My Education - Bad Vibrations CD Release Tonight At Emo's!

If we read one more article about how My Education sounds a bit like a certain currently famous Austin instrumental four piece but-seriously-they're-really-good-too we're going to throw up in our mouths. They don't. Yes, you are correct in assessing that they both play music that lacks vocals - which are simply another instrument, not the defining taxonomic characteristic by which we categorize bands - but they are distinct entities making distinct music. Mutually exclusive kudos to both of them. My Education sound like this kick-ass band called My Education. On their new album, Bad Vibrations, they're sounding even more like My Education, which is a great direction to be headed in.

Honestly, the 8-minute long opener "This Old House" is a bit like being on safari with Hans Zimmer, with tubular bells and rumbling percussion as we imagine careening over the African savanna ... but no one's hating on Hans, it's a good track. "Briches Blanket" stands out shyly, as a tipsy lap steel and violin joyously dance through the mix, before the awesome and unexpected climax we'll let you discover for yourself. The moody "Mother May I" is a haunted jaunt, borne on the wafting violin that threads through the piece. There is no grander, more intense musical crescendo on the album than "Aria," though. The elderly-sounding piano that comes to the front of the stage on that song, maintains its presence on "Sluts and Maniacs," a track that eschews some of the more conventional trappings of post-rock in favor of strings of disturbingly effective - dare we say "proggy" - riffage, showcasing the combined strengths of the band in their taut execution. The title track, a reserved acoustic guitar receding into misty reverb and opalescent pads at the album's twilight, is a gorgeous reminder of why we're so lucky to have a band like this around these parts. Eat your heart out, Eno.

Tonight at Emo's they're having their Bad Vibrations release party with a crazy awesome lineup featuring DeadMan, Colin Swietek, and Benko. Yes, you read that correctly. If you're not already planning on catching this show you should be canceling your plans and tightly strapping on your big, fat Rock 'N' Roll hat. This is an occasion.

[My Education Official][Myspace]
[DeadMan Official][Myspace]
[Colin Swietek Myspace]
[Benko Official][Myspace]