Black Foxxes - Sæla

Exeter's Black Foxxes are cool. Their 2016 release, I'm Not Well, showcases fiery alt-rock that spans quite a bit of creative ground and stylistic influences. I hear everything from Pacific NW grunge to Scottish glam on there. It's a great listen. They've got a new album, Reiði coming out soon, and the first track, "Sæla", is terrific, evoking a bit more prog and polish than anything on I'm Not Well, a direction that works well. Hope they come by Austin sometime soon.

RIYL: Lonely The Brave, Black Map, Far, Placebo, Buffalo Tom, Sweetwater

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The Decemberists - Severed

The Decemberists seem to get more and more 80's new wave every time I hear them. Their new song, "Severed", is a great example of what I'm talking about. Now, I don't follow them all that closely, so I might be wrong there, but in my not-at-all-expert opinion, it's a cool move they're making.

RIYL: The Mountian Goats, The New Pornographers, Wolf Parade, Bright Eyes, Roxy Music

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Pom Poko - You'll Be Fine

I'm not sure what the Norwegian band Pom Poko has to do with the Studio Ghibli production if anything, but I could see their music fitting in nicely because they're quirky and fun. They've got a handful of singles out now, and the best of those in my estimation is today's Most Important, "You'll Be Fine", a sweet love letter to yourself.

RIYL: Eisley, Sløtface, Alex the Astronaut, Billie Van

Upcoming Shows

Oliver Houston - Tom Quad

I don't know much about Grand Rapid's Oliver Houston, but their debut album Whatever Works, which came out towards the start of last year, is terrific; it's straight-forward midwest emo/punk and I've been enjoying it quite a bit lately.

RIYL: Sinai Vessel, Prawn, LVL UP, Signals Midwest

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Car Seat Headrest - Nervous Young Inhumans

"Nervous Young Inhumans" is instantly recognizable as CSH, but marks a change in their sound that I really like. There's a lot going on, at times maybe a bit too much, especially compared with their previous efforts, but if this is where they're going, I'm down. The new album is out in February, in the meantime, check out this fun video.

RIYL: Diet Sig, Parquet Courts, Jay Som, DIIV

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