Category Archives: Music

SXSW

The Riff Raff Are Nice Boys

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It seems I’m also leaning on the British for SXSW and The Riff Raff are no exceptions.  They aren’t dubstep or electronic, just a good ole fashioned rock band from London.  It’s the kind of band you expect to hear from the UK.  Very proper and quirky sounding.  The Riff Raff, led by Alex Thompson sound like an upbeat version of Morrissey. Very quite and polite indeed.

‘Changes Everything’ from the album of the same title is a good place to start.  A very high tempo sets the tone of this ditty.  Then the hollow voices roll into a steady pace.  It’s like Morrissey took over the Arcade Fire and decided to do Joe Strummer cover songs.  I’m popping this one on while driving down to Austin to accompany the road.  I suggest you all do the same.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/wearetheriffraff/changes-everything-by-the-riff-raff[/soundcloud]

SXSW

Eagle Claw Grabs My Throat

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Again, I don’t know why I’m big on instrumental bands but here we go.  Before I talked about prog and electronic rock bands that seem to lack vocals so I might as well toss in heavy metal instrumentals in the mix.  Eagle Claw is the first hometown band for SXSW I’ll be looking at and my neck still hurts.  Matt Rade, Mike Gonz, Luther Smalls, and Bart Butler formed Eagle Claw to make what they call “InstruMetal Music.”  Okay, I’ll buy that and it looks as though I’ll be buying it at SXSW.

Jamming out to ‘Panzer,’  I can tell that they get their inspiration from such old school long form metal rockers like Metallica.  Although Eagle Claw also reminds of And So I Watch You From Afar, another InstruMetal band from Ireland that played SXSW just last year.  The pounding riffs and metal sludge beats keep pace as they build up into a final, epic climax.  Truly face melt worthy, but without the wail.

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/EAGLE_CLAW-Panzer.mp3]
SXSW

Bathing In Baths

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So I’m keeping up with my SXSW theme this year by talking about Baths.  Baths is the brainchild of Will Wiesenfeld.  The California native took his young love for music (he started at the age of 4) and grew into what we call Baths today. The aptly named Baths washes over me in some minimalist beats and low-fi white noise.  You may call this experimental or ambient, I just call it the next evolution of smart music.

Listening to ‘Hall’ off of the “Cerulean” release, I get the sense that the audio tape of Basil Exposition calling Austin Powers somehow melted in the sun.  All the while, Will drops in concise beats and some tender vocals.  It’s California electronic music.  Baths is on my shortlist, as hopefully the weather will be warm and dry enough the take me back to Cali.

[audio:http://146.190.132.255/audio/Baths-Hall.mp3]

SXSW

Gallops Away

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Nowadays you’re seeing synthesizers that replace vocals in bands. Gallops is another case. Together Dave Morait, Mark Huckridge, Brad Whyte, and Paul Maurice make up the collective that is Gallops. Hailing from Wales in jolly ole England, Gallops combines the grungy rock of a Deep Purple with the synth edge of Nine Inch Nails or Gary Numan. Once again it’s all sounds and no vocals and that’s okay with me. The big theme I’m getting from SXSW, which Gallops will be playing at this year, is electronic bleeps. It seems every band layers some sort of eclectic click here and there to complicate a straightforward sounds.

The “Gallops EP” follows right along. From their main jam ‘Miami Spider’ to some lesser known songs like ‘Defbox,’ Gallops drops in electronic blankets to warm up the already harsh sound they bring. Going back to my Deep Purple reference, I get the feeling that they are conjuring up the ghost that band (whom still tours by the way) and then blow it up by adding video game like sounds on top. It’s as if Mega Man dropped his arm cannon and went for the guitar axe. Check out the EP below.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/gallops/sets/gallops-ep/[/soundcloud]

SXSW

The Novocaines Numb My Pain

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Sometime you just need your ass kicked to feel better. Sometimes you need a cup of coffee. Welp, The Novocaines provide both and they will doling out the doses at SXSW this year. These Aussie blokes follow in the footsteps of other rock bands like AC/DC and bring their power rock to the states in headbanging fashion. Although they do have a sweet side, I’m anxious to see their bitter side. Led by brothers Corey and Jay Mariott, The Novocaines look to cure hangovers by giving or taking headaches away.

Just take a moment to listen to ‘A Cup Of Coffee’ and I think you’ll know what I’m getting at. In my own personal experiences, I’ve screamed that out in my while groggly meandering through the morning just trying find the time to actually wake up. But let’s not take the song so literally. Again I’m feeling some Jon Spencer Blues Explosion up in here. Maybe I’m jonesing for a comeback? I don’t know, I just know that I’ll be getting a dose from the Novocaines in Austin.

[soundcloud params=”auto_play=false&show_comments=true”]http://soundcloud.com/thenovocaines/02-cup-of-coffee-mp3[/soundcloud]