Firewater & More at Emo's Thursday

Firewater, the innovative world-punk group led by Tod A, will satiate fans with tunes from their new album, The Golden Hour, Thursday night at Emo’s. Firewater released the album in April, just a few weeks after their last Austin gig at SXSW. Translation: even if you just saw the band in March, Thursday’s show should offer your eyes and ears something delectably new.

The Golden Hour is the result of loathing and, in turn, enlightenment. In 2005, Tod decided he couldn’t take America anymore. The reelection of President George W. Bush, the war in Iraq and Tod’s own personal demons pushed him to other ends of the earth. He became an international, musical Kerouac of sorts, traveling from India to Pakistan, and through Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Israel before his restless feet were stopped by what he heard was the inevitability of kidnapping.

Songs emanated from Tod’s travels and were recorded along the way by one microphone and a laptop. He collaborated with musicians from five different countries to complete the album. It’s full of the same unlikely concoction of world music -- Russian folk, Latin salsa, Bollywood and jazz, to name a few -- that somehow make sense together. Wait, it makes more than sense. It makes some seriously captivating music.

Tod sings out his personal tragedies in tunes like “This Is My Life.” His political rage comes through at full force in “Borneo” (that would be the name of an island in Maritime Southeast Asia), where Tod sings “I don’t wanna die for the price of oil, I’m getting outta here.”

Backing Tod’s impassioned, often angry lyrics and solid vocals at Emo’s will be Jean-Marc Butty from France (he’s played with PJ Harvey and Calexico) and Johnny Kalsi from the UK on percussion, Uni Kinrot from Israel on guitar, Reut Regev from Israel on trombone, and Erik Sanko (he’s backed Yoko Ono) from NYC on bass. Together, they shape same eclectic blend of style that solidifies Firewater as creators of one of the most imaginative underground sounds out there. Tod A had to travel the world.

You'll just have to get to Red River St.

This preview was contributed by Karie Meltzer

Follow the jump for a slideshow of Christian Fuehrer's Firewater photos, taken in Austria earlier this year.