Holy smokes. What a day. So much great music. So much sweat coming out of so many talented pores. So much healing for my eardrums to do. Except they are gonna have to wait because we have 3 more days of madness! But enough about the future, lets take a peek at the past. Last night surprise guests Read more
Yes, the rumors are true. The Burning Ear is in full effect at this year’s SXSW. With the help of Joel’s Lights & Music Entertainment and the awesome people at The Firehouse Lounge & Hostel we have cooked up the biggest blog curated lineup Austin has ever seen. Plus, it’s FREE! Â Seriously. Sit down before you click through to the full event page.
I wont even get into too many details here lest those of you not in Austin this week flip out with jealousy. If you feel strong enough then dip down below for some teasers. I hope to see some of you come and rock out! Don’t forget to say hi and high-five!
4 Days  |  3 Levels  |  40+ live shows | FREE
FEATURING: Jukebox The Ghost – Gigamesh – Gemini Club – Polarsets – DWNTWN – Slow Club – ANR – & many more!
We all know I hate Best of Lists that come out before the year is over so nearly 4 weeks into 2012 I finally present my best albums of 2011! (Still a day faster than last year!) Below are the top 10 albums from my 2011 followed by 10 honorable mentions. The list was compiled by weighing total play counts along with longevity. Not only did I Read more
♫ Hooded Fang – Den of Love
♫ Hooded Fang – ESP
(Both previously posted)
This latest LP sports two gems (above) + new love “Vacationation” but just doesn’t stack up to the fantastic 1st LP ALBUM. Kinda like an EP.
[Quickies are mini-reviews that can fit into a 140 character tweet. They are of albums that people already know of but perhaps are curious about our take on it. What did you think of the disc?]
♫ Hooded Fang – Straight Up The Dial
Bonus points if you noticed that this Hooded Fang album is not the one I dropped some tracks off of a few months back (and on the summer mega mix!). Album is the Toronto band’s debut LP from 2010 that I tracked down with a hunch that it would be good. High five for hunches because this thing is stellar! Lightly roasted marshmallow-y folk pop that sticks to your ears and leaves you wanting more. Plus there are horns! “Straight Up The Dial” bounces and shuffles with a perfect “do do do do do do” refrain that gets me grooving every time. Album‘s next track, “Laughing,” turns the energy up a bit as drums and bass propel the song along with great boy/girl vocals. However, the goodness doesn’t even begin to slow there as the hat-trick of “Green River,” “Highway Steam,” and “Promise Land” offer up enough varied tempos and grooves to make me think that Generationals added some more members and hot-boxed the studio. Awesome!
And then there is “Sleep Song.” Ahh, yes. Doesn’t make me want to sleep so much as skip along the beach with a radiant girl/sunset combo. To me, this is the sound of falling in love. With a person or a band, whatever, I’m smitten.
Don’t think that the tracks I haven’t mentioned are any less worthy, Album is magic from start to finish, I just didn’t want to blather too much. Although maybe I should! It seems that for some insane reason nobody is talking about these guys. Is there no justice in this world!? Whatever, I’m off to get their latest album, Tosta Mista.
Band links: Facebook / Soundcloud / Bandcamp
I don’t wanna hear one peep about how “summer is almost over!” or “but it’s not even sunny where I am” or “this mix is late” or “my eyes are melting from that album art.” Summer is a frame of mind and TBE is about to whip yours into shape! Now that you have grown tired of your own summer mix as well as all the ones that other blogs put out months ago, it’s time to get the summer mix to not only end all summer mixes, but to end summer itself! (Except thats not even true because I have a specially themed bonus summer mix for next week! Stay tuned…) The Burning Ear 2011 Summer Mega-Mix has something for everyone and happens in a few different waves so it’s best listened to in order.
So smooth out those short shorts, dust off those cocktail umbrellas, slide those shades up on the nose, and feel the warm breeze between your sandy toes because this mix is about to start with a bang. And did I mention that album art courtesy of DARTS? I can’t even count the number of awesome things going on. There is at least one for each of the 19 jams happening below. Read more
♫ Hooded Fang – ESP
Awesome band name? Check. Awesome album art? check. Awesome California throwback surf vibe? Check. Awesome hometown of Toronto? Ch.. what? Something must be in the water up in the T-Dot cause this is the second batch of surf inspired tunes this year to come from that part of The Great White North (see Art Imperial). “ESP” is all jittery cola beverage at the malt shop by the promenade while “Den of Love” takes things back to moms basement after the drive in for a little fumble and tumble on the shag rug. It’s like a perfect summer day and night rolled into two songs.
♫ Hooded Fang – Den of Love
Fun facts about Hooded Fang are that they recently toured with TBE favorites Rural Alberta Advantage and that their LP named Album from 9 months ago was been long-listed for a Polaris Prize. Why haven’t I heard these guys before? It’s just wrong. Their new album Tosta Mista is out July 26th. Summer ‘aint over yet!
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