Mr. The Plague

Mr. Belford?

My name is the Plague

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.

Are there any band names left?

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.

Here is "Clouds" off of their new record.

Postcard from 1952

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.


Postcard From 1952 from Explosions in the Sky on Vimeo.

They'll be performing at Auditorium Shores for FunFunFunFest. It's going to be beautiful.

More reasons to move to Barcelona

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.

Here's his most recent video, coming from PIB vol. 1, for the song Mágic.
Joan Colomo * Màgic from Alan Masferrer on Vimeo.

Sleeping Bag

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.

Here is the first track "Slime" off the album.

Eagle/Deer

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.