April 2012
3 posts
7 tags
Copywrite - God Save the King Released: February 28, 2012 Label: Man Bites Dog Copywrite is no newbie to the rap game. Being prominent in underground hip-hop since the late 90’s with his Columbus rap crew MegaHertz (MHz), Copywrite has come back stronger than ever with his latest solo release God Save the King which landed a spot on Billboard’s top 100 rap albums chart.
Throughout...
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Odd Future- The Odd Future Tape Volume 2
They have been called “repulsive,” “irresponsible,” and “juvenile.” They’ve been called “genius,” and “the future of hip hop.” Love them or hate them, the meteoric rise of rap collective Odd Future is something truly astounding. This group of young, 20-something rappers has gone from self releasing tracks on their website to selling out national tours and performing on MTV. And the release of...
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TIGERTOWN is a unique, new branch of indie pop hailing from Sydney, Australia as well as NSW. The 6 band members melded together from two different families. Their closeness gives them a very raw, passionate quality that is not easily attainable. Tigertown is very different from most of our main-stream indie music. These artists bring a strong cultural aspect to their performances and are slowly...
February 2012
28 posts
1 tag
City and Colour
I’ve been listening to City and Colour for about two years now and not a single song ever gets old. Dallas Green is the artist and is where the name comes from, Dallas-city and Green-color. He writes, sings and plays guitar for all of his music. Dallas Green is from Canada and was also Alexisonfire, a post-hardcore band. City and Colour is acoustic/folk music, nothing like his previous band work....
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Here Lies the Hero
Here Lies the Hero, an up and coming talent hailing from Midland, Odessa, has already begun making its mark in music history. These small town boys are spreading their powerful sound throughout Texas and taking us by storm. The band was brought together in ’08, when its first two members, Aaron Chaney (vocalist), and Jaxon Moore (vocalist and guitarist), met in their high school choir class. Not...
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Paralytic Stalks –of Montreal Released: February 7, 2012 Label: Polyvinyl
The release of the critically acclaimed Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? perhaps have inspired and will continue to garner strict scrutiny over any of Montreal record that follows this pinnacle epic. One can appreciate any pop artist who takes musical and aesthetic risks, but the post-Hissing Fauna albums proved...
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Hit The Lights- Invicta
Invicta: unvanquished, unconquerable, invincible.
The title of Hit The Lights’ newest album perfectly encapsulates the band’s rocky past couple of years. After releasing 2008’s pop punk gem Skip School, Start Fights, Hit The Lights’ was signed to Universal Republic, a major record label. The band immediately met resistance while working on the follow up and was stuck...
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Mike G
Award Tour EP
Released: November 25, 2011
Label: Self-released
Mike G made his debut into the rap game in early 2010 on the infamous Odd Future’s mix tape Radical. His smooth vocals over a Mos Def beat left fans wanting more. Shortly after this, Mike G released his own mixtape ALI and has been releasing a series of chopped and screwed versions of Odd Future songs along with...
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Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
When in talks of the top hip-hop albums of last year, Section.80 is sure to be argued. 2011 XXL Freshman Kendrick Lamar claims to be the voice of his generation and Section.80 is a reflection of that and one in which he succeeds tremendously.
In Section.80 Kendrick focuses on what he sees as the flaws of his generation with emphasis on the problem of his generations dependency on drugs. He does...
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I just need to start out by saying that this album is a must have for any Hendrix fan. Valleys of Neptune was released on March 9, 2010 and is an album comprised of previously unreleased material by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This album offers everything that can be offered by the late and amazing Jimi Hendrix. On this album you will find different versions of a few classic Hendrix songs, a...
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Yelawolf - RADIOACTIVE
Gadsden, Alabama native Yelawolf (formally known as Michael Wayne Atha) has teamed up with Slaughterhouse and has put forth his debut album RADIOACTIVE. After being labeled as the “Joe Dirt” to the music industry by his own manager he is now on the rise to being labeled as a top dog in the Hip Hop music community.
RADIOACTIVE is a 15 track album with a southern twang and a variety of ...
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Despite her less than impressive appearance on Saturday Night Live in January that apparently caused her to cancel her tour, Lana Del Rey’s debut album Born to Die deemed successful. The 24-year-old New Yorker released her first single, “Video Games,” back in October and since then has been topping music charts across the board. According to one of Lana Del Rey’s recent tweets, her album reached...
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Big Deal - Lights Out
After listening to Lights Out, it’s likely you’ll either be reminded of how much love bites, or how truly innocent and blissful love can be. Alice Costelloe and Kacey Underwood, the lovelorn Pop duo known as Big Deal released Lights Out back in September 2011 and since then have been gaining some serious Indie street cred. Maybe it’s their undeniable chemistry, their simplistic yet painfully...
5 tags
Common - The Dreamer/Believer Review
Legendary MC, Common, comes thru with another great to add to his collection. The Dreamer/believer is the ninth studio album from Common. Don’t call it a comeback album because he has been working on it since 2009, but had to put it on hold to focus on acting. Even though he has been acting, his lyricism and delivery is still on point. And a line he said on “raw (how u like it)” personifies...
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Cults - Self Titled
Cults is an indie pop band from Manhattan, New York that formed in 2010 that is made up of Madeline Follin, who is on vocals and Brian Oblivion, who is on both vocals and guitar. Together, they blasts out pop songs that infuses elements of blues, soul, and of course, rock and in their self-titled album, Cults, which released in 2011, you can definitely hear it.
In tracks, such as...
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Main Attrazionz - 808s & Dark Grapes II
Oakland rappers Mondre M.A.N. and Squadda B make up the rap duo Main Attrakionz who, last summer, dropped 808s & Dark Grapes II, their eighth album released in the last year and their first of which that was recorded in a studio. Their music has been labeled as “cloud Rap” , a new sub genre consisting of other rappers such as Danny Brown , Lil B, and A$AP Rocky,...
BOOTH EP Release @ Triple Crown February 4
This past Friday BOOTH played at the Triple Crown for his self titled EP. My roommate invited me because he heard about it through his church. I tagged along because it’s hard to not have a good night there. Besides it’s not like I had any other plans that night. So we went out excited for a fun filled show.
The show began with The Oh Hello’s. An upcoming band comprising of the sibling team of...
1 tag
A$AP Rocky
LiveLoveA$AP
Released: October 31, 2011
Label: Sony/RCA/Polo Grounds
This mix tape dropped on Halloween of last year and was A$AP Rocky’s big break into the music scene. This fresh new face has brought a much-needed sound to the rap game. There are several references throughout the mix tape to Houston rap and noticeable influences as well. The beats used are all similar to those in...
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Des Ark - Don’t Rock The Boat Sink The Fucker
Des Ark’s 2011 release “Don’t Rock The Boat Sink The Fucker” is easily one of the best hidden gems of 2011. It’s not too often that you stumble upon an album that evokes so much emotion and tells such a story in only 8 tracks and 34 minutes. While not necessarily a “concept album” in the traditional sense, every track on “Don’t Rock The Boat Sink The Fucker” feels necessary and is cohesive to...
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THE OFFICIAL M.R. FEST LINEUP!
Join KTSW for the 5th annual MR Fest music festival April 26th-28th! There will be over 90 artists performing in 14 locations around the San Marcos Square! The festival begins with a kick off party at Tantra Coffee House on Thursday night featuring our VIP party lounge giveaway (see details on ktsw.net and click the promotions tab, or see us at ANY KTSW event to enter!) and runs through Saturday...
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Anthony Green - Beautiful Things
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Anthony Green, lead singer of the band Circa Survive, has invited us to a more personal musical journey with his second solo album titled Beautiful Things. Just like in his first solo release, Avalon (2008), Green is honest about every feeling and allows us to understand every thought in Beautiful Things. However, this time we come across a more...
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The Soldier Thread
Coming live from Austin, Texas, The Soldier Thread has a new kind of indie sound that gets everyone moving! Their impulsive beat is on its way to making a huge mark in today’s music scene. The atmosphere at their shows is electrifying. You’re instantly pumped up to dance to the rhythms and sing along with the lyrics. Their first major release “In Spades” came out in 2010 and blew us away at the...
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Gotye - Making Mirrors
It’s been five long years since Gotye released a new album, but in August of 2011, he released his third album ‘Making Mirrors’. This album includes his biggest hit yet, “Somebody That I Used To Know” featuring Kimbra. “Somebody That I Used To Know” is kind of an indie alternative break-up song. The story is told from both the man’s point of view, as well as the woman’s point of view. Gotye...
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Sleeping in Gethsemane - Burrows
Sleeping in Gethsemane’s second album, Burrows, was released on April 7, 2009. I discovered this particular album in early 2010, and since then it remains to be one of my favorite albums I own. The element that makes Burrows stand out among the many is Sleeping in Gethsemane’s ability to write songs that capture pure emotions. Not to mention they achieve this goal without a vocalist. Consisting...
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Porcelain Raft
Strange Weekend Review by: Allison Johnson
Strange Weekend, the debut full-length album from Mauro Remiddi, also known as Porcelain Raft, is an album that will surely end up on a best of 2012 list. From start to finish, this 10 track LP creates a dreamy, poetic, and atmospheric feel. It is no surprise that Remiddi is currently touring with M83, Youth Lagoon and Smith Westerns, three bands from...
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Khleo Thomas - SLICK LIVING
Actor turned Singer, turned Rapper Khleo Thomas has dropped his new mixtape (or what he calls a free album) SLICK LIVING. [You may recognize Khleo Thomas from such movies as HOLES (ya dig?), WALKING TALL, ROLL BOUNCE, & other movie features]
SLICK LIVING is a nine song mixtape that features absolutely no one and has all original beats. And as intriguing this mixtape might sound, it didn’t...
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The Drums - Portamento
Nearly a year after guitarist Adam Kessler’s resignation, The Drums unflinchingly display their ability to uphold their penchant for brooding surf rock. Aptly named after a feature on older analogue systems, the Italian term representing “the travel time from one note to another” embodies the essence of their shtick. The band’s sophomore album is quickly approaching its fifth month since being...
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Circa Survivefront man, Anthony Green, released his second solo album on January 17. It’s no surprise Beautiful Things was inspired partially by the recent birth of his son with songs “James’ Song” and “Lullaby”. With the same sort of painfully personal lyrics as his album, Avalon, realeased in 2008, Green presents a variety of genres, from the folk feel of “Do It Right”, to the reggae rhythm of...
11 tags
Joyce Manor
Hailing from Long Beach California is a group of four gentlemen dedicated to the art of flawlessly composing anthems that remain bittersweet, brutally honest and visually intimate. Gaining much respect and recognition recently, they continue to demand and deserve your immediate attention. It is my pleasure to introduce or to remind you of my favorite band, Joyce Manor.
I’ve spent plenty car...
January 2012
4 posts
Gillian Welch 'The Harrow and The Harvest'
Gillian Welch’s return album The Harrow and The Harvest is her first album in 8 years. This is due to Welch’s need for perfection in the music she creates. Welch along with her writing partner David Rawlings have become well known for an old timey feel in their songs and The Harrow and The Harvest does not miss a step.
The album starts off with a hallowing old west version of Hell known as...
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The Antlers ‘Burst Apart’
Recently I’ve been listening to The Antlers ‘Burst Apart’ album and I can’t get enough of it. The Antlers are an indie rock band and the most recent album is killer. ‘Burst Apart’ is a great album to jam in the car to or even to study to. I’ve listened to every song on the CD countless times and truly enjoy the lyrics to each song. The vocals are amazing along with the rhythm and vibe of the...
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Enter Shikari- A Flash Flood Of Colour
“Our generation’s got to fight to survive, it’s in your hands now, the future, our future”. Frontman Rou Reynolds’ howls in the opener “System…” set the tone for Enter Shikari’s third album, A Flash Flood Of Colour. The follow up to 2009’s Common Dreads, Enter Shikari continue with their strong lyrical messages on a variety of relevant topics. But rather than just rehashing the same old...
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Grouplove
Never Trust a Happy Song Atlantic Recording Corporation 2011
Grouplove’s self-titled EP debuted in America after the band re-united and recorded in L.A. Originally just known as Group began with Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi’s romantic getaway to Crete. There they met their other band members and traveled the island for the rest of the trip playing around, writing, and singing...
November 2011
1 post
2 tags
KTSW Hip-Hop
According to KTSW’s website, we are a “college indie formatted station featuring music from all genres including, rock, hip-hop, electronic and more.” Up until recently, hip-hop should not have been included in this statement. The fact that KTSW has always featured a ton of rock, electronic, and (especially) more is absolutely true. When I started this job back in June, we quickly realized the...
October 2011
8 posts
2 tags
WIDESPREAD PANIC
Widespread Panic rolled into the music capital of the world on their 25th anniversary tour. They started out as a small band from Athens, Georgia playing for fraternities. Now, the band sells out theaters and amphitheaters across the country. Although the 25 years has not all been peachy, they lost their guitarist and longtime friend, Mikey Houser (Panic) a few years ago to...
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Bon Iver Review by: Allison Johnson Bon Iver, the self-titled follow up to Bon Iver’s 2008 Indie success For Emma, Forever Ago is a little less “Laying with your face on the floor ” says frontman Justin Vernon and a little more “Colorful”. This albums provides the soundtrack to what seems like the end of a bitter winter (the commonly described setting of the band’s first album), and the...
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JJ Grey and Mofro
Georgia Warhorse
Released: August 24, 2010
Label: Alligator Records
Georgia Warhorse, the fifth album for Jacksonville based band JJ Grey and Mofro proves yet again that they are a force to be reckoned with. Mofro spreads its wings with this album, establishing themselves as multitalented musicians and displaying their talent across multiple genres. However, all of the songs...
Artist: Sleeper Agent
Album: Celabrasion
Release Date: September 27th 2011
Lable: Mom + Pop
By: Eddie Galvan
Tired of the same old cookie cutter girl fronted bands? Sleeper Agent is here to finally break the mold! They hit you with their fast riffs, catchy hooks, and beats that will make you want to dance around your living room. In their debut album “Celabrasion” the band shows the world what...
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Take Care, Take Care, Take Care—Explosions in the Sky Released: April 26, 2011
The Austin-based quartet finally broke a four-year hiatus with the release of their sixth studio album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.
Explosions in the Sky have always resented and denied their “post-rock” status. But the band has consistently produced guitar-driven, reverb-heavy instrumental soundscapes with...
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The bedroom pop subgenre has seen a rise in exposure over the past few years. Acts such as Kurt Vile and Emerald Park create intimate music within a confined space and transcend the experience of the mundane into something that can resonate with all listeners. The newcomer to this setting is Youth Lagoon. He is a 22-year-old musician who shows exemplary use of soothing melodies, a good balance...
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M83 has been making music for the past ten years that supplies a reasonable backdrop to daydreams and fantasies with their use of bombastic drums, loud synths, and luscious, ambient overtures. Heck, his new album is entitled, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.” Anthony Gonzales (the frontman of M83) has made it obvious that he wants us to join him on this long journey (it is a double album) and immerse...
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October 6, 2011
Austin— It’s a beautiful Thursday afternoon and just outside the gate of Stubbs’ amphitheatre there is a small crowd of anxious teenagers waiting to be let inside. These groups of kids have come from all around the Central Texas area today for a special opportunity afforded to them by The Recording Academy and a program called Grammy Camp.
Grammy Camp is a summer program “that...
March 2011
16 posts
2 tags
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SXSW Music Interviews: Day 5 Lauren Mahoney...
SXSW Music Interviews: Day 4 Listen as Genna...
SXSW Music Interviews: Day 3 Genna Eneman, Anna...
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