OUT THIS WEEK
Garner Sloan, “Liquid Sails and Bobcat Tales.” Yes, Sloan is a singer-songwriter originally from West Texas, but no, he doesn’t sound like what that might imply. Country and folk styles have their place in the music he writes, but he’s not so easily classified. The arrangements often swirl and sway into near-psychedelic circus tumbles, warping together accents of instrumentation that includes fiddle, bandjo, accordion and, on a couple of tracks, what sure sounds like a musical saw. “The Gun, the Gold and the Girl” veers into spaghetti-western territory, with spacious electric guitar riffs riding alongside Sloan’s echoing, plainspoken vocals. He plays the troubadour role straighter on “Nightmare Lullaby,” an acoustic ballad that delivers on the bleakness of its title. Release show May 27 at Stay Gold. Here’s the video for “Vacationland”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8cK52Xl2lE&w=492&h=307]
Sour Bridges, “Live at Stubb’s.” Recorded live at the Red River District hot spot a year ago, this 13-track disc documents the roots group’s rough-and-rowdy twang-and-roll sound that includes fiddle, mandolin and banjo. The record closes with what’s essentially a cover of a cover, a nearly nine-minute take on “Gin & Juice,” following closely the Gourds’ genius reworking of the Snoop Dogg hip-hop classic. In conjunction with the live album, the band also has a new six-song “Single Mic Series” EP. Release shows May 27 at Hill Country Galleria and May 28 at Oskar Blues Brewery. Here’s a recent live version of the opening track, “Donny’s Back in Town”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKjz9sKMYjU&w=492&h=307]
RECENTLY RELEASED
Paul Nipper, “Kamizaze Heart.” Co-produced by Mike & the Moonpies leader Mike Harmeier, the second release from this Alabama transplant is a solid collection of a dozen songs recorded in Dripping Springs with Nick Jay of Century Recordings. Nipper’s rich, warm voice is well-suited to the pedal steel and fiddle runs that bring out the twang in his country tunes. Release show May 26 at Sam’s Town Point. Here’s the opening track, “Asphalt and Heartaches”:
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/322105909" params="visual=true&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]Ghost Wolves, “Texa$ Platinum” (Hound Gawd). More spirited skronk-and-squonk punk mayhem from the husband-wife duo of Carley and Jonny Wolf. Release show May 27 at Swan Dive. Here’s the track “Attitude Problem”:
COMING SOON
- JUNE 2: Pure Luck, “Silver or Lead” (Heavy Feather).
- JUNE 9: Dani McDonnell, title TBA, release show June 9 at 3Ten.
- JUNE 16: Jon Wolfe, “Any Night in Texas.”
- JUNE 16: Abram Shook, “Love at Low Speed” (Western Vinyl).
- JUNE 16: Quin Galavis, “The Battery Line” (Super Secret).
- JUNE 23: Slaid Cleaves, “Ghost on the Car Radio.”
- JUNE 23: Eliot Lipp, “Skywave” (Young Heavy Souls).
- JUNE 30: Shakey Graves, “Nobody’s Fool/Donor Blues EP” reissue (Dualtone).
- JUNE: Carolyn Wonderland, “Moon Goes Missing” (Home).
