Dan the automator, of "...yo it's three thousand thirty, I want y'all to meet Deltron Zero, and Automator..." fame, and Emily Wells, self-described classic hop violinist and singer, are working on a new collaboration called Pillowfight. Both have a flair for the epic, which certainly comes out in the first single "Get your shit together." An EP is coming and I wouldn't be surprised to see a Sx appearance.
New names appeared today in the ever-growing list for the next SXSW. I haven't looked at the list, I just started feeling preemptively overwhelmed. It did get me thinking, though, how it's time to start our own little tag for next year, and how this could be the perfect chance to get me back into posting.
Then I went to GvB and played the most recent video on it:
Empress Of playing a sweet acoustic version of "Don't Tell Me" for Yours Truly. Super easy sell. The original version (side B of her debut 7" Champagne -- free download) was great, but certainly not this lacrimogenous.
née Lorely Rodriguez lives in Brooklyn. But the last name, use of Colombian rythms (see #2 below) and lyrics in spanish (see #13) lead me to believe there's a richer story there.
Listen to all of her 15 "Colorminutes"down here.
Download "Champagne".
Visit her Craigslist-inspired website.
Keep an eye open for her when she comes next spring.
In Dec 2010, Last Choice first heard Made in Heights. Like a junky searching for the same high, I waited for another album. When no sophomore effort appeared, I went out searching for something that gave me that the same dead pigeon, deep winter feeling. Lorine Chia of the Cameroon doesn't really sound like Made in Heights, but she is similar. So not unlike Swayze helping with pottery, I was reminded of Made in Heights. Chia's self-titled, soulful first album dropped last week. The video for he first single, Crazy Things, is below. I couldn't glean from her online presence whether a tour is coming, but if she heads towards Austin I'll let you know.
Cold Specks is a CandadioBritish "Doom Soul" singer. Her new album, I predict a graceful expulsion, is out now. You can find more information and pick up the album here. Cold Specks will be at the Mohawk next Wednesday (14th Nov). On Halloween, Cold Specks released a video for the single Hector. It features a white-eyed, pregnant Specks dragging the headless corpse of her lover down a grassy path. I can only assume that Hector has the unfortunate pleasure of being said headless chap.
Long time friends of the blog, Cuckoo Chaos, just released a video for the B-side of their new 7" Skeleton/Shanghaied.
Shanghaied is a trippy tune, full of Cuckoo's usual sandy sensibility that only California bands can pull off so well. The video is a fun DIY/Psychadelic, full of bright paper cutouts and repeating images... epileptics beware and stoners rejoice.
You can find the 7" for sale here, and the mp3s on Itunes.
I haven't hid my love for Keaton Henson on this blog. If you're not familiar, do yourself a favor and look at this and this.
It's crazy to think about, but the only live performance he has ever given was through what he titled "Gloaming," which was an art installation where you would stick your head in a box that would allow you to see a projection of Keaton playing a song live, only for you. Apparently he has major stage fright, suffers from panic attacks, and just doesn't dig playing live. Here's his comment in a rare interview for The Guardian (which you can read in its entirety here).
"When you develop a love for an album and entangle its narratives in
your own life and experiences … going to a live show for me was like
attending an orgy with your wife."
Yeah.
Keaton is releasing a new EP very soon and a new full length in February. His first album "Dear" has already been released in the US and you can find it on Spotify in all its lonely and sad glory.
I leave you with a new song from his unreleased EP, sounds more raw and loud than usual.
Paris Pershun and Slimy Gravy are A.Dd+, a hip hop duo from Dallas. Their first album, When Pigs Fly, was released last year. Currently, they're touring the west coast with Talib Kweli but they'll be in Austin later this fall for FFF. Catch them on the blue stage at 1:10pm on Sunday. Here are two tracks from When Pigs Fly, the first features Dustin Cavazos and the second is a recent remix by DJ Eleven.
Last month, DJ Eleven disco-remixed Mary Go, a track from When Pigs Fly.
Brits Band of Skulls continue popping out singles for their 2012 release "Sweet Sour," this time with the awesomely named You're not pretty but you got it going on which is exactly what I would say about Emma Richardson, bass player and vocalist of the band. It also reminded me of the conversation that I was having with Safety Rat a while back about girls in Austin... it seems that even the not-so-pretty girls have it going on in this town. To the max. Oh yeah, they'll be here for ACL.
The video is pretty nice, reaffirming two strong held beliefs:
1) the best way to escape the pressures of day to day life is through dancing.
2) dancing can get you into trouble.
Poor Moon is Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott, along with brothers Ian and Peter Murray. Christian and Casey played in Pedro the Lion and Crystal Skulls and are members of Fleet Foxes. Warm and earthy, and overall delightful, their debut, self-titled LP has been in my heavy rotation.
You can download their song "Holiday" for free on the Sub Pop website. Give it a listen below.
Michigan's Lightning Love tread the fine line of twee. They remind me of Love is All, layering lyrics about life, love, and being a drunken mess over infectious pop. This may be one of those albums that loses its appeal after too many listens, but for now, I'm dancing along.
You can listen to their new album Blonde on their Bandcamp. Below is my favorite track, "Bobby Thompson."
Emperor Yes is a project led by London producer Ash Gardner. An LP is coming soon, but in the meantime they have released a single and video called Wasps, reminiscent of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots in both tone and awesomeness. Also, awesome anime style sequences...
LP is not the rapper El-P. Although I think she should collaborate with Killer Mike. She is also not 'like a cross between a young Bob Dylan' and anyone else. I'm looking at you ACL artist page. Her look does resemble Jimmie Hendrix and her sound a ukulele wielding Florence and the Machine/Joplin hybrid. Not my words. The music blends beautiful, rich vocals and a very talented band. The result being a smashing success. LP is playing ACL on the Venture stage at 2:30pm on Friday. I'll leave you with LP's cover of Widow.
Michael Kiwanuka's parents escaped Uganda in the 70s, fleeing Idi Amin's regime, and settled in London, where Michael gorged on a steady diet of Nirvana and Radiohead. Not that you could tell from listening to his throwback soulful tunes, more reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield than anything else. While he follows the footsteps of Amy Whinehouse, Adele and a host of other British soul singers, his approach somehow feels more pure, less packaged for the masses.
His 2012 release is called Home Again, listen to it. He just released a video for his song Bones. Using an aged look they manage to capture the sadness of being on the road and really missing someone. We've all been there...
Kiwanuka will be here for ACL playing the Austin Ventures Stage at 4.30 on Saturday. No word on any night shows yet, but keep your ears peeled.
Band of Horses' new album will be out soon and yesterday they released the first video single, Knock Knock. The video is a throwback to the projector run educationals of the 60s and 70s. Musically, the pep level has increased substantially since their last album. My guess is that new album will plant them firmly in the mainstream and increase the size of their font on festival posters by 5 - 10 points. Enjoy!
My plan was to post the new Dean's List single. Their latest track represents an evolution from party rap to a more serious introspection about partiers growing older. Then United canceled my flight to Austin and I needed something with more cheer (Constanza). DJ Zebra to the rescue. The Paris DJ is releasing a collaborative album in Oct and dropped the first video single earlier this month. The group is called Zebra and Bagad Katraez. The song reminds me of Rubblebucket and the cinematic montage in the video was just the pick-me-up I needed. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be jamming to Zebra in the car from Dallas to Austin later this afternoon. You should check out the Dean's List single I mentioned too, it's called Hennessy at Cookouts and you can find it here.
Fresh from the bakery, boys and girls. Today, Poliça released their brand new video for Dark Star, part of their amazing debut Give You The Ghost. Also today they are releasing an EP of remixes of Dark Star, including mixes by Gardens & Villa, and Alluxe. The video is nothing groundbreaking, except that the song is awesome and you can watch Channy Leaneagh prance and dance around for 3 minutes 50 second while holding the Light of Eärendil (bonus nerd points to whoever gets the reference)... adorable overload.
Kid Koala is a Ninja Tune DJ. He's famous for hosting sans dance parties called music to draw by and for being a graphic novelist. Koala also worked on lovage, which came up in recent LC conversation. His new album, 12-bit Blues, uses an Emu-SP1200 sampler to push blues far deeper down the rabbit hole than the Black Keys ever dreamed possible. 12-bit Blues is due next month, but the first video dropped a couple of days ago.
I know I'm a little late for the Purity Ring party. I don't care. I can't stop playing this album. Do yourself a favor and listen to it if you haven't already.
The song is Fineshrine from their debut album Shrines. I don't think they're coming to Austin any time soon, which is a shame. The video is gorgeous and it's directed by Young Replicant, a production team in L.A. that has directed stuff for Baths and M83 before.
Uh, Mr. the Plague, uh, something weird's happening on the net.
As in what, you hapless techno-weenie?
Uh, the accounting subdirectory in the Gibson is working really hard. We got one person online, the workload is enough for like ten users. I think we've got a hacker.
Queue the music. Crystal Castles drops Plague, keeps upstart electro-goth-dance bands in check.
I've been smitten with Austin's Yellow Fever since the duo played a Local Live in-studio for KVRX. After a forced band name change (to Deep Time) after a lawsuit, they've released a self-titled LP. I think it's better than ever.
They're minimalist without being simplistic. They are twee without being trite. And they are catchy as hell.
By now Explosions in the Sky have become local heroes. Which is a pretty big feat considering that instrumental post-rock bands usually don't garner all that much attention. But there's nothing usual about Explosions... through the over ten years that they've been playing together they've been honing their craft to amazing levels, captivating more fans in every live show they play (which are mesmerizing, each and every one), they're loved by musical legends like Fugazi and Arcade Fire, and they live here in Austin and love playing here every chance they get.
They released a video earlier this year for their song Postcard from 1952. I've been talking about it to whomever would listen to me for a while, it's one of the most beautiful videos that I've ever seen. It was directed by Peter Simonite, who worked with Terrence Malick on Tree of Life.
We all want an excuse to go to Barcelona. A great excuse to go to Barcelona is if a close friend moves there (ahem -- Bob Jovi -- ahem).
But apparently the beach, the climate, the history, the futbol and the food is not enough for some. So here's a little bit more food for thought.
Joan Colomo is a Catalan indie artist that started doing solo work in 2009. In 2011 he released two full length albums back to back, Producto Interno Bruto Vol. 1 and 2. Most songs are in Catalan, some in Spanish — but for those that have never heard Catalan, the language is so interesting in and of itself that even without understanding the lyrics you can't help but be entranced. The language mixed with his Joan's quick pop sensibility feels like skipping rocks on the creek, or like colorful balloons popping. Truly infectious.
Sleeping Bag's self-titled debut is 90's throwback without being terribly derivative. The Austinist describes them as "Lou Barlow on Xanax," a fitting description. You can stream the whole album on their bandcamp page. Commence the head bobbing.
Eagle/Deer is Sarah Barrett, a very talented singer/songwriter from Boston. I'd fallen in love with her when I first heard Bumpy Skin a while back, the single from her first album Summer of Sepia. In fact it was the first song that Last Choice ever played on the radio. She's got this entrancing sound, I would call it sad-folk with Native American roots. She's in the process of releasing her second album, Cataracts, and her first single is called White Dove. It's beautiful... so beautiful. I don't know if she tours at all, or if she plays only in Boston, or if she'll ever come to Austin. But if she is, hopefully she'll let us know so we can go fall in love in person.
Buy Summer of Sepia for a very reasonable $5 at the Eagle/Deer bandcamp right here.
Races are a new band from Van Nuys, led by Wade Ryff. Their first LP, Year of the Witch, is most certainly a heartbreak album... you don't even have to listen to the songs, just read the song titles: the knife, don't be cruel, all for you, walk through the fire, lies.
An uplifting album it is not, but it is haunting and harsh and beautiful at the same time. And a great start for a very promising band. Here is their second video for the song Lies, shot in Van Nuys:
You can stream their album through Spotify or through their bandcamp right here.
Florrie is a lovely, drummer/singer/songwriter from sunny Bristol. She's got a tasty pop sound that's perfect for dancing away the Mondays. Listen and buy her new EP here. Below is the video for her single Shot You Down.
Orca Team is a beautiful-sounding 60's pop band from Seattle. I know we're supposed to let the 60's go already, but I don't care. Here's their latest video, from Restraint, a fresh full-length (go listen!).
Things I like about Orca Team:
Jessica describes their music as "Cold Surf".
Dwayne is a coffee snob.
Their blood/vomit seems to be black.
Things I don't like about Orca Team: They're touring From Seattle to New York, to the UK and back, and they're not stopping in Austin. Who do they think they are?
Parkour spends all of his time these days in Vegas. So somehow it was appropriate that last night Parkour, C Bear and I played music at Hotel Vegas for Get Yo Mind Right. The bands were great and Vegas is one of the best new music venues in town. If you haven't been, head down on a Thursday for Graham Wilkinson's happy hour. The musical highlight for me was Austin's BitterBirds. Check them out on Facebook and track them down if you're in Austin. Here's Blacklist off they're newish 7".
When The Books broke up, I was pretty bummed. But half of the band, Nick Zammuto, recently released a self-titled album. Zammuto is a quirky sound collage that takes up where The Books left off. They are Dan Deacon, minus the irritating. I recommend listening if you like Dustin Wong, AU, or White Fence.
Here is the opener (and my favorite) "Yay" and a live video of "The Shape of Things to Come."
Safety Rat usually handles hip hop on the blog, but since he's out there in whiter than white Switzerland I thought that I would give it a try.
Killer Mike is an Atlanta based rapper who just released his latest LP titled RAP Music. Big Beast was produced by El-P, considered a living legend by many hip hop connoisseurs, and features Bun B, T.I. and Trouble.
The video is obviously inspired by the Drive movie, or as Bob Jovi calls it "the coolest music video ever made" because of it's awesome soundtrack and sparse dialogue. But Killer Mike does a good job of paying homage while giving it it's own spin and making it cool as hell.
The whole album is amazing, and Killer Mike will be making a pit stop at the Mohawk on 6/23. Who wants in?
By now you all know how we love our Nordic chanteuses on this blog. Theressa Andersson is from Sweden, but she's been a local Austinite before and has lived in New Orleans for a while, and you can totally tell. She gives us a mesmerizing mix of Swedish pop with all it's electronic beats and loops — and her very icy and detached vocals — with brass band and marching band elements surely giving tribute to her much loved New Orleans.
Last Fat Tuesday she was part of the Krewe of Muses, and she performed her song "Hold on to me"on top of a magnificent white swan. She recorded it and released it as her first official video for her 2012 album Street Parade. Here it is:
Electric Guest is the brainchild of Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton of Los Angeles. Their first LP, titled Mondo, was produced by Safety Rat's nemesis Danger Mouse, and you can tell. You can tell, mainly, because the album is awesome. Listen to it, but put on your dancing shoes first.
And on a weird, but also amazing note, Asa Taccone was one of the brilliant minds behind SNL's mega hit "Dick in a Box."
Anyway, get ready to dance with Electric Guest's This Head I Hold:
This is not a post about the Japanese Plastics. These plastics are from S. Africa. This is a post about old love and young love. Actually, I'm going to have to let the music speak for itself on this one. Meaning I failed to find the right words. The only thing that seemed to make any sense on the old/young love subject was this quote by Hunter S. "Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex."
They sound like any sad-twee bands on Morr Music or Labrador. Their album Passing Mt. Satu could be confused with one from B. Fleischmann or Sin Fang Bous, all of whom manage to make simple pop songs that always border on melancholy.
But I'm ok with that.
Not every band needs to be an avant-garde Radiohead/Bjork lovechild. Sometimes you just want to listen to sad-sweet pop.
Hospitality is the band that I've played the most in 2012, and I'm still not tired of them. Maybe it's because it's fun and infectious — and summer hasn't zapped my love for fun and infectious music... yet — but I'm sure it's also because they're really really good.
It also doesn't hurt that their video for Friends of Friends features two actresses that rock my world constantly. Alia Shawkat everyone knows from Arrested Development. Maria Thayer, who you might not know, is not only adorable but also ridiculously hilarious in Cartoon Network's Eagleheart.
Friend of Friends is on Hospitality's first LP, also titled Hospitality. They released it in the beginning of the year through Merge.
Parkour here, exhausted but happy from a week of fighting for democracy all across the country. Big thanks to Safety Rat for holding down the fort, and for giving us a Swayze related post... those are always good.
While I didn't get to enjoy Record Store Day in person, I have been able to listen to a couple of released singles. My favorite so far comes from the mind of Marco Benevento, who met up with Kalmia Traver, lead singer of Rubblebucket, and Andrew Barr of The Barr Brothers, both Last Choice picks and friends of the blog (see here and here).
The song is titled "This is how it goes" and has a nostalgic, summery vibe full of synthy goodness. Enjoy!
Swim Deep is grunge pop from Birmingham UK. Their spirit guide appears to be Swayze, so you can imagine my attraction. I've got high expectations for these guys. For now they'll be April's swan song and hold down the fort until Jovi and Parkour get back.
Swim Deep's first single was King City. Here's the video. Cop the album on 14th May.
In the 1980's and 90's there used to be these comic books called "What if?" that would basically present alternate reality versions of your favorite superheroes with a little twist in history. So, for example, it would be something like "What if Professor X had died while he was still friends with Magneto," or "What if Jean Grey would have fallen in love with Wolverine instead of Cyclops." Then in just one short issue they would present how that small change affected the world. Every time I see something that plays with alternate versions of stories we all know it just makes me remember those comic books. It always makes me smile.
Temper Trap, the indie-pop outfit from Australia, has just released their video for Need Your Love in which they give us an awesome story of redemption and friendship between Daniel San and Johnny Lawrence. If you don't remember your Karate Kid history, Johnny was the evil Cobra Kai student that got his head "craned" by Ralph Macchio at the end of the movie.
April is summer in Austin. Mornings are cool and the smell of cut grass hangs in the air. This is our time to burn charcoal and imbibe flowery pop music. The rest of the country can have July. By then we'll be a wasteland and flowery pop just won't cut it. I give you my pick for the summer. It's called Summerlong. The band is the Brooklyn electro-pop quartet Xylos. Their internet house is here.
Parkour keeps abandoning us for Las Vegas, so I thought this would be an appropriate post. Anders Trentemøller is from Copenhagen Denmark and so is Marie Fisker. Anders I know something about, but my first experience with Fisker was on this Record Store Day single from Trentemøller. If you're not familiar with RSD, it happens every year on the third Sat of April and has rapidly become a musical institution. The idea is to support your local record store and to support that effort musicians release incredible tracks on that day only. This year, Trentemøller is realeasing a cover of The Gun Club's 'My Dreams' that features Marie Fisker on vocals. The video is below. The track is off their 3d album, Las Vegas Story. You can check out Marie and download her album here.
Chairlift is awesome. They have an 80's pop sound that is pretty infectious. They released their second (I think) LP titled Something earlier this year, and it is really, REALLY good.
They're coming to the Mohawk tonight! I'm gonna try to make it if I get out of work early enough.
Erevan Tusk (great name) is an energetic 5-piece from the French lands.
They've just released their video for the song "Cassidy." It's beautifully shot in Romania and it has a strange Princess Mononoke vibe... animated forest creatures and all.
Moonface is the Wolf Parade genius Spencer Krug. He has an album with Sinai called Heartbreaking Bravery that is scheduled to drop on 17th April. Below is the new video and album stream. Moonface will be in Austin at Red 7 on 22nd June.
Here's the stream courtesy of AV Club. The album is stark and really big, so give this one some time.
I finally dumped out my corduroy festival bag from SXSW. Amid earplugs, mini-flyers, and festival debris, I found a CD a music industry friend gave me during that crazy week. Usually, I dread the free CDs of SXSW, but Mirel Wagner's self-titled debut overwhelmed me.
She constructs gloom-folk with the spare skeleton of guitar and her rough, airy voice. I'd fall in love with her, but she's already broken my heart.
Here is my favorite track off the album, "No Death."
Whistle Tips is the name of Dinosaur Feathers' new full-length. It hasn't been released officially, but I have been constantly streaming it from the SPIN website. It is extremely good. Infectious, tight sound. Their track "Beatcha" is available for free download at their Facebook page.
So yesterday I get this e-mail welcoming me to the POP ETC. mailing list. What the hell is Pop Etc. and why are they spamming me? Still, it wasn't from a Nigerian prince, so I checked it out.
Upon further inspection, I learned that Pop Etc is the re-branding name for The Morning Benders, that California band of toddler experts in squeezing the best of a wall-of-sound approach. Mr. Christopher Chu explains in the MB website after realizing that their name was demeaning to the gay community in the UK, they had decided to change it.
ANYWAY. The purpose of this post is to let you know that POP ETCETERA has a FREE completely spring-appropriate, thoroughly enjoyable mixtape that you can download from their website (HERE).
I don't know much about Francois & The Atlas Mountains, except that they play charming indie music in french. And that their new video for "City Kiss" reminded me of strange dreams I've been having the past couple of nights. Like driving with my friend Jorge Luis from high school trying to get him to his wedding, only to find out this morning that he got married in real life this week. Weird.
The other thing I know is that the video was directed by Elliot Dear, who has done spectacular work for King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, which we have featured here. This time he steps away from animation, which is what he's known for, but still delivers an awesome narcolepsy-infused search for a hook-up.
Enjoy "City Kiss" by Francois & The Atlas Mountains:
Nico Segal is the trumpet player for Kids These Days and today released a solo project called Illasoul: Shades of Blue. The concept is a mix of jazz and blues trumpet with spoken word and hip hop. The idea probably started with Kerouac's 1959 epic Mexico City Blues, but has received little mainstream attention since then. I've included a recording of Ginsberg discussing Mexico City Blues and playing from a recording of Kerouac reading the poem.
Mexico City Blues 239th Chorus
And how sweet a story it is When you hear Charlie Parker tell it, Either on records or at sessions, Or at official bits in clubs, Shots in the arm for the wallet, Gleefully he Whistled the perfect horn
I don't know what this guys has been through, but every song he puts out seems to just reach into your heart and squeeze tight.
If you haven't seen his earlier videos, you should definitely take a look — they are all beautiful and heartbreaking, and we've been talking about them in the blog for a while (see here). This time, Henson pairs up with Joseph Mann to create a sad story about love lost in the forest.
Listen to it, and cry if you must.
You can find "Small Hands" in Henson's excellent LP release Dear... I think he released his album in England in 2010, but has not released it in the states yet. You can purchase his album through his website www.keatonhenson.com
Ok, back to the normal happenings of the blog after a pretty awesome SXSW week here in the welcoming town of Austin. Thanks to all the people that came to the party. We had a blast.
Little Dragon is a Swedish electronic-pop band. They've collaborated with a bunch of great people in the past, including José Gonzalez, Maximum Balloon, Gorillaz and most recently SBTRKT, where you can hear Yukimi Nagano singing while being possessed by some kind of evil spirit (see our previous post, here). But Little Dragon has been producing their own awesome music for years now... their most recent album Ritual Union was one of my favorites of last year.
They've just released a creepy video for their song "Crystalfilm." Enjoy:
The music, art, and politics blog Hater threw a hip hop/graffiti brunch at yellow jacket social club on Saturday. Killer sets from the whole docket, but the real standout was Dark Time Sunshine, Onry Ozzborn and Zavala. Onry Ozzborn is 1/2 of grayskul, of Rhymesayers fame. Below is a track from their 2010 release, Vessel. It's called run.
For my non-Sx post (at least I think), I've got a gravel-voiced Canadian. Honestly, given the track's title I was expecting a Kanye and Hova diss, but maybe what we've found is the antithesis of their track about Paris. Ira Lee is the Saskatchewanese artist responsible, FB, and is a self-described avant guarde, pop-rap minimalist storyteller. I've got absolutely no idea what that means, but there's no denying the emotionally provocative nature of his wild-west stylings. The track's called Drinking Alone In Paris and in keeping with my theme involves a piano, mental instability, and a whisky breakdown.
We're so excited about Last Choice's Get Nasty party on Tuesday, March 13th starting at 6:30PM at Nasty's (606 Maiden Lane). Don't forget to RSVP by friending us on Facebook www.facebook.com/SoLastChoice. If you hate Facebook, RSVP by sending an email to last@so-choice.com.
I've put together a little Grooveshark playlist so you can preview the awesome artists we are going to have at the party. Go ahead, practice your dance moves in front of the mirror. You'll need them.
And we wouldn't want to leave out the ever-dashing Okie Weiss. Here is a video to get those toes a'tappin'.
See you Tuesday! Free beers while they last, and don't forget to bring a light-colored t-shirt.
In my frenzy to listen to bands for SXSW, I lingered a while over Sun Hotel. They are playing KVRXplosion, and I'm really excited to see them at Spiderhouse next Wednesday.
Sun Hotel is based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. They've got a nice fuzzy pop Americana feel, and while I don't think their work is perfect, I definitely think they are headed somewhere.
This is a video of "Got Along" from their Gifts EP. Below is the story of filming, because I won't be able to do it justice in the retelling.
"This video was recorded the morning after Sun Hotel, Caddywhompus, Black James Franco, and Psychedelic Tractor played at Trevor Smith's house for New Year's Eve. This was filmed in one shot, first take, by Harrison Smith. Chris Rehm set up 5 iPods around the yard and edited the audio and video. Talib Abdullahi drove the truck that Harrison was sitting in for filming. The car was pushed by Sean Hart, Chris Rehm, and Trevor Smith. This song "Got Along" originally appeared in Sun Hotel's EP "Gifts", released October 2011 on Chinquapin Records. Big thanks to Trevor and all our Austin homies that helped/came out. The band sat around the fire pit which, during the previous night, someone threw a couch on top of, necessitating the Fire Department to come out and mayhem to ensue."
Gabriel García Marquez once compared Caracas to human beings of great stock, who can't be loved except by those that are capable of bearing them. And that's what you have to do when you live in Caracas, you have to bear it. You have to bear trash, bear traffic, bear smog, bear political intolerance on every side, bear injustice and poverty, bear inequality, bear a wave of violence that has not been seen anywhere not torn by war.
But it's not a fluke that people love Caracas... because under that rotten veneer lies a beautiful, fun, interesting, complex, living city. A mix of concrete, trees, flesh and blood that mesmerizes and fascinates anyone capable of looking deeper. There's nothing like looking at El Ávila in a cool December morning, or going to watch a baseball game at the packed Estadio Universitario, or going to buy Arepas at 5.30am after a long night of rum and whiskey, or making out with a beautiful girl in Plaza Altamira.
Some of you might have seen the video for the song "Rotten Town," by OneChot, a reggae artist that was recently shot in the head when trying to avoid getting robbed, victim to the same violence he denounced time and time again through his art. If you haven't, please see it here, it's a great song and a great video.
But there's a new anthem for the city. 12" Ninjazz, a hip hop collective from Venezuela has just released their video for the aptly titled song "Caracas." They capture exactly what I was talking about. There's nothing more to say except that it is BEAUTIFUL, I love it, and I'm proud of them for the work they do.
You learn to love Caracas in-spite of its contradictions, or maybe even because of them. Because, let's face it: danger and chaos are some of the most beautiful things in the world. Ninjazz captures that sentiment perfectly when they sing: "Caracas, city of tradition, treason, irony, paradox, and contradiction."
Enjoy Caracas, seen through the eyes of 12" Ninjazz:
Consider this your official invitation to our annual pre-SxSW party. We did this last year and had a blast. Handed out hand-made t-shirts, listened to good music, danced, made out, got the cops called on us, moved to Wolf's house to continue the dance party, got the cops called on us again, got really, really drunk and had insane amounts of fun.
It. will. be. fun. If you're in Austin and you like the music that we play you will find this party awesome. So come and bring friends, everyone is welcome (if they're over 21... sorry young'uns). You'll be able to come in without RSVPing but there might be a small charge, SO RSVP! it's easy! just go to our facebook page by following this nifty link and like us... we want to be liked! If you already like us then you're already on the list. All you need to do is show up and dance and drink until you're making out with Cuckoo Chaos' lead singer in the ladie's restroom (not a true story). If you hate Facebook, RSVP by e-mail to last@so-choice.com.
Here's what you need to know:
There will be free beer but it will eventually end. Nasty's has pretty cheap beer after that plus their usual bar (which is REALLY REASONABLY PRICED).
Bring an old t-shirt! We will gladly stamp some cool design on it that we still need to figure out.
Bring your dancing shoes. THERE WILL BE DANCING.
Bring your friends. The more the merrier. Get them to RSVP!
RSVP!!! don't waste a few bucks that you can use to tip the bar staff
We love you all and we can't wait to see your beautiful asses shaking on the dancefloor.
Harriet is a four piece from LA and they'll be in town for SxSW. They released a video this week for I Slept With All Your Mothers, an incredible ballad about decent into madness and depravity. Although I'm a sucker for pianos, insanity, and whisky breakdowns the group should appeal to a broader audience as well. It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane. Not my words (PKD).
If you are learning the hard way and haven't heard yet, LC is throwing a party at Nasty's on Tuesday 13th March. RSVP and get more info on our facebook page www.facebook.com/SoLastChoice
Tennis originated from a 12th century French game called paume (meaning palm); it was a court game where the ball was struck with the hand. Paume evolved into jeu de paume and rackets were used. The game spread and evolved in Europe. In 1873, Major Walter Wingfield invented a game called Sphairistikè (Greek for "playing ball) from which modern outdoor tennis evolved.
The other Tennis originated in a philosophy class in college where Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore met and decided to form a band.
Tennis is following up their excellent Cape Dory with their even more excellent (in my opinion) Young and Old. It was produced by Black Keys' Patrick Carney. It's full of Alaina's signature ooohs and aaahs reminiscent of a better, simpler time, where tennis was played with wooden rackets and had no place in band names.
"Origins" is their single. They'll be promoting their new album during SxSW:
Photo courtesy of The Dailyer Nebraskan. (Where you can read an awesome interview with Tennis).
