The album creates the pleasant (but subtly paranoid) atmosphere of being lost in a vast wilderness. Which, given the artist's predilection for European existential art films, makes a lot of sense. more ›

The Spinto Band have garnered a fair amount of attention in the UK recently; and no wonder, considering the group's sprawling, heavily melodic sound, which recalls our favorite oldschool Britpop albums. more ›

A month or so ago I was hanging out with an old friend I hadn’t seen in awhile. It wasn’t awkward at all, but we aren't terribly close so the conversation was hopping from one thing to another in that rudderless, silence-avoiding way it goes when you've gone through all the gossip and most of the whiskey. At some point I remember him saying “So have you heard this band Wildildlife?” and me shrugging noncommittally, thinking, neat, another indie buzz band with a shitty name I’ll have to contend with in the future. more ›

It’s as if the over-the-top angst of the last generation of alt-rock has been sublimated into something abstract and hidden, expressed through warped songcraft rather than screaming and feedback. more ›

Thursday Flamingo Cantina takes a break from bringing in bands like The Skatalites and Israel Vibration. Instead, for this free day show they will host the shimmering and sentimental, Swedish alt rock of the Shout Out Louds. You’ll also hear the catchy California rock of Rogue Wave and the love song sing-alongs and quirky experiments of Akron/Family. Sub Pop’s Portland drums-and-guitar duo The Helio Sequence come prepared with spacey indie rock prettiness, and Fleet Foxes are set to impress with charming guitars and melodic tones. Expect a thrilling display from Athens’ psych-folk collective Elf Power. more ›

Rogue Wave released their third full-length Asleep At Heaven’s Gate last year, leaving behind the safe haven of Sub Pop to find a new home at Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. The album itself found the band conjuring up a textured mosaic of pop harmonies and poignant lyrics with the aid of sufficient guitars and keys. “Own Your Own Home” and “Like I Needed” were two of our favorite sleeper tracks of the past year, while single “Lake Michigan” was a lush pop hit never to be heard on everyday FM radio. (Watch the video on YouTube.) more ›

Robert Harrison’s forte has always been melodious pop music and his current outfit Future Clouds and Radar is no anomaly. The act’s stellar self-titled album (out now on Star Apple Kingdom) contains boundless hooks and plenty of Beatles-esque psychedelia, and has garnered rave reviews from a plethora of publications such as HARP, Paste, Pop Culture Press, and No Depression. Check out the video for “Dr. No.” here. more ›

The week's news on arts, books, film and music. more ›

Now in its sixth week, the Writers Guild of America strike is still going strong. And despite Alec Baldwin's hilarious/bizarre advice and Michael Eisner's name-calling, WGA members show few signs of giving in any time soon. Though the effects of the strike are most evident in places like Los Angeles and New York City, you may be surprised to learn that there are around 100 WGA members living here in Austin. more ›

Image by LuiSFher Gallo via Cafe Tacvba’s MySpace Cafe TacvbaThursday, December 6La Zona Rosa (612 W. 4th Street)$40, Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm[info] | [tickets]Pop quiz: name a band that has won multiple Grammys, performed on MTV Unplugged, been compared favorably to Radiohead, played three encores at a recent Lollapalooza, and headlined to 170,000 people at Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes. If you're thinking U2 or Coldplay, we couldn't blame you. But the... more ›

It's hard to explain in 2007 what it feels like for music to be both uniting and important. Having spent nearly three years of the '90s living in London, it's with honest nostalgia and wonder that we examine Rhino's The Brit Box. The set's mission is rather broad: it attempts to examine the whole of UK indie rock from 1985-1999 and devotes a disc each to '80s indie, shoegaze, Britpop, and the late '90s. One... more ›

If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... more ›

Zookeeper Becoming All Things (Belle City Pop) Chris Simpson (formerly Gloria Record, Mineral), has completed his first full-length under the moniker Zookeeper, and old pal Brian Malone has released it on his Belle City Pop record label. The album careens between honky tonk dissonance and dissolving harmony ("Trumpets" sounds like the closing tune in your favorite dive bar) against whimsical banjo, organ and horns. Simpson's voice plays well with the Wilco-ish (Being There era)... more ›

If you comb through news aggregate websites every morning waiting for your coffee to kick in like I do, you may have come across an odd little story about the recent demise of OiNK, an invite-only torrent site that put links to thousands of music files at one’s fingertips. It was a sprawling, cluttered site that demanded small download-to-upload ratios (1:1 was emphasized) and gave special privileges to users who donated to the site’s administrator,... more ›

Le Loup will just have to quell the audience’s hunger for Friday night indie pop with their ever-expanding experimentalism, as Saddle Creek’s Georgie James have canceled due to illness. But, any void caused by a lack of shimmering girl/guy harmonies at Mohawk will be quickly filled with handfuls of banjo, keyboards, toy instrument sounds and digital assistance. Echoey and breathy vocals entwine as hand claps overlap and the computer age openly embraces the simple, earthly... more ›

Asleep At Heaven’s Gate – Rogue Wave (Brushfire Records) The year 2006 was full of activity and turmoil for California’s Rogue Wave. There was some great news when founding member Zach Rogue had a baby daughter, but sadly, guitarist Gram LeBron’s father passed away and drummer Pat Spurgeon had a kidney transplant (and was understandably out of commission for a good amount of time.) Adding to the mayhem was the fact that Sub Pop was... more ›

Band of Horses Cease to Begin (Sub Pop) Editors Note: This review reflects the personal opinions and experiences of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of the Ist network as a whole. Enjoy! In your typical southern suburban town of Irmo in Columbia, South Carolina is where Band of Horses singer Ben Bridwell and I went to high school. Among the strip malls and neighborhood watch signs, between high school football games... more ›

Think male/female indie harmonies, and what comes to mind? Mates of State? Well, try letting your lips get comfortable with Arthur & Yu. They are the childhood nicknames of Seattle multi-instrumentalists Grant Olsen (Arthur) and Sonya Westcott (Yu), and their debut, In Camera, is an organic, acoustic folk delight. Flute sounds, wood blocks, glockenspiel and plenty of tambourine along with conventional rock elements create a sound that’s minimal yet layered. In Camera is not only... more ›

Moxie and the Compound wants to wet your fashion whistle with its own Project Runway-inspired competition. Both Marques Harper and Stephen Moser mentioned they're judging the event. But who do you think promoted it better? Remember Factory People, the hip store on South Congress that closed this summer? Of course you do! They're still around, promoting parties and selling their shamelessly cool clothing online. But if you want to see Factory People's latest looks... more ›

Dallas native Ben Kweller is an interesting tangle of contradictions. He's 26, but his first major label album was released a decade ago. Kweller is an indie rock star, but lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with his longtime wife and young son. And his music is accessible and catchy, yet it hasn't quite found the large audience it deserves. Kweller returns to the Austin City Limits Festival for two shows this weekend to bounce... more ›

Have you ever wanted to see a group of people launch themselves off of a pier 30 foot above Lady Bird Lake? If you answered yes, then you're in luck. Red Bull is bringing Flugtag back to Austin this Saturday night. Enjoy yourself on Auditorium Shores as you watch some of the bravest and/or craziest people in town show off what they've been crafting for months. The evening will also include a visit from... more ›

It's August already, and if you haven't sweated it out to some great rock outside at Emo's yet, you can't claim to be an actual citizen of this 'burg, let alone a real human in the world. It can be a trying, vaguely sensual experience testing your physical, mental, and spiritual stamina amongst so many different flavors of scenester/hipster/regular Joe, all with their own fragrance and fashion aesthetic - or lack thereof. Also, due... more ›

If you learn nothing else about Brooklyn-based indie rock group Ladybug Transistor and the secrets behind their bittersweet pop, know this: their mothers are really proud. Of the three classic pearls of wisdom from mom - ‘Wait at least an hour to swim after eating,’ ‘Too much TV will rot your brain,’ and ‘Always remember to share.’ - Ladybug Transistor has at least one of those down to a mutually beneficial science. Lending their... more ›

Today we're rolling out a new weekly feature: Fashion Flash, where we profile one standout guy and girl. We may not be the style police, but we have a style-crush on these two people this week. What do you think? Tell us in the comments!TAS2-ONEAlison Benton Musician, spotted outside of Spiro's Where did you buy your clothes? Buffalo Exchange, Urban Outfitters and Cream Vintage. (The limited edition Sailor Jerry Chuck Taylor All Stars he's wearing... more ›

The Supersuckers specialize in no holds barred rock n’ roll that features humorous lyrics and melodious hooks. Hailing from Seattle, the band has been around since the late '80s and has released numerous albums on various labels such as Sub Pop and (their own recording company) Mid-Fi. more ›

The Rosebuds may have an overtly cute band name, and they are, well, rather delightful to lo look at, but they're not just another pop act getting by on their charm and good looks. Think of them as New Order run through an art-rock filter then sloshed around with some of disco's best bits. The band's bounced around a bit stylistically, and they went so far as to tell us a few months ago,... more ›

Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.) Folksy but freakish Portlanders Blitzen Trapper have yet to be scooped up by Zach Braff, but that's probably only because they're still on the fringes of too weird. Yet, between soothing and familiar odes to old Grateful Dead tunes and powerful plays towards anti-genre adorableness, the odd sextet manage to capture the listener's attention while totally defying their own. Eccentric, playful and genuine songs fuse 70's goofball... more ›

THURSDAY [24] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) music • Emissions From the Monolith Fest at Emo's music • Small Stars, Sounds Under Radio at Stubb's music • DJ Qbert, DJ Craze, DJ Klever, Table Manners Crew at The Parish music • Winovino, Bourbon Legends, Jett Mullens, Jaime Thomas at Beerland music • Morrissey Pre-Party with Andy Rourke! at The Mohawk music • Gulf of Mexico,... more ›

THURSDAY [17] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) art • Opening Reception: Denise Prince Martin: Things I Never Told You at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm, the artist will discuss her work at 6:30pm) art • Downtown Art Night at Participating Galleries (6-9pm) art • Artist Talk: Ann Connor at Flatbed Press, 2830 E. MLK (6pm) art • Art Fix: Printmaking at The... more ›

Ola Podrida (Plug Research) David Wingo splits his time between Brooklyn and Austin composing the soundtrack to the Polaroid taking, scarf wearing community of slow-moving coffee sippers and film lovers. Literally. His work with director David Gordan Green (All the Real Girls, Snow Angels) has provided him with an outlet for his soft and subtle odes, but his new project under the name Ola Podrida offers a bit of a broader spectrum, at least... more ›