Who The Hell Is Ponytail?

You can probably quote me as saying it, at least once or twice. Something along the lines of "this band is making a lot of noise." 'Tis an odd phrase, to be true. What I normally mean by that is generally something positive. Yeah, this little collection is making some noise - it's good noise - noise that should be registering in your auditory canals; that's the general meaning of that phrase.

I try to reserve the phrase. I don't use noise in that context very often. Kind of in the way some people say they don't love someone; it's not because they don't love them, simply that they want the term love to retain some sense of importance - some sense of not just anyone deserves this term's use. That's my thoughts on noise. Austin makes a lot of great noise. So does Montréal and Chicago. There's a lot of great noise coming out of Japan. Bam Bam is making some great noise. Mount Righteous, Fanfarlo, and Explosions have some wonderful noise to make. Important places, important people, to me anyway, or folks who are quickly making a mark on the scene. The term is reserved to those special individuals. That's just how I roll.

That being said: Ponytail is making some serious noise.


So who the fuck is Ponytail? Well, that'll remain a mystery for now. But they're definitely making the world aware of their presence; I use that term "noise" very conceptually and literally, in this case. They make a LOT of noise. Loud, wild, violent, mathematical, artistic noise. It's ridic, kids. I'll let you do your own personal research on Ponytail until you hear the official word on what Voilà! has to say. But if you're even slightly intrigued, might I suggest you wander over to their Myspace or their acoustic feature on Daytrotter? Until later.

Band of the Week: Minuscule Hey

[July 27 - August 2]

Minuscule Hey
Sounds Like: Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: The Blow, くるり (Quruli), The Pinker Tones

Synopsis: Easily enjoyed to minimalist indie-pop duet with a tiny dash of zing and minusculity? Ouais.

Makes You Want To...: Dance; Sing; Tap your foot.
[Site] / [Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Minuscule Hey.


There's this thing about uniqueness. It's important, standing out of the crowd, that is. There are plenty of folks content to go with the general flow of traffic, following all the major thoroughfares. But it's so boring! I mean, just take a drive on the highway; marred with potholes, you'll spend most of your time (no doubt, if you live in as large of a metropolitan area as I), stuck in traffic, being tailgated, or watching warily for those cops with the motorcycles. It's bad enough on the highway, much less in life. No sir'y-bob! That's not for certain folks out there, and these certain people brave the side streets in search of the scenic routes. Adventuring of the often beaten trails - maybe you'll find something out there, maybe not - but the point is, living within the confines of the typical gets... well, typical.

Atypicality is a spice in life! A quirky taste, that tastes something like cayenne peppers. You've got to savour it, and there's plenty of neat stuff to celebrate. Minuscule Hey knows that, and they represent it well. Okay, so their 'hey' is small, Minuscule Hey doesn't mind much. This anglophonic French band out of Bordeux labels themselves 'mini rock.' And there's no real phrase that could express it any better.

Eclectic is the name of the game for Emily and Laurent of Minuscule Hey. They go for mixing it up, these two troubadours. They swirl pop and rock perfectly together like some wildly delicious milkshake concoction, all tastes tantalizing, musical notes dancing across your audio-cerebral taste buds like some truly imaginative invention of sound and style. Accompanied by their trusty drum machine a tut tut tutting away for them, Minuscule Hey brings tapping feet, dancing hearts, and nodding heads together all at once - all like minded individuals converging and crashing cataclysmically together in some sort of musical combobulation. I think the message here is that this is some fabulous music.

Minuscule Hey caught my heart up with their fabulous cover of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" that began to circulate across the internet earlier this year. As it so turns out, Minuscule Hey has released that cover, along with their 10 other minimalistic ditties spread out across three low key EPs, their eponymous debut, Bananoffee, and their latest release titled We Feel Minuscule. I'm not sure where any of us can score the two first records... I'm at a complete loss this time, reader. But! Minuscule Hey had We Feel Minuscule debuted by French indie label Alienor Records, and you can listen to and snag yourself a copy of this nifty EP off of their site for €4.

Minuscule Hey is taking a break for the summer before they launch on a minuscule tour about England in October, followed by some French shows afterwards. Leur site est seulement en Français maintenant, but they're working on getting an English version of the site operational soon! You can check out aforementioned website right here. Or you can go peruse their Myspace, which has a host of their great songs! Or, if you're having fun wandering around Voilà!, you could always check out their Bob Dylan cover right here. In any event, reader, I bid you an imaginative week. Have fun!

Killer Songs - Killer Albums - Kill Hannah

There are a few bands out there who do their business. Quite a few actually; they've got their collective together, they've got their fanbase, and they've got their unique style of music. What do they do with it? They make an album, tour like all get out, they have a grand ol' time, and... poof.

Yes, some bands just disappear. Wax On Radio, Brand New... just a few examples of bands who try to fall off the radar once their business is complete. Certainly there's no problem with this, as every group of minstrels needs a good rest. And thus, it is entirely possible that they disappear straight off the musical map for awhile.

Kill Hannah is not one of these bands. Flying the Illinois flag high in Chicago, Kill Hannah has - as far as I can honestly tell - always been busy. They are constantly on tour, constantly making music, and when it doesn't seem like they're doing anything else, they have tonnes of guest DJ'ing gigs all around the Windy City. But, it's time for Kill Hannah to get particularly busy...

A new album! It's been three years of touring and pleasing their loyal fans with wild, unique, and all around awesome rock concerts - all supporting the release of their previous album of critical acclaim, Until There's Nothing Left Of Us - Kill Hannah is set to release their brand new album, Wake Up The Sleepers, in September. They're on tour at the moment, but come the end of September, you can expect very good things from these Chicagoan natives.

Presently, Kill Hannah has released their latest song... well, sort of. It's not a new song to old school Kill Hannah's song - an old dance track from back in the day - but this time with a full band. You can check it out straight up in all its rock-out glory on their Myspace right now.

Band of the Week: Blitzen Trapper

[July 13 - 19]

Blitzen Trapper
Sounds Like: Folk / Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: Dr. Dog, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes

Synopsis: Oh, is that what you thought folks was? Sorry, we changed it.

Makes You Want To...: Ponder; Rebel; Whistle.
[Myspace] / [Site]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Blitzen Trapper.


It's an interesting thing, how the tides turn from unfavourable to a blessing that will guide you into shore. It's intriguing how somehow those who are so biased against - those have only a voice, but no say - are so quickly given their say - are given their peace to speak atop the soapbox. Some have called it one's fifteen seconds of fame, and maybe they have been pursuing such fame, or such fame tripped and fell conveniently in their lap. But regardless, when the underdog, obstructed from view by the metaphorical skyscrapers of society that surround them, gets their opportunity to shine, it makes for all the more heroic story.

Have you heard of Blitzen Trapper, reader? I'd be shocked if you haven't at this point. This quirky sextet out of Oregon is one of those sudden success stories that have sailed to the top in a New York minute. With their somewhat experimental, southern sounding folks style, Blitzen Trapper hovered in a bubble of complete musical obscurity for the longest time, their biggest fans bravely touting them from the nooks and crannies throughout the internet as loud as they could muster. Alas, though they were perfectly comfortable with their position, for all the accolades Blitzen Trapper received, for all kind words endowed, nothing could break this shield against notoriety.

But they say good will overcome, and I suppose the same goes for good music. It was the release of Furr, Blizten Trappers' latest release, that slingshotted these boys into some immensely bright spotlights in the musical industry. With the pat on the back from the Sub-Pop Records family, Blitzen Trapper released their latest record, filled with uniqueness and intrigue on every inch of the album. As a result, they were subsequently hailed by the obvious fans - Pitchfork, Spin Magazine, and the like - but also praised by one of the most influential musical voices in the journalism industry: Rolling Stone Magazine featured Furr not only as a wonderful album that deserves your attention, but ranked it as one of the best albums of 2008.

And despite all the attention, they've remained quite humble through it all, albeit a bit busier than before. Blitzen Trapper is presently touring their hearts out all summer long. They'll be gracing the Pitchfork Music Festival in a few weeks, and will arrive back in the northwest, playing a free show with Throw Me The Statue in Seattle, and a festival in their hometown, Portland, before launching on a tour across Europe that can only be described by the words "impressive" or "epic." Your choice.

Blizten Trapper is on their fourth album with the release of Furr. They also have their eponymous debut, Field Rexx, and Wild Mountain Nation (which is an album you don't want to miss) under their belt, along with a slew of featurettes scattered across the internet, mostly on iTunes. They've been featured on Daytrotter a ridiculous FOUR TIMES in the last year (I, II, III, IV), their fourth session debuting on the site today - all of which I almost feel essentially constitutes an EP- each session is as sexy and unique as the last, filled with the most delightful folk twanging tunes you could ever dream up. You have to respect the fine boys and their passionate style. Get to listening, keep those ears on the speakers, and have a great week, reader.

Video: You! The Magic Number - Mount Righteous

You might notice the weird punctuality of the updates on Voilà! for a bit, reader. Since I'm the only one of our site's fair writers without a life, I end up being the one who is the most verbose of the entire lot, blabbering endlessly about all nameless musical endeavours. Alas, sometimes the cruel eyes of responsibility look down upon me as they do the rest of us, and I get a bit busy. For that, and my lack of constant updates, I certainly do apologize. It happens.

You know who else has been busy lately? Mount Righteous, my favourite North Texan indie band. Things have been quiet lately high atop Mount Righteous out in Grapevine, Texas. But that's because Mount Righteous is busily working away on their lately indie-pop phenomenon. And if their sophomore album compares anything to the release of When The Music Starts, their first full length album, you know that it'll all be worth the wait in the end.

As for me though, I am getting quite pumped. Mount Righteous is done with their national touring for awhile as they busy themselves getting new music together. But they certainly aren't letting their singing voices and bubbly attitudes go to waste! They're pleasing us local folks here in the Metroplex by playing a few local shows. They'll be hitting up the Chat Room Pub this coming Sunday - July 12 - and a much larger venue, Granada Theater, at the end of the month. Sweet action! For my fellow Texans, these are some shows you definitely don't want to miss. As for every else, you don't want to miss When the Music Starts by Mount Rigtheous, because it's chock full of some of the catchiest, most loveable songs you've heard in all your years. Curious? Just check out Mount Righteous' article on Voilà!, or hussel over to their Myspace. I, if you don't mind, will watch more of their live performances scattered across YouTube.

A Memory

Band of the Week: Explosions In The Sky

[June 29 - July 6]

Explosions In The Sky
Sounds Like: Rock / Post-Rock
Drinking Buddies: Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai

Synopsis: Beauty, no words necessary.

Makes You Want To...: Dream; Feel; Be
[Site] / [Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Explosions In The Sky.


Oh yes, tomorrow, The Fourth of July! The day the United States claimed its independence from the English Empire back in the day; the day a country of misfits and ne'er-do-wells stood up on their own two feet, and said, "Hey, we aren't going to take your perfectly logical taxes upon a colony lightly! We are the United States of England at the moment, and if you don't respect us, we'll be the United States of something else real quick-like." The day the underdog claimed their independence as a land of people who can think for themselves, and a day when a few crazy people started an avalanche of a revolution that changed history...

This day is special here in the States - it's the very core of what our nation was founded on - without the actions of the founding fathers of this nation's independence, well, the face of the world would be very much different today. It's a special day for my home country, and so, I feel like sharing something especially special with you, today, reader. This is my all time favourite band, bar none. This is a band not only from my home country, but from my home state of Texas, another epic landscape founded by the acts of a few crazy rebels. This is a band that has somehow taken emotions and dreams, and contained them within the sounds exquisitely assembled on a musical album, done in a way no other band could help to do. This band is a band of rebels, a band of raw feeling, and a band that have no equals. This is a band that is beyond unique. This is Explosions In The Sky.

In some wildly, unrealistically romantic turn of coincidence, Explosions In The Sky was formed on the Fourth of July of 1999, one whole decade ago to the day. With their beginnings of watching fireworks blast in the air with mind numbing beauty and volume, this quartet originally hailing Midland, Texas - now calling the capitol of Austin their home - aimed to dream beyond dreams, and with their inept, indisputable musical abilities, have began changing the very structure and ideals of music from the ground up.

Explosions In The Sky is usually put into the genre of post-rock - though they assure they're just a rock band. Post-rock is a new genre that is still in those early stages when all the weird mutations are happening, and the genre as a whole looks like some ridiculous reject from Spore. At present, the genre is mostly defined by tremendously powerful rock music, usually entirely instrumental, that uses crescendo, climax, and sheer walls of sound to its advantage. Post-rock is quickly becoming a tremendous musical creature with all nameless sorts of bands, such as This Will Destroy You, I Hear Sirens, and The American Dollar. But for any post-rock band that raises their guitar in triumph, you can believe without a doubt that much of the inspiration for such epic instrumental choreography was from the magic that Explosions In The Sky weaved across their guitars and drums.

But how does one describe a band so esoteric? Explosions In The Sky are a national phenomenon, yet somehow remain a musical underdog. They are esoteric beyond measure, yet some of the most relaxed and humble folks you'll see. Their music is epic, sheer walls of sound ripping apart speakers by the very seems of their electro-engineering, yet Explosions In The Sky are sincere masters of silence in their music, holding your heart and breath all at once as you wait for that next note to break the beautifully haunting quietude.

How does one describe Explosions In The Sky? I describe it as dreams in motion, ebbing and flowing in the inconceivable Ether of sound. I describe it as imagination personified, and thus materialized into existence, through the vehicle of sound. I describe it as the tremendous build-up of potential energy stored in the snow of a mountain's peak tumbling down to the ground in slow motion - each nuance full in view - all the chaos and beauty shining forth is such a terribly perfect event - crashing down upon the land below in powerful, unbelievably epic fashion, only to settle in silence, sitting cooly and calmly waiting for another dream to come true. But that's just me.

Explosions In The Sky have four full length albums to their name, all of which take and express a different feeling and emotion, these albums' titles being their individual theme. How Strange, Innocence, Those Who Tell The Truth Will Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, and All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, all entirely unique, all completely different, all calming silence and deafening sound. All beautiful. They also have a mini-album, The Rescue, in an extremely unique fashion, which you can download for free and learn more about here, and read a little explanation straight from Explosions In The Sky.

Explosions In The Sky shocked their fanbase last year by claiming they are taking a short break from music, looking forward to, "getting back to our normal lives here in Austin...walking dogs, taking naps, having babies, playing scrabble, painting bathrooms, fixing air conditioners, reading about the Civil War, etc." But somehow, they haven't really settled down in their music careers, performing a miniature ten year anniversary tour, going to a limited number of cities, including Austin, Chicago, and others. They're book for the Free Press Summer Fest in Houston in August, a tour with The Flaming Lips afterward, and the infamous All Tomorrow's Parties in the UK in December. Explosions In The Sky is also celebrating their tenth birthday by playing a small show at Stubb's Barbeque in Austin, on the Fourth of July. You can hear more of Explosions In The Sky on their website, or on their Myspace.

As much as I could say about Explosions In The Sky, there is no way I could ever do this band any justice. To me, they are the epitome of music, and have - in their own way - changed my life, just a little, by allowing me to drift with them in their dreams. Just as Explosions ends all their messages to their friends...

Thanks for caring.

Love.