PLUS: Austin Chronic & 4/20 Merch • Summer Camps

Force Majeure

Blackly funny, yet lightly brutalizing, this Swedish film observes a married couple for whom a passing threat turns into an existential crisis.

by Kimberley Jones

Citizenfour

When Edward Snowden was in that hotel room in Hong Kong sharing his initial intel about NSA surveillance, Laura Poitras’ was there with a camera to film his disclosures.

by Marc Savlov

The Luv Doc: A Little Gay

Dear Luv Doc, I have always considered myself a heterosexual man. Unfortunately, as I have gotten older, I have had frequent bouts with hemorrhoids. Working outside in the Texas heat only seem to exacerbate my symptoms. After having disclosed my condition to a coworker, he suggested that I keep my suppositories in the fridge. WOW!…

by The Luv Doc

Interstellar

Majesty and mawkishness combine in Christopher Nolan’s film about humans’ last-ditch attempt to find a habitable planet in another galaxy.

by Kimberley Jones

Big Hero 6

Witty charm, lively animation, and a swift pace help this animated superhero story rise a cut above.

by William Goss

Laggies

Keira Knightley stars with Chloë Grace Moretz in Lynn Shelton’s likable but aimless film about arrested adolescence.

by Marjorie Baumgarten

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Reviews

Death From Above 1979 The Physical World (Warner Bros.) Literally nothing’s changed. The Montreal duo of Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler stamped out one anti-social, proto-dubstep disc in 2004, the vaguely misogynistic You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, and turned it into a series of apocalyptic live shows until the pair broke up two years…

by Luke Winkie

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

Courtney Barnett The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas (House Anxiety/Marathon Artists) Although cobbled together from a pair of EPs released in her native Australia, Courtney Barnett’s stateside debut offers a seamless, offhandedly poetic gem. With a deceptively casual drawl and a dry, bemused lyrical wit, Barnett mines infectious, free-flowing folk-rock grooves, while spinning…

by Scott Schinder

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

This Will Destroy You Another Language (Suicide Squeeze) The story of This Will Destroy You, as it is with so many bands, is one of refinement, rather than development. Thus, Another Language, studio follow-up to 2013 overview Live in Reykjavik, Iceland, finds the San Marcos quartet continuing to hone its established aesthetic. Less dissonant than…

by Michael Toland

Live Culture

Sauerkraut: Lawrence Kocurek (Kocurek Family Artisanal Charcuterie, Trace, Counter 3. Five. VII.) goes over the basics. Cider: Wes Mickel of Argus Cidery covers the juice composition and yeast strain selection. Milk Kefir: Nutrition, wellness, and cooking consultant Amanda Love guides participants on how to easily make kefir at home. Fruit Vinegar: Hip Girl’s Guide guru…

by Chronicle Staff

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

Iceage Plowing Into The Field Of Love (Matador) The third album from this youthful Danish quartet trades in the skeletal post-punk of 2011’s celebrated New Brigade for scorched-earth spaghetti gothic. Allusions to the Birthday Party abound as Iceage thunders across the high desert of the soul, and you can almost smell the toxic fragrance of…

by Greg Beets

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

Gardens & Villa Dunes (Secretly Canadian) After a three-year layoff, Santa Barbara quintet Gardens & Villa return with sophomore effort Dunes, 39 minutes of frontman Chris Lynch’s airy vocals wrapped in a haze of synth. He enchants with a smattering of flute interludes, juxtaposing technology and nature on the astral “Chrysanthemums.” Hypnotizing beats (“Purple Mesas”)…

by Nina Hernandez

Mr. Smarty Pants Knows

A “temblor” is an earthquake. A “trembler” can be a person who shakes with fear, or whose religious practices include shaking, or a species of songbird. Wayne Cochran is an American soul singer known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour. He is sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul, a nickname given…

by Mr. Smarty Pants

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Reviews

Alt-J This Is All Yours (Infectious) Alt-J established its bizarre blend of freak-folk electronics, ambient soundscaping, and scruffed-up rock with acclaimed 2012 debut An Awesome Wave, but This Is All Yours pushes the boundaries even further. Opening with pulsing chant “Introm,” the UK quartet descends into a dream world where English folk slides against French…

by Doug Freeman

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

The New Pornographers Brill Bruisers (Matador) Experiencing the death of his mother and then the birth of his first son, frontman Carl Newman welcomed a return to this Canadian collective’s uptempo energy on Brill Bruisers, the New Pornographers’ sixth LP. The opening title track instantly redirects the subtle ebb of immediate predecessors Challengers (2007) and…

by Neph Basedow

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

Iron Reagan The Tyranny of Will (Relapse) Reigning clown prince of metal, Iron Reagan collides members of Municipal Waste, Mammoth Grinder, and Cannabis Corpse into a thrashcore party. Sophomore grenade The Tyranny of Will shrapnels 24 songs in 31 minutes, and not just quick-and-dirty snippets, either. Whether politically charged (“Exit the Game,” “In Greed We…

by Michael Toland

Prop. 1: The CART Before the Train

Urban Rail Bond No: 108,396 (57.2%) Yes: 81,107 (42.8%) Former Chronicle City Editor Mike Clark-Madison attributed Tuesday’s stinging loss of the transportation bond (aka “Local Proposition 1”) to urban Peter Pan syndrome: Austin “will fight with all its strength to keep from growing up.” Considering the reactionary nature of Texas politics, the nostalgia of most…

by Michael King

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

First Aid Kit Stay Gold (Columbia) Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg’s third LP and first for a major label carries a slightly darker, more mature perspective than 2012 breakout The Lion’s Roar. Their Laurel Canyon harmonies still beguile, and Stay Gold strikes a wide, thick vein of polish and confidence. “I won’t take the…

by Doug Freeman

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

Har Mar Superstar Bye Bye 17 (Cult Records) “Lady, you shot me!” Sam Cooke’s final words when Bertha Franklin unloaded the fatal rounds into his chest are the opening sob of Minneapolis’ second least likely sex symbol. Tagged too long as a novelty act – just because he sometimes tucks his chubby physique into a…

by Richard Whittaker

The State of Texas: “Pro-life, Pro-guns, Anti-Obama”

In 2010, Democrats gathered at the Driskill Hotel for an electoral bloodbath, as gubernatorial candidate Bill White and the House delegation were wiped off the map. In 2014, it was déjà vu all over again, just with a smaller crowd. The mezzanine level was empty enough that District 10 City Council candidate Mandy Dealey was…

by Richard Whittaker

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Interviews

Jello Biafra Fri., 2:55pm, Black stage Sat., 3pm, Yellow stage “I haven’t planned it yet.” So says Jello Biafra, the man forever identified as the arch, sarcastic voice of seminal San Francisco punk activists the Dead Kennedys (1978-1986). He pulls double duty at Fun Fun Fun Fest, rocking the Black stage Friday with the band…

by Tim Stegall

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

Nas Illmatic XX (Sony Legacy) No rapper has spun the success of a single project quite like Nas has Illmatic, but then no rapper besides him has bottled hip-hop perfection into a cold, calculated 39 minutes. The Demos, Remixes & Live Radio half of Illmatic XX, the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Queensbridge rapper’s seminal debut,…

by Chase Hoffberger

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Piñata (Madlib Invazion) In many ways, Madlib and Freddie Gibbs represent the odd couple. Madlib, the crazy chemist who’s made a career of hip-hop experimentalism, crafts crunchy beats from jazz loops and dusty soul samples. Freddie Gibbs slangs lyrical dope, offering a glimpse into the desperate and desolate street life of…

by Thomas Fawcett

AISD: Outside Money, Mixed Results

AISD Board AT LARGE POSITION 9 Kendall Pace: 37,842 (39.7%) Hillary Procknow: 23,109 (24.2%) Nael Chavez: 15,235 (16.0%) Kazique J. Prince: 11,310 (11.9%) Andy M. Trimino: 7,894 (8.3%) DISTRICT 1 Edmund T. Gordon: 3,622 (34.6%) David “D” Thompson: 2,982 (28.5%) P. Kevin Bryant: 1,963 (18.7%) Stanton Strickland: 1,913 (18.2%) DISTRICT 4 Julie Cowan: 18,905 (77.4%)…

by Richard Whittaker

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

Yann Tiersen ∞ (Infinity) (Mute) French multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen remains best-known for composing the whimsical, accordion-laden score and soundtrack for 2001’s Amélie. That success led to other film work (Good Bye Lenin!), yet Tiersen bristles at the composer label and has eight studio albums to date. ∞ (Infinity) is ambitious and experimental, not so much…

by Thomas Fawcett

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

J Mascis Tied to a Star (Sub Pop) A departure from his pulverizing guitar blasts in Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis’ predominantly acoustic sophomore LP contrasts in soft simplicity. Unrushed, with fragile folk fingerpicking, Tied to a Star is also unconfined, the shred deity still shaking off electrifying riffs at his discretion, as on “Trailing Off”…

by Neph Basedow

ACC: Bonds Yes, Taxes No

Austin Community College ACC PROP. 1 BOND Yes: 118,942 (58.6%) No: 84,182 (41.4%) ACC PROP. 2 BOND Yes: 117,144 (58.4%) No: 83,368 (41.6%) ACC TAX RATE PROP No: 100,562 (50.8%) Yes: 97,562 (49.2%) ACC TRUSTEE, PLACE 1 Mark J. Williams: 63,603 (53.9%) Tim Mahoney: 54,378 (46.1%) ACC TRUSTEE, PLACE 2 Gigi Edwards Bryant: 36,965 (32.6%)…

by Richard Whittaker

Carsick

Carsick by John Waters Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 336pp., $26 In 2012, America’s finest cult-film director inked a book deal on the following premise: “I, John Waters, will hitchhike alone from the front of my Baltimore house to my co-op apartment in San Francisco and see what happens.” Now consider that he was 66 that…

by Tim Stegall

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Reviews

Flying Lotus You’re Dead (Warp) Almost completely eschewing typical beat-heavy production for an organic experience, You’re Dead represents an affecting, transformative experience from L.A.’s Steven Ellison into multiple levels of existential “crossover.” You’re Dead begs complete listens as a whole, with tracks just long enough to capture particular thoughts before you’re pushed onward. From commencement,…

by Kahron Spearman

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Interviews

Run the Jewels 4:15pm, Blue stage We want Killer Mike. Last year at this same festival, the gregarious Atlanta rapper endeavored valiantly but ultimately proved unsuccessful in performing a full set of blistering Southern hip-hop atop the half-pipe built for bikers. Alas, Mike’s asleep; conked out one week into Run the Jewels’ current tour. His…

by Chase Hoffberger

Local Fun

Breakout, Dana Falconberry, Mineral, Communion, The Sour Notes, Zorch, The Digital Wild, Good Field, Crooked Bangs, Scott H. Biram

by Kevin Curtin

FFF Nites: Saturday

Cass McCombs Big Wheel and Others (Domino) Gentle outlaw Cass McCombs luxuriates in sunlit California landscapes, weaving offbeat tales of carousing and yearning on Big Wheel and Others. Running a languid 85 minutes, his seventh studio album – a double – sifts through the dust of the Old West anchored by Dan Iead’s whining steel…

by Nina Hernandez

Punk Punk Punk

Radkey, Knapsack, Twin Peaks, Black Lips, The Bots, Pissed Jeans, Hot Water Music, Gorilla Biscuits, Rocket From The Crypt, Murder City Devils

by Tim Stegall

Hell Bent for Brisket

The Fun Fun Fun Fest schedule is packed with can’t-miss acts, but sometimes you have to make a decision. While we can’t help you choose between Rocket From the Crypt and Flying Lotus, we do know where you should eat. With our handy matching game, all you need to do is pick whether you want…

by Brandon Watson

FFF Nites: Friday

Wovenhand Refractory Obdurate (Deathwish Inc.) Whether with former powerhouse 16 Horsepower or the succeeding Wovenhand, David Eugene Edwards hews closely to Pentecostal folk goth. That’s what makes the seventh Wovenhand LP such a refreshing departure: Refractory Obdurate is the unabashed electric rock LP the Colorado fourpiece has hinted at in its last two releases. “Field…

by Michael Toland

FFF Nites: Saturday

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Days of Abandon (Yebo) Trailing two solid, albeit similar albums, these New York shoegazers’ third LP deviates from its predecessors just enough to prevent pigeonholing. A cleaner, clearer output compared to their self-titled 2009 debut, the quick, 37-minute Days of Abandon maintains the band’s ethereal noise-pop, but clears…

by Neph Basedow

Headlines

Run-offs, run-offs, and more run-offs. The City Council campaign results are in, and eight of the 10 races will go to run-offs. The mayor’s race proved no different: Candidates Mike Martinez and Steve Adler advance to the final round. Council returns to the dais today to tackle 129 agenda items, including the adoption of a…

by Chronicle Staff

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Reviews

Sohn Tremors (4AD) Interminable frustration has never sounded so beautiful, and yet so isolated. Directly empowered by the likes of James Blake, Thom Yorke, and his own work with contemporaries Banks and Rhye, the self-produced Tremors lands Sohn near the top of today’s variant of blue-eyed soul. There’s no trickery in “Artifice,” a poppy tune…

by Kahron Spearman

FFF Nites: Friday

King Tuff Was Dead (Burger) What’s a decade in the life of the eternal post-teen dream machine? Recorded in 2003, then re-recorded in 2008, King Tuff’s once-rare second album finally gets wide release. Vermonter Kyle Thomas began work on Was Dead at 18 and it shows. The songwriting’s brash and unconcerned, vocal delivery unapologetically snotty,…

by Greg Beets

FFF Nites: Saturday

Purling Hiss Weirdon (Drag City) Purling Hiss continues its evolution from wild animal pyrotechnics to shaggy-dog pop on its fifth album Weirdon. “Learning Slowly,” “I Don’t Wanna Be a …,” and “Where’s Sweetboy” bend the band’s usual power trio dynamics to the will of leader Mike Polizze’s tuneful ambitions while still leaving room for his…

by Michael Toland

Day Trips: HiWay 77 Cafe

HiWay 77 Cafe, north of Rosebud honors the men and women who served in uniform every day. The walls of the country-style eatery are festooned with more than 500 photos of veterans. Some of the portraits are faded black-and-white images; others are vibrant color portraits with the American flag filling the background. Most have a…

by Gerald E. McLeod

Quote of the Week

“To the candidates going on to the runoff, my message is this — don’t run away from diversity. Don’t just give it lip service. Embrace it.” – City Council Member and former mayoral candidate, Sheryl Cole, addressing supporters during her election night concession speech at Clive Bar.

by Chronicle Staff

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Reviews

Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 2 (Mass Appeal) Old-school bully rap remains alive and well through the epically devastating efforts of Georgia bulldog Michael Render and former Def Jux prez Jaime Meline. Killer Mike and El-P are Run the Jewels, possibly the most unlikely duo-slash-redemption story in rap. Equipped with ill-intentioned flows and El-P’s…

by Kahron Spearman

Night Riots

The Dictators NYC, Single Mothers, Negative Approach, Burger Records Caravan of Stars Tour, The Briefs, 7 Seconds, The Flatliners

by Tim Stegall

ATX Nites

The Midgetmen, The Golden Boys, Survive, Residual Kid, Riverboat Gamblers, The Octopus Project, Eagle Claw, OBN IIIs, Ssleeperhold

by Kevin Curtin

Soccer Watch

St. Edward’s will host both the Men’s and Women’s 2014 Heartland Con­fer­ence Soccer Tournaments this weekend at Lewis-Chen Family Field on the St. Ed’s campus. Free admission. The Hilltopper men finished the regular season at 14-2-1 (8-0 in the Heartland Con­ference), and ranked 11th in the nation in NCAA Div. II; the women are 12-4…

by Nick Barbaro

Comedy Speed Dating

Fred Armisen, W. Kamau Bell, Chris Cubas, Rob Gagnon’s One Hour Comedy Festival, Neil Hamburger, Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Jonah Ray

by Scott Schinder

Hornography

Is Texas … good? Well, no, they’re not good. But they’re good enough to officially declare 2014’s Longhorns team “not bad.” This Texas squad is definitely on the right track, but they’re still precipitously posted on a narrow course of okay-ness that can still be derailed by the slightest shake to their confidence. Looking back…

by Eric Sollenberger

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Friday Reviews

Yelle Complètement Fou (Source) Yelle doesn’t care if tu parles Français. Lyrically, Complètement Fou – Completely Crazy – remains in the Frenchies’ native tongue, but this third offering’s primary language is pop. The title track embraces the tenants of French house music, endlessly bouncy and catchy sans shame, while “Nuit de Baise I” steals from…

by Abby Johnston

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Interviews

Gary Numan 3:15pm, Blue stage “There are still people trying to work out what a genius Gary Numan is.” That quote tops the current bio for said cold wave pioneer. You might find its source – Prince – surprising. If all you know of the London native is his clanking 1979 electro hit, “Cars,” be…

by Tim Stegall

All the Elections That Fit

Nationally, it was a dark day for progressive voters, and in the state of Texas we were forcibly reminded of Molly Ivins’ mordant political nostrum, “Things can always get worse.” The national GOP made the campaign about their caricature of President Barack Obama, and beat every Democratic candidate over the head with that fantasy villain,…

by Michael King

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Sunday Interviews

Angel Olsen 2:30pm, Orange stage “I’ve always felt like an old lady,” admits Angel Olsen. “When I encounter certain situations, I ask myself, ‘How would my mom have dealt with this at her age?’ I’ve always carried that ‘old-fashioned’ vibe with me.” Credit the St. Louis-born singer’s adoptive parents, now in their 70s and 80s.…

by Neph Basedow

Mayor: Adler vs. Martinez

“The New Way Forward” vs. “Keep Fighting for the Middle Class” The liveliest party of the evening – although that greatly depended on an itinerant reporter’s timing – was at Steve Adler’s campaign headquarters on Barton Springs Road, where the band played “La Bamba” while the only man present wearing a suit was besieged by…

by Michael King

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Saturday Reviews

Mas Ysa Worth (Downtown) Mas Ysa’s story would’ve been a lot stranger a couple years ago. New York-from-Montreal songwriter Thomas Arsenault specializes in strident, homemade electronic pop with an operatic R&B bent. Live, he stands patiently over a whole mess of gizmos, microphone in one hand, the other feverishly keeping everything afloat. In a world…

by Luke Winkie

Thumbnails: Federal & County

The little blue dot in the sea of red: Rarely has that been truer for Travis County than in the wake of the 2014 statewide rout of Democrats. There was a slight turnout bump over the last midterm election in 2010, both in raw numbers (268,568, up from 240,745) and actual percentage of registered voters…

by Richard Whittaker

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