When we talked to Gillis back in 2007, we spoke of the culture clash he used to experience when he was still spending 9 to 5 as a biomedical researcher in Pittsburgh, and the multiple lives he inhabited between friends, family and co-workers. "My mom listens to Night Ripper while jogging, and my dad jams it on his iPod while mowing the lawn," he said. This portrait of comfortable dichotomy exists with Animals as well, and its hinted at before you even press play -- the quiet suburban house and its flaming yard intimate the nightlife persona's intrusion into normalcy, but then again, no one ever said this whole thing wasn't about normalcy invading the party scene. Likewise, "Feed the Animals" can be mentally summoned with images of tigers or tabbys, and that subtle brilliance is exactly what has made Girl Talk the benchmark in party music. ...

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....

Martín Perna's (Antibalas, frequent collaborator with TV on the Radio) latest project, Ocote (o-KOH-tay) Soul Sounds, is a collaboration with Adrian Quesada of Grupo Fantasma and features a group of seven plus musicians, offering a sound that comes from somewhere in between downtown and the dance floor. The duo are following up their debut, El Nino Y El Soul, which received primarily wonderful reviews. ...

This week's band to watch is The M's and their Real Close Ones long-player, out today on Polyvinyl. The Chicago-based quartet's retro psych is garnering lots of attention, and this release is most likely the gate-crasher. Also out this week are Fleet Foxes' self-titled record and Shearwater's Rook (Matador), please check back with us later in the week for reviews. ...

Colored by a near fatal bout with pneumonia and periorbital cellulitis, Jason Pierce's sixth release (and first since 2003) as Spiritualized covers well-tread ground in many ways. References to medication, God, pain and eidos are all present, but there's a sense of revitalization, too. ...

What's more appealing than a beautiful girl singing Tom Waits songs? For some, nothing. Though much has been said (and speculated about) regarding Miss Johansson's decision to record an album of Tom Waits covers (well, there is one original tune on there, but you wouldn't be able to pick it out if you weren't at all familiar with Waits), the actual reviews are pretty much split down the middle. ...

In the five years that have passed since their last studio album (Waiting for the Moon, 2003), Stuart Staples and Tindersticks have shed three members and constructed a studio in France. They've also managed to write a record that doesn't stray too far from the soulful ballads of their past, but breaks new ground with some "not so serious after all" tunes about the devil's hunt for your literal heart. ...

Costello has already released Momofuku on vinyl (2xLP), but the CD release arrives today. Those who purchased the vinyl two weeks ago had codes to download digital versions then, but not much has "leaked" to the web yet in terms of reception. Costello's 24th official release features collaboration with new friend Jenny Lewis, who enlisted EC to help with her upcoming solo release. ...

Tel Aviv's Monotonix have been touring since early February. If you missed them during SXSW (they played 9 times, so you really have no excuse), you missed one of the world's most thrilling live sets and one of the loudest bands you'll ever see, but we're sure you'll get another opportunity. ...

Glasgow's Frightened Rabbit are a a three-piece outfitted by siblings Scott and Grant Hutchinson (guitar/vocals and drums, respectively), and like a handful of rock outfits past, lack a bassist. Their 2006 release, Sings the Greys, was well-received critically, but lacked the distribution to properly permeate initially. Luckily, Fat Cat stepped in and helped the band re-record and re-master Greys, setting them on their way to record Midnight Organ. ...

Liverpool's music history is dense and storied, chronicled by Beatles fanatics, Merseybeat followers, new wave scholars and Brit-punk alumni. The long reach of this little Wales/England border town's influence on popular music remains unmeasurable, and perhaps no band proves this point more than Clinic. Across their rich catalog, the quartet has borrowed from the archives of their homeland's discography readily, crafting an intricate web that utilizes its own patterns and flourishes with precision and calculated attentiveness. Their sound has always been haunting, dark and teeming with rough edges, but a joyful noise is always present: they excel at the fine art of repetition and detail. Collecting the parts they love, they have redistributed and reorganized their sound in finely tuned, subtle increments over time, polishing the same framework on each album they release. Across these albums, they've proven their devotion to the theory that the whole is greater than the sum of their parts. ...

Xachua’Bsh, Washington's quintet has quickly become a buzzing glimmer of hope in a massive onslaught of post-SX dance rock fervor, offering ornate instrumentation and traditional folk elements in non-traditional ways with their EP, Sun Giant. Thick vocal reverb (which earns them unfair Band of Horses comparisons), Fleetwood Mac inspired harmony, and layered instrumentation (tin pans, fiddle, piano, shakers, mandolin) lend the songs a focused yet limber vibe. "White Winter Hymnal" borrows from traditional folk songs and church choir on the front porch purity, but the precise execution of the harmonized round and the pristine production give the track a feeling of soaring perfection....

R.E.M.'s fourteenth studio album in twenty-eight years, the first studio effort since the loss of former drummer Bill Berry, and the first since their induction into the oft-considered meaningless Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame is like a time capsule thrown back from the future. The Athens-bred folk rock heroes have become a stadium rock band over the years, and at long last, they've stopped writing songs like one. ...

Brain-teasing intellectual weirdos all, the quartet we call Singer has taken it upon themselves to dispel the rumors that independent music was doomed to cough up its predecessors. The band (composed of some ex-U.S. Maple folks) summons all the greats of obtuse, atonal and jazz-influenced punk rockers: the machinations of subtly Albini-ish guitars grind against Karate'd strums and twinkles, the relentless kick drum bellows out for Slint while the cymbal work (while minimal) and snare-tom exchanges flirt with pure jazz. Robt A.A. Lowe's vocals flatly ignore convention, cooing in high registers like a bratty young Craig Wedren. ...

Austin's own Weird Weeds spent seven months in the studio working on their latest full-length, I Miss This, and by their own admission, the effort asserted towards this record is by far the most intense in their history. One listen demonstrates their devout attention to detail in regards to both production and songwriting amply. "Red" oozes thick guitar dirges, sweetly tempered percussion and odes to Indian sitar harmonies (and carefully executed dissonance) with equal precision....

This Canadian trio have made what might one of the most perfect records of 2008 with Come Into My House, and album inspired equally by Janet Jackson, Sufjan Stevens and Arthur Russell. Utilizing charmingly off-kilter vocal harmonies, thick bass lines and brash instrumentation (not to mention the bassoon solos, esoteric time signatures, and Cher-inspired warble-effect vocals), No Kids have crafted one of the most interesting albums we've heard in a long while. The band earned a grant from the Canadian government to work on the record, and brought in an additional 9 musicians to bring the cinematic landscapes they hear in their minds to life. Although tracks like "The Beaches are Closed" smack of '90s R&B (think Usher reminiscing about a girl who dressed sexy at a party, forcing him to sing to a rain-soaked window to his own reflection later that night), it doesn't at all stink of irony. Gorgeous strings layered over the crackling drum machine and the sweet harmonies sing praises to a genre often deemed joke-worthy, demonstrating the elegance inherent therein. "Bluster in the Air" employs a muted horn section ripped straight from a smoky jazz bar, "I Love the Weekend" is a love letter to Brazilian pop and jazz master Dom Um Romão, and "Neighbor's Party" kind of reminds us of Sufjan, but in the way that Sufjan reminds us of the Cure's unabashed pop musings, such as "Close to Me." There's really not enough time to fully describe what to expect out of this one, you'll have to try it for yourself. ...

Brighton's indie rock quartet have come a long way since 2003's The Decline of British Sea Power. The band's eccentric catalog has evolved through familiar Britpop idiosyncrasies on their debut, eased into more global pop hooks on the follow-up, Open Season, and now enters the great big world of stadium rockin' indie with this year's Do You Like Rock Music?...

Alexis Taylor & Co. were almost laughably adorable when they warned us, "Hot Chip will break your legs, snap off your head," but with Made in the Dark they've lived up to their promise. The album begins with an ode to the low end, a sonic challenge to the listener, and the intensity doesn't let up: "Shake a Fist" asserts the band as much more than a smooth electronic dance outfit. As Todd Rundgren's goofy voice (how fitting) interjects midway through the track, we're asked to grab a set of headphones......

The relevance of a 7" originally pressed in 1987 (two years after the band broke) being reissued now, in 2008, speaks volumes about a band with impact beyond its lifespan, beyond its then-insular and divided scene, and beyond our own expectations. In 1985, the punk scene in D.C. revolved around a sort of Machiavellian machismo which turned many punks into disgruntled outsiders at their own shows. Rites of Spring retaliated (even before Fugazi did), with unapologetically emotional lyrics about friendship, love and (oh my god hardcore scene) personal issues and groundbreaking song structures that took the hardcore scene by storm. ...

The music community loves lists. Everywhere you turn, someone else who may or may not have a valuable opinion is offering their top 2007 countdown, and here at Austinist we're no different. We've spent the last twelve months listening to records, going to live performances and reading music journalism like deprived little gollums, trying to share some of what we've experienced with you along the way. Throughout the year, though we find ourselves drunk with opinions and eager to share, our ultimate goal is to somehow reflect you, the reader when we write. It is with this in mind that we offer our Top 15 Albums of 2007 to you, with a hope that some of you nod along the way. Next week, New Release Tuesday will return with a list of our favorite dark horse records of the year, covering some of 2007's best records in the experimental, ambient and instrumental genres. As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to link us to your top album lists! ...

Between now and January, New Release Tuesday will focus on 2007 reflections and music news related to both this year's releases, the holidays and 2008's potential. The standard NRT posts will resume in 2008. It will also feature the opinions of the author, who does not represent the Ist network as a whole. What a damn shame. The holiday season is tough for music lovers shopping for other music lovers. This is mostly because......

Between now and January, New Release Tuesday will focus on 2007 reflections and music news related to both this year's releases and 2008's potential. The standard NRT posts will resume in 2008. As 2007 winds down, most of the Internet begins to consider their favorite releases of the last twelve months. Austinist is no different: our top albums of 2007 (a collective list based on all the writers' top picks) is in the works.......

Waller Creek Design Workshop. Image from City of Austin News Austin Music Commission's Town Hall Meeting Notes AMD Sued Over Birth Defects Plant a Tree for Freedom Waller Creek Design and Vision Workshop At This Rate, We're Having Our Next Happy Hour in Cancun Pangaea: It's For Real, Y'all UT Biologists Propose Biodiversity Institute Save BookWoman! Austin Music Commission Considering Plan to Stop the Rock They've Got the Lasers... Now All You Need is......

ACL Previews Interview: Ghostland Observatory Previews: The Broken West, Big Sam’s Funky Nation & Rose Hill Drive Previews: Billy Joe Shaver and Fionn Regan Previews: Brandon Rhyder and Ocote Soul Sounds Interview: The Broken West Previews: Sylvia St. James, Jeffrey Steele, and Amy Cook Interview: Bloc Party ACL Fest Updates: Google Mashup, Contests, Eco-Chic Previews: Augustana, Amos Lee Interview: Peter, Bjorn, and John ACL Band Clash, Round 3: Wilco Vs My Morning Jacket Travis......

ACL Previews Austinist Launches Dedicated ACL Page! Preview: Manchester Orchestra and Patterson Hood Preview: Ian Ball and the Little Ones Interview: Paolo Nutini ACL Band Clash, Round 2: The Killers Vs. Björk Weekly Features Tales Of Mere Existence Hots On #9: Sound Off New Release Tuesday: Frisell's Floratone The Argyle Academy New Movie Releases: The Invasion, Superbad, Death at a Funeral, and More Truesday: Friesday The Laurie Show News, Features, and More Travis County......

ACL Previews Interview: Midlake Interview: The National Preview: The Wonderful Harmonizers, Loretta Williams Gurnell Preview: JJ Grey & Mofro and Charlie Musselwhite Preview: Young Love and the Dynamites Featuring Charles Walker ACL Band Clash, Round 1: Spoon Vs. Queens Of The Stone Age Snapshots Lollapalooza 2007 Snapshots: Summer Extrav-O-Ganza 2 Weekly Features The Argyle Academy New Release Tuesday: Art in Manila, Flight of the Conchords & Marissa Nadler Feature Review: Okkervil River's The Stage Names......

Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City) "Well, I could tell you about the river, or we could just get in" seems to typify Bill Callahan's mood throughout his official solo debut, Woke on a Whaleheart. The album's first track, "From the Rivers to the Ocean", introduces us to Callahan's new take on an old vibe by showcasing little pieces of everything he'll bring to full bloom as the album unfolds. As Callahan croons,......