When It Snows ....

2010 has already been a loud year for Austin music. Two weeks ago, Speak’s Hear Here was released to rave reviews. The five radio-ready songs, along with the group’s charismatic live performances and spot-on harmonies, have Speak poised to take South by Southwest by storm.

As if that wasn’t enough to be excited about, hundreds of eager fans packed Central Presbyterian Church two Saturdays ago for the long-awaited release of Mother Falcon’s Still Life EP. Singer-songwriter Chase Weinacht built excitement for the final act, which took the stage in red and black uniforms. The church proved to be the perfect setting for the 15-piece baroque-pop orchestra, its walls and vaulted ceilings magnifying the intricacies and intonations of the symphony. It made the group’s release all the more triumphant. Ambitiously engineered by Cory Dennis at the Indie Fort Recording Studio in Kyle, Still Life is abundant with swells, pauses, and cascading instrumentation. Mother Falcon is not the only "big band" around, but they deliver songs with an honesty that is hard to come by. Nick Gregg’s lovesick lyrics, accented with harmonies from Claire Puckett and Tamir Kalifa, give the EP an almost cinematic quality.

Standout tracks include “To Mama,” a quiet piece that begins with minimal strings, finds the climax, then settles back down, giving way to my favorite track, “Faint Green Light.” This song best encompasses the capabilities of Mother Falcon, both musically and creatively, beginning with the thunder and lightning of Gregg’s vocals and building gradually in speed and intensity. The highlight's a group yell before they erupt into orchestral clatter to end Still Life.

That was a special night. I wasn’t the only one who felt as if I'd glimpsed the future.