After leaking a solid teaser/catchy ode to his hometown with "Santa Fe" at the beginning of the summer, this week Zach Condon's bedroom-project-turned-seasoned-orchestration known simply as Beirut released The Rip Tide to break a four year "hiatus" (sorta - he somewhat quietly released 2009's experimental split EP March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland). At first listen, the album is a solid reinforcement exemplifying his carefully cultivated sound. Condon continues to embrace the elements for which we know him best - an invigorating blend of ukulele, crooning vocals, and horn-driven, Balkan-esque instrumentation - only this time he's not as focused on the whimsical dramatics as on the music itself. more ›

Due to its rather lackluster presence, that statue has now been repealed by the UT Barbara Jordan Statue Committe. Today, they're calling for help from all of Austin--not just students--in order to gain input before the next selection process, as opposed to afterwards. To date, 75 artists have applied and the committee hopes to narrow that number down to five by January. more ›

Just when you thought you’d fulfilled your civic duty, along comes AmericanStyle magazine. more ›