Sarah Jarosz, Literature, Woven Bones, Followed by Static, Bonnibonita, Magnet School, Dead Twins, Attic Ted, and the Sour Notes

A robust 2010 for Austin vinyl 7-inches caps its year with The New 45 (Sugar Hill), from Wimberley-gone-college wunderkind Sarah Jarosz. Still and lovely, acoustic-lined meditation "My Muse," which she performed live throughout the year, graces the A-side while Bill Withers cover "Grandma's Hands" clasps fiddle and mandolin in the palm of the singer's ace trio. More pointed comes Literature's modern nugget "Cincinnati" b/w "It's Cruel," produced by garage rock cottage industry Greg Ashley in his Oakland studio, the Creamery. The front side kicks a late-1970s Bay Area back-alley vibe, and the flip side surfs teen pop straight to the drive-in. The Red River trio's MySpace page ("breakcore") yells, "wish Woven Bones was here yeaaaaahhhhwahhhwahhyeahhh," so here twangs the corollary threepiece on its cherry-red vinyl "I've Gotta Get" b/w "Hey Kid" single (Hardly Art) – another all-too-easy big beat collectible, dank and clanging 1950s noir. Followed by Static veers New Wave synth whomp on the opening track ("OK") of a local split with Bonnibonita on Bombay Cove, the latter's karaoke ditty a "Full Throttle Cookie Monster." Austin fourpiece Magnet School halves with Dallas' Dead Twins on the white vinyl Mysterious 7" Disc for London's Shifting Sounds. The locals' ringing endorsement of 1980s UK guitar spray ("The Sitch") gets murdered by this inexplicable pairing with the DT's DOA rock ("Action/Reaction"). Hamming it to the rescue, San Marcos' long-running "weirdo funhouse gothic carnival popcorn" duo Attic Ted pop out a purple marble petroleum splat, "Patty Cake" b/w "I Dont Mind" and "UFC," as always on Pecan Crazy Records. All names, recipes, acronyms, and nuthouse monikers are musically applicable. Also in purple marble comes the Sour Notes, closing its ripe 2010 with "Hot Pink Flares" b/w "Psych Thrill," a chip off the pop personables' third disc It's Not Gonna Be Pretty. It's a leap forward once again, a guest shot by Mother Falcon soaring the two tracks into "Pink" soul and twitching "Thrill(s)." Poptart.