Buxton

Straight out of LaPorte, out in the Houston ‘burbs, comes some of the coolest mostly-acoustic music you’re likely to hear this side of Austin. Buxton are one of a small handful of indie-folk bands in town who’ve taken the current folk idiom and pulled it backwards to an earlier time, and they’re one of the best around, for my money, in or out of Houston.

I wasn’t sure at first what to make of ’em, I’ll admit it, but after repeated listens to their latest album, A Family Light, I’m well and truly sold. The songs are warm and comfortable-sounding, even when they deal with the dark and depressing side(s) of love and family — unlike a lot of folky stuff I’ve heard lately, music that sounds so stark and folkishly misanthropic as to be hard to grab onto, Buxton have a very “human” feel to ’em. And besides, the mandolin playing is absolutely jaw-dropping. (Seriously.) There’s a hearty resemblance to Austinites Okkervil River, and I can’t help but thinking of The Elected’s Blake Sennett whenever I hear Sergio Trevino’s half-broken vocals.

For one of the newer crop of local bands, they’ve actually got a fair catalog going already — two full-lengths, the new one plus previous album Red Follows Red, as well as a given-away-only EP of otherwise unreleased stuff. And it sounds like they’re working on more already, so keep listening.

• Get On Down to the River: River Revival Music Fest, Starting Today
• Sporadic Videoage: Buxton + Only Beast + The Tie That Binds
• Good Things Today: At the Drive-In + Football, Etc. + Ruiners + Saint Arnold 23rd Anniversary + Pop Shop Houston + More
• Holy Hot Damn Yes: KTRU Back on Yr Radio, Next Friday (So Celebrate Next Thursday!)
• FPSF 2015 Rundown, Pt. 2: Buxton + Twin Peaks + Flogging Molly + Tove Lo + Second Lovers + Hiram + Con Brio + The Bright Light Social Hour + ODESZA + BOAN
• Live: Buxton’s 10-Year Anniversary Show
• Think Like A Photographer: FPSF 2013, Looking Through the Viewfinder
• Let The Bass Drop: Surviving FPSF 2013, Day One
• Musician to Musician: Buxton
• FPSF 2013 Rundown, Pt. 3: Kashmere Stage Band + Emily Bell + Japandroids + SOJA + Savoy + Buxton + Social Distortion + UME + A Sea Es + More
• WE LIKE THINGS 2012: Telling you all about the awesome things you (maybe) missed last year.
• Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Adam Bricks (rev’d!) + Bang Bangz + Black Flag Tattoo Party + Space City Beat Battle + Woodlands Waterway Arts Fest + More
• Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: KTRU Outdoor Show + Ruiners + Christian Kidd + Craig Kinsey + Kerouac Fest + Le Poeme Harmonique + More
• Yr. (Late) Weekend, Pt. 2: Buxton + He’s My Brother + Bebel Gilberto + Dangerous Toys + Skramansion Benefit + More
• Tomorrow Night: Help Out Lucas Gorham of Grandfather Child