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Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

Photo: Robinette Films

New name, new attitude, new album. That’s the current mantra of Austin’s Meanswell, a reinvention of beloved Austin group The Gents, who after releasing their third studio EP last year, turned the lens on themselves and started working towards a new sound that played to the group’s strengths, and allowed a bit more room for creativity and the ability to carve out their own sound against the grain of the Austin music scene. Under the deft recording hand of Chris “Frenchie” Smith, the result is tantalizing.

“Meanswell,” is the debut single under the new name, and true to the group’s reinvented sound, possesses the beautiful ability to mix the softer sounds of Doo-Wop and Buddy Holly with the growling blues sound of decades’ past, and pouring it into their skillet of personal touch to give it the 21st-century saute.

Catch Meanswell at Barracuda on Thursday, February 1st with Star Parks.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

Photo: Jerome Brock

Cutting a fresh reputation built on the sounds of the 80s underground comes Dallas’s MOTORCADE, ready to whisk you away to the lands of dark, smoky bars, equally smokey eyes, and plenty of scuffed leather. After members spent time touring with prolific acts like St. Vincent, Apples in Stereo, the War on Drugs, and Daniel Johnston, the group came together to noodle around with some things guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist James Henderson had been whipping up, and as it tends to go when congruent music minds are put together, a few pieces of songs turned into the group’s debut album.

“Desertion” opens with a bouncing synth line that initially sounds like you’re being ushered into the 8-bit world, but takes a hard turn down the 80s post-punk rabbit hole as soon as it’s met with darker synth sounds and smooth-spinning vocals. The song’s arrangement leaves a lot of room to air out the layers, allowing you to take it head on and at its face value: Motorcade aren’t here to reinvent the wheel of alt-rock, they’re just reveling in one of its greatest sounds.

“Desertion” appears on MOTORCADE, out this Friday via Idol Records.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Local melodic-psych-rock quartet Mopac is a relatively young endeavor but they’ve already proved their chops with their first studio album. Formed around brothers Trey Monts (guitar), Colton Monts (drums) and Sky Monts (vocals / bass) Mopac’s pleasant-on-the-ears brand of psychedelic songwriting is rounded out by Hunter Peterson (guitar). Their debut album Kayfabe was released digitally at the tail end of 2017 but Mopac is only now enjoying the album release show this Friday at Swan Dive alongside Cicadas, Dylan Hill & Dead Recipe. Here’s a sneak peek of Mopac’s magnetic and masterful material – track five of eight on Kayfabe – “Ain’t No Chase”. You can listen to Mopac right here on KUTX!

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Ever since the tender age of 10 when he first heard Chuck D’s outrage-fueled bars on Public Enermy’s It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hiold Us Back, San Antonio’s Trizzol has been carving his niche in hip hop. In the many years since he popped in that first cassette tape, Trizzol has contributed to countless tracks and has released nine albums, culminating last week with Boom Bap Organic.

The record’s ten tracks cover a ton of sonic territory for Trizzol to rap about his life and experiences and Boom Bap Organic‘s final track features a verse from Third Root’s Easy Lee. So go ahead and kick back with a free download of Trizzol’s “Just Another Day” and enjoy what is certifiably not just any other day.

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

Portland-based eleven-piece Typhoon is kicking off 2018 with a sonic storm. Thirteen years after initially assembling the group and just one year after enjoying a solo tour, frontman Kyle Morton is back with full force on Typhoon’s fourth album that was released today, Offerings. Over the course of seventy minutes the fourteen tracks on Offerings form a narrative of a man losing his memory and subsequently his identity. Powerful lyrics aside, the latest sounds from Typhoon are enthralling. Just check out the second song, “Rorschach” (and accompanying music video) and dive into the intricate mental headspace Typhoon presents on Offerings. Typhoon is stopping by KUTX’s Studio 1A on February 6th and performing that evening at the Mohawk along with Bad Bad Hats & Sunbathe.

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday – Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)

Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

Here to pull us into a sort of an alt-rock time warp are Austin’s Magnet School, and they churn out more layers than your hairstylist, creating a unique wall of sound that fits neatly into just about every flavor of rock n roll bill or venue around town. Pulling influences from a very particular era, they deliver a show that not only washes you with cascades of distortion and driving guitar riffs, but pulls you back to an era before everyone at the clubs had cameras in their pockets.

“Fur and Velvet” has it all. It rips, curls, and throws down layers of sound like they’re about to expire all while brilliantly maintaining a focused momentum and main thread. The song goes through several phases of metamorphosis, so get your ear hairs ready for a ticklin’.

“Fur and Velvet” appears on The Art of Telling the Truth, recently reissued for its 10th anniversary and out now via Shifting Sounds. Catch them *TOMORROW* night at Beerland.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Song of the Day

By: Taylor Wallace

To hear the studio version of any TeeVee song is to lose yourself in the deluge of psych rock dipped in shoegaze, but when you experience them live, their garage rock soul shines through. Started by drummer Will Rock in vocalist Alex Capistran’s garage, the two began jamming together and that jam evolved into the four-piece known as Austin’s TeeVee. 2 EP’s later, the group is set to release their debut full length later this year. “Junk Driver” turns the tempo down and lets the fuzz air out and stretch into the white space without sacrificing a modicum of garage rock attitude. One of their shoegaze-ier tracks, the momentum picks up as the songs trudge forward with Rock’s solid drum licks and fills to keep you oriented in the heavy-breathing beast inside the TeeVee.

“Junk Driver” appears on their Bask E.P., out now. Catch them TONIGHT at Hotel Vegas with SOAKED, Goldblooom, and the Sour Notes. If that’s too long to wait, check out the rest of their Studio 1A here.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Song of the Day

By: Jack Anderson

After years of honing his craft, local lyricist Jake Lloyd is prepared to share his biggest project yet. Native Austinite Jake Lloyd II returned from A&M in 2009 and quickly made the decision to pursue music making as a full time endeavor. Reuniting with high school friend Danny (DSII) Saldivar, Lloyd formed Kicks & Khords and released the Wishful Thinking LP. Kicks & Khords eventually blossomed into a full band experience before dissolving in 2012. After a brief stint with Big Money Gators, Lloyd was determined to drive his solo music with all his energy, and along with DSII, The Jake Lloyd LP had begun.

Hardly two weeks into 2018 and Lloyd is set to release what could be his crowning achievement! Jake Lloyd’s release show takes place this Friday at Swan Dive along with JJustine, Anastasia and Breezah. No need to wait to dig your teeth in though – check out the infectiously grinning feeling you get from listening to “Mile”! You can listen to Jake Lloyd right here on KUTX.

–Jack Anderson (Host Monday-Wednesday 8-11pm, Saturday 6-10am)