Radio IST List: Graham Williams
Snapshots: Local Music Is Sexy
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Austinist's Will Mills Gets Dunked For Charity [Video]
Bibles and Rhymes: An Interview with Why?'s Yoni Wolf
Austinist Panel Part of Latest SXSW Interactive Additions
Goudie has been writing, performing and producing in Austin since the early '90s, and though his luck has been something plenty of bands probably turn green over, he's still looking for the last break into the lexicon of household names. Being discovered by Lars Ulrich at SXSW years ago, signing to Electra, and tours with Veruca Salt, Blur and Supergrass filled the bulk of the '90s before Goudie (the group) broke up and Johnny went on to pursue a solo career. After a lot of support work, production gigs and (predictably) soul searching, he's back, this time with the Little Champions. The full length doesn't arrive until February of '09, but the single, "Battle Scar," is out now, already getting play on the radio. The song is a bit of a departure from previous dabbles in glam-pop, but it does give us insight into why he was a natural choice for acts like Albarn's: catchy hooks, doting lyrics and undeniable listenability pervade. El Payoso doesn't stray far from this formula either -- sometimes sappy, sometimes predictable, but always sincere and hard to turn off. We believe this is called the Tom Petty Formula - and hey, it works.
Johnny Goudie [MySpace]
Follow the jump for a head start on another local act's release: Masonic's Human Blade.
It's not hard to figure out why a band like Masonic would be a favorite of Austin music writers. They wear their influences on their sleeve, but don't cramp their own technique with imitation. Drawing from artists like Unrest, Stereolab and the Velvet Underground, the three Mason brothers along with Eryn Gettys' vocals and Trey D'Amico on bass create fuzzy indie pop with a dreamy feel. Human Blade, out on Friday, is a ten song EP featuring a David Bowie cover ("Lady Stardust") and a couple of live songs. The band describes their production style as Spector-influenced, and that effort is noticeable - they're writing uncomplicated pop songs and producing them with walls of sound. When they're rocking out, this methods works. When they're blissing out, it's harder to bridge the gap between Vaselines-style jangle pop and a simultaneous desire to issue a thick electronic Lætitia Sadier-style dance number. This problem is complicated by Gettys' vocals being unsatisfactorily thin, sometimes exceeding her own range. Minor gripes aside, the songs are great, and the movement between them on the EP is refreshing. The band easily slides between snappy 4/4 and more complicated interludes, offering a special mix of nostalgic lo-fi and modern wit. We very much look forward to future offerings and a chance to hear the songs without the sometimes tedious production this weekend at Hole in the Wall on Guadalupe.
"Lifetime of Deception" (mp3)
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Akon: Freedom
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Bob Marley & The Wailers (5-CD box set)
Britney Spears: Circus (deluxe edition with DVD)
Carly Simon: Sing Songs for Children
Crosby Stills & Nash: Allies (import reissue)
Kylie Minogue: X (2008 Tour Edition with bonus tracks & DVD)
Madonna: Miles Away (import single) (vinyl)
Marianne Faithfull: Easy Come Easy Go (import)
Mark Olsen & Gary Louris: Ready for the Flood (import)
Neil Young: Sugar Mountain - Live At Canterbury House 1968 (with DVD)
Panic! at the Disco: Live in Chicago (with DVD)
Scarface: Emeritus
Various Artists: Cadillac Records (soundtrack) (vinyl)
Various Artists: Best Of Chess: Original Versions Of Songs in Cadillac Records
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