From the Garage

I have a huge sweet spot for garage rock and any similar genres like garage punk, surf rock, and rockabilly. Some of the more stuff I've posted in this vein includes bands like the Ooga Boogas, Black Lips, Demon's Claws, Strange Boys, Jay Reatard, etc. I always have my ears open to any garage goodness I come across, but it can be difficult because a lot of the good stuff is somewhat obscure and only released on vinyl through labels most people are unfamiliar with.

But, I have found some cool garage music recently that has been occupying a lot of my time. Ty Segall is a one-man-band from San Fran who also plays in other area garage bands, including Epsilons. His self-titled debut is full of catchy, lo-fi garage-blues brilliance. Austinist says a few words about Ty Segall here. The Oh Sees are another great San Fran garage rock band with ties to several other bands, but their catalog is much deeper and they feature a female vocalist.

Harlem are an Austin by way of Tennessee garage pop trio who Austin Sound says "combine the best elements of local favorites White Denim and the Strange Boys into one roguish blitz of infectious melody and scruffy guitars." I also stumbled upon this super awesome radio show from garage legend Greg Cartwright that is a must-hear. Check out a track (Ike & Tina) from the show below, and get the full thing here and here.

• Ty Segall - "Oh Mary"
• myspace.com/tysegall
  

• The Oh Sees - "Two Drummers Disappear"
• myspace.com/ohsees
  

• Harlem - "Witchgreens"
• myspace.com/harlemduh
  

• Ike & Tina Turner - "Contact High"

Little Joy

Little Joy is a new collaboration between Brazilian singer-guitarist Rodrigo Amarante of Los Hermanos, drummer Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes, and Los Angeles-based musician Binki Shapiro. When the three friends got together not long ago to simply record a few songs, they ended up with this self-titled gem of a pop album, mixing together a carefree attitude with south-of-the-border influences and elements of Beach Boys-esque 60's pop.

Though sounding like an album recorded totally on a whim, Little Joy was produced by Noah Georgeson (Devandra Banhart), released worldwide via Rough Trade Records, and has received a lot of positive critical reception. One of the most accurate quotes I've read about the album goes something like this:

"LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy once told me he could imagine in 15 years’ time, he might be having a barbecue, and someone would dig out the Strokes’ debut from a pile of old CDs and, as the half-forgotten power-pop drifted across the summer lawns, he would realize, “You know what? That was a great little record! A perfect barbecue record!” The modest genius of Little Joy is that now he (or you) doesn’t have to wait 15 years."

Once you hear it you'll understand what he's talking about. They are making the most of this new project with a not-so-little tour, which will come through Austin this Saturday, November 29th, at the Parish. If you're feeling the economy crunch, there are free tickets available at the link.

• Little Joy - "The Next Time Around"
• myspace.com/littlejoymusic

Simian Mobile Deerhunter

Fresh from the oven, aka my inbox, here is Simian Mobile Disco applying their own touches to the subdued ambience of Deerhunter's "Octet." The original recording is found on the 2007 album Cryptograms. The fantastic follow up, Microcastle, is in stores now along with the Weird Era Cont. bonus disc. Definitely one of the better releases of 2008.

Deerhunter will be playing at Emo's next week with Times New Viking, who I told you about last year. I've been looking forward to this show for a few months now. Also, if you haven't looked at the Deerhunter blog in a while you will find a couple of new videos, a new micromix, and a few free Atlas Sound downloads. Here's the SMD remix followed by yet another groovy track from Microcastle.

• Deerhunter - "Octet" (Simian Mobile Disco re-edit)
  
• Deerhunter - "Saved by Old Times" (via)
  
• myspace.com/deerhunter

Ghost Town

Remember when I told you about the new Parts & Labor album? If not, you should look into that one. It's out now on Jagjaguwar. The singer for that band, Dan Friel, also put out his first full-length solo release this year. Ghost Town is an experimental electronic effort made with "cheap drum machines, blipping remote controls, and preprogrammed toys."

Imortant Records says "comparisons are tough, but perhaps if In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was sculpted out of distorted noise you might be getting close." The first track that caught my attention on this album was "Desert Song," an electronic rocker that sounds a lot like something you might hear from Dan Deacon. Tiny Mix Tapes reviewed Ghost Town right here, and you can get it in digital form at the link.

• Dan Friel - "Desert Song"
• danfriel.com

Alias - Resurgam

Portland's purveyor of "abstract hip-hop," Alias, aka Brendon Whitney, released a new album this year on the anticon label. It's called Resurgam, which I'm told is Latin for "I shall rise again." This is his first proper album in four years, and features collaborations with Why? (Well Water Black) and the One AM Radio (Weathering). My personal favorite is the ode to percussion "I Heart Drum Machines," but there are a number of standout tracks on this one.

Anticon calls it "an album of heavy, intricate rhythms, as evidenced by introductory banger “New To A Few,” and “M.G. Jack,” which begins with the cool asceticism of Boards Of Canada, but peaks with an Avalanches-like exuberance, interweaving patterns of distorted beat-boxing, live percussion, Casio-styled effects, and burbling synth." The A.V. Club reviewed it here, and there are a few more at the link.

• Alias - "I Heart Drum Machines"
• myspace.com/alias
  

Casino Versus Japan

I got a whole bunch of tracks lined up that I want you to hear this week, so I'm just gonna start cranking these things out without trying to get too deep on each one. These two are from Kentucky-based Casino Versus Japan, who creates some really nice electronic/IDM/downtempo stuff.

Check out his debut full-length, Go Hawaii, and his sophomore album Whole Numbers Play the Basics on Carpark. They said the "heavily filtered hip-hop beats and hearty bass patterns show off a musical mind informed by heroes like Boards of Canada and My Bloody Valentine."

• Casino Versus Japan - "Summer Clip"
• Casino Versus Japan - "Over Island"
• myspace.com/casinovsjapan

Conor and Mystic Valley

These cats will be doing their thing tonight at Stubb's. I was pretty sure that I wasn't a big fan of Conor Oberst until I saw him at ACL Fest with the Mystic Valley Band. They sounded pretty good for the few songs I was able to catch, there was kind of an Allman Brothers vibe going on. That might sound crazy coming from a Conor Oberst production, but they do know how to jam in small doses. If you're interested the event info for tonight is here, and tix are available here

More Caribou

I have talked about this band quite a few times in the past, but I feel like rambling on about Caribou again today. With this type of music you don't always see a band that is both great in the studio and also able to put on a great live show, but Caribou excels at both. Their previous show in Austin was fantastic, and the 2007 studio album won the 2008 Polaris Music Prize. That award came with some prize money that is currently going both towards the new album recording, and to two separate Canadian charities.

The album that dropped before that one, The Milk of Human Kindness, is also great. Here is the Pitchfork review. The video above is from the 2007 "Pink Room Sessions," and I found a link to the audio from that session here. Click here to listen to the Caribou station on Pandora, which will also bring up a bunch of cool stuff like Bonobo, Architecture in Helsinki, Thievery Corporation, etc. You can listen to more Caribou at the link.

• Caribou - "Pelican Narrows"
• caribou.fm

Nosaj Thing

Nosaj Thing (Jason Chung) is an electronic artist/producer from Los Angeles. He's remixed Radiohead, Daedelus and a few others, gotten mad love from XLR8R and The Fader, won remix contests and beat battles, and shared the stage with the likes of Z-Trip and DJ Krush. I just stumbled across this very smooth track of his called "Aquarium," the perfect tune for a dreamy underwater adventure, found on this EP from 2006. The video is here.

• Nosaj Thing - "Aquarium"
• myspace.com/nosajthing
  

Torche @ Red 7

Strap on your boots, tomorrow is gonna be crazy at Red 7. Miami rockers Torche will return from their mighty summer tour with Boris to showcase their gnarly guitar solos and beast-like drumming at Red 7.

Austin360 calls Torche "melodic, anthemic and strikingly heavy," picking their album Meanderthal as one of the year's best.

Along for the ride will be San Fran's Black Cobra who will scream in your face and Bean Town's Clouds, who formed in the wake of Cave In's collapse. The show starts at 9pm, and tickets may be obtained here.

• Torche - Grenades
• Torche - Healer
• torchemusic.com
  

New Beach House

The latest offering from meloncholy, lo-fi Baltimore duo Beach House is a limited edition seven inch single featuring the new song “Used To Be.” I hear word that it "contemplates the spiritual and physical effects of life on the everchanging road, love and getting older," and the video is a spot-on visualization of that idea.

As down-trodden as this duo's approach comes across, it still manages to possess an endearing quality that will stick with you. I was introduced to them a few south-by's ago after hearing their debut album sometime in '06. If you're new to this, I'd recommend starting here. The b-side to the new single is a four-track demo version of “Apple Orchard,” one of the first things these two recorded together as Beach House. Get your copy here.

• Beach House - "Used To Be"
• myspace.com/beachhousemusic

on shuffle...

Here's some mid-90's Portishead to put the funk in your trunk. Read about the album here, and get the full experience at the link. Make sure to check out this interview (or this one) with Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley of Portishead, as they talk about the long and winding path that led to the creation of Portishead's third album. While I'm on it, the super rad video for "The Rip" is down there too, because some nazi went and deleted the last one I posted.

• Portishead - "Wandering Star"
• portishead.co.uk
  

Hip, Hip, Hip-Hop

There's three consecutive nights of quality hip-hop going down in Austin this week. Method Man & Redman kick it off tomorrow night in the middle of their cross-country Still High Tour. Both dudes have made recent solo trips to the 512, but now that they will be back under the same roof it is going to be wild. They will be releasing both a new album and a new film in the coming months, aiming to further their reputation as one of hip-hop's most beloved partnerships.

• Wu-Tang Clan - "Method Man"

Digable Planets are back in action. Doodlebug, Butterfly, and Ladybug are touring all over the place, playing to some packed houses, and even talking about a new studio album. Based on the reviews I've been reading from their current tour, a whole lotta people are still digging the Digable. They will get together at Emo's on Wednesday along with local hip-hop scenesters Zeale & Phranchyze, who made me a fan when I saw 'em at the Fun Fest. Free tickets for this one are here.

As it turns out, Q-Tip's oft-delayed new album was well worth the wait. Pretty much everyone is calling it the bomb. It has some great production, which combined with his ever-sharp lyrical skills will make you forget that it has been something like nine years since his last album. The old Tribe Called Quest-er will be at Stubb's on Thursday night with The Cool Kids, who put on a way better show than I was expecting when I caught them at Emo's in August. Tix are available here, and you can check out more of The Renaissance at the link

• Q-Tip - "Won't Trade"
• myspace.com/qtip

Pretty Lights

Pretty Lights is an electronica duo from Fort Collins who are complemented by a drummer in a live setting. I just heard some of their stuff yesterday, and liked it immediately. They will be doing their "organic, dubby, glitchy live show for the senses" at the Parish tonight with Eoto, aka The String Cheese Incident percussionists, who do improvised breakbeat, house, and dubstep.

Check out a few minutes of Pretty Lights below. If you dig it, you can download all of their stuff for free at prettylightsmusic.com.

• Pretty Lights - "Hot Like Sauce"
• Pretty Lights - "Wrong Platform"
• myspace.com/prettylights

Tame Impala

Tame Impala is a psychedelic garage rock trio from Australia who will release their debut EP next month on Modular Records. I've only heard a couple of their tracks, but I'm really enjoying what I hear so far. Check out their animated slice of psychedelia above, and get more Tame Impala info at the link.

More Fun

Check out this cool video recap from the Austin-based music video network known as Roxwel. Rocks well. Get it? Anyhoo, they've got funny man Neil Hamburger hosting this Day 1 Recap with interviews and performance footage from Deerhoof, Trail of Dead, The National and Dead Milkmen.

I hear they will be publishing over 50 interviews with various ffffest performers, which will be added at the link as they become available. Take a look at Soundcheck for even more coverage.

Here's a song that isn't related to any of this stuff whatsoever. It just happened to come up on shuffle the other day, and has been stuck in my head ever since...

• Deadboy & the Elephantmen - "Ancient Man" (via)

Black Angels - Fun Fest

Thanks to KUT for the video. Here's an acoustic re-up for you.

• The Black Angels - Live on the Interface
• theblackangels.com
  

This Week In Austin

If you want to get out there and see some live music in Austin this week, here are a few shows that I would recommend.

On Thursday Lions will be getting their rock & roll fury on at Emo's outdoor with Local H and the Detroit garage disco of Electric Six. Bavu Blakes, who was featured here not long ago, will be at the Mohawk, and Of Montreal will be putting on a show at the huge outdoor venue on Town Lake known as Fiesta Gardens. Will the eccentric frontman Kevin Barnes ride in on a white stallion again?

On Friday, Ghostland Observatory play night 1 of their 2-day stand at Stubb's. It's sold out, but tickets for night 2 are still available. Right up the block The Shine Brothers, featuring members of the Black Angels, will be entertaining at Beerland. Go up another block and you'll catch Daniel Francis Doyle and A Faulty Chromosome at the KVRX benefit at Mohawk. A couple of my good friends, DJ Thibault and DJ Gmau, will be mixing it up on the banks of the Colorado River at the River Revolution Party. Did someone say free drinks until 2am?

On Saturday Japanther and the Underground Railroad to Candyland at Emo's. Car Stereo (Wars) and The Hood Internet will be making hips shake at Beauty Bar. King Khan and BBQ Show, who I told you about last summer, are playing that night at the Mohawk, and Ghostland Observatory dance-rocking the night away at Stubb's.

Then there's the "Eastside Remix", where DJ Manny will spin his remixed version of The Black and White Years' album with Built By Snow opening. Try out a new track from BBS below, or stream their new album in full at the link.

• Built By Snow - " Implode Alright"

Next week: Method & Red, Digable Planets, Q-Tip & Cool Kids

Fun Fun Fun Fotos

The third installment of Fun Fun Fun Fest went down at Waterloo Park over the weekend, and despite the mountains of dust that we kicked up, everything was a grand old time. First of all, thank you Austinist for taking such good care of all of us bloggers. It was nice to be able to pal around backstage and have access to everything.

As far as the music, it was great. I didn't get to see much of the punk stage, and never made it over to the comedy stage, but almost all of the things that I did see were pretty awesome. I have separated all the that bands I saw into a few different categories, moving from the best of the fest to the not so great.

4 Bands That Stole The Show:

• The Black Angels
• Trail of Dead
• Deerhoof
• Z-Trip

4 Locals That Made Big Gains:

• The Octopus Project
• Black Joe Lewis
• The Ugly Beats
• Ume

4 Bands That Made Me a Bigger Fan:

• Annuals
• Islands
• Atmosphere
• Kool Keith

4 Bands I'm Sorry I Missed:

• J*Davey
• Parts and Labor
• St. Vincent
• Black Heart Procession

2 Bands That Could've Been Better:

• YACHT
• Minus the Bear

Here are a bunch of photos by Casey James Wilson. Each image is linked to the artist, in case you don't know who you're looking at. Follow the links at the bottom of this post to see what everyone else is saying about the fest. I'll be looking forward to having a similar amount of fun this time next year!

Tons of Fun footage:

Austinist - Austin Sound
Sonic Itch Music - Ultra8201
Side One Track One - Party Ends
Both Sides - Austin360 - The Corner
Gorilla vs Bear - Brooklyn Vegan
My Old Kentucky Blog - Aquarium Drunkard

Dälek

Dälek is not something you put on for an immediate burst of sound, Dälek is like some sort of organic hip-hop species that attaches itself to you with weird industrial sampling and heavy, repetitious beats. The New Jersey duo have been creating their own territory within the genre of hip-hop for the past 10 years, staying true to their sound with each new release. There's some interesting discusson on staying fresh after 10 years in this interview.

If you're new to Dälek (pronounced 'Die-a-leck'), start out by listening to their 2007 release, Abandoned Language. Stylus gave it an A, saying "The true genius of Abandoned Language is found in the production. Stunning in stereos and nearly mindblowing in headphones, producer Oktopus evokes the ghetto-as-ghost-town feel of Liquid Swords or Hell On Earth with tracks that are dense, but never cluttered." Dälek has a new record scheduled for release via Ipecac in January '09, Gutter Tactics. They'll be hitting up Dublin, London, and Prague in the meantime. Here's one from Abandoned Language:

• Dälek - "(Subversive Script)"
• myspace.com/dalek

DFA goes to the Clinic

Clinic getting the remix treatment from DFA? Sign me right up. Clinic's newest single from their 5th album, Do It!, is "Tomorrow." It will come packaged with a new song ("Hijack") a hi-res video, and an exclusive remix by DFA.

The DFA remix of "Tomorrow" is available now exclusively from Beatport, and you can also pre-order the single from Domino Records. Get more Clinic digital downloads at the link, and read what people are saying at Meta.

• Clinic - "Tomorrow" (DFA Remix)
• clinicvoot.org
• dfarecords.com
  

Beck Side

"Bombs away, they're throwing blondes at the bonfire." "Beauty burning from a backbone." Beck, I have no idea what you're talking about, but you make it sound so damn appealing that I can't resist. You could sing about making peanut butter & sushi enchiladas and I would dig it.

"Bonfire Blondes" is the most recent b-side from Beck's latest album, this one coming from the "Gamma Ray" vinyl single. If you still haven't checked out Modern Guilt, get on it. Fill the rest of your digital Beck needs at Amazon.

• Beck - "Bonfire Blondes"
• beck.com
  

Hood Internet Wars

While I continue to compile all of my Fun Fun Fun Fest coverage, here is some hip-hop for your Monday afternoon smoke break. A few weeks ago The Hood Internet dropped their "Mixtape Volume Three," overflowing with their trademark mixes & mashes of the best indie rock & hip hop. These two Chicagoans do this type of stuff all the time, making their website a destination spot for remix junkies and mashup enthusiasts. The Chicago Reader has an article that will fill you in on all of the details.

The mixtape linked below has tons of memorable moments, including Fleetwood Mac vs Daft Punk, Pimp C vs The New Pornographers, and Bun B vs Of Montreal. Click here to see the full tracklist and find out more. If you're in Austin this Saturday, you can catch The Hood Internet at Beauty Bar with our very own mashup enthusiast, Car Stereo (Wars).

• The Hood Internet - Mixtape Volume 3
• myspace.com/therealhoodinternet

While they're hot...

Here's a three-fer, because I'm on a roll, and because the last two Japanther tracks I put up disappeared. And because I'm on a garage rock kick thanks to the Ooga Boogas, and because The Muslims and Yussuf Jerusalem are answering that call right now. And because people need new things to listen to. And because I enjoy answering that call.

The Muslims originate from San Diego. It's a beautiful place. These dudes will probably be huge before long, because this stuff is dope. Get your copy now, otherwise it will be sold out like the last one.

• The Muslims - "Parasites"
• The Muslims - "Walking with Jesus"
• myspace.com/themuslims

Yussuf Jerusalem originate from France, but they love the english language, rock & roll, and Roky Erickson. They only have 500 friends on myspace, and sound like they would fit in perfectly at Beerland. Someone get SXSW on the line.

• Yussuf Jerusalem - "With You in Mind
• Yussuf Jerusalem - "A Heart Full of Sorrow"
• myspace.com/ridersofallah

And here's the two Japanther tracks that got the axe last week. I'm assuming it was because I included a TV on the Radio mp3. Lord knows those guys aren't selling enough records. I told you previously about Japanther in 2007. They will be back in Austin next Saturday.

• Japanther - "Um Like Yer Smile Is Totally Ruling me Right Now"
• Japanther - "Radical Buisnessman"
• japanther.com
  

New Peter and the Wolf

Peter and the Wolf has a new collection of songs for you to mellow out with. It's an album called Mellow Owl, featuring 12 songs on hand-drawn discs, and it makes for a good companion on a lazy night. I have already recommended his first official release, Lightness, to just about everyone I know, and recommended his Ivory Palms album last year.

I think this new one has a more inviting feel than the Palms did, falling closer in line with the simplistic brilliance of Lightness. It's hard not to find space in your music collection for sounds like these. Peter and the Wolf return to Austin on December 5 at Creekside Lounge after a lengthy tour.

• Peter and the Wolf - "Trainhopper"
• Peter and the Wolf - "This Kid I Knew"
• myspace.com/whiskeyandapples
  

Have Fun This Week

Blogger has made a recent habit of deleting some of my posts, which has me considering making a switch to another service in the near future. You can read a discussion on the whole thing at Berkeley Place. This is part of the reason that there has not been a lot of recent activity on this blog.

I have a hard time spending time creating posts if there's a possibility that they will continue to magically disappear. I'm not giving up on this whole thing by any means, I just may have to alter my approach a little bit. I'm pretty sure that I am still within my rights to let you know about musical adventures you can find in this town, so here are a few for this week:

Today at 6pm Trail of Dead will be playing an instore at End of an Ear, the coolest record store on the south side. The band just released a new EP called Festival Thyme to stir up some interest about their new full length due in January '09. More info on that is here.

There will be some good hip-hop at Emo's tonight in the form of The Mighty Underdogs. They are a supergroup of sorts, formed by rappers Gift of Gab and Lateef the Truth Speaker, who collaborated with folks like Chali 2na, MF Doom, and Lyrics Born for their album Dropping Science Fiction, released last month on Definitive Jux. More info on that is here.

Let's see..what else is going on this week. A free show by Mix Master Mike? Count me in. But then again, Brightblack Morning Light are playing that night too. Decisions, decisions. Friday night is similary booked solid. Diplo will be doing his thing at Emo's with tropical punks Abe Vigoda, electronic wiz Boy 8-Bit, and Telepathe, who recorded their debut album with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. Down the street, Ott will be blowing people's minds at Parish. He's the man behind Hallucinogen In Dub, which I told you about previously.

And there's a little thing called Fun Fun Fun Fest happening all weekend. It kicks off at Mohawk on Friday night with After The Jump and Local Music is Sexy, featuring Brothers and Sisters, Lovely Sparrows, Leatherbag, and a bunch more. After checking out Z-Trip, Dan Deacon, YACHT, Parts and Labor et al. at the fest on Saturday, the afterparty will be supplied by White Denim, Dead Confederate and Apollo Sunshine at Mohawk.

Sunday at Fun Fest is NOT to be missed. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Black Angels, Ume, Black Loe Lewis, Annuals, Clipse...all kinds of awesome. Tickets are still available at the link. I'll be sure to let you know how everything turns out, hopefully Blogger won't delete the entire blog between now and then.