"All those wasted miles/ All those aimless drives through green aisles/ Our careless lifestyle/ It was not so unwise.” On “Green Aisles”, the second track from Real Estate’s second album, lead singer Martin Courtney pretty much delivers the thesis statement of his band’s existence. more ›

You know how most bands perform their songs a little faster in a live setting? With the adrenaline and alcohol flowing on stage, it follows that a band would unconsciously up the tempo. But Real Estate actually slow things down live, which is fitting: the band’s music is evocative of lazy suburban summers spent in their native New Jersey, with layers of chiming guitars and cyclical melodic fills ebbing and flowing like the tide. There’s a sense of goodwill and ease permeating everything they do, and that effortlessness was on display Wednesday night at The Parish. more ›

The languid guitar-pop tunes that comprise Days, the second record from New Jersey's Real Estate, evoke an endless hazy summer of the mind, a kind of permanently half-remembered suite of halcyon days that bled together some unspecific time in the past. Minute details, particular circumstances, even chronology are forgotten; what is remembered are flashpoint memories, feelings filtered by years, a dislocated sense of goodwill and ease that permeates everything. It's nostalgic for the simplicity of summertime, when the living is easy. As lead singer Martin Courtney IV sings on "Green Aisles": "All those aimless drives through green aisles / our careless lifestyle; it was not so unwise. more ›

The Austin Lyric Opera has announced that it plans to sell its headquarters building on Barton Springs Road, as well as its music school, in order to save money. No new facilities for either have been identified yet, but there has been a task force assigned to incorporate the school as its own non-profit organization. The headquarters building currently serves as home base for the Opera's staff as well as providing top-notch rehearsal space for performances. The building is on the market for $5.6 million via Commercial Texas. For more on this story, visit Austin 360. more ›

Austin Community College has completed its land purchase plan of Highland Mall. more ›

• If you didn’t get tickets to the Fleet Foxes show tomorrow at Stubb’s, you can just watch it on NPR's livestream! Score!
• If you were thinking about subscribing to satellite radio just to listen to “Willie’s Place” don’t bother, because it’s (mostly) gone.
• There was actual jousting that took place in Austin earlier this month!

The Spaghetti Warehouse that has been at 117 W. Fourth Street for over 30 years will have to vacate the spot soon. The building's new (as of January) owners are looking to score new tenants for the 20,000 square foot space and claim that the location is garnering national attention. more ›

New Jersey quartet Real Estate play a brand of languid psychedelia that is evocative of late summer afternoons spent warmly buzzed near a body of water, and so it's a good thing they released their debut LP in 2009, when hazy, wave-borne melodies and washed out textures comprised the most bloggable music not sold at your local Best Buy. It's a down-and-out, suburban Jersey Shore sound. Where Real Estate transcend the chilled out sprawl, however, is in their sense of composition. Though cloaked in delay and reverb, Real Estate's melodies twist together with aplomb, the twin guitar riffs of lead singer Martin Courtney IV and Matthew Mondanile elegantly intertwining above the underwater boom of Etienne Duguay's drums and Alex Bleeker's poky basslines. The music is often breezily cyclical for minutes at a time before making a sudden left turn, unspooling into leisurely jams. Musical touchstones include fellow Garden Staters Yo La Tengo, The Clean and even Fleetwood Mac, particularly on their 7" that came out in October. more ›

For those Austinites who are currently looking for their first home, you can have that process documented forever! And then broadcast to millions of people on HGTV! As we first reported a few months ago, HGTV’s My First Place is still looking for Austinites- and their realtors- who are just beginning the search for their first home. more ›

• President Obama wants you to know your oyster po’boy (and other Gulf seafood) is safe to eat!
• There were 40,000 bikers here in the ATX for the ROT bike rally this weekend. “I’m the eye candy,” said one of the people interviewed for this story!
• Longhorn report: Television --and TV money-- may save the Big 12!

If the J. Tillman show outside isn't enough to lure you to The Mohawk on this post-Thanksgiving eve, here's two more reasons: the debut performance by Brackett & Co., and a chance to catch hot upstarts Real Estate. more ›

• The New York Times blogs ACL.
• Cat fancier near Waco may have her home torn down because of the smell!
• This 97 year-old dude got a follow-up visit from the real estate lady who’d sold him his house…and she’d sold it to him in 1956! Talk about customer service!

Some local modern design geeks recently launched Hotel Metrohouse, a nifty alternative to hotels or couch surfing that allows people to rent out super modern, furnished houses. more ›

• Clashes reported as Iranians hold demonstrations.
• Dismay in Europe as Obama ditches missile defense.
• Sources: NY transportation hub likely target of terror plot.

This past Saturday, two Austinites took home Independent Spirit Awards! Chris Eska took home the "John Cassavetes Award" for his feature August evening, and Laura Dunn took home the "Truer than Fiction Award" for her film The Unforeseen, a documentary look at the controversy surrounding Austin's real estate development and its impact on the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs. more ›

Michael Olsen could get his job back with APD on a technicality. Man's body found near North Campus area; police say he fell off the roof. Obama's rally tomorrow night will close down roads downtown, so don't say we didn't warn you. Hillary trying to nab the Longhorn vote by wearing burnt orange today? more ›

Photograph of the Trump Soho by Riccardo Sinti more ›

Despite the obvious themes of power and faith, PT Anderson's vast, visionary epic There Will Be Blood isn’t primarily about oil, or about religion, or about extremism. Rather, it’s a thorough excavation of the foundation of American identity. And on top of all that, it’s the best film of the year. more ›

AngelouEconomics will host the annual Economic & Technology Forecast next Thursday, January 24, at the Austin Convention Center. The Economic & Technology Forecast is billed as the largest business event in Austin, with attendees including public officials, educators, media, economic analysts and business executives from Central Texas’ technology, legal, real estate and services industries. Speakers include Angelos Angelou, the Founder and CEO of AngelouEconomics, and Zanny Minton Beddoes, the US economics editor for The Economist. more ›

Photo by my favorite yarn on flickr Sgt. Michael Olsen is appealing his firing by APD. While the housing market everywhere else is on the decline, Austin still a place to buy, according to real estate expert. David Letterman in Austin for a Habitat build. Someone is going door-to-door claiming to be raising money for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Video: Bobby Knight's neighbor isn't happy about how close Knight is shooting to his property. New, more... more ›

Image by the "Subway Cyrano," from GothamistNew York City was at its strangest and swellest this week. On Sunday, tens of thousands people ran in the NYC Marathon, including Mrs. Tom Cruise, aka Katie Holmes, who ran it in just under 5 hours, 30 minutes. Gothamist also found out that limes in Corona are sometimes illegal, the weird maple syrup might be back and a famous punk music pioneer-turned-real estate broker was possibly killed by... more ›

CWS Capital Partners seems to be attempting to generate the appearance of grassroots support for their plan to donate land along the southern shore of Lady Bird Lake in exchange for a variance. Extend Our Trail popped up recently as a counter to Save Town Lake. Katherine Gregor at the Chronicle called shenanigans, saying that Extend Our Trail was just a front for CWS. M1EK asked for proof. Katherine added that "Confirmation that CWS... more ›

Division Day Beartrap Island (Eenie Meanie) Formed in Santa Cruz in 2001, Division Day honed their craft in a small sound-proofed bedroom. They put together an EP, The Mean Way In, in 2005, and have earned a bit of blogosphere recognition since then thanks to their catchy indie pop hooks and knack for a good cover song. Beartrap Island, their first full-length, is full of toe-tapping, old fashioned sing-a-long start and stop rock'n'roll that... more ›

There will always be chatter about Austin's changing landscape, much as there will always be supporters for both developers and the environment. We want the privilege of taking a dip in a glistening spring-fed pool, but we also want to have a robust economy that allows us to continue working and living in this city. Some would argue that the two desires aren't mutually exclusive, but we all know that it's a sticky subject.... more ›

Believe It or Not: My Bloody Valentine reuniting for Coachella 2008? Last weekend, the American Psychological Association rejected a moratorium that would have prevented its member psychologists from participating in interrogations at U.S. detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and secret CIA "black sites" around the world. Venetian Macao Aims to Transform Chinese Gambling Enclave Into Full-Fledged Resort City. Leslie Feist, joined onstage by members of Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Grizzly Bear, The... more ›

It's official: Whole Foods now owns its biggest rival, Wild Oats Markets. Despite a juicy scandal over Chairman and CEO John "rahodeb" Mackey's anonymous web postings and the Federal Trade Commission's earnest efforts to prevent what they believed was a serious antitrust violation, the deal was given the green light by a federal appeals court last Thursday. Whole Foods' buyout offer called for purchasing all outstanding shares of Wild Oats for $18.50 a pop;... more ›

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... more ›

A San Antonio-area nonprofit is suing to have their chimpanzees returned from Louisiana Is someone trying to take down the Dollar General? The City of Austin has opted to extend the waterway ban on Lake Austin until Friday The Texas Department of Transportation begins inspections on possibly suspect bridges A 6-year-old girl in North Texas crashed her bike into a parked trailer and gets her head punctured by 4 inches of rebar Bars and... more ›

In the hopes of increasing registered and polite participation in our comments section, Austinist has decided to publish a "Top 5" list of our favorite reader responses from the past week. There are no prizes this week, but one never knows what might develop in the future. Now, on to the main attraction! 1 "I'm gazing into the abyss, but all I'm seeing is a 6-BR split-level mansion, with swimming pool & cabana in back."... more ›

The Pier on Lake Austin, an old staple of Lake Austin boat cruisers and Hill Country folks since the 1920s, closed its doors back in 2005 after the restaurant/music venue/gas station lost its lease. Since that time, the place has basically sat unused. As we reported in April 2006, the original plan was to replace The Pier with a three-story development that consisted of a mix of casual and finer dining. Evidently this plan fell... more ›