Photo by Daniel Perlaky The Black and White Years Wednesday, November 28Emos (603 Red River St)$5, 10 pm[info] Locals The Black and White Years have had their genre-blurring, squiggly synth rock compared to The Talking Heads so many times it should come as no surprise that Jerry Harrison of that band (not to mention a one-time member of The Modern Lovers) produced their self-titled debut album. As a producer, Harrison’s work can be seen all......

Image from Scion's websiteSo you’re all set for an afternoon with the family and/or friends, tons of food on the horizon, be it Turkey or Tofurkey. Still, you need to scratch that live music itch before heading home. Well, fear not oh lovely residents of Austin, the city has a solid night of gigs on the 21st in store for the common layperson. If you’re not already planning on hitting up the Benko and The......

Japancakes Loveless (Darla) They probably knew that people would love or hate it, but they did it anyway. Japancakes, an eccentric instrumental band from Athens (featured previously on NRT for the release of Giving Machines), have released a full-length album cover version of My Bloody Valentine's 1991 instant classic. While reactions have been mixed, we feel that the decision to take on such a publicly adored album is ballsy, exciting, and makes us feel that......

Author's note: I will do local music stuff next time, I swear. As an old-school Interpol fan, there is no way I'm not reviewing this record. Interpol - Our Love To Admire Despite all the Joy Division references, Interpol made an impression largely by splitting the difference between The Cure and Duran Duran. The balance of minor-key dirges and slick decadence, perfected on 2002’s Turn On The Bright Lights and poppified on 2004’s Antics, made......

Lucinda Williams West (Lost Highway) West finds (as is apparent just by a brief scan of the track titles) Williams in a thoughtful and tender place musically, as her private life and its rough patches sort of overwhelm her toe-tappin' hay-covered dance floor capabilities. The death of her mother and the end of a relationship both factor into the context of the album, but that doesn't stop big guitars and generous bass drum from......

Ask any mop-haired kid roaming the UT campus with clingy jeans and just a hint of bong water breath, and said youth will tell you By The End Of Tonight is the hottest thing since Malibu real estate. Lucky for him, and you, they're playing a post-extended-hiatus set at Emo's tonight. The Alvin, TX quartet render layers of messy, metallic instrumental post-rock into songs that meander towards catharsis like a lost baby deer wandering into......

Loud enough for college parties but cute enough to go on your sister’s bedroom wall, sharp enough for wizened indie kids but soft enough for your mom, the endlessly promotable Las Vegas quartet The Killers have balanced themselves between the normally exclusive worlds of rock and pop with a headline-ready alacrity unseen since the heyday of Duran Duran. Their second CD, Sam’s Town, came out Tuesday, and will no doubt outsell everything in existence....

Tomorrow night, we're helping out folks from PartyEnds.com, Green Potato Ventures, Sparrowhead, and Super!Alright! to throw one hell of a party over at Gallery Lombardi. Come and check out bands, video projections, art installations, and DJs while you enjoy complimentary beverages, courtesy of Austin's own Independence Brewery. The Lineup: The Lemurs [link] Cue [link] Tacks, the Boy Disaster [link] Economy [link] Stay Gold DJs [link] Luther at PartyEnds has also put together his first......