Reminder: St. Vincent/Camera Obscura Listening Party and Happy Hour at The Mohawk

Image from Austinist

Listening Party and Happy Hour prestented by Austinist and 4AD
Tuesday, May 5
The Mohawk (912 Red River)
Free, +21, 5pm-8pm
[info]

Join Austinist and 4AD for a special happy hour where we'll be spinning two new releases - Actor by St. Vincent and My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura.

Starting at 5 pm, we'll begin playing tunes and enjoying drink specials, like $1 Pabsts until they run out. Also, we'll be giving away tickets to the upcoming St. Vincent and Camera Obscura shows coming to Austin. To summarize: that's three hours of drinks and good tunes. Beats sitting in I-35 traffic for sure.

In case you missed it: we reviewed My Maudlin Career in April, and are quite fond of it. After three years of silence, My Maudlin Career revives the band's tortured but idyllic approach, carrying on the tradition most notably perfected by The Smiths, Galaxy 500 and of course Belle & Sebastien. Flourished with mawkish scenes (heartthrob French sailors on a moonlit sea anyone?), baroque reveries and Shakespearean plot lines, it's a wonder bands like the Decemberists can still get a room in the Antiquarian Hotel. The strength, however, comes from more than mystic and era-defiant lyrics. Campbell's voice is stronger here than ever before, a sort of vintage croon that works around haunting organs, busy arrangements, traditional pop and her own vulnerability lyrically to great effect. Even as she wanders through pain, thrills, cynicism and doubt, she holds the album together with her growing confidence. Trouble and confused, Campbell turns out to be more of a Greek Helen than a Shakespearean Juliet -- powerful and witty, but most charming when she forgets all of that.

Camera Obscura [Official] [MySpace]
St Vincent [Official] [MySpace]
4AD [Official]