The Front Bottoms - Flying Model Rockets

Flying model rockets own the sky in the backyard next to mine
I get these strange phone calls at night with no one on the other side
My brother's friend explains to me with breathless words and bloody knees
It's a black eyed trust, respect with pain.
A love I'll learn when I've been through the same.

We saw eclectic indie punkers The Front Bottoms last Saturday at ACL and it was a great time, as expected. They've been on my list to see for a little while, and I had a good idea they'd be as entertaining as they were.

Based on their feel good sound and clever, snarky lyrics I had a pretty good idea that Kerri would love them too, and she did. If you're into dark humor meshed with catchy, butt wiggle-inducing music in the vein of Violent Femmes, Saves The Day or The Dead Milkmen, you should check them out. Start anywhere, it's all good. I went with "Flying Model Rockets" as today's Most Important because it's actually different for them in that it's fairly straight-ahead. And also a great song.

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Eliot Sumner - Halfway to Hell

There's so much between us
At least we're not alone
We're locked into a secret
That we can never show
There must be a solution
For there was a crime
It ain't no Sunday

I made some calculations
I had to break the law
Had to become an illegal
You had to take that fall
There's always a solution
Always a way out
I'm all alone and I'm far from home

Eliot Sumner is living her complex humanity out loud, if you ask me. At 26, she's already in phase three of her music career: having had a band, and an album released, under her childhood nickname (I Blame Coco), then DJing to much success across Europe semi-anonymously (as Vaal, which I guess she still does occasionally), and now fronting a band with her given name. Oh yeah, and let's not forget her incubation period: she's one of Sting's children. If I hadn't told you, surely you'd have guessed when you listen and heard her very similar voice. And maybe especially when you watch the video, with it's dark love story akin to "Every Breath You Take." And, oh yeah, her face that looks just like Sting (given name: Gordon Sumner, a fact I never bothered to know before). 

Anyway, Eliot & company were on the big stage at ACL early on the first Friday, and I enjoyed rocking out to their set, so that's why they've got today's most important song.
Final fun fact (I am truly holding a bunch back, but just one more): she, like Keith, has no sense of smell. 

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Foals - Night Swimmers

Another hot summer’s day
And only we know the way
To the cool blue lagoon
Where we sleep until noon

The city is all ablaze
With blue notes and haze
We hit the open wide roads
Snuck the moon in clothes

Foals are hitting the Samsung stage of ACL right... now, as this post goes live. Anyone who listens to alt radio lately has heard "Mountain At My Gates" (love it) and I'm sure y'all know "My Number" off the 2013 album Holy Fire. Maybe you've been a fan since 2008's Antidotes, or Total Life Forever in-between. But hopefully you've given all of last year's What Went Down a listen. If not, or if so and it's been a while, you'll really enjoy this perfect-for-Indian-summer, festival-feeling gem. If you're not in Austin right now, hope your weather is just as lovely as ours while you're listening (and watching bonus vid from an old Reading Festival). If you are here at ACL too, hope they play(ed) this for us!

Also note: Foals are recording an ACL Live set for PBS next week, and tickets may still be available.

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Okkervil River - Unless It's Kicks

What gives this mess some grace
Unless it's fictions
Unless it's licks, man
Unless it's lies or it's love

What breaks this heart the most
Is the ghost of some rock 'n' roll fan
Exploding up from the stands
With her heart opened up

And I wanna tell her, your love isn't lost
Say, my heart is still crossed
Scream, you're so wonderful
What a dream in the dark

About working so hard
About growing so stoned
Trying not to turn up
Trying not to believe in the light on your own
La, la, la, la, oh, oh, oh, oh

"Unless It's Kicks" is one of my favorite songs. I can still recall clearly seeing Okkervil River at The Gorge years ago, Will Sheff drunkenly belting lyrics into his microphone as if he were at a house party full of friends instead of a vast space full of festival goers. It's a great memory and I'm stoked to make some more tonight when we see them in their hometown and my current.

Good music will be flowing tonight at The Parish and I can't wait. For those who can't be there to bear witness, I give you today's Most Important Song. Turn it up and sing along!

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Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Lights

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone
You shine it when I'm alone
And so I tell myself that I'll be strong
And dreaming when they're gone

You may know Omar Rodriguez Lopez from bands At The Drive-in and The Mars Volta, but have you heard any of his solo stuff? Well, if you haven't, you've got a lot of catching up to do. I read somewhere he's put out over 30 albums as a solo artist! Add in his other work, collaborations, etc. and you've got a crazy huge body of music to go through. You could do worse starting with today's Most Important, "Lights", a dreamy, electro-rock cover of Ellie Goulding's hit, with a great hook.

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