AutoVaughn

This is just one post in my wrap up of the year 2010. If you would like to read the rest, click here to the main post.

I didn't have much time to write reviews this year. It's not a bad thing but there were a lot of great albums that came out. So now that I have some time, I finally sat down and got to writing. I'm completely rusty so a lot of these reviews make me sound like a fangirl but you know what? This is my blog and these albums are good.

I just wished I had more time to go more in-depth or review more albums more often. Maybe that should be my resolution for 2011.

By the way, these are in no particular order.

SPEAK "Here Here"

This EP came out in February 2010 and I still can't stop listening it. It gives me the same cravings as those red sour belt candies where no matter how much I eat them, I just can't seem to get enough. I always want more and when I'm not eating one, I'm thinking about how I'm gonna get more. SPEAK's EP gives me that same kind of addiction.

It seems that once the last song "I'd Rather Lie" is over, I'm ready to hit the play button (if I haven't already done it) so I can listen to the five songs all over again. And yet almost a year later, the songs haven't lost its charm on me.

Quiet Company "Songs for Staying In"

I've been waiting for this EP ever since Taylor Muse mentioned during our April 2009 interview that this was in the works. I discovered this band last year and left such an impression to be included in my best of 2009 post last year.

I was hooked the moment I heard the first single "How Do You Do It?" and apparently so was the rest of Austin. I guess someone took note when I posted in my Best of 2009 post, "Pay attention to this band ya, I expect 2010 to be the year for them," because they gathered a pretty big following with radio airplay and playing some gigs with big headliners.

I've probably said it before and I'll say it again, but vocalist and main songwriter Muse has perfected the skill of writing enchanting lyrics about falling and being in love. What girl wouldn't want a guy to sing out to them "I just want to see your smile in the morning. I just want to wake up next to you, love?"

Swoon.

Ghostland Observatory "Codename: Hondo"

Ah Ghostland Observatory, one of our hometown heroes. I hopped on this train later than most people but man, these guys are great. This is one of those bands that presents the complete package. Sure, the music could be called the run-of-the-mill electro rock that everyone seems to be playing nowaday, but these guys have been around since 2004 so they know how to do it well. Add a cape and pigtails and you got yourself a show.

Zlam Dunk "Noble Ancestry"

Every hear an album that affects you so much that once you hear one note from that album, it's stuck in your head? So now you have to hear it. That's what Zlam Dunk's Noble Ancestry does to me and it drives me insane, but in a good way.

The band is all in their early 20s which is a little obvious when reading their song titles and lyrics. "Castle Beyond the Goblin City?" A song about Shark Week and the '80s movie Top Gun? Really guys? But it's also that youthful spirit that reminds me of that age before I had to start worrying about mortages, paying bills, getting a "real job" that isn't in retail. It's the time when it's about having a good time and sometimes I just need a reminder.

And that's what Zlam Dunk accomplishes. They have fun, they cut loose and every show brings a good time. Not many bands can do that.

AutoVaughn "Science of Our Time"

I met these guys during SXSW in 2006 or 2007 (it's been so long that I can't remember) and my my, how much they have changed. For the better, of course. The album they released this year Science of Our Time went beyond my expectations.

I have to be honest. During the first listen, I was put off by it. It didn't sound like them. It sounded like an overproduced version of AutoVaughn. That Nashville edge they had was blurred. There was hints of it throughout the album, but I guess when you win Fender Road Worn competition and tag along with Cage the Elephant, it was bound to happen.

Granted, I haven't seen this album performed live, which is where it's at, so I don't know if this is just studio magic or the commercialized route they're heading. Either way, this album is still great and full of catchy hooks.

Through the Trees "Dig It Up"

Through the Trees' Dig It Up blew me away this year. After hearing so much indie blogger bullshit for the past three years, I loved that this band brought it back with their straight-to-the-point rock and roll. Just good old school rock music. There is no pretentiousness here. And that is no surprise that the band is extremely talented given that they've been playing music way before most of these blogger bands were born.

L.A.X. "The A EP"

Can you believe I didn't want to like this album? For reasons unknown to me, I honestly thought I wouldn't like it. After a couple of listens though, this album grew on me.

It reminds me of the days when my dad was a DJ and listened to a lot of electronica dance music in my house. Sadly L.A.X. is a niche band. A lot of people aren't going to give them a chance because of their genre alone. But for what they are, they're pretty good.

My only pet peeve is with the song "Don't Push Me." I rolled my eyes when I heard the lyrics "Don't push me. I'm close to the edge. I'm trying not to lose my head." I can name three songs off the top of my head with those direct words. How many times do those lyrics need to make an appearance in a song? Seriously. Bands, don't do that.

I don't think L.A.X. is there yet but I like what I've heard so far and the vocal stylings of Erin Jantzen and Yadira Brown are the right fit for this.

The Dig "Electric Toys"

I've said what I already wanted to say about this band in my interview with The Dig. So I'll just rehash it...

"I've been thinking for days on how to describe New York quartet The Dig without sounding like a complete fangirl, but the bottom line is this: This band is freaking awesome. Whether it's a straightforward indie-pop song such as "You're Already Gone" or a moody alt-rock tune like "She's Gonna Kill That Boy," or even a mixture of the two as in "He's a Woman," these guys just nail it every time. And when they perform these songs live, it's even better."

It’s the last day of SXSW! I attempted to sleep in to catch up on my sleep from the past 3 days but instead I woke up at 9:30 with no problem. Great.

I left my house later than I wanted because my boyfriend wanted to have breakfast with me so that took longer than I wanted. Oh well. I missed Folio.

Click here to read the rest at my Accent's SXSW blog.