![_Literature - <i>Arab Spring</i> [Album Review]](http://austinist.com/assets_c/2012/02/arab spring-thumb-250x250-691591.jpg)
Le Diamant Brut: Mi and L'au & The Frontier Brothers
MI AND L’AU
What’s the Deal: Mi and L’au met in Paris, where the Mira Romantschuk was working as a model and Laurent Leclère was a soundtrack musician. The Finnish woman and the French man fell in love, and then tucked themselves away in a cabin for four years in Helsinki writing songs and living humbly. The music that arose from those fire-side song sessions is sparse and emotionally rich folk music often relying on only guitar, voice and a light speckling of other random instruments, making a sound that would no doubt woo Devendra Banhart fans with great ease.
Mi and L’au’s second release, Good Morning Jokers, will be available later this month on Borne Recordings. One of the shimmering songs on the upcoming record, “Bingo”, is a song the duo also recently made a video for. The track creeps along with soft, eerie guitar and whispery vocals until the horns and a few other varied instruments hop in the mix midway through to incite a troubled dance full of misshapen forms and apocalyptic colors.
Something Interesting: I think they win the award for creepiest video for their Mathieu Linotte-directed “Bingo”. The duo ride a horse with a human skull through cut-out cityscapes, mushroom fields, clouds of flying musical instruments and a squadron of flying people dropping bombs.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Up In The Building” and “Dance On My Skin”
Mi and L’au [MySpace]
THE FRONTIER BROTHERS
What’s the Deal: The Frontier Brothers - Brett Moses, Marshall Galactic, Travis Newman, Matt Hudson - are not really brothers. But, they are one of Austin’s more eccentric, infectious and fun rock groups. They’ve been known to play their piano-driven indie pop while clad in red, green, silver and gold spandex bodysuits. The group presents a solid piano rock band base, while occasionally experimenting with sounds like horns and strings.
“Space Punk Starlet”, from their debut full-length of the same name released last year, is a well-rounded tune full of moments of shaky, Will Sheff-esque vocals, elegant moments of orchestration, and even spirited bursts of garage rock electricity. “Ego Protection” at times sounds like it could have come straight from the early Koufax catalog (a compliment), while at other times it has a more mainstream piano pop anthem sound.
Something Interesting: The band claims not to be from this spinning blue ball we earthlings call home, but rather a place some 570 light years away.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Kickstand Woman”
