Barely three weeks into 2009, and believe it or not, there's already a seeming torrent of eagerly-anticipated releases exploding out of H-town. Seriously; there's now new stuff out by The Wild Moccasins and The Born Liars, with stuff right around the corner from Young Mammals, The Tontons, Teenage Kicks, and listenlisten. Oh, and then there's reports of impending things from Buxton, Tody Castillo, .belville, and Paris Falls.

All of which is good, good news, because the bands we Houstonians are fortunate to have lurking around the dimly-lit bars and coffee shops of our sludgy, freaky, relatively economically un-depressed city fucking rule. Honest. As I type, I'm listening to tracks from the upcoming listenlisten release, Hymns from Rhodesia, and it's incredible, all staggering-yet-beautiful sea shanties and murky lyrics -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

And as they come flying out, we're going to do our best to cover 'em (although please, be patient w/us, eh?). First out of the gate is Microscopic Metronomes, the brand-new release from The Wild Moccasins, who craft some incredible, light-hearted, joyful/laidback indie-pop, the kind labels tend to wet themselves over once the band's got a good Pitchfork review under its belt. It's truly, truly great, good enough that it makes me grin no matter what kind of crap-ass day I've been having. Full review up here.

For an added bonus, tonight (Fri., January 23rd, that is) is the Mocs' CD release show over at Walter's; they're playing with fellow badasses Buxton (melancholy, impassioned country/indie/folk) and Teenage Kicks (raw, catchy, old-school Brit-style power pop), with Skyline Network honcho ADR DJing between sets & whatnot.

Further details: the door's $7, which gets you pizza, cupcakes, and your very own copy of the band's new CD. The first 50 folks through the door can also get a cool-ass handmade poster for the show (assuming they want one, obviously). And if you bring a blank T-shirt and ask politely, the Mocs will silkscreen their limited-edition, one-show-only new T-shirt design onto it for you for free. Which is a sweet, happily eco-friendly idea, if you ask me, 'cause how many leftover odd-sized T-shirts do bands always print up & then never sell? Trust me, this one is way worth the measly $7.

(Oh, and while not's not exactly an incentive to going, I'm planning on being at the Wild Mocs show myself; it's gonna be pretty great, seriously.)

Now, not to miss the rest, we've also got a cool review of the brand-new Born Liars LP, Ragged Island, which takes the promise of their last full-length, Exit Smiling, amplifies it, and lights it on fire. It's fucking great, but I'll just point you here for the complete review-ness. There's plenty more, tool, like new stuff by Dillinger Four and Wilderness, both of which are damn good in their own right. Here's the list:

Reviews: The Wild Moccasins; The Born Liars; Talkdemonic; Wilderness; Dillinger Four; Totimoshi; I, Octopus/Metronome the City; Joetown.

More on the way soon, definitely.

---------------- Now playing: Shoes And Socks Off - I'm A World Class Assassin via FoxyTunes

Labels: H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Reviews, Things To Do, Things To Get

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