Sharp Pins

Chicago's Sharp Pins make the kind of pop that sticks in my ears like sugary sweet candy, a delightful and infectious mix of jangle pop, college rock, psych folk, and timeless hummable, melancholy melodies.  The band's new album "Radio DDR" is out now.  Get it here from Perennialdeath and listen to the excellent "You Don't Live Here Anymore" below.

JARR

I've got to do a lot of tedious work on a spreadsheet today to get prepared for my upcoming "busy season" later in the summer.  Gonna dig on the wonderful mix of ambient, drone, minimalist guitar, and post rock on "Evangeline," the latest release from experimental duo JARR.  Listen to "Manoeuvres" below and get the album here from Sound in Silence.

Daily Jam - Goodnight Ladies

I vividly remember where i was when i found out Lou Reed had died.  I was at the annual Texas Book Festival held in downtown Austin, in front of the Capitol building at 11th and Congress where a lot of the tents are set up.  For some reason, HEB had a giant (possibly inflatable) shopping cart on site.  Everything felt surreal.  And the first song to pop into my head was the closing track from 1972's "Transformer," the jazzy and baroque "Goodnight Ladies."  It's in my head now.  Let's put it in yours.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

BADBADNOTGOOD & V.C.R.

Here's a little piece of jazzy and worldly soul from Toronto's BADBADNOTGOOD and Memphis musician V.C.R. (Veronica Camille Ratliff).  Dig on "Found a Light (Beale Street)" below and download it here from XL Recordings.

The Pennys

Bay Area duo The Pennys is the collaborative project of Mike Ramos (Flowertown, Cindy) and R.E. Seraphin (Talkies).  The band makes fuzzy, lo-fi nuggets of melancholy dreams, a total balm for the aching soul.  Listen to "Say Something" below and pre-order the self-titled album here from Mt. St. Mtn.

Daily Jam - How It Feels to Be Something On

I saw that Sunny Day Real Estate are about to go on tour next month.  To celebrate, here's the title track from their third LP.  Listen to "How It Feels to Be Something On" below, our Daily Jam.

Cabaret Grey

Polish trio Cabaret Grey has that icy coldwave sound down pat.  Check out the album opening "No Matter" from their new "Second Wave" album below and download it here from the band.

Virga

Lawrence, Kansas brings the noise with "Eremocene," the latest album from alt-rock band Virga.  The record carries American Gothic vibes, a mesh of distorted guitars, echoed vocals, and moodiness all played out over prairies and plains, waiting for the thunderstorm.  Check out "Alice" below and pre-order the upcoming LP here.

Daily Jam - Surrender

Starting the week off with some Cheap Trick.  Listen to "Surrender" below, our Daily Jam.

New Gaze

UK trio New Gaze play a kind of lush and gentle pop indebted to the sounds of the '60s and '70s, bits of psychedelia, folk, orchestral accompaniments, and hummable melodies.  The band's new "All We Can See / Dystopian Days" 7" is out now.  Check out the B-side below and get the record from the band here.

Daily Jam - The Ballad of El Goodo

It's always something to go back and listen to old Big Star records and realize just how far ahead of their time they were, by "3rd" in particular.  For now, here's a track from their debut that feels simultaneously of its time and like something that might have been released decades later.  Listen to "The Ballad of El Goodo" below, our Daily Jam.

Softcult

Earlier this month, dreamy alt-rock band Softcult dropped a couple of vinyl and CD compilations of their previously released EP's.  They've seen fit to follow that up with new track "Pill to Swallow."  Dig on it below and download it here.

Daily Jam - (Don't Go Back to) Rockville

A short while ago, i wrote about how i needed to get into an R.E.M. phase.  Proud to report that that phase is currently in swing.  Here's a track from "Reckoning."  Listen to "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" below, our Daily Jam.

somesurprises

Time for the dreamiest of dreampop from Seattle artist somesurprises.  The new "Year Without Spring" EP is out next week.  Pre-order it here and listen to the wistful and ethereal "Lush" below.

Friday Horror Trailer - Lurking Fear

Daily Jam - Nice Night

Here's a cool track from indie rock band Mass Gothic's 2016 debut to end (hopefully) your work week to.  Listen to "Nice Night" below, our Daily Jam.

Squid

Happy Thursday.  UK post punk band Squid dropped a new track yesterday.  Dig on the twitchy and frenetic "The Hearth and Circle Round Fire" below and download it here from Warp.

Daily Jam - Here Comes a Regular

It was a long ass day for me with work today.  A little something from The Replacements will make it all better.  Here's "Here Comes a Regular," our Daily Jam.

Fine

Denmark artist Fine, who was responsible for one of our favorite albums of the year in 2024 with "Rocky Top Ballads" just dropped new track "I Could," a dreamy, psych-laden little pop nugget.  Check it out below and download it here from Escho.

Kuunatic

Japanese trio Kuunatic bring the tribal, ritualistic psych rock to shake our very souls with new album "Wheels of Ömon."  The whole thing feels like the soundtrack to some ancient ceremony you're not supposed to by privy to.  Check out the exotic and entrancing sounds of "Disembodied Ternion" below and order the LP here from Glitterbeat Records.

Daily Jam - From Auschwitz to Ipswich

The reunited Pulp have a new album heading our way very soon, and we're positively bristling with excitement about over here.  Today, let's listen to a song Jarvis Cocker made during the band's time apart.  Here's a track from his first solo album.  Listen to "From Auschwitz to Ipswich" below, our Daily Jam.

No Culture

Alabama's No Culture brings the reverb and noise with their "Blue Behind Heaven" album, a heavy mix of grunge and shoegaze.  Listen to alt-rock throwback "Stag Party" below and snag a copy of the cassette here from the band.

Mamuthones

Here's some dark and funereal psych folk weirdness from Italian band Mamuthones.  The group's new album "From Word to Flesh" is out now on Rocket Recordings and plays like a veritable death dream.  Order it here (download) or here (vinyl) and listen to the album opening "Burn from Inside" below.

Dottie

It seems like it's been a while since Austin had a legit music scene.  Sure the city has little bubbles encompassing pretty much any genre you can think of.  But there's really no big cohesive scene either in the mainstream or the underground.  And i think it needs one or even several.  And if the kids want to start a big Texas shoegaze scene, i am fucking there.  It could include artists like Dottie who just released the lo-fi, dreamy, and ethereal new track "Adoration."  Dig on it below and download the song here.

Daily Jam - Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)

Seeing albums from the mid-'00s hit their 20th anniversaries is absolutely mind blowing to me.  Time moves too fast.  Anyway, marking it's 21st anniversary this year is Thievery Corporation's "The Cosmic Game."  Here's the album opener featuring The Flaming Lips.  Listen to "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)" below, our Daily Jam.

Charms

It's time for some dreamy shoegaze.  Here's Brooklyn trio Charms with new tune "Lifetime Warranty" for your listening pleasure.  Check it out below and download it here.

Sun Parker

Ontario artist Sun Parker makes beautiful music for sunsets on new tune "Swan," a dreamy and melancholic piece of acoustic bedroom pop.  Check the track out below and download it here from the artist.

S Y Z Y G Y X

Booties shake in the darkest of places on "Climax," the latest electro-pop jam from Washington D.C. artist S Y Z Y G Y X.  Dig on the dark synth rhythms below and download it here from Cold Transmission Music.

Daily Jam - Sweet Sunshine

Starting the week off with a weird and noisy one from Beck.  From 1994's "Mellow Gold" LP, listen to "Sweet Sunshine" below, our Daily Jam.

King Khan

King Khan is back with "Ragas for the Revolution" as well as for the soul.  The new EP plays like a sonic balm for heart and mind, transcendent and hypnotic.  Listen to "BlackSnake Rising" below and pay what you want for the EP here.

Sault

The ever mysterious and prolific Sault just dropped new album "10" for our listening pleasure.  And mellow soul is on the menu.  Listen to the cool and laid back "S.I.T.L." below and pre-order the vinyl here from Forever Living Originals.

ML Wah

Maybe some of you aren't going to listen to experimental drone music today and maybe some of you are.  I am.  Won't you join me?  The latest from experimental artist ML Wah practically crawls across the brain, like smeared pieces of the cosmos on your psyche.  Listen to the existential drone of "Aquarian Heir" below and download the "Big Air 3" album here from Flower Room.

Daily Jam - Borrowed Time

Happy Easter to those who celebrate.  Here's San Antonio garage rock band The Sons of Hercules with "Borrowed Time," our Daily Jam.

Yndling

I first posted about Norwegian synth pop artist Yndling last month when doing research for shows to try to attend during SXSW.  And while i never got the chance to see her perform, i really dig her dreamy, moody music.  Here's another track from the artist that dropped last month.  Listen to "As Fast as I Can" below and download it here from Sprit Goth Records.

Daily Jam - Notre Generation

Here's some sweet and melancholic '60s French pop from Stone to wind down your Saturday to.  Listen to "Notre Generation" below, our Daily Jam.

Vegyn Remixes Air

Record Store Day was last weekend, and as per usual i spent way too much money.  But i got some cool shit, like a reissue of Marty Willson-Piper's (The Church) 1987 solo album "In Reflection" and the 12" single of The Cure's "Alone" remixed by Four Tet.  I also snagged "Blue Moon Safari," electronic musician and producer Vegyn's remix and reinterpretation of Air's debut album "Moon Safari."  It's wonderful.  Check out the mix of "Sexy Boy" below and download the album here.

Deer Park

Get melancholy with Deer Park, the project of artist Andy Santella.  New album "Terra Infirma" is a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds in a kinda lo-fi bedroom pop stew.  Elements of dreampop and indie rock and more abound and make for a woozy and intoxicating listen.  Check out "Crystal" below and download the album here from Deleted.

M83

M83 is releasing new music next month with the upcoming soundtrack album "A Necessary Escape," a film score for the French documentary "Dakar Chronicles."  Pre-order it here on Anthony Gonzales's new Other Suns record label and listen to the beautiful and somber "A Necessary Escape (Part 2)" below.

Friday Horror Trailer - Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit

Daily Jam - Waves of Rye

I want to go back and listen to some of the indie rock albums i was listening to back in the '00s to see if they still stand up.  The whole scene was huge back then, and i'm sure some stinkers snuck through here and there.  Department of Eagles' "In Ear Park" is not one of those stinkers.  It's damn near majestic.  Listen to "Waves of Rye" below, our Daily Jam.

Deary Remixed by Deary

UK shoegaze duo Deary remix themselves with a new mix of last year's excellent track "The Moth."  The dreamy shoegaze single gets made even more ethereal this time around.  Check out "The Moth (Chrysalis Mix)" below and download it here from Sonic Cathedral.

Daily Jam - Digital Clock

Digging through all of this old '90s Austin underground rock over the last few weeks has been a lot of fun.  I've scratched that nostalgia itch, rekindled some old sonic flames, and discovered some wonderful punk i missed out on the first time three decades ago.  Here's one more before the long Easter weekend.  Listen to the poppy alt-rock of Stretford and "Digital Clock" below, our Daily Jam.

SXSW 2025 Pics

Speaking of SXSW, i forgot to post my pics from this year.  So let's get on that.  This year was kind of weird, with the whole thing feeling way less attended than years past.  I think the combination of ever-growing corporatism, the festival's focus shifting to interactive, COVID, and last year's band boycott because of the military's involvement with the event has had a pretty drastic effect on the whole affair...musically speaking at least.  And it's been announced that next year's SXSW will be shorter.  I think it might be dying folks.  And that makes me sad.  As a co-worker once said to me, "this week is like your Christmas."

Maybe it will find a way.  For the time being, here are some of my pics from this year...

Frozen Orange

Feeling Small

Thor Harris, Jonathan Horne, & Jeff Piwonka

Clone

Franklin Gothic

Graham Reynolds

Terraplana

Freak Slug

CDSM

Terraplana (again)

Clone (again)

Coldwave

Bleary Eyed

Catcher

Night Drive

Shower Curtain

Wishy

Maruja

Maruja

Maruja

Dutch Interior

Monobloc

Monobloc

Cory Hanson

Wand

M(h)aol

High Wasted

Perennial

Sunnbrella

Jad Fair & The Placebos

Population II

Cashier

Golomb

Dutch Interior (again)

Gurriers

Gurriers

Deloyd Ezle

LAKE

Dead Gowns

TVOD

Maz

YHWH Nailgun

Dogs of Shady Lane

Her New Knife

Sofie Royer

YHWH Nailgun (again)

Billy Woods

Coma Pony

Delivery

Gus Englehorn

Angelo Moore & The Brand New Step