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Phases & Stages

Daft Punk Random Access Memories (Columbia) An interview with Italian producer Giorgio Moroder introduces the third track of Random Access Memories. Just before the beat drops, the famed dance puppeteer sums up Daft Punk’s fourth LP: “Once you free your mind about a concept of harmony and music being correct, you can do whatever you…

by Abby Johnston

Civics 101

Thursday 04 RESTORE THE FOURTH Concerned about privacy in the wake of the NSA scandal? Be part of a series of large, nonviolent protests in cities across the country. More info on the nonpartisan movement is available online. 11am-5pm. Texas State Capitol, 1100 Congress. Free. www.restorethefourth.net. Saturday 06 WORLD TIBET DAY Let freedom ring. Organizers…

by Chronicle Staff

Phases & Stages

Julieta Venegas Los Momentos (Sony Music Latin) Border issues being what they are in these United States of Fear & Loathing, it’s no wonder Julieta Venegas prowls the other side of the fences. Los Angeles-born and Tijuana-raised, the winsome, 42-year-old singer-songwriter seduced Hispanics beginning in the late Nineties with her girlish sincerity and voice. Today…

by Raoul Hernandez

Quote of the Week

“Make no mistake, if we were here today legislating what men could do with their penises, they’d lose their minds!” – actor Stephanie March at Monday’s “Stand with Wendy” rally

by Chronicle Staff

Headlines

› Thousands of people rallied Monday at the Cap­itol in defense of women’s rights, as Gov. Rick Perry’s second special session gaveled to order, ready to impose extreme restrictions on abortion access that could close 37 of the 42 abortion providers in Texas. See “Special Assembly,” and ongoing coverage at the Newsdesk blog. › City…

by Chronicle Staff

Exhibitionism

Poison Apple Initiative’s show draws reality TV and religion together in a thoughtful, thought-provoking way

by Jillian Owens

Exhibitionism

Austin Playhouse’s take on this chamber musical features a wealth of talent, but the staging is static

by Adam Roberts

Council: Plenty More Where That Came From

As City Council enters its July semi-hiatus – though the work inevitably goes on – it decided a few things last Thursday, punted a few others, and otherwise kept the ball moving. The White Lodging fee waiver controversy was ducked for now (see above), and the long-awaited Density Bonus Program becomes effective July 8 (“Density…

by Michael King

Soccer Watch

Just two more home games in the 2013 Austin Aztex regular season – if you haven’t seen them yet, this would be the time. The undefeated Aztex host the West Texas Sockers Friday, July 5, 7:30pm at House Park. Get there early to see local country superstars Brass Buckle playing a full set pregame, 6:15-7pm.…

by Nick Barbaro

Playback

Octopus Project returns – with vocals! Plus, inside the foliage at Austin City Limits.

by Kevin Curtin

The Luv Doc: Five Drinks That Changed My Life

There are a lot of people who will tell you that drinking alcohol is a vice. Fuck them. They’re doing it wrong. This is not to say that alcohol can’t ruin your life and eventually kill you – it absolutely can, but so can Girl Scout Thin Mints® if you consume them irresponsibly. Fortunately, no…

by The Luv Doc

Phases & Stages

The National Trouble Will Find Me (4AD) No one beats themselves up as beautifully as Matt Berninger. The National frontman’s sinking baritone, which drowns conflicted angst like last call, defines the Brooklyn quintet, and yet their sixth album manages to avoid the usual shelf life of self-loathing that comes with maturity – of audiences as…

by Doug Freeman

Phases & Stages

Tomasz Stanko New York Quartet Wisawa (ECM) Were you to recognize the name commemorating Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko’s Wislawa, you’d know exactly what it sounds like: quiet, stilling, yet bristling with playful curiosity and biting observation. Immediate as a paper cut, but twice as funny. A voice tickling your temporal lobe. Thus whispers and sings…

by Raoul Hernandez

Mr. Smarty Pants Knows

A whirling dervish is not the same as a dervish known for whirling. Benito Mussolini thought Mein Kampf was “a boring tome that I have never been able to read.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of the word “argle” (as in “argle-bargle”) was in the 1589 book Hay Any Worke for…

by Mr. Smarty Pants

Despicable Me 2

Gru exchanges supervillainy for domesticity in this sequel, although the Minions are still the animated film’s best selling point.

by Steve Davis

Phases & Stages

Kurt Vile Wakin on a Pretty Daze (Matador) Americana, and folk music in general, holds few surprises these days, which makes the success of Kurt Vile all the more gratifying. The Philly guitarist’s fourth solo disc, 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo, broke him out of the shadows of his former group, the jammy War…

by Rob Cohen

Phases & Stages

Black Sabbath 13 (Universal Republic) “God is dead,” proclaims Ozzy Osbourne in the eponymous, debut single from 13, the first Black Sabbath studio album in 35 years to feature the singer alongside original demons Tony Iommi (guitar) and Terry “Geezer” Butler (bass). Nietzschean proclamation or ham-fisted provocation? As with all things Sabbath, it’s difficult to…

by Michael Toland

Unfinished Song

Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp bring vitality to their roles in film otherwise filled with cliches about aging and the curative power of singing your heart out.

by Marjorie Baumgarten

Phases & Stages

Queens of the Stone Age … Like Clockwork (Matador) Josh Homme’s desert rock powerhouse just debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts as an indie act. After six years’ absence, guitars squeal and groan with juicy tones (“If I Had a Tail”), weird noises become hooky piano ballads (“The Vampyre of Time and Memory”),…

by Tim Stegall

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