New York – With all the SXSW to-do snowballing, our eyes are opening wider on what’s going on in any music scene, so the coverage is expanded and varied, as well as new releases to get stoked on. Many of the artists on this mix will be at SXSW, so have listen and get in the mood to rock out and trip out with them next week.
In recent live reviews, Skaters played an exuberant record release show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC, fittingly for debut LP Manhattan. They rocked it so hard, and I’ve been listening to the album ever since. I also caught the Graveface Roadshow at Shea Stadium, where Philly rockers Creepoid were the main highlight. Sarah caught Chicago via Nashville folk group Moon Taxi’s sold out show at Subterranean, where single “River Water” set the house on fire – maybe not literally, but someone did actually pull the fire alarm. She also interviewed the Cali boys of NeW bEAt FUNd, who have good advice for bands starting out, influences, and pranks they pull on each other.
In album reviews, our L.A. girl Ingrid had us covered with the new SchoolBoy Q. That jam “Collard Greens” needs to be bumped loud big time. She also switched gears with the debut album from New Bums, the duo of Ben Chasney (Six Organs of Admittance) and Donovan Quinn (Skygreen Leopards), an album that evokes “An image of two men exercising their musical hobbies on a front porch after a long days’ work.” Hurray for the Riff Raff released their new album, Small Town Heroes,” and Caroline has the thorough review of this new collection of songs that pay tribute to a bygone time, spontaneity, and continuous traveling and wandering. In short, this album is “music that you can keep unpacking.”
Young Magic is one of the bands who is slated for SXSW, and they’ve got fresh material to share in anticipation of their sophomore album Breathing Statues, out May 6 on Carpark. Listen to first single “Fall In”.
Vancouver’s JPNSGRLS are releasing their new Sharkweek EP, and have offered up bonus track “Mushrooms,” that must have been a pretty great trip from the sound of it.
Also on the SXSW-palooza is Brooklyn punk band Cerebral Ballzy, whose Cult Records Debut Jaded & Faded is out later this Spring. They also shared a video for the get up and punch someone single “Better In Leather.”
Well hello there Milagres, look at you coming out with the smooth dreamy slow jam “IDNYL.” I hope their SXSW shows are all late night ones when they play that.
And Austin’s own psych pop band Tele Novella is already making a good show with latest track “Umbrella at the Station.”
Tracklist:
Young Magic – “Fall In”
Skaters – “Miss Teen Massachusetts”
Cerebral Ballzy – “Better In Leather”
Creepoid – “Baptism”
JPNSGRLS – “Mushrooms”
SchoolBoy Q – “Collard Greens”
NeW bEAt FUNd – “pEAcHeZ“
Milagres – “IDNYL”
Tele Novella – “Umbrella at the Station”
Hurray for the Riff Raff – “I Know It’s Wrong (But That’s Alright)”
Moon Taxi – “River Water”
New Bums – “Black Bough”
Young Magic Photo By Harrison Thane
Bonus Video: Don’t watch TV kids
