Viva la Vida is supposedly a 'new direction' album for Coldplay, and for those that argue they are diluted Radiohead or The New U2, this is the Kid Achtung attempt at a revitalization. They hired Brian Eno to produce, and by all accounts have actively tried to stretch out a bit both musically and lyrically, entering (dare we say it) their experimental phase. Well, at least that's the premise. more ›

Opposite Day Safety First (Eat A Finger Peach Look Music): Austinites Opposite Day have been cranking out weirdo punk music for six years now, and Safety First is the band's third album, which makes them "official." Like most punk bands, the majority of songs last around two to three minutes. And while Opposite Day is definitely punk, the album's 17 tracks explore motley styles, ranging from hardcore to acoustic to experimental to Incubus-esque, all with... more ›

Okkervil River The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) more ›

They're all over the place these days. The deck at Spiderhouse: on the cover Austin Music Magazine. Eating a taco at El Chilito, on the cover of The Chronicle. Pick up a copy of XL at Jo's on 2nd: there are their sweet faces yet again. The handsome Austin quintet Voxtrot, it seems, are kind of a big deal. We already knew they've been loved up by bloggers the world over, but magazine covers?... more ›

Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank From the opening moments of WWDBTSES—god, even the acronym’s a mouthful—it's apparent that Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock has become a capital-R Rock Star, perhaps the oddest one since David Byrne: track one, “March Into The Sea,” finds the newly-svelte songwriter frothing and howling from word one. The man hasn't lost his knack for colorful illustrations of human nature, tossing off wry observations like... more ›

Ace Fu buzz crew Annuals have come on strong in 2006, thanks to their luminous debut Be He Me and tours with The Dears and Calexico; besides that, they got a song on "Veronica Mars," and is there no surer indie taste-maker these days? Bassist/engineer Mike Robinson kindly spoke to us about, well, SXSW and everything: more ›

One stand out on the album is “Two Guys (for Every Girl),” which features Gossip lead singer Beth Ditto on backing vocals. The title may consciously pun on the Beach Boys classic, “Two Girls for Every Guy,” but the resemblance to that oldies station stops there. “Two Guys” is sharply-written and beat-heavy. The lyrics detailing the singer’s guy-on-guy fantasy: “Just one thing I can’t compromise/I want to see you work it/guy on guy.” more ›

M O N D A Y [ 7 ] TV · Screenings of episodes from Twin Peaks and Carnivale, with free popcorn! At Beerland (Free, 7pm) music · Pre-Election Day Party at Stubb's, with the Blues Crawlers, Daniel Kang, Booher/Davis, Pompeii and Roma 79 (10pm) music · Elizabeth McQueen and Jason Roberts at Threadgills (Free, 8pm) film · "The T.A.M.I. Show", documenting the 1964 Teenage Awards Music International - footage includes The Rolling Stones, The... more ›

As spotlighted in our "Weekend Music Guide," this Saturday, August 20th, Emo's (603 Red River) and the Yuppie Pricks invite you to slip into your waterwear and celebrate good music, cold drinks and wet boobs (yeah, that's right, we said it) at their 3rd Annual Beach Party! more ›

If last night's rockin' and sweaty Old 97's show at Gruene Hall didn't satisfy your need for songs about west Texas, drinkin' and crazy women then lucky for you Lil Cap'n Travis will be at Room 710 tonight. Their 70s-Beach Boys-from-Amarillo-at-sunset sound can be found on their latest album, In All Their Splendor. Opening the show will be Richmond Fontaine and Baby Girl. Tucson band Friends of Dean Martinez treats us to their dessert... more ›

Tonight, the Austin Film Society's Summer Essential Cinema Series kicks off with Jean Luc Godard's Breathless, which we told you about last week. If you haven't purchased your tickets online yet, there should be some available at the door. Tickets are only $4. Show starts at 7pm. more ›

Tonight, Dallas-based retro sextet The Deathray Davies play a special show at Emo's to celebrate the release of their new LP, The Kick and the Snare. From starting off as an all-but unknown act at SXSW back in 1999, the indie popstars have since come to enjoy both modest celebrity and critical respect. Think delicate vocals, driving bass lines, and simple harmonies with influences ranging from Bob Dylan to New Wave to the Beach Boys. We still prefer 2003's Midnight at the Black Nail Polish Factory, but that's probably because we've been spending all our time listening to Architecture in Helsinki's new album instead of The Kick and the Snare - this we plan to remedy after the show tonight. Expect a dynamic stage presence and a live performance every bit as good as their studio recordings. But don't worry if you miss them this time around; they'll be back in two weeks along with Louis XIV. Either way, you should check out their cover of The Kinks' "Holiday in Waikiki".The Deathray Davies
Friday, June 3
Emo's, Inside
Doors at 8, Show at 10 more ›

Fans of Devendra Banhart take note: There has been some buzz developing over Young God’s newest band, Akron/Family and their recent self-titled debut. Well, tonight they are bringing their unique sound to Emo’s. They will be performing double duty as they are also the backing band for Michael Gira’s Angels of Light. We hear the boys put on quite a show, so everybody go get your freak-folk on. more ›

Austinist was in attendance at The Unbearables show last Friday at Red Eyed Fly. We've seen these boys perform a few times before, but it'd been a while since the last time. We have to say, we were pleasantly surprised. The Unbearables play music that falls somewhere between Weezer and The Beach Boys, if The Beach Boys were together still and writing songs about television shows and videogames. They have a lot of songs... more ›