet Company at Beauty Ballroom
• Tom Petty/Regina Spektor at Erwin Center
• Esperanza Spalding at Paramount Theater

Tuesday, May 8th

• Nick Lowe at La Zona Rosa
• Tennis at Parish

Wednesday, May 9th

• Lambchop at Cactus Cafe

Thursday, May 10th

• Washed Out/Memoryhouse at Mohawk

Friday, May 11th

• Lil' Kim at Emo's
• What Made Milwaukee Famous at Hotel Vegas
• Pachanga Fest 2012 at Fiesta Gardens

Saturday, May 12th

• MSTRKRFT/Araabmuzik at Emo's
• Jane's Addiction/The Duke Spirit at Bass Concert Hall
• Ume at Hotel Vegas
• Salt 'n Pepa at Belmont
• Pachanga Fest 2012 at Fiesta Gardens

Sunday, May 13th

• R. Kelly at The Mansion

Wednesday, May 16th

• Spiritualized at Emo's

Thursday, May 17th

• Dead Prez at Red 7
• Snow Patrol at Stubb's
• Run DMT at Beauty Ballroom

Friday, May 18th

• Yann Tiersen at Emo's
• M83 at Stubb's

Saturday, May 19th

• Phonte/9th Wonder at ND
• Auto Body at Mohawk

Tuesday, May 22nd

• Dandy Warhols at Emo's
• Alcoholic Faith Mission at Mohawk
• The Parlotones at Stubb's

Wednesday, May 23rd

• Great Lake Swimmers at Stubb's

Friday, May 25th

• Ty Segall / White Fences at Mohawk
• Suckers at Red 7
• Plants & Animals at Lambert's
• The Darkness at Stubb's

Saturday, May 26th

• Father John Misty/Har Mar Superstar at Mohawk

Sunday, May 27th

• Penguin Prison/Class Actress at Red 7
• Sparta at Mohawk
• Ozomatli at Stubb's

Tuesday, May 29th

• Margot and the Nuclear So and So's/Dinosaur Feathers at Mohawk

Wednesday, May 30th

• tUnE-yArDs at Mohawk

Thursday, May 31st

• Chaos in Tejas at Multi-Venue Festival

Friday, June 1st

• Chaos in Tejas at Multi-Venue Festival
• Maps & Atlases at Parish
• Two Door Cinema Club/Bad Veins at Stubb's
• Flosstradamus at Belmont

Saturday, June 2nd

• Chaos in Tejas at Multi-Venue Festival
• Collective Soul at La Zona Rosa
• Rubblebucket (Chaos in Tejas) at Beauty Ballroom

Sunday, June 3rd

• Best Coast (Chaos in Tejas) at Emo's
• Chaos in Tejas at Multi-Venue Festival

Tuesday, June 5th

• Foster the People/The Kooks at The Backyard

Wednesday, June 6th

• Xiu Xiu at Mohawk

Thursday, June 7th

• Snoop Dogg at Stubb's
• The Crystal Method at Beauty Ballroom

Friday, June 8th

• Ume at Red 7
• YACHT/Love Inks at Mohawk
• Gillian Welch at Stubb's

Saturday, June 9th

• Prefuse 73 at Beauty Ballroom
• The Impossibles at Mohawk
• The Head and the Heart/Husky at Stubb's

Sunday, June 10th

• The Impossibles at Mohawk
• The Head and the Heart/Husky at Stubb's

Monday, June 11th

• The Temper Trap/Crocodiles at Stubb's
• The Cave Singers at Red 7

Tuesday, June 12th

• The Cribs at Parish

Tuesday, June 19th

• Here We Magic at Parish
• Colbie Caillat/Gavin Degraw at The Backyard

Thursday, June 21st

• Robyn at ACL Live

Friday, June 22nd

• Jonathan Richman at Mohawk
• The Hood Internet at Beauty Ballroom
• Meatloaf at ACL Live

Saturday, June 23rd

• El-P at Mohawk
• Kashmere Stage Band Alumni at Scoot Inn
  
• Loudon Wainwright III at Cactus Cafe

Sunday, June 24th

• Loudon Wainwright III at Cactus Cafe

Tuesday, June 26th

• Lower Dens at Parish

Thursday, June 28th

• Howard Jones at ACL Live

Friday, June 29th

• Nada Surf at La Zona Rosa
• Merle Haggard at Riverbend Center
• The Bad Plus at Antone's

Saturday, June 30th

• The Men at Red 7

Monday, July 2nd

• Friends at Mohawk

Friday, July 6th

• Z-Trip at Belmont

Tuesday, July 10th

• Bass Drum of Death at Mohawk

Thursday, July 12th

• RJD2 at Belmont

Friday, July 13th

• Blind Pilot at La Zona Rosa

Thursday, July 19th

• Tenacious D at Austin Music Hall

Thursday, August 2nd

• Dirty Projectors at Emo's

Friday, August 3rd

• Obits/Mind Spiders at Red 7

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Review: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Last night's Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs show at the Mohawk was exactly what I wanted it to be. TEED did not have his dancers and he performed without stage lighting but he was wearing a feathered costume that I had seen in photographs. He hit the stage shortly after midnight with three tables worth of electronic equipment. I'm not sure if the show ever officially sold-out but the inside room was packed to the gills. I thought the sound for the support acts was kind of quiet but by the time TEED took the stage the bass was chest-rattlingly loud. I was crammed against the front speaker tower and the rhythm was controlling my breathing. The audience was full of fans, with most people knowing most of the lyrics to most of the songs. There is very little material that has been released in the U.S., which means these folks had been studying YouTube videos and/or downloading from BitTorrent.

The music was thumping dance jams some I recognized some I didn't. Most of the set blended from song to song without pause, with a few exceptions. As far as stage banter, there was very little speaking just singing and dancing. It is difficult for me to describe the dance mayhem that was happening in that cramped little room. Especially when Garden and Tapes & Money were played, the whole dance floor became a single, sweaty unit of pogo-ing fools who were completely losing their minds. TEED's music has elements of all of electronic music's subgenres with emphasis on some particularly dirty bass grooves that were very Chicago-House. From start to finish last night's set was a party and I really hope that the fine folks over at Transmission are able to book Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs for the Blue stage at FunFunFun Fest. His music deserves a larger scale audience and stage show. I've heard that in Europe he has glitter cannons!

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