TV Torso, The Young and Sundress at Emo's [Show Preview]

Hans Zimmerman

TV Torso, The Young and Sundress
Saturday, September 24
Emos (603 Red River St)
$10, 9pm
[info] | [tickets]

By now, indie rock quartet TV Torso are veterans of the local music scene. A couple of years after Sound Team's bubble burst, guitarist/vocalist Matt Oliver and drummer Jordan Johns hooked up with Austin Jones (bass), began performing as TV Torso and recording a hodgepodge brand of avant-pop with an affinity for in-studio tape experimentation. A couple of 7" singles preceded last summer's Status Quo Vadis EP, their most consistent release yet; you can listen to all of it over at their bandcamp. They've also changed their line-up, replacing Jones with Jimmy Rhea and adding Ben Maddox of Hundred Visions as a second guitarist.

The band's music is characterized by skeletal guitar lines, stripped-down percussion and a steady, insistent rhythm. It's a minimalist formula that emphasizes the spaces within songs, while making no effort to hide the joinery between parts, as if each song were an Erector Set of discrete musical moments. They're a little bit like Spoon in that regard; and Oliver's raspy vocals even bear some resemblance to Britt Daniel's. TV Torso's deconstructive tendencies mean that when they do throw some ornamentation on top of their standard guitar, bass and drums - be it classic soul-inspired horns or 1/2 speed piano loops - it really makes an impact.

Saturday they'll play Emo's with Casual Victim Pile veterans The Young and Denton dream-pop band Sundress. The band are offering a very limited number of hand-numbered, plastic mono 7" singles of an unreleased tune called "Down in the Scuzz", cut by a friend especially for the show. If you want one, you'll have to pre-order your ticket, which you can do here.

TV Torso: [bandcamp]
The Young: [tumblr]
Sundress: [myspace]