“Do You Believe” - Poolside

 The LA duo, Poolside, consisting of Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise are on a noble quest;  revive disco sans cocaine and machissimo. Self-described as ‘day time disco’, these guys lay down subtle dance beats with ChillWave vocal overlays.  Having recorded their latest album in their pool house, the band has a truly relaxed and decadent sound that lounges between ChillWave and Nu Disco.  Warning: The vocal hook in this song will linger for at least 48 hours!

“I Just Wanna Dance” - Space Capone

Disco is Back.  And I couldn’t be happier.  These guys will be at ACL in October.

“Trip” - Vacationer

A Brooklyn band with a secretive background and an even more curious sound, Vacationer will soon be prominent buzz-band.  Consisting of members of the electro-pop group  Body Language; Vacationer has embraced a more polished form of chillwave that is less Washed Out and more of an ambient Animal Collective on Klonopin.  I recently saw Vacationer open for Tennis at the Parish in Austin last week, and they did not disappoint.  

“Origins” - Tennis

The Denver-based dream-pop group, Tennis , was finally able to circle back to Austin to play their first official concert that was not warped by intense scheduling and the utter insanity of SXSW.  Citing their disdain for the truncated sets and poor sound quality at SXSW, the husband-and-wife duo more than made up for their lack of previous Texas shows by entrancing a sold-out Austin crowd, May 8^th at the Parish.

I arrived at the venue midway through set of indie newcomers, Vacationer, a band that was off my radar, yet had more than their fair share of followers swaying to their sonic-induced ambient rhythms. Vacationer sounds like the electro-pop group, Body Language, or a more danceable Animal Collective.  They put on an impressive second half-set, but the crowd was noticeably itching for the much anticipated headliner to assume the stage.

Awkwardly stumbling onto the stage in high heels with a bashful yet endearing demeanor, vocalist Alaina Moore greeted the Austin crowd.

“This is the first time I’ve ever performed in high heels,” said Moore. “It’s my birthday tomorrow, so I figured I’d dress up to celebrate.”

And celebrate she did.  Tennis alternated between songs from their successful nautical-themed debut album Cape Dory, and their equally sun-bleached ‘60s pop follow-up album, Young and Old.  Deftly maneuvering through older hits like “South Carolina” and “Take Me Somewhere” while showcasing newer gems like the jazzy “Petition” and piano-laden “Origins”.

Alaina, with her Robert Plant-esque golden curls, exudes the presence of an old 1920s flapper lounge singer with her wistful yet powerful vocals.  The polished and nostalgic melodies of Tennis effortlessly washed over the Parish crowd, emanating the warmth of a summer day at the beach on the weekday crowd.  

Tennis possesses a magnetism that many of their sun-bleached pop contemporaries lack, and it is their ability to share happy and peaceful experiences with us that ensures their success and hopefully, plenty of future shows in Austin.

And you can go tell Rolling Stone, I dig music… (hmmmmmm) ….. I’m On DRUGS!!!! YAHHHH

“New Theory” - Washed Out

Ernest Greene keeps coming back to Austin stronger, sounder, and more popular than ever.  After the success of Life of Leisure, an EP which featured “Feel it all around”, a track which garnered national attention due in part to it being used as the Portlandia theme song, Ernest Greene has proven that he’s no fluke with the release of Within and Without.  Ernest will be playing Austin’s finest venue at the Mohawk at 10pm tonight.

“Know Me” - Frankie Rose

Touting an indie resume that would put Johnny Marr to shame,  Frankie Rose is a founding member of three Brooklyn Indie groups that have risen to stardom in the last five years; Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, and Vivian Girls.  Frankie’s solo work draws from each of her previous projects, but her most dynamic sound has come from her own recordings which blend 90’s noise pop with haunted, ethereal, church-like harmonies.   Frankie’s second album, Interstellar, received Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Music’ title in February 2012.  While Frankie’s past projects are steadily making inroads on the national level, Frankie’s ascendence has been nothing more than meteoric and will continue to be so as she embarks on her Summer 2012 tour.

“La Pinata” -  Kool A.D.

One half of Das Racist might be better than the group itself.  Kool A.D. (aka Victor Vasquez) has taken the unconventional alternative hip-hop of Das Racist and injected it with a fortifying shot of mainstream flare. By using the Cali-style cliche of splicing beats with movie soundbytes, 70’s guitar riffs, and jazz horns, Kool’s songs end up somewhere between Jurassic 5 and the Avalanches.  By complementing his laissez-faire beats with the unique and quirky lyrical stylings of Das Racist, Kool A.D. has found a nice sweet spot between the weird and the chill.  

“Happy Up Here”  - Royksopp

After an odyssey of wrong turns on Central Texas roads, poor cell reception, and just general random bullshit that I experienced on my way to Nocturnal Fest in Rockdale, Texas; I reached the zenith of my live music experience in finally seeing Royksopp live.  After every plan I had made for the festival fell through, I ended up finagling a VIP pass from another die-hard Royksopp fan, whom opened the door to actually meeting Royksopp, immediately making me ‘Happy Up Here’.

“Remind Me” - Royksopp

These Norwegian princes of Electronica will descend upon Apache Pass, Texas today to thoroughly and without mercy deconstruct every brain that is in attendance and rebuild them with ethereal beats and rhythms, creating a mob of enlightened electro-zombies that will bring peace to humanity through their presence alone.  Royksopp will be at Nocturnal Fest outside of Austin and this is what their set list will probably look like:

1. Alpha Male
2. Happy Up Here
3. Remind Me
4. The Girl and the Robot
5. This Must Be It
6. Fat Burner
7. The Alcoholic
8. True To Life
9. What Else Is There?
10. Only This
11.  MomentPoor Leno
12. Have Another Cherry

The video for “Remind Me” is one of my favorite videos of all time, it features a day in the life of a woman working in London’s Square Mile solely through infographics; this includes labelled close-ups of everyday objects, product lifecycles, schematic diagrams, charts, and is generally illustrated in a simple isometric visual style. It won Best Music Video at 2002’s MTV Euro Awards:)

“Little Black Submarines” - Black Keys

The Black Keys have cashed in on their new ‘arena’ tour and will be stopping by the Erwin Center tonight in Austin.  Although the hipster part of me wishes that I was seeing them a few years ago when they played more intimate clubs, i’m still excited to hear them rock through a 20 song set. “Little Black Submarines” is a throwback to old 70’s multi-part rock songs, a rock purists wet dream, but then again most of the Black Keys repertoire is.

1. Howlin’ for You 
2. Next Girl 
3. Run Right Back 
4. Same Old Thing 
5. Dead and Gone 
6. Gold on the Ceiling 
7. Thickfreakness 
8. Girl Is On My Mind 
9. I’ll Be Your Man 
10. Your Touch 
11. Little Black Submarines 
12. Money Maker 
13. Strange Times 
14. Nova Baby 
15. Ten Cent Pistol 
16. Tighten Up 
17. Lonely Boy 
18. Encore:
19. Everlasting Light 
20. She’s Long Gone 
21. I Got Mine 

“Latitude” - Nujabes

A whirlwind fusion of hip hop beats, jazz, soul, and atmospheric ambient electronica; Nujabes’ beats are fresher than all of the other ‘freaky deeky niggies on the mic’. Jun Seba was Japanese hip hop producer and DJ who recorded under the name Nujabes, the reverse spelling of his name in Japanese order.  Nujabes died in a car crash in Tokyo on February 26, 2010 leaving behind a collection of unreleased tracks that were featured in 2011’s Spiritual State.

“Drifting In & Out” - Porcelain Raft

An exuberant outburst of shoegaze fuzz and mellowed string-picking beats, Porcelain Rafts have locked into the Chillwave sound that Washed Out pioneered and taken it to another level of ‘chill’.  Mauro Remiddi, at 38 years old, is a dinosaur compared to his ChillWave contemporaries, who tend to be fresh-faced 20 year olds producing out of their dorm room ( see Washed Out).  Mauro oscillates between full scale psychedelic rock and ambient electronica to find a unique medium that creates a blissful lethargy that is intoxicating as it is addictive. The constant flow of Chillwave singles from obscure back-room artists hasn’t ebbed, and I frankly don’t care.

“This Boy’s In Love” - The Presets

Electro-pop group, The Presets, have been one of the top indie electronica bands these past couple years after the 2008 release of Apocalypso.  These Aussies have seamlessly entwined electronic elements into emo-indie beats, creating a wave of danceable hits that are undeniably gold.  They are reminiscent of fellow Aussie electronic group the Bag Raiders in their propensity to rev the RPM’s of a beat without compromising the human/emo quality of the song.