Austin Briefs

I had to laugh when I received an email from Joe with this as the headline:

Rolling Stone “surprise find” My Education to give off Bad Vibrations on new album to be released in June.

I will withhold my opinion of RS for this post. Original mention in the mag was in 2005, but not much since then. I caught wind of this band back in 2006. Of course, I was living in Austin and immersing myself in the scene, but anyone who knows instrumental rock recognizes Austin area as a breeding ground for the genre. With groups like Explosions in The Sky and This Will Destroy You gaining popularity and exposure, My Education was bound to get noticed. ?No surprise there. And yes, they have a new album, Bad Vibrations, out yesterday (6/10). Unfortunately, no East Coast tour dates as of yet.

mp3: Arch

The Black Angels have released a new album, Directions to See A Ghost. If you enjoyed the neo-psychedelic sound of Passover, expect more of the same. This may well be in my Top Ten for 2008. Catch them in the IA area the end of June and beginning of July with The Warlocks.

6/30: Philly @ Johnny Brenda's
7/2: DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

mp3: Science Killer

It's a year after Okkervil River released an album, so that means it is time for a new Shearwater disc. Shearwater and the new release Rook is the antithesis of their Okkervil counterpart, more hushed, haunting, and brooding. It is a more polished outing than previous works, but does not lose or change the bands identity as associated with former releases. They are also on tour, coming through the IA area very soon.

6/15: DC @ Black Cat
6/17: Philly @ Johnny Brenda's /w Centro-Matic

mp3: Rooks

Speaking of Centro-Matic, they released a new double disc, Dual Hawks. Actually, it's one disc of Centro-matic and another of South San Gabriel songs. For those uninformed, both groups are composed of the same core members, but have some unshared musicians and each has a distinct sound. Centro-matic are on tour as well, sharing the Philly date with Shearwater, then going their separate ways.

6/17: Philly @ Johnny Brenda's w/ Shearwater
6/18: DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

mp3: Centro-matic - I, The Kite
mp3: South San Garbiel - Trust To Lose

On the recording front, The Drawing Board are close to completing a new EP. Recorded in February, it is still going through some tweeks. Since the last album, Clear To The Far Side Way Over Yonder took almost four years to complete, they are ahead of the game.

mp3: The Writer