2013 Austin Essentials: Volume 3
And now, before Thanksgiving consumes us all, I present to you the last part of my Austin Essentials (here are Volume 1 and 2). Hopefully you’ve had fun. If you didn’t, what the hell happened? At any rate, I love you all. Enjoy.
PS – Honorable mentions go to the Austin bands who just missed the cut (way too many to list) and to acts like The Couch, Dana Falconberry, and Letting Up Despite Great Faults who put out music last year but still had a great 2013.
:The Black Angels – Evil Things: While I’m a big fan of The Black Angels’ early albums, I don’t have an issue with them continuing to move away from being heavy and droney. Probably because I can only stare at my ceiling fan for so long each day. Find The Black Angels on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Gal Pals – Earthquake: If you ask me, Gal Pals are just as good as La Sera, Splinters, La Luz, and any of the other lady-lead garage pop acts that are scattered around the globe. By the way, who can help me convince them to put together an album already? Find Gal Pals on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Sweet Talk – Microphone: Sweet Talk remind of the pop rock that I loved when I was a teenager. This track requires a loud volume and you enthusiastically singing-a-long. Find Sweet Talk on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Bobby Jealousy – Bang Bang: Because Sabrina Ellis is just that good, here she is with her other band, the always catchy Bobby Jealousy. They played ACL this year, which is just straight up awesome. Find Bobby Jealousy on FB here, and buy their music here.
:The Octopus Project – Whitby: Personally, I think that Fever Forms is The Octopus Project’s best album. They’ve really honed their experimental ways and the material coming by way of their leap forward is just undeniably good. Find The Octopus Project on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Magna Carda – Shoes $ Money: I recently mentioned to SOTO’s resident rap guru Leah Manners that I didn’t get around to much local hip hop in 2013, and she promptly scolded me and then sent this track so that I would know exactly what I had been missing out on. Lesson fucking learned. Find Magna Carda on FB here, and buy their music here.
:The Black And White Years – Little One: I don’t really know what to expect from The Black And White Years’ next album, Strange Figurines, but I know that I’m looking forward to it solely because of this inspired electro pop number. Find The Black And White Years on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Mother Falcon – Dirty Summer: You can argue you about it if you want, but the fact of the matter is that all 419 members of Mother Falcon really know how to make a pretty sounding song. They released the unsurprisingly well crafted You Knew this summer. Find Mother Falcon on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Feverbones – Breaking Even: I need to start talking about Feverbones more, as I really do think they’re crafting some of Austin’s most interesting indie rock. For proof, see the self titled EP they put out earlier this year. Find Feverbones on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Roger Sellers – Sincere: Now matter what style of music he’s playing, Roger Sellers always seems to effortlessly pull it off. It’s okay if you want to scream “talented bastard” and then shake your fist at the sky. Find Roger Sellers on FB here, and buy his music here.
:Holy Wave – Star Stamp: I fully expect Holy Wave to garner a slew of new fans in 2014. This single is as accessible as they’ve ever been, and I have a feeling that their new album, Relax, will be the first great psych rock release of the year. Find Holy Wave on FB here, and buy their music here.
:The Mole People – Searching The Streets: The Mole People are a whirlwind of psychedelia, and that’s fine by me. This song in particular reminds me of the kind of music that Slumberland often puts out. Find The Mole People on FB here, and buy their music here.
:The Preservation – Still Be Your Friend: The Preservation pretty much nail it by referring to their approach as “cosmic American music from heart.” By the way, kudos to them for earning spots at KGSR’s Blues on the Green and ACL. Find The Preservation on FB here, and buy their music here.
:Bill Callahan – Small Plane: I’ve yet to give Bill Callahan’s Dream River a thorough listen, and that’s just silly of me. At least I’ve spent a good chunk of time with this beautiful track, though. Find Bill Callahan’s fan page on FB here, and buy his music here.
:Reservations – That Road We Traveled Down: Jana Horn’s stellar voice not only leads Reservations, but I also seem to just wander along behind it. I hope their debut full length arrives in the first part of 2014. Find Reservations on FB here, and buy their music here.
