Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Ffunny Ffrends

I don't know much about the Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and no that wasn't intended as some sort of clever introduction. I've read 1 paragraph each from two different blogs regarding the band and still don't really feel I know that much about them. One of them equated their sound to something you'd listen to in a room with lava lamps and black lights, and yeah, I guess I could see that, or just your average suburban pot-smoke-filled garage maybe.

They've got just enough lo-fi and reverb in their sound to pass muster with the tastemaking blogs who pretty much consider those elements a given in recent times. Instruments feel live yet looped, drums feel simple but groovy in a hip-hop sort of way. Simple and repetitive enough to even feel laid back and summery without feeling monotonous or boring.

MP3: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Ffunny Ffrends

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EELS // Trilogy EP

Yet another nice little free download to grab on this blistering hot hump day.

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Get More For Free

Why settle for less when you can get more free? Especially when the "More" in question is the Shivers' latest album which you can grab here...for free. We won't go as far as that Gorilla and Bear blog and say they wrote our favorite song of all time or anything, but this organ-driven retro soul does reek pretty heavily of casual sex to us, which is always a good thing.

MP3: The Shivers - Love Is In The Air

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The Royalty // All Alone

It's easy to find heavy '50s and '60s influences in a lot of the lo-fi music coming out these days. It makes sense, those bands were getting those signature sounds due to the primitive recording equipment available at the time. Now as the self-inflicted constraints of antiquated analog machines is all the fashion, bands are finding the same old tried and true tricks of days past sound just as great as ever.

Take The Royalty, for instance, which finds the '60s pop swing blending with that Specor-ish Wall of Sound production quality, hitting that perfect sweet spot between hi an lo-fi. On "All Alone" they pit Nina Persson-meets-Amy Winehouse vocals over a backdrop reminiscent of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby". Check out their whole album at their BandCamp page where you can also buy the whole lot for just a buck.

MP3: The Royalty - All Alone
MP3: The Royalty - Honestly

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Followed By Static // Cop Gloves

Austinites Followed By Static are getting set to release a 12" split with John Wesley Coleman via Way Out There Records. They say it's a mix of campfire sing-a-longs and good time beach party music, but I say who has to choose? I mean, they allow campfires on some beaches right?



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Nurses // Fever Dreams

There is a period that exists between learning a band you really love has a new album coming out and the first time you actually hear the final product. It's a period of equal parts anticipation and fear.

Will their sound evolve so much you no longer recognize them? Will they become too cocky from a previous album's success to have put in the proper effort this time around? Will their new material just be a retread of their last, only with shittier lyrics because their label forced the band to rush out an album in between tours?

We find ourselves wondering which is a worse fate, a band changing so much from album to album it's almost like their discography was written by 6 different groups, or a band basically putting out the exact same album time and time again? For instance, would we think anymore highly of Weezer if they put out the blue album over and over the past decade instead of the ever-changing roulette of garbage we've been subjected to? While there's the slight chance we'd have listened to their individual albums a few more times, we'd argue that we'd probably respect them a lot less.

In 2009 Nurses released one of our very favorite records that year in Apple's Acre. So when we heard they were getting ready to unveil their newest release, Dracula, we had the mixed feelings you'd expect. But after listening to the album's opening track, "Fever Dreams" we felt a hell of a lot better. The minimal elements of pysch and pop were still present, as were the bare bones tribal rhythms, gleeful melodies, and astute mix of the memorable and bizarre, with just the right amount of growth. Dracula represents a logical step forward, adding in feels reminiscent of bad '80s "Lost Boys" style movies while still remaining comfortably familiar.

MP3: Nurses - Fever Dreams

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SubEx Presents ????

Download a QR reader on your fancy smart phone and find out about our next event, and pre-order tickets even.



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Free Leg Sweeper Tunes

Looks like the Leg Sweeper boys are taking a bit of a hiatus to, you know, not over-saturate the market, or whatever. But fret not, because in the meantime the dudes have made their tunes available for free download via their Bandcamp page. Go do it already.

MP3: Leg Sweeper - High Flying Madonna

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Sea Lion // Steampunk Jetpack

We blather on enough about Deep Ellum margarita punks Sea Lion for you to be acutely aware of our feelings on the subject. They're free show at the Jack Daniel's Saloon with Soviet (another SubEx fave) only furthered our affection.

From frontman Hunter Moehring feigning the first few bars of Soviet's "Kids in My Backyard" while bandmates were tuning and amid taunts from the headliners to 'do it if they felt up to the challenge' to his joining the local brat punk heroes onstage when they whipped the tune out themselves. Moehring's foot stomping and convulsions might have even upstaged Soviet frontman John Spies' over-the-top stage antics, a feat that is admittedly extremely challenging.

But like we've always maintained, Sea Lion is going to have to wait for some officially-released material surfaces before they really take over the Metroplex the way they inevitably will. Fortunately that looks to be sooner rather than later, as the band leaked an unmastered version of "Steampunk Jetpack" off their upcoming Salim Nourallah-produced 8-song disc (maxi EP?).

Also of note were a few new tunes Soviet debuted last night that appear to show the band heading in a new, more 90's alt-rock direction, and slightly distancing from the bedroom flower punk we first fell for. Seriously, their first two could have easily been Ozma tunes, and the third, a triplet-heavy affair called "Hall and Oates" just might have been a Weezer blue album-era b-side.

MP3: Sea Lion - Steampunk Jetpack

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Total Babes // Like They Always Do

Old Flame Records debuted a new track yesterday from Total Babes, the side project of Jayson Gerycz and Joe Boyer from Cloud Nothings along with Chris Brown and Gary Spolarich from the Ohio-based Adventure Management music collective. The debut record Swimming Through Sunlight hits August 30th.

MP3: Total Babes - Like They Always Do

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Trailer for Phonography: The R. Stevie Moore Story

Peep the trailer for the documentary Phonography: The R. Stevie Moore Story which is currently being filmed and edited by former Dentonite Jon Demiglio, aka brother of Chris from The Demigs. And lest we forget that the Godfather of Home Recording will make a stop at Hailey's at the end of this month on his first ever tour.

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Remixer LehtMoJoe's Latest Album, Well, Remixed

Back in April SubEx pal LehtMoJoe released his sophomore solo LP, Aisle7, which was a bit of a new direction for the local producer, incorporating lyrics and more standard 80's pop structures into every song on the disc. So overjoyed by the Mavs win last night was Leht, that he went ahead and released Remix on Aisle7 early.

This time around Leht, who made a name for himself early on with his deft remixes, has been remixed himself by his friends and peers both local and abroad. Artists who take Leht on include Joey Kendall's Family Circuits project, YeahDef, DJ Merritt, Giggle Party, Radio Krome, DJ DannyV, MrWonton, O'Dahl, Xavier Marquis, and Kontaktor.

Give it a listen or pay-what-you-want (i.e. free) download over at his bandcamp page.

MP3: LehtMoJoe - Touch the Sky (Kontaktor Remix)

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This Weekend's Two Best Local Shows

Tonight our Album of the Week picks Two Knights are releasing their lastest EP, Quilt Chamberlain with a free show at Mad World Records. Show starts at 8PM. Get there early for Star Commander, Warren Franklin, and New Science Projects. Oh yeah, and you can preview the EP here before you go.

Then tomorrow night John Congleton's new band The Nighty Nite (featuring members of Paper Chase, Shearwater, and Wires Under Tension and Hospital Ships) will make their local live debut at the Double Wide. The MP3's they've put out so far sound very Paper Chase-ian, but Congleton has said before that their live show is nothing close to Paper Chase. Either way it should prove to be a very exciting/interesting time. It's been too long since we've had a good Congleton fix. Joey Kendall who just released a sort of mixtape of his own will be opening, so, once again, get there early. Oh yeah, and The Nighty Nite's upcoming disc can be pre-ordered here.

MP3: Two Knights - Bangarang!
MP3: The Nighty Nite - Dimes in Their Dimples
MP3: Joey Kendall - The Closest Things (live)

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Wanted: DFWd Musicians to Assist With Collective Art Project

We've been writing a few poems lately and it got us thinking; when a musician comes up with a few new tunes there are plenty of ways to pass them along to the masses very quickly. Singles can be blasted out to the blogosphere in a nanosecond, EP's can be uploaded to Bandcamp and unleashed upon an unsuspecting world in a good half hour. But what similar option does the author of the written word have?

If you're a Jewel or Tupac you might spend the better part of a year getting a book designed, edited, published, printed, distributed, etc., but what would be the equivalent of that rushed EP or lo-fi DIY project?

Which also got us thinking that probably a good majority of local musicians also dabble in other art forms like poetry and that, damn it, we'd like to read those too. So last night--via a pretty drunken Tweet--we hatched the idea to assemble some sort of new art project that would involve poems and doodles submitted by various folks who contribute to the local music scene. Contributors could submit either doodles or poems or both if they felt so obliged. Multiple submissions? That's probably OK too.

Basically the number of people who decide to participate will determine whether the finally product ends up being a zine, or more of a poster/collage/what-have-you. In any case, the ultimate goal would be to figure out a way to assemble/distribute BOTH physical and digital copies of the final product.

If you're interested in submitting a poem/doodle, have ideas on how to assemble/distribute/etc., have questions, or just want to send some words of encouragement you can get in touch with us here. Oh, and anything you could do to help spread the word would be much appreciated.


*Note: this project is not intended to promote SubEx or really be affiliated with it any way other than I thought this the best available platform at my disposal to quickly, most effectively spread the word. The final product will make no mention of this blog, just so that much is clear.

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duplodeck // Strange Girl

Jorge Ben's band duplodeck (aka the Brazilian Stereolab) hasn't existed since 2005. Hell, even in their day they never did get around to releasing the only EP they ever recorded. Then last year the album, which was recorded at various points between 2001 and 2003 was finally given the full-on mixing and mastering treatment. This not only spurred Brazilian cassette-based label Pug Records to issue the self-titled EP, but for duplodeck to reunite as well. They're even said to be working on fresh material that they hope to release as a full length by the end of the year.

MP3: duplodeck - Strange Girl

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The Wandas // Forever and Ever

First single from Boston quartet The Wandas from their upcoming self-titled August release. The album was recorded as live and old school as possible, which is not only refreshing but is the type of thing we're just suckers for. Per the group:

The band was able to enter the studio and successfully record their new album live with minimal overdubs. There was no auto-tuning or drum quantizing, and three part harmonies were sung into one microphone.

It really makes a huge difference, livening what otherwise has the potential to be simplistic, borderline boring pop, turning it into something that's pretty easy on the ears. Needless to say, the extra effort is well worth when a band is sufficiently well-seasoned and who has had the appropriate amount of time to properly road-test and perfect their tunes.

MP3: The Wandas - Forever and Ever

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Parallel Play To Release New Album Tonight at Prophet Bar

Tonight in the Prophet Bar's small room bluegrassy folk-poppers Parallel Play will be having the release show for their latest album The Floor's Made of Lava. I've been listening to an advanced copy the past few days, enjoying the disc's energy and charm that go above and beyond the works of most typical 'string bands'.

They also do pretty killer bluegrass covers of Green Day's 'Pulling Teeth' and the Cranberries' 'Linger,' which isn't the oddball cluster cuss it sounds like. Quite the opposite, actually, which may be one reason I probably listened to them upwards of 20 times last weekend. Fan's of 90's alt-rock banjo stylings should definitely pick up a copy asap.

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