Like Noah yesterday, I too am struggling to find the
best format for this weekly post. And like
Noah, I've yet to make a decision. But
something I'd like to do is work a little local
Austin music into the mix, and I think I'll start by
doing that today, and continuing to do so the first
post of each month. Remember, bands don’t come
out of nowhere, they start in smaller scenes and
work their way up. So I'll be taking a look at
some of the bands in the Austin scene that are on
par with any nationally known music today, bands
that will hopefully be getting more attention in the
near future (and some ones that won't be, but ought
to be).
So here are 3 of the best local bands, all of whom
have either recently released, or are planning to
release new material.
:{{{Sunset}}}
- Old Sandy Bull Lee:
When Sound Team broke up recently, Bill Baird promoted
Sunset up from its "side-project" status to 100% capacity.
The debut release, Bright Blue Dream, features
contributions from former Sound Team members, but has a feel
entirely of its own. To be honest, the first few
listens were disappointing; the album drags on in
exploratory guitar meanderings, with songs reaching as long
as 14 minutes. But listening to the album while
reading some new fiction on the porch with the cool spring
wind in the air, it's hard not to enjoy the album's sound.
This song is one of my favorites. Topping out at 7
minutes, it includes both the musical adventures of the
longer songs as well as Baird's excellent songwriting.
Favorite line: "Whiskey when I'm thirsty, excitement when
I'm bored." The music is airy and care-free, due
mostly to the slow-tempo banjos and hand-claps in the
background. Open a window before listening to this
one, trust me.
:Aster
- Attempting To Multiply:
Aster haven't really gotten much press here in Austin, but I
remember NPR's Second Stage picking up a song of theirs for
a podcast a few months ago. It's a shame they aren't
talked about more, because they're one of the best bands in
town. Their latest release, Some Things Seldom
Heard Of (which actually came out quite a while ago, oh
well) is like a smoothed over Grandaddy, almost like an
electronic version of Denton's Midlake. Attempting
To Multiply is not the best song on the album, but it's
the best approximation of the rest of it (besides, my
favorite song is well over 7 minutes long). Listen to
the way the band weaves electronics in with the piano and
drums to make it seem almost organic.
:Balmorhea
- Baleen Morning:
Balmorhea are a band who "compose" music rather than "write"
music. But don't be put off by that description,
because trust me, they're very enjoyable on any level by
anyone from graduate students in music to my mom (whose
favorite band is, I believe, Yes. Or The Go-Go's.).
Often times, "instrumental" music like this starts with a
great line, repeats it for 50 measures, and ends when I skip
to the next song out of boredom. This is one of the
reasons I can't listen to certain Sigur Ros songs.
Balmorhea, however, keep every second interesting, knowing
when to embellish a line, and when to quickly move on. This
song, Baleen Morning is taken off their second
full-length, Rivers Arms, from earlier this year.
Looking back over this list, I notice all three
songs are calm, airy, and seem rather introspective.
I guess it's the nice weather in Austin lately
that's allowed me read in the sunlight and play
catch in the street. Weather like this always
puts me in a good mood, though not necessarily in a
smiling mood. The best way to describe it is
through these three songs above. Here's to
hoping it puts us all in a better mood, especially
with the Final Four going on (Oh the frustration!).
John Michael Cassetta writes for Austin Sound, That
Other Paper, and the British lifestyle website
RealBuzz.com. Comments, complaints, and
solicitations may be directed
here.
- John Michael
Cassetta -
Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
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