Cover Story

SXSW 2014 Records

Noah Gundersen Ledges (Dualtone) After a string of anticipatory EPs, Noah Gundersen’s debut full-length delivers a collection of songs with a similar slow build. Throughout, the Seattle songwriter exhumes broken, penitent ballads that suddenly burst with a shock of power and catharsis. The pattern begins with a cappella opener “Poor Man’s Son,” harmonized gracefully with…

by Doug Freeman

SXSW 2014 Records

Action Bronson Blue Chips 2 (Atlantic) The first Blue Chips paired burly Queens rapper Action Bronson with production duo Party Supplies. The result was a bloated, boozy rager, the sort of thing that lifted samples straight off YouTube links and reveled in the zonked-out magic of two creative parties who wholly understand each other. Blue…

by Luke Winkie

SXSW 2014 Records

The Jones Family Singers The Spirit Speaks (Arts+Labor) Hailing from Bay City, the Jones Family Singers bring more than just a joyful noise. The three-generation gospel collective’s high-energy performances are the living embodiment of the indelible connection between the black church and its rock & soul offspring. Produced by John Croslin and Eric Friend from…

by Greg Beets

SXSW 2014 Records

Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang Four Foot Shack (ATO) This album is very dumb, but that almost makes it feel like Les Claypool won. Of course the famed Primus bassist made a weird, broken country album, and naturally it’s the sonic equivalent of a bloopers soundtrack. Duo de Twang pairs Claypool with guitarist Bryan Kehoe…

by Luke Winkie

Headlines

• It’s SXSW time at City Hall, too – the next regular City Council meeting is March 20, and last week’s session (with Mayor Lee Leffingwell in London) was fairly perfunctory as well, although they did encourage Major League Soccer and waive the fees for Hamlet at Ramsey Park. See “Council: Call It Spring Break.”…

by Chronicle Staff

Need for Speed

Somewhat fast but seldom furious, this is an adrenaline junkie’s wet dream that stars Aaron Paul.

by Steve Davis

Best Misc. Instrument

RUNNERS-UP: Yvonne Lambert, theremin; El Borracho, cowbell; John Pointer, human beatbox; Westen Borghesi, tenor banjo; Joe Deuce, washboard; Jose Ruiz, harmonica; Oliver Steck, accordion; Cindy Cashdollar, pedal steel; Leila Henley, flutophone

by Chronicle Staff

Best Indie Band

RUNNERS-UP: Quiet Company, Sphynx, Max Frost, Mother Falcon, Mighty Mountain, Tele Novella, The Octopus Project, Eve & the Exiles, Royal Forest

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

The Copper Gamins Los Niños de Cobre (Saustex) Central Mexico’s lo-fi garage duo, José Carmen and Claus Lafania, deconstruct blues into a lowdown rumble of string-wrenching riffs and dislocated drum beats on debut long-player Los Niños de Cobre. Seventeen street fights kick off at a peak with traditional hide-and-seek chant “All Hid,” which showcases Carmen’s…

by Kevin Curtin

SXSW 2014 Records

Lucius Wildewoman (Mom+Pop) Four letters: ABBA. Whereas Lucius’ debut EP introduced three pop tunes anchoring October full-length Wildewoman, the Brooklyn fivepiece didn’t have the production budget to take dual singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig explosively Swedish à la Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Fixed! Not only does the noirish blond front duo now boom,…

by Raoul Hernandez

SXSW 2014 Records

A.J. Croce Twelve Tales (Compass) After self-producing his last three albums, A.J. Croce went to opposite extremes for his eighth LP, enlisting six producers for two songs each. The resulting Twelve Tales proves expectedly eclectic, yet with a common thread running through Croce’s versatile tenor and straightforward, hook-laden pop songwriting. Kevin Kellen’s touch at the…

by Doug Freeman

SXSW 2014 Records

Indian From All Purity (Relapse) Until recently, the prolonged absence of Eyehategod meant the field was wide open for a band constructed of nihilistic rage monsters. Enter Indian, a Chicago troop achieving a sort of hate-blackened grandeur on its fifth disc From All Purity. Leading with a nearly eight-minute track called “Rape,” Indian sets an…

by Michael Toland

Best Songwriter

RUNNERS-UP: Jonny Gray, Sarah Jarosz, Gina Chavez, Taylor Muse, Sarah Sharp, Barbara Nesbitt, Dale Watson, Kevin Russell, Max Frost

by Chronicle Staff

Best Instrumental Band

RUNNERS-UP: Balmorhea, TransContinental Trip, Minor Mishap Marching Band, Equals, Explosions in the Sky, My Education, Tia Carrera, MilkDrive, Boss Street Brass Band

by Chronicle Staff

Best Horn Player

RUNNERS-UP: Ephraim Owens, Elias Haslanger, Hard Proof Afrobeat horns, Minor Mishap Marching Band, Oliver Steck, Grupo Fantasma horns, Michael Romero, Grooveline horns, Kevin Flatt

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Basia Bulat Tall Tall Shadow (Secret City) Canadian folksinger Basia Bulat’s smoky pipes can lilt just as closely to Adele as latter-day Joni Mitchell. Her third full-length Tall Tall Shadow undulates between extremes, too, rolling radio-ready adult alternative and acoustic traditionalism. Faring better with the organic, Bulat thrives on “It Can’t Be You,” accompanied by…

by Abby Johnston

SXSW 2014 Records

Foster the People Supermodel (Columbia) Foster the People’s debut, Torches, heated up summer 2011 with sinister sunniness on “Pumped Up Kicks,” followed by the cheery aggression of “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls),” commercial tunes masking darker themes. The Los Angeles trio’s sophomore Supermodel again finds frontman Mark Foster assuming the role of charismatic young…

by Melanie Haupt

SXSW 2014 Records

Sun Kil Moon Benji (Caldo Verde Records) Benji, named for the lovable, Texas-lensed Seventies pooch, concerns itself with mortality, singer Mark Kozelek bearing witness to his own life and those who’ve passed through it. There’s sex, drugs, crab cakes, and people you’ve never met and never will, including James Gandolfini and the children of Newtown,…

by Melanie Haupt

SXSW Thursday Showcases

Turnstile Presents, 2k14 SeoulSonic, Metal Injection, Womex, Sounds From Colombia, BBC Introducing, Ground Control Touring, M for Montreal, Western Vinyl

by Chronicle Staff

Best Strings Player

RUNNERS-UP: Ruby Jane, Phoebe Hunt, Will Taylor, Sarah Jarosz, Diana Burgess, Curtis Thomas, Tosca strings, Erik Hokkanen, Haydn Vitera

by Chronicle Staff

Best Jazz Band

RUNNERS-UP: Jeff Lofton, White Ghost Shivers, Church on Monday, Black Red Black, Ephraim Owens, Mike Flanigin Trio, Thrift Set Orchestra, Hot Texas Swing Band, Brannen Temple

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

St. Vincent (Loma Vista/Republic) “Oh, what an ordinary day/Take out the garbage, masturbate,” muses Annie Clark against a glam-rock guitar lick on early single “Birth in Reverse.” Fact is, nothing’s ordinary about St. Vincent, nom de rock of the Dallas-reared multi-instramentalist. She’s forged a career of salting over what otherwise would be pop with an…

by Abby Johnston

SXSW 2014 Records

Hospitality Trouble (Merge) Hospitality’s sophomore release is much darker and more mature and polished than the New York trio’s eponymous 2012 debut. Case in point, the pulsing “Last Words” finds singer Amber Papini venturing into the sublime and finding it too terrible: “I took a boat to Eden/A priest was there to meet me on…

by Melanie Haupt

SXSW 2014 Records

Ume Monuments (Dangerbird) It took Ume nearly a decade and several false starts before the Austin trio finally found form with 2011 sophomore LP Phantoms. Whereas the album refocused their power-heavy riffs and shoegaze distortion, Monuments crushes rock on the outset with the vicious bassline of “Black Stone” breaking into an outright barrage. Producer Adam…

by Doug Freeman

Best Acoustic Venue

RUNNERS-UP: Cactus Cafe, Saxon Pub, Flipnotics, Parish, Elephant Room, One-2-One Bar, Evangeline Cafe, The Blackheart, Listening Room at Winflo

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Birth of Joy Prisoner (Long Branch/SPV) Prisoner, the third LP from Dutch trio Birth of Joy, rips Sixties psych and Seventies arena rock a new fissure. Like a sugared-up Wolfmother if they’d written more than two good songs, singer/guitarist Kevin Stunneberg, drummer Bob Hogenelst, and organist Gertjan Gutman fire up post-pop blues with a foot…

by Michael Toland

SXSW 2014 Records

Robert Ellis The Lights From the Chemical Plant (New West) Much has happened to Robert Ellis since his first New West release, 2011’s Photographs. For one, he moved from Texas to Nashville, dedicated to growing his song craft. The Lights From the Chemical Plant easily outshines the uneven Photographs, but Ellis’ reach still exceeds his…

by Jim Caligiuri

SXSW 2014 Records

Hurray for the Riff Raff Small Town Heroes (ATO) Alynda Lee Segarra makes up the whole of Hurray for the Riff Raff. Originally from the Bronx, she’s settled in New Orleans, and in many ways Small Town Heroes, her fifth – and first for a big label – reflects the reverence she possesses for the…

by Jim Caligiuri

Band of the Year

RUNNERS-UP: Wheeler Brothers, Wild Child, Gina Chavez, Jitterbug Vipers, Quiet Company, Bob Schneider, Jonny Gray, The Whiskey Sisters, Sons of Fathers

by Chronicle Staff

Best Latin Traditional Act

RUNNERS-UP: Conjunto los Pinkys, Son de Rey, El Tule, Luis Bañuelos, Susan Torres y Conjunto Clemencia, Trio los Vigilantes, Los Texas Wranglers, Grupo Fantasma, Mariachi Relámpago

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Jess Williamson Native State (Brutal Honest) The seven songs on Native State, Austin folkie Jess Williamson’s debut, arise from a period of transition. Leaving New York and headed back to her hometown, she carries a banjo and gravel-etched guitar to back her unadorned, itchy voice, which bobs and weaves through the plucks. She floats among…

by Luke Winkie

SXSW 2014 Records

Cate Le Bon Mug Museum (Turnstile/Wichita) Cate Le Bon may have traded Cardiff for the City of Angels, but one thing’s for sure, the California sun hasn’t brightened her disposition. On third LP Mug Museum, she’s still contemplating life and death, but her noir lyricism comes offset by measured doses of profound confidence. Guitar fires…

by Abby Johnston

Best New Austin Act

RUNNERS-UP: Jonny Gray, Son de Rey, Magna Carda, Mighty Mountain, Big Bill, Holiday Mountain, Water & Rust, Tele Novella, The Roosevelts

by Chronicle Staff

Best Metal Band

RUNNERS-UP: Eagle Claw, Critical Assembly, Snake Skin Prison, The Sword, Powderburn, Broken Teeth, Headcrusher, Course of Ruin, Fear Control

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Parker Millsap (Okrahoma) John Fullbright came first and, for Parker Millsap, that’s unfortunate. Fullbright burst on the scene with 2012’s From the Ground Up, putting Oklahoma back on the musical map with an insightful vision that’s curiously multifaceted. Millsap follows with a sound that echoes Fullbright’s, a youthful take on folk and blues with a…

by Jim Caligiuri

SXSW 2014 Records

Ava Luna Electric Balloon (Western Vinyl) Brooklyn’s Ava Luna makes disparate funk for these desperate times. The band’s second proper full-length packs in more references than a LinkedIn profile: Gang of Four’s post-punk clamor (“Daydream”), the deep funk minimalism of ESG (“Sears Roebuck M&Ms”), echoes of Talking Heads (“Ab Ovo”), and Purple Rain on repeat…

by Austin Powell

Best Local Label

RUNNERS-UP: Academik Records, VMG, Saustex, Modern Outsider, The Noise Company, Punctum Records, Playing in Traffic, Steady Boy Records, New West Records

by Chronicle Staff

Best None-of-the-Above Band

RUNNERS-UP: Mother Falcon, Conspirare, Shakey Graves, The Invincible Czars, Uranium Savages, Naga Valli, Minor Mishap Marching Band, Boss Street Brass Band, More Cowbell

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Yellow Ostrich Cosmos (Barsuk) Taking its name and inspiration from Carl Sagan’s iconic PBS series, Cosmos finds frontman Alex Schaaf contemplating the profound wonders of the universe and his place in it. “I want to float on by,” he repeats in “My Moons” amid a post-Kid A backdrop of lunar guitar blips. Of course, Schaaf’s…

by Austin Powell

SXSW 2014 Records

The Ocean Pelagial (Metal Blade) On sixth LP Pelagial, Berlin’s Ocean interweaves two seemingly opposing forces: the visceral emo blasts of metalcore, and the grand widescreen sweep of progressive rock. Thus the mood swings from the Quadrophenia-like piano intro of “Epipelagic” to the screamo nose punches of “Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish in Dreams,” meld pretentious…

by Michael Toland

Best New Club

RUNNERS-UP: Brass House, Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., The Lost Well, Skylark Lounge, Infest, Spinners Live, Ibiza After Dark, The Owl, Buzz Mill

by Chronicle Staff

Album of the Year

RUNNERS-UP: Gold Boots Glitter, Wheeler Brothers; The Runaround, Wild Child; Phoebe’s Dream, Jitterbug Vipers; Build Me Up From Bones, Sarah Jarosz; Nectar, Wendy Colonna; Sail It Away, Jonny Gray; In Technicolor, Emily Bell; 2, Churchwood; Gulf Coast Museum, Shinyribs

by Chronicle Staff

Best Punk Band

RUNNERS-UP: Lower Class Brats, The Hickoids, El Pathos, Spray Paint, Residual Kid, BLXPLTN, Krum Bums, Riverboat Gamblers, The Beat Dolls

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

La Femme Psycho Tropical Berlin (Born Bad) Unlike their American counterparts, France’s famed beaches are lined with rocks rather than sand, often to the shock of tourists hoping to sip Cab comfortably. This explains why Biarritz sixpiece La Femme’s debut album, Psycho Tropical Berlin, offers a different interpretation on wave-ready surf rock. Influenced equally by…

by Abby Johnston

SXSW 2014 Records

Tinariwen Emmaar (Anti-) With violence and turmoil displacing them from the their native Mali, Tinariwen found familiar footing in the California sands of the Mojave Desert for the band’s sixth LP. Whether or not their Joshua Tree abode reminded them of the Sahara – the bandmembers descend from the nomadic Tuareg people – the Grammy-winning…

by Thomas Fawcett

SXSW 2014 Records

Rodney Crowell Tarpaper Sky (New West) Sidetracked by two exceptional collaborations, 2012’s Mary Karr co-write Kin and last year’s Emmylou Harris duet Old Yellow Moon, Rodney Crowell again reunites with the band that helped him realize his first breakout via 1988’s Diamonds & Dirt. Tarpaper Sky proves that the Houston Kid in his 60s remains…

by Doug Freeman

SXSW 2014 Records

Paul Burch Fevers (Plowboy) Paul Burch’s ninth album Fevers might be his most diverse. Known for a retro sound that’s uniquely modern, the longtime Nashvillian joins with his band, the WPA Ballclub, and co-producer, multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin for a mix of honky-tonk, blues, and the unclassifiable. He starts with a curveball, the traditional “Cluck Old…

by Jim Caligiuri

Best Producer

RUNNERS-UP: A.J. Vallejo, Sarah Sharp for Phoebe’s Dream by Jitterbug Vipers, Francis Prève, Drew Smith for Gold Boots Glitter by Wheeler Brothers, Gary Paczosa and Sarah Jarosz for Build Me Up From Bones by Sarah Jarosz, Ben Kweller for The Runaround by Wild Child, Max Frost for Low High Low, Charlie Sexton, Jim Eno

by Chronicle Staff

Song of the Year

RUNNERS-UP: “Crazy Bird,” Wild Child; “Unpromised Land,” Bob Schneider; “Build Me Up From Bones,” Sarah Jarosz; “White Lies,” Max Frost; “Stuff It,” Jitterbug Vipers; “My Time,” Wheeler Brothers; “Roots and Vine,” Sons of Fathers; “I Have a Devil in Me,” Churchwood; “Back to the Way I Was,” Emily Bell

by Chronicle Staff

Best Rock Band

RUNNERS-UP: Wheeler Brothers, Bob Schneider, Bubble Puppy, The Whiskey Sisters, Residual Kid, Churchwood, Van Wilks Band, Vallejo, The South Austin Moonlighters

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

The Haden Triplets (Third Man) Yes, they’re really triplets, the daughters of Olympian jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Petra, Rachel, and Tanya made music separately for years, in bands like That Dog, Silversun Pickups, the Rentals, and the Decemberists; Petra also worked as a solo act for a time. The trio’s debut features a supporting cast…

by Jim Caligiuri

SXSW 2014 Records

The Revivalists City of Sound (Wind-Up) Originally self-released in 2012, City of Sound gets a spiffed-up reissue with an extra disc of eight live tracks. The Revivalists are New Orleans’ latest groove monsters, combining all types of American music into a whole that’s unlike anything that’s come before it. City of Sound finds the septet…

by Jim Caligiuri

SXSW 2014 Records

Warpaint (Rough Trade) Krautrock’s metronomic headspace encountered a ripple in the force via Warpaint’s 2010 debut full-length, The Fool. Aquatic somnambulance rather than Germanic jam powered the L.A. foursome of Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman, Jenny Lee Lindberg, and Stella Mozgawa, the former two vox moaning monastically Portishead, while the latter rhythm section applied a Tortoise…

by Raoul Hernandez

SXSW 2014 Records

The Tontons Make Out King and Other Stories of Love One need not consult actual sound clips to ascertain that optimism abounds within the Tontons. The soulful fourpiece backs out of Houston with both buoyancy and sanguinity, be it via track titles like “Magic Hour” and “Paradise” or the chorus lines that ring through “Bones…

by Chase Hoffberger

Best Radio Music Program

RUNNERS-UP: Twine Time, Paul Ray, KUTX 98.9FM; The Morning X, Jason Dick and Deb O’Keefe, KROX 101.5FM; Eklektikos, John Aeilli, KUTX 98.9FM; The Dudley and Bob Show, Dale Dudley and Bob Fonseca, KLBJ 93.7FM; No Control, Chuck Loesch, KROX 101.5FM; Old School Dance Party, John E. Dee, KUTX 98.9FM; Chillville, Ray Seggern and Jason Montemayor,…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Roots Rock Band

RUNNERS-UP: Shinyribs, Water & Rust, The Whiskey Sisters, John Evans Band, The LeRoi Brothers, Sons of Fathers, South Austin Moonlighters, Shakey Graves, Reckless Kelly

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Suzy Bogguss Lucky (Loyal Dutchess) As if an album of Merle Haggard covers didn’t present a brazen enough endeavor, Suzy Bogguss’ first LP in three years ups the ante by tackling some of the outlaw legend’s most beloved hits. Bogguss handles the tunes with a distinct and endearing reverence, while also offering a feminine spin…

by Doug Freeman

SXSW 2014 Records

Dum Dum Girls Too True (Sub Pop) Red flag: an album accompanied by a navel-gazing narrative on how the artist, in response to some trauma or another, isolated herself to read and write and marinate in pain and emerged on the other side triumphantly bearing a document of that time period. Such is the case…

by Melanie Haupt

SXSW 2014 Records

Habibi (Burger Records) Beginning with a moniker that’s the nearest Arabic equivalent to “my baby,” what’s not to love about Habibi? The Brooklyn quartet melds Sixties girl-group yearnings with a beach rock backbeat and an air of wicked cool detachment, but it’s their surplus of well-chiseled hooks that seals the deal. No hiding behind a…

by Greg Beets

Aussie Immersion

Dub Fx 9pm, Maggie Mae’s Benjamin Stanford uses loops, mostly vocal, to create backing tracks over which he raps. It’s a mélange of techno street reggae that’s helped him turn busking into an internationally viable career. Not bad for a dude with a mic and some pedals. Thief 9pm, Maggie Mae’s Rooftop Thief is PJ…

by Michael Bertin

Best Radio Personality

RUNNERS-UP: Larry Monroe, KDRP 100.1FM; Jason Dick, KROX 101.5FM; Paul Ray, KUTX 98.9FM; John Aeilli, KUTX 98.9FM; Chuck Loesch, KROX 101.5FM; John E. Dee, KUTX 98.9FM; Ray Seggern, KROX 101.5FM; Laurie Gallardo, KUTX 98.9FM98.5FM, 99.3FM,; Bob Cole, KOKE 105.3FM

by Chronicle Staff

Best Blues Act

RUNNERS-UP: Peterson Brothers Band, Eric Tessmer Band, Churchwood, Brownout, Hard Proof Afrobeat, Jack Burton Trio, Henry & the Invisibles, Roxy Roca, Soul Track Mind

by Chronicle Staff

Best U18 Band

RUNNERS-UP: Peterson Brothers Band, 24-7, The Death Aquatics, Annie & Kate, Painted Redstarts, Grace London, The Bare Feat, Room 24, Tiarra Girls

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Robbie Fulks Gone Away Backward (Bloodshot) Although Fulks first gained prominence as part of the Nineties alt-country boom, his iconoclastic attitude and far-ranging songwriting talent allowed him to transcend the limitations of that scene. Gone Away Backward, which marks his return to Bloodshot, largely dispenses with the satirical edge that’s long been a key component…

by Scott Schinder

SXSW 2014 Records

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard Here Be Monsters (In De Goot) In his three-and-a-half decades as the hardest working man in punk, rock, and roots, Mekons/Waco Brothers/Three Johns co-frontman and multimedia visionary Jon Langford has established a lofty standard of brawny melodicism and personally and politically charged songcraft, building a formidable songbook on a foundation…

by Scott Schinder

SXSW 2014 Records

Jonwayne Rap Album One (Stones Throw) L.A.’s Jonwayne has a background in electronic music, which makes sense when you consider the richness of the Angeleno beat scene. Over the last few years, he’s been focusing on rap, nurturing the hypnotic gruffness of his voice and curating a variety of serious, art-school beats. Rap Album One,…

by Luke Winkie

WWE Live: Road to Wrestlemania

When WWE fans watch Alberto Del Rio, they see the heelish Mexican aristocrat, the villain they love to hate, but they’re also seeing a legacy of professional wrestling. The son of the infamous Dos Caras and nephew of the legendary Mil Máscaras, he explained, “It’s a big responsibility to carry on this tradition of wrestling…

by Richard Whittaker

Civics 101

Thursday 13 UTOPIA AND THE ANARCH­IST IMAGIN­A­TION Anarchist author Margaret Killjoy presents on the role that utopian fiction can have on anarchist and radical struggle. 7-8pm. MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop. Free, but donations are encouraged. Saturday 15 CITIZEN GARDENER 49 Learn how to make your gardening more green. 9am-1pm. Brentwood Elementary, 6700 Arroyo…

by Chronicle Staff

Best Radio Station

RUNNERS-UP: KDRP 100.1 FM; KUT 90.5FM; KROX 101.5FM; KLBJ 93.7FM; KGSR 93.3FM; KOOP 91.7FM; KOKE 98.5FM, 99.3FM, 105.3FM; KVRX 91.7FM; KAZI 88.7FM

by Chronicle Staff

Best Country Act

RUNNERS-UP: Whiskey Shivers, The Whiskey Sisters, Dale Watson, Them Duqaines, The Beaumonts, Wood & Wire, Amanda Cevallos & the High Hands, Sarah Jarosz, Sons of Fathers

by Chronicle Staff

Best World Music Band

RUNNERS-UP: Atash, Ashes of Babylon, Morena Soul, Naga Valli, Austin Samba School, Austin Piazzolla Quintet, Austin Polka Band, Zoumountchi, Paula Maya

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Lydia Loveless Somewhere Else (Bloodshot) Anyone who had complaints about Lydia Loveless sounding like Neko Case on her Bloodshot debut, 2011’s Indestructible Machine, will be glad to know that the young Ohioan has matured past that on follow-up Somewhere Else. Loveless still occasionally shares Case’s lusty punk attitude, but her songs jangle and bop in…

by Jim Caligiuri

SXSW 2014 Records

Cymbals The Age of Fracture (Tough Love) As the social contract unspools, maybe the best course of action is dancing in the wreckage. So it goes with the second disc from Cymbals, a thinking man’s London fourpiece that updates Thatcher-era synth-pop and post-punk yearnings with slapping syncopation and post-millennial angst. Don’t be fooled by the…

by Greg Beets

SXSW 2014 Records

Trumpeter Swan The Magnitude of Now Drew Patrizi, formerly of locals What Made Milwaukee Famous, left the comforting nest of Austin for New York around 2010, his first album as Trumpeter Swan following shortly thereafter. Four years on, with a beefed-up roster of homegrown expats on board, Patrizi’s hatched the follow-up, and it’s no ugly…

by Melanie Haupt

SXSW 2014 Records

San Fermin (Downtown) San Fermin joyously toys with balance and incongruity. Debut project from Brooklyn composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, San Fermin seems more an exploration of intricately paralleled perspectives than a coherent octet, yet the result enthralls through layered arrangements that burst between electro-pop frenzy and dramatic, swooning orchestration. Brought to realization behind the countering vocals…

by Doug Freeman

Soccer Watch

All quiet this week on the stadium/MLS expansion front, in the wake of last week’s City Council resolution declaring the city’s support for such efforts. So the site search goes on, as does the investor search. And meanwhile, the Austin Aztex gear up for what may well be their last season as an amateur PDL…

by Nick Barbaro

Best Record Store

RUNNERS-UP: Antone’s Record Shop, End of an Ear, Breakaway Records, Trailer Space Records, Encore Records, Superfly’s Lone Star Music Emporium, Turntable Records

by Chronicle Staff

Best Cover Band

RUNNERS-UP: More Cowbell, Flamethrower Love, Suede, Matchmaker Band, Think Lizzy, Radiostar, Hell’s Belles, Heart Byrne, LC Rocks

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Orchid The Zodiac Sessions (Nuclear Blast) San Francisco quadruped Orchid made a splash with last year’s The Mouths of Madness, justifying the reissue of its early work. The Zodiac Sessions pairs debut EP Through the Devil’s Doorway with its first full-length Capricorn for 75 minutes’ worth of occult proto-metal mania. Channeling a few centuries of…

by Michael Toland

SXSW 2014 Records

Natalia Clavier Lumen (Nacional) Growing up in Argentina, Natalia Clavier fell in love with jazz immortal Sarah Vaughan. She specializes in the same sort of downtempo grooves constructed by longtime collaborators Thievery Corporation and husband Federico Aubele, but the underlying jazz aesthetic remains. The Brooklyn-based singer possesses an ethereal voice and feathery touch, at home…

by Thomas Fawcett

SXSW 2014 Records

Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire for No Witness (Jagjaguwar) Drawing upon a finely curated mixture of Middle American postpunk, British folk, and classic country torch-bearing, Angel Olsen’s second album puts the Missouri-born singer-songwriter’s strengths in the best possible light. Her mastery of emotional vocal nuance brings to mind a hypothetical grandchild of Marianne Faithfull and…

by Greg Beets

SXSW 2014 Records

Black Lips Underneath the Rainbow (Vice) With 2011’s Arabia Mountain, Black Lips signaled the second phase of their decade-long career, tightening up their shambolic garage sound with producer Mark Ronson. The Atlanta quartet’s latest keeps that focus, but returns to more raucous roots. Backed by Budos Band and Dap Kings’ Tom Brenneck, and produced by…

by Doug Freeman

Best Bass Player

RUNNERS-UP: Tyler Wheeler, Bruce Hughes, Lonnie Trevino Jr., Omar Vallejo, Albert Besteiro, Matt Parmenter, Alex Peterson, Ronn Roberts, Pat Harris

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Natural Child Dancin’ With Wolves (Burger Records) Nashville – stuffy? Naw. You just haven’t been to East Nashville of late, land of pearl snaps, taco huts, and food trucks (sounds like East Austin). These grimy Seventies revivalists eschew gritty, one-dimensional devotion to sweat-rag rock & roll by welcoming keys and a pedal steel, making Seth…

by Chase Hoffberger

SXSW 2014 Records

Young Thug 1017 Thug (Brick Squad) Part of a burgeoning group of rappers reclaiming the sputtering, chemical-soaked autotune flow for artistic purposes, Young Thug is perhaps the most easygoing. Freshly signed to Brick Squad, the label that turned lesser talents like Waka Flocka Flame into commercial prowlers, the 21-year-old Georgian burps a swampy, lead-stained voice,…

by Luke Winkie

SXSW 2014 Records

Perfect Pussy Say Yes to Love (Captured Tracks) From the moment the needle drops on “Drive,” Perfect Pussy’s noise-punk masochism hits with the savage fury of a nail bomb going off in a junkyard. Yet deep beneath the wiry guitar feedback, gravel-kicking drum lurch, and cockpit voice recorder fidelity, vocalist Meredith Graves manages to project…

by Greg Beets

SXSW 2014 Records

Yvette Process (God Mode) “Cuts Me in Half” opens with a blurting, red-alert alarm, the sound of someone cruelly bending a guitar to their will. Serrated cymbals (Rick Daniel) and manic screeches (Noah Kardos-Fein), Yvette stands as one of those New York duos that isn’t afraid to get dirty every once in a while. The…

by Luke Winkie

Best Keyboard Player

RUNNERS-UP: Zack Morgan, Basil McJagger, A.J. Vincent, Evan Magers, Earl Poole Ball, Mike Flanigin, Brad Johnston, Marcia Ball, Ian McLagan

by Chronicle Staff

Best Folk Act

RUNNERS-UP: Wild Child, Shakey Graves, Wendy Colonna, Sarah Jarosz, Ruby Jane, Hello Wheels, Dana Falconberry, Gina Chavez, Roger Sellers

by Chronicle Staff

Best Drummer

RUNNERS-UP: Patrick Wheeler, Brannen Temple, David Fore, Mike Zeoli, Phil Bass, Alex Vallejo, Dees Stribling, Eldridge Goins, Rob Williams

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

St. Paul & the Broken Bones Half the City (Single Lock) How to explain a guy that looks like Drew Carey and sounds like Otis Redding? As incongruous as his appearance may be, Paul Janeway takes the soul revival to an equally outrageous place with a voice that hovers between sexy sweet and flat-out dirty.…

by Jim Caligiuri

30 Years of AMA Performer Highlights

1984 The Fabulous Thunderbirds Angela Strehli Band Big Boys 1985 Lou Ann Barton Supernatural Family Band Van Wilks 1986 Joe Ely True Believers & Roky Erickson Joe “King” Carrasco y Los Coronas Eric Johnson 1987 Asleep at the Wheel Zeitgeist Ronnie Lane Band 1988 Joe Ely Timbuk 3 True Believers & Ronnie Lane 1989 Butch…

by Chronicle Staff

SXSW 2014 Records

Doughbeezy Footprints on the Moon Counting Killa Kyleon and Slim Thug, only eight MCs assist Doughbeezy on the 16 tracks of February mixtape Footprints on the Moon, the cauldron-hot southeast Houston rapper’s first since 2012’s Blue Magic. Considering the output of his contemporaries, that’s nothing. That Doughbeezy’s lightning-quick, nasal delivery is still welcome by track…

by Chase Hoffberger

SXSW 2014 Records

Phantogram Voices (Barsuk) Phantogram’s 2010 debut Eyelid Movies wasn’t an album to sing along to. After maybe hundreds of listens to arresting standout “When I’m Small,” yours truly still can’t tell you what Sarah Barthel is crooning through the sexy production swirl. Never did it occur to me that it might be important. The New…

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Huh? The questions you run in your column, are they from real people or do you make them up? I don’t know which is scarier. – Jorge George That’s a good question Jorge George – and by the way, I am just going to assume for the purposes of rhetorical exploration that’s your real name…

by The Luv Doc

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RUNNERS-UP: Bob Schneider, Nolan Wheeler, Taylor Muse, Alexander Beggins, Max Frost, Malford Milligan, Shakey Graves, Gary Clark Jr., 10 Joe Doerr

by Chronicle Staff

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RUNNERS-UP: Ray Sr., Super Smash Bros., Zeale, Magna Carda, Jon the Revelator, Phranchyze, League of Extraordinary Gz, The Track Athletes, MC Overlord

by Chronicle Staff

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