Hard rock duos have always had it rough – filling up a room with sound can be damn difficult with only two men. Nonetheless, Austin angerfiends Damage Pants manage to do more than fill a garage with their rough-at-the-edges thrash rock. Combining post-hardcore vocals with more upbeat garage rock rhythms, this group’s self-titled vinyl debut release is abrasive enough to wear down senses and styluses alike. Read the rest of the review.

Austin has cornered the market on indie and bluesy music, but the harder genres often get shoved into obscurity because of lack of venue cooperation and fan-base. Hopefully these guys stick it out; they aren’t as refined as Drive Like Jehu and artists in the same vein, but for a first release, they’re promising great (drunken, stupid, loud) things.

First 50 people to RSVP get free beer and a bag of goodies. Do it now. Also, be sure to check out the bandlist. Corto Maltese anyone?

Definitely worth a look, but not what the fans were hoping for. The hype may have killed this one before it launched. Here’s a clip and a link to the full review.

There has always been something exciting and dangerous about the bull-in-the-glass-house style of spazz rock espoused by groups like Austin’s White Denim. While there is something to be said for order and structure, journeying to new rhythmic grounds is far more fun, especially in a live setting. The trick is to remember the way back home, and with the local trio’s new full-length and first album to receive a proper US release, Fits, it becomes patently obvious that the group didn’t bring a compass. (Read More…)

Ghostface Killah has been the most self-promoting and media-infiltrating member of the Wu-Tang Clan since Method Man’s movie career disappeared post-How High. He seems to appear everywhere, from movies like Iron Man and Walk Hard to appearences on 30 Rock, and always with a certain pimped-out panache.

Seeing Ghostface a.k.a. Tony Starks a.k.a the Iron Man (and the list goes on) one expects that effort to be channeled into an over the top, crazy performance. While his set at Emo’s on Sunday perhaps fell short of a melodramatic mind-explosion, Killah came to put on a show.

A surprise guest was Cappadonna, who introduced his Wu-Brother and pulled a surprising amount of weight on stage. At least a third of all the verses were his, and they were refreshingly robust. Cappa’s flow has always been some of the most stilted of the group, with odd word choices and even odder rhythms, but tonight he was bearable, if not downright entertaining.

A smattering of singles from his last three albums as well as a few verses from old 36 Chambers songs gave a good representation of where the artist is at, professionally. He still remembers what made him famous. GK + Cappa verses from “Triumph” were a welcome addition to the set, as was a Killah rendition of “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”. While the Ode to ODB is pretty standard at Killa Bee concerts, its nice to know they’re keeping his memory alive so well, and it always makes for a good crowd rouser.

In the end, Ghostface didn’t need any of the over-the-top presentation that his public image usually invokes. This show was cool, controlled Ghostface blasting lyrics and interacting with the crowd. Even without the purple fur and chains, scantily-clad floozies jumped the stage and bowed to their idols, quickly making for one of the most awkward and disturbing scenes in recent memory as the Killah classily passed them on to his hypemen and Cappa, all of whom seemed gracious.

And that’s how a Killa Bee brings it. Rapping in a hooded sweatshirt, with low audio quality in a tight space, with enough guts n’ gristle to still resemble the billionaire Tony Starks.

For all those who have had their heads buried under the sand for the last few years, Fun Fun Fun is Austin’s new and most impressive music festival. For anyone that is constantly disappointed with the progressively-weaker acts that ACL brings around, FFF is the perfect place to get your fill. The festival’s organizer also has an uncanny knack for  bringing back long-broken-up bands for unlikely reunion shows. That being said, start fiending for tickets like the crack-addled music junkies we all know you are.

Even former Austinite Car Stereo (Wars) is coming back from New York to give his hometown what it deserves. Also, Jesus Lizard reunion show–bam, face blown up.

2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest Line-up:

That’s 98 acts, boys and girls.
Tickets go on sale today at the brand new Fun Fun Fun Fest website (http://www.funfunfunfest.com/ ).
Looking over the list one will notice that, of course, GZA has been known to pull out Liquid Swords in its entirety multiple times, but its still worth seeing–the Genius brings a smooth, concentrated, and intelligent flow to an often trite hip hop world, and few can match up (either now, or 15 years ago when the album came out).

Unfortunately, that means many of the gems from the recently released Pro-Tools won’t be heard. Of the lack of Wu-collaboration on his last album, GZA said,

I’d rather people buy the record because they want a GZA album, and then the extras be a surprise. The album as a whole has only two Clan members on it. The last day we were recording, I was in Paris supporting the Wu tour, and a call was put out that I was in the studio and the only two that showed up were RZA & Masta Killa, so that’s what we went with. My next album is going to be no guest appearances. Emcees need to start carrying their own weight.

GZA certainly manages to carry his. For those who missed that album, here’s “Columbian Ties”.

(Note: Track is first to autoplay on the band’s Myspace)

Within the first few seconds, the song comes alive with a sense of humanity and spirit that makes one’s skin tingle; an army of hands clap/snap along to the haunting sound of Matthew Gray’s resonating voice. The collaboration of the other Grays, Jacob and Caleb, as well as the other members, combine to bring forth a series of harmonies that give each lyric a feeling of circling emotion. The voices flutter around one another like fish in a school, never colliding but forming instead a collective body that moves with each acoustic guitar strum. The coalescing vocals hearken back to Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers, and makes Arrogant Sea stand above its peers. 

Gentle bass notes resonate and sustain, and while they may be the only major electric element in the song, they are so warm that they seem far from dead or digital. Despite this humanity, the song does carry with it a weight and a sadness like an old hymnal. Definitely, there is some indie influence from the likes of Arcade Fire and some of the newer shit-tons-of-people-in-one-band groups, but both because of the style and the recording quality — warm, classic, and analog sounding — it feels old as well as new.

Late in the track , a closing segment cuts out almost all instrumentation and lets the voices carry the weight of the song (not that they don’t already, anyway), as they sing “goodbye, goodbye”. A warbling electronic noise can be heard slightly in the background, like a lingering specter.

Expect much from Matthew and the Arrogant Sea in the upcoming months — their album “Family, Family, Family Meets the Magic Christian” is released on Oct. 28th, and they are having an upcoming show with Calm Blue Sea (oh, similar band names…) at Mohawk on the 28th.

For those still intrigued, here’s Arrogant Sea’s music video for “Pretty Purple Top Hat”; the 1950s space cartoon vibe can give an idea to those without ears what this looks like. Retropop vocals over electroharp is different from “Mock Origami” for sure, but equally as interesting.

Please.

Sitting at a loud bar with a few close friends, one may encounter such an unfortunate impasse as I did just last night. Sipping on mediocre margaritas whose taste was enhanced only by their two dollar price tag, a friend and I heard a familiar beat coming from the speakers; bass kick on one and three, hi-hat hits on the upbeats. A disco beat, to all those familiar with it.

“Fuck man, its that new Against Me! song. Effin’ hate this thing.”

“Huh? Nah, its the Offspring. I’ve been hearing it for 6 months.”

“I can’t hear it all that well but I’m pretty sure its Against Me!”

It was Against Me! (A victory, kaduz!), but that fact was of infinitesimal importance compared to my ensuing realization; it didn’t matter. Both songs are abominations flung in the face of previously great bands, and both sound the same, tainted by dance beats that have no place in their music. Its a half-assed fabrication of a bands own sound, made by that very band. It’s like if Matisse had faked his own death; thinking he’s dead, the public would no longer buy his originals, and instead he had to make forgeries of his own work  to earn a living. And earn he did.

Now granted, many can simply call out that one can’t mourn the loss of either of these bands –”they’ve been gone for years,” “any punk band is by nature prepackaged as dead,” etc., but something about these two songs strikes even more painful. Here are the external links to each song, as putting them here would be prohibitively untidy.

Against Me! – Stop

The Offspring – You’ll Go Far, Kid

Part of it is the awful lyrics.

Stop, take some time to think, figure out whats important to you. Stop, take some time to think, figure out whats important to you. Stop, take some time to think, figure out whats important to you, you have to make a serious decision.

Somehow that just seems even more irritating as a caption, doesn’t it?

The disco beat in itself is such a ‘let’s be dancy’ cop-out that it in itself is disdainful; its like all those white boys who play a blues progression and assume they’re ‘in-genre’. [If you love authentic blues, you'll love BLUES HAMMER]. Compound that with the fact that the Offspring now sounds like the bands that they are touring with, and you’ve gotten yourself a problem. Notice the keyboard addition and vocal production on “You’ll Go Far”  and compare that with recent Alkaline Trio work. Its the exact same.

Normally a fan could write this off and say, “It’s a bad song. If you’re a fan, you’ll get over it”. But hearing The Offspring live from anywhere-less-than-17-blocks-away-from-Stubbs, I couldn’t even recognize any of their songs. Not due to the sound quality, but because they added in keyboard and vocal effects into every one of their old songs, killing the band’s entire discography.

Make your bad songs, get your sweet sweet money, but at least play a decent live show for everyone who is even still enough of a fan to say “I like the Offspring BUT…” (The people who say that phrase without the caveat don’t exist, by the way.)

That in itself is a feat, and as one of those people, a letter is hereby sent out to the bands of the world; don’t slash and burn your past. Rancid still has sweet shows despite their inordinately subpar output, you can too.

And don’t name your album “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.” Your fall is regrettable and ‘Dexter Holland’s Grace’ sounds like a cologne I want my nose nowhere near. We all know that rebellious bands who find grace never work out.

Dammit.

8/13 When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Daniel Francis Doyle, Elvis, Dana Falconberry at Beerland. Dana is always amazing. If that’s not your thing, the Tragedy playing at Emo’s is not the Tragedy of hardcore legend, is interesting nonetheless (metal Beegee’s Covers? Really?)

8/14 Los Campesinos!, Girls, Smith Westerns at Emo’s. Great, upbeat songs with horrible accents and cute girls. It worked for the Proclaimers…

8/15 Wine and Revolution, Coma in Algiers, The Armed Forces (TN), Literature at the Creekside Lounge. Coma in Algiers at perhaps the hippest of locations. On the river, kids.

8/16 No great shows. Get drinks downtown or at Little Woodrows (2.50 any pint)

8/17 Two Tons of Steel at Waterloo Records [5pm, free instore] Its free, they’re pleasant-if-not-bland, and you can buy CDs simultaneously. Always for in-stores.

8/18 EAR PWR, Toro y Moi, Follow that Bird, Human Milk at Emo’s. EAR PWR is the same fluorescent-happy Hipster-Runoff reading clientele that brings you every electronic song ever these days, but they seem fun. Follow That Bird! is calmer and maybe a hint too Of Montreal sounding, but would be great to drink a beer to.

8/19 Closet Drama at the Parlor. Would sound great 10 years ago. Still sounds decent now. Pop-punk.

8/20 Fulton Read in 3D with Pompeii, The Eastern Sea, Bright Light Social Hour at the Parish. Eastern Sea is a fragile-sounding band whose minimalism even translates to their song titles. SEE ALSO: “the Night” “the Show” “the Box” “the Sea”. Mothafuckas love their article/noun combos.

8/21 Strange Attractors, The Astronaut Suit at the Mohawk. You know what’s better than Sugar Ray or Staind? Anything. Psych rock to kill your ills.

8/22 Hacienda, The Ugly Beats, The Hawks at Stubb’s. Ugly Beats is for pretty people.

8/26  Loxsly, Birdlips, Ideal Soul Mart (CD release) at the Mohawk.

8/28 Weedeater, Dixie Witch, Iron Age at Red 7. Iron Age is intensely good thrash-metal. They play all the time, but are worth it every time.

8/29 The Sword, Fingaar Bangaar, Woodgrain at the Mohawk. The Sword at a small venue is going to get more and more rare. They’re playing for 3 days in a row. Check em out once.

8/30 The Strange Boys, Bad Sports, Dead Space, Crooks at Emo’s

8/31 Isle of White, Western Ghost House, Follow That Bird, Ariel Abshire at the Mohawk

No doubt the video will gain some instant appeal as Ledger fans seek to find dark significance within the video. While some say it can’t be found, one would be hard pressed to call this an uplifting video. It pushes the boundaries of what one expects in a MM creation, which isn’t to say it isn’t great; the song is top notch, even for those who are put off by their newer material, and the visuals are well executed. Horns dangle from the heavens in a humorous Monty Python fashion while whales dance and humans are eviscerated. For those who don’t mind harking back to their childhoods, it combines the big brass music sound with dark environs and anthropomorphic animals in a way unseen since the eerier parts of “All Dogs Go to Heaven”.

In terms of the message, it is a blunt but artistically distanced look at the illegal Whaling industry; while it definitely isn’t subtle, it can be taken as merely a piece of art by fans not interested in the politics of managing international waters. It doesn’t seem as irritating as a PETA piece, nor as pathetic as an episode of Whale Wars (in which the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society gets its ass repeatedly kicked around by Eastern whalers while preaching with the mindless mantras of a cult) and thus is infinitely more entertaining and creative.

For better or worse, for one month proceeds from this video will go to said Conservation Society (they need all the help they can get) so if you’re hot-and-bothered by (RED) products or passionate about large mammals, wriggle your fins in the air and download it from iTunes.

As for Ledger, give him his dues if you like the video. He was a celebrity, and celebrities are known to wax poetic for causes that don’t remotely involve them while living lavish lives. On the outrage scale, Ledger’s ways seem fairly acceptable, so this video isn’t really worth rabble rousing on either side of the issue. It is, however, a great video, and suits Modest Mouse’s song wonderfully. Enjoy.