[Ex]Band of the Week: Don't Mess With Texas

[2004-2009]
Don't Mess With Texas
Sounds Like: Post-Rock
Drinking Buddies: This Will Destroy You, The Pirate Ship Quintet, pg.lost
Synopsis: Proving instrumental music is universal and eternal.
Makes You Want To...: Dream; Learn about the world; Open your mind.
Evolved Into:

• n/a
  

[Website] / [Last.fm]





This month is one of old and new.
Voilà! is featuring bands that have broken up.
This week, the featured artist is Don't Mess With Texas.


It's tough. Tough when your favourite bands have broken up. Voilà! has been doing our [Ex]Band of the Week month for two years now, and in those two years, we've shown some really great independent artists who just couldn't last. This year, we saw Los Abandoned, Something Corporate, and Arrah and the Ferns. Last year, we were entertained by the musical stylings of Test Icicles, The Blood Brothers, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Some By Sea. These are all wonderful bands, and we aren't gossiping about their dispersing so much as we're honouring they're memory. By talking about these bands, by letting their music live on, we do honour to their memory as musicians, and give them the credit they deserved, when they were still around and in our present day.

It's important to take stock in that which has past, and to do it justice. This year, we're ending with a little group by the catchy name of Don't Mess With Texas. This mysterious quartet hails from Zagreb, Croatia. Now, Zangreb, Croatia may not exactly be the centre for music in Europe - I know folks who couldn't spot Croatia on a map. Certainly it's not easy for a small band to get started, though, you may only think that if you didn't know Don't Mess With Texas plays in the post-rock genre. For those still fishy about the genre - as the style is still extremely new, vastly unexplored, and sparingly colonized - post-rock music is generally defined by its use of extremely vast, imaginative soundscapes, instrumental compositions, with special emphasis on repetition, and a push away from lyrical composition and typical song-structures.

If you think about post-rock as a genre, and some of the more prominent figures (whether they claim the genre title or not), ponder where these bands have come from. Explosions In The Sky original hails from Midland, in west Texas; Sigur Rós from far and away in Iceland; Godspeed You! Black Emperor from the cold and rebellious Québec. All these bands come from places defined by either their independence, remoteness, or a combination of the two. What says a band from Croatia can't make some fabulous instrumental music as well?

And fabulous indeed. Comparable in quality to that of This Will Destroy You, Don't Mess With Texas presents a simple, yet powerful sound marked by repetition of chords and ethereal iimiages in sound. Their sounds range in length, but are unlimited in scope and mood. Expressing intense emotions ranging from melancholy to uplifting, Don't Mess With Texas sets themselves apart with intense focus given to their meleodies, with the added uniqueness of piano featured prominently in many of their songs. But alas, not everything can last, can it?

"We wanted to let you all know that Don’t Mess With Texas disbanded. We decided to break up and stop functioning as a band. It just didn’t feel right anymore. It makes no sense to write sagas about the break up or about the band, we just want to thank everyone that helped us in any way, it was wonderful while it lasted. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Sasha, Ozren, Slobich and Neven"

The break up of Don't Mess With Texas is certainly a sad outcome. But this gives us, as listeners, even more of a responsibility to show this grand ensemble exactly how wonderful they were at making the music they created. They have two albums: their debut Don't Mess With Texas, followed by their sophomore album Los Dias De Junio. They have no Myspace, but you can listen to some of their music on Last.fm. Or, if you're more interested in ownership, you can go to Moonlee Records and purchase their albums. Show them your love, readers.

Video: Time Of Your Life (Green Day) - Goot

Covers cover covers. Mmmm, I can't get enough of them. Hearing new version of my old favourites absolutely makes my auditory heart race. Hearing horribly cheesy songs I would never have liked in the first place in a new light can also give me a hugely novel perspective of the original artist (The Scene Aesthetic's cover of "Love Story" was first to show me what made Taylor Swift so darn addicting).

Alex Goot loves his covers, and I've written about him many times before, featuring his awesome musical renditions of some great tunes! Well, Goot is back again with yet another cover: This time, you can catch Goot performing Green Day's 90s hit, "Time Of Your Life" on piano. Echo? It's quite fabulous, and I know you'll enjoy it. Feel free to check out Goot's Myspace after the song here on Voilà!, so you can enjoy the rest of Goot's musical repertoire.

[Ex]Band of the Week: Los Abandoned

[2001-2007]
Los Abandoned
Sounds Like: Chicano Rock / Rock
Drinking Buddies: Bam Bam, Elis Paprika, Zoé
Synopsis: Rock bilungua en Español y Inglés!
Makes You Want To...: Rock out!; Party; Learn Spanish
Evolved Into:

• Pilar Díaz
  

[Myspace] / [Last.fm] / [KCRW Session]






This month is one of old and new.
Voilà! is featuring bands that have broken up.
This week, the featured artist is Los Abandoned


Without much contemplation, we know what we want: we want a deal. We want that two for one offer. We want the buy one get one free. We want that special offer that nobody else is getting. We want our money's worth, and it's not so much to ask for as much as we can get. When we commit to things, we expect the best we can get. If you're in the market for non-anglophonic music, the options are nearly limitless as soon as you explore the unique music worlds outside of the North American continent. But even here, with artists such as Bonjour Brumaire, Malajube, and Bam Bam, we know that the language barriers are jokes to some of our North American inhabitants. But if you're looking for bilingual bands, there's only one real clear cut band you can turn to...

"Me quieren en Chile, me quieren en LA. Me quieren en España, me quieren in Francia." Call it pride or arrogance, there's one thing you cannot deny: Los Abandoned lives up to the expectations. This wild, vibrant band from "Eleh-Ah" blares through your speakers with the intensity and unpretentious expression of true veterans. Los Abandoned set themselves apart from the crowd by their emphasis on straightforward, raw, pop-punk music and bilingual lyrics. And what a result they ended up with! With the blend of US and Mexican cultures comes a extremely wonderful mix of music, combining Hispanophone lyricism with and candied, delicious musical styling, all pop hits and rock and roll mashed together in something that I'm pretty sure could be classified as a really spicy enchilada with all the toppings.

Starting out with some simple, yet amazing EPs, Los Abandoned quickly became the talk of the LA music scene back in their prime. Their perfect combination of musical and lyrical stylings played directly on the huge demand for both indie-pop and Chicano rock in the LA area, and abroad, wherever Spanish speaking music lovers can be found. With a pride for their City of Angels, and a "we love you, and don't give a damn what the haters think" attitude quickly drew folks in. This goes without mentioning that Los Abandoned played with some of the hottest names in the contemporary Mexican-rock scene: Zoé, Caléxico, Molotov, Café Tacuba... the list goes on, but it's clear that not only did Los Abandoned make great music, they rolled with a good crowd.

Brevity caught the band's wonderful sound short, as the members settled to split up in their separate directions. But what lives on beyond the lifespan of Los Abandoned is an attitude and some amazing music that will always be a driving force for modern bilingual music and awesome pop-rock. Dig around on the internet or at some record stores, and you'll be able to find Los Abandoned's premier studio album, Mix Tape, along with their two EPs: Demotape and Los Abandoned. The band still has their Myspace up, but no music posted. Never fear though, for there are places to get your Los Abandoned fix. Their Last.fm features some of their songs, they have an old performance for Morning Becomes Eclectic at KCRW, and one search on YouTube will result in a slew of videos by them.

The Voilà! Music Omnibus (III)

I try to stay on top of the music world, at least from my point of view, as thoroughly as possible. But I freely admit, sometimes the music scene gets carried away, and will unleash more stuff than I can keep track of, or have time for. It's not exactly hard work to keep a music blog up, but when one has to maintain a professional/social/family life as well, I must admit, sometimes I can't report everything to thee avid readers.

But don't fret, my friends! That loud engine is the sound of the renowned Voilà! Music Omnibus! Take a ride on our little transit system, reader, as we drive you down the streets of the music scene; a scenic tour for your eager ears of the little happenings here and there, or the mentionings that weren't mentioned. Be it band break ups, pre-album gossip, new songs, or new tours, you can find it all. Get your change together - we only accept CD and MP3, because sadly vinyl doesn't fit into our coin box. Here we go!






Open Wide!
Mount Righteous' New Album On The Way
Long, long, it's been so long. It's been nearly two years since Mount Righteous stepped cheerfully onto the scene with their debut album, When The Music Starts. What followed were escapades of rampant frivolity across the world, with everyone dancing, and clapping, and singing of smiles and candy and love. Well gird your loins, fellow friends, because it's my esteemed privilege to let you know that the new album, Open Your Mouth, by Mount Righteous is set for release this coming Friday! For those North Texas natives, there will be a big CD release party which you can find out more about on Mount Righteous' Facebook. But for everyone else, you can download their single "Sing To Me, Tiffany" from an article in The Dallas Observer, or just wander over to Mount Righteous' Myspace.



I Am Trying To Figure Who I Am
New Things avec Nevershoutnever!
That crazy kid, Christofer Drew, has been up to his kooky antics again (as usual). What do I mean by that? Well, probably that he's just so infinitely busy I don't know how he manages to find so much time to be so dang cheerful and live such an awesome life! Firstly, he's been dabbling with his less cute, more crazy side, whilst working on new music for his side project Eatmewhileimhot. Secondly, he's been finishing up works on a new, full length Nevershoutnever! album, which has apparently been completed (we can only wait patiently now)! Finally, he's hitting the road next week for a massive autumnal tour with friends Now Now Every Children and Meg & Dia. Hustle over to Nevershoutnever's Myspace for the rest of the news!



Getting The Axes Out
Eisley Teases Us With Tours And EPs
Now, it's been quite awhile since the world was graced by the material of the lovely band from Tyler, Texas. They've been on tour recently, but since the release of Combinations two years ago, Eisley has been busy out of the music world, living life, getting engaged, and the like. Sometime around the beginning of the year, they announced they would be wandering into the studio. Promises kept! Eisley's new album won't be out until early 2010, but they seek to recompense the wait! Eisley's launching on a very hefty North American tour, where they'll be releasing a special tour EP (with a free lithograph!)! Find out the info on Trolleywood, or just wander over to their Myspace.




Talking On The Fanfarlophone
Fanfarlo Busy With Tours and Videos
Our good friends at Fanfarlo certainly haven't been resting on their laurels lately. Their biggest project over the last several months has been solidifying the production of their debut album, Reservoir, in physical form (the woes of making records completely independent, without labels). Done done done it is, and it's going to be quite sleek. The physical copies of Fanfarlo's Reservoir are for sale out on their website. But if you're lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you can catch Fanfarlo on their US tour, going on presently! They have hit up the west coast, with dates in Philadelphia and New York City. If you're even luckier, you can catch Fanfarlo on their British tour as soon as they get back to their island home. For those of us not so lucky, may I recommend checking out their website - filled with all the Fanfarlo you could ever desire - their YouTube - filled with brand new videos of "The Walls Are Coming Down," acoustic sets, and covers - or wander right over to their Myspace.



Pushing Daisies
Brand New Brand New Album
Where to even begin. Some things are easy to describe, and some things are so abstract, it's as if there is no logical point of origin. This would be the latter. Brand New is getting famous for taking hiatuses, disappearing from the music scene while crafting new music. While lately, they've been touring around much more than the period after Deja Entendu, they remain a very mysterious ensemble. Now, three years after The Devil and God Rages Inside Me, Brand New is releasing their fourth studio album, Daisy. It's EPIC, in the layman's terms. Daisy will be officially on sale September 22, but if you've been eagerly waiting for a release such as this, then you'll want to head to Brand New's Myspace. Brand New is streaming Daisy in its entirety until the release. You're still reading? Go listen to Brand New ASAP!

[Ex]Band of the Week: Something Corporate

[1998-2006]
Something Corporate
Sounds Like: Piano Rock / Pop-Punk
Drinking Buddies: Mae, Making April, Dashboard Confessional,
Synopsis: Punk rock with a piano. Can you go wrong, really?
Makes You Want To...: Sings; Cuddle; Kiss
Evolved Into:

• Jack's Mannequin

[Myspace]






This month is one of old and new.
Voilà! is featuring bands that have broken up.
This week, the featured artist is Something Corporate.


Something about love just gets into your soul, don't y'know, reader? There's this famous line from High Fidelity - probably one of the symbolic pieces of literature out there on the die hard music lover - and it goes something like this... "People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands--literally thousands--of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss. The unhappiest people I know, romantically speaking, are the ones who like pop music the most; and I don't know whether pop music has caused this unhappiness, but I do know that they've been listening to the sad songs longer than they've been living the unhappy lives."

Admit it, at least to yourself: music, as we fundamentally know it, can be based on a few things: the three of which are preportionately more created being partying, politics, and love - whether that love is good or bad. Thousands of songs about first loves, and first kisses, and "When you're fifteen, and someone tells you they love you, you're going to believe them," etc. etc. And whether Rob up there in his London record shop, spilling his heart and mind out over a girl (who admittedly has a nice taste in music) is right or not, love is engrained in our music. We take it for granted, because it's everywhere these days. But we like our own style of love in our music.

There are so many tastes. Would you prefer something dark and depressing - maybe Taking Back Sunday or My Chemical Romance? - or how about something weird and esoteric? - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is probably right up your alley. There's angry, like "Texas" by Dr. Manhattan, or cute like Arrah and the Ferns... The possibilities stretch out in all directions. What do I favour? Well something, honest, straightforward, and heartfelt. Something poetic but not burdened down by the pen of a confusing author. Something Corporate, maybe.

Oh Something Corporate, you dreamy Californian heartthrobs. How you make me sway and swoon! These melodic creatures were one of the biggest hits of the early 2000s if you knew the right sort of college rock station or website to sneak to, streaming their dreamy, eloquently simple love songs. Songs about never leaving folks alone, or leaving folks because you have to; songs about heartbreaking breakups, or heartfelt reunions. Hell, there's even an "eff-you" songs hidden between this awesome quartet's records. But you know the moment that record begins playing, you're getting something honest, and when you're listening to music that's played honestly, you'll know you're getting exactly what you deserve to hear from any artist.

But what sets Something Corporate apart from the masses of musical love-singers out there, because as I've made it clear, not only are love songs common, but they're the standard. How does one set themselves apart from the masses? Something Corporate does so dilligently with their frankness and honesty. Their music is well rehearsed and thought through. Yet, it feels as if its composition is all but organic and natural, as if McMahon's poetry is simple torn out of the pages of his personal journal. You can't help sing along and feel the emotion within the songs because of accustomed we are to all the feelings expressed, for if you've ever been in a relationship, you can jive with the message sends forth. Something Corporate didn't write their music for their fans - they wrote their music for themselves - it's a miraculous wonder that their fans can feel so close to personal experiences, because by sheer chance, their own personal experiences are so very similar to that of the band. That humble attitude, that easy feeling of expression, is part of what makes Something Corporate a fabulous band.

The other is their obvious twist on pop-punk music. Sure, how many times have to seen the young guys pick up the devil's favourite electric, six stringed instrument and pour out their sole to the tones of the guitar? Plenty, is the simple answer. But in this day of Coldplay and Radiohead, we sometimes forget how uncommon it is to see a piano up on stage with a rock band. This was a standard for Something Corporate's unique sound, with their diligent piano pieces composed directly adhered to their pop-punk aesthetics. The mix results into a truly unique sound of piano-punk-rock, which has ONLY been attempted by one band in my personal, collective memory sense Something Corporate's time earlier this decade. The soothing melody of piano and lyric, mixed with the somewhat raucous attitude, fun-loving expression with the expected rock instruments, makes Something Corporate a very unique icon in their genre, one that can never be replicated, that they remain kings of their own castle to hold the rights to.

Good things pass on sometimes, just like our relationships. Our love and caring was needed in the Something Corporate camp, when lead singer Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia. With the good wishes, love, and care of friends and strangers alike, McMahon's cancer has eventually gone into remission. But with his sickness, came a pulling apart of Something Corporate. Since the band officially disbanded in 2006, and Andrew recovered, Andrew has gone on to form a band with a similar sound - Jack's Mannequin - where he also combines a similar, less 90s inspired, more contemporary form of that pop aesthetic with piano chords that's so pleasing on the ear. But for the the true fans of love spilling forth from the keys of a piano, they know they can always seek solace in the wonderful records of Something Corporate.

Something Corporate has a slew of records under their belt while their eight year campaign lasted, most under the Drive-Thru records: their first release, Ready... Break, as well as the classic Leaving Through the Window, and one of their masterfully created records, North, along with several live albums, EPs, and awesome videos (need I even suggest you see "If U C Jordan"?). As for Andrew McMahon, with the reclamation of his life, he pursues it full force in his new band Jack's Mannequin, who's busily touring about. But of course, Something Corporate still has their Myspace, where you can continue to stream their songs and feel the love and life within their notes and words.

Peachcake on Daytrotter

Andddddd action! No, the scene's not over. Don't cut! Keep rolling.

One chance filmmaking. It's gorgeous. It's wonderful watching scenes from cinema that weren't cut and butchered to pieces by close, over-editing. Just letting your actors act, letting your characters move, and letting your scene play out is a beautiful thing to see if you enjoy that sort of subtlety. It's smooth, it's fluid, and it's natural. That's what makes it unique, and that's why you've got to love it.

There's also Peachcake, and I'm certainly not talking about the dessert. Unless you're the type of person to consider them some sort of musical dessert! These guys are fluidity defined. With their banging drum beat, electro-inspired musicianship, and wild, crazy antics on and off stage, these guys can do nothing but make everyone in their presence smiles and dance. Peachcake is like a living bottlerocket: tonnes of potential energy all contained in an extremely small package, and all they do is invite you to set them off so they can release themselves in energetic entertainment.

Well, there's a musical version of this fluid cinematography: deep in the heart of the state that feels the Illinoise, at Rock Island, is a humble little studio simply known as Futreappletree Studio 1. In their legendary art of recording wonderful instances of musical ecstasy, these folks use analogical recording to bring out the honesty, integrity, and love in its most raw form through speakers all throughout the world.

Well there are none better to express love than the residents of Planet Awesome!, wonderful friends of Voilà!, Peachcake. The essence of fluidity has now been recorded in a truly awesome, unique, fun loving, live performance on Daytrotter, recorded back in the heart of winter! Featuring six songs - most of which are off Peachcake's still delicious, new album, What Year Will You Have The World? - are performed with all their quirkiness and delightfulness (live, spontaneous, inspirational monologues included). Check out the feature article and the Peachcake's Daytrotter performance with the greatest haste, readers and lovers. Or stick around Voilà! a little longer, and read up on some Peachcake concerts and memories, and feature articles. Or, but of course, you could always wander straight over to Peachcake's Myspace, and party with them! Regardless, hopefully this is the perfect pick-me-up for another Monday, tomorrow. Have a grand week readers!

Elliot Magazine

Busy busy busy. It's a busy time, folks. School has started for just about everyone now. I'm on my third week, and somewhere between essays, The Picture of Dorian Gray, mes leçons françaises, and a crazy textual analysis course, I try to find times to puruse the internet for the latest and greatest music news. Granted - and if you're a regular reader on Voilà!, I'm sure you've noticed - I don't have all the time in the world. And considering I've started an art project with some international friends, and am way more addicted to Lookbook.nu than I'd normally like to admit - not even beginning to mention that I'm something of a perfectionist, and only want to deliver the best of the best musical articles to you lovely readers - sometimes I just don't have time to write the most quality article with a very high frequency every week. For that, I certainly apologize.

So there wasn't an [Ex]Band of the Week article this time around (we'll call my excuse Labour Day and the presidential speech to Congress last night). But that can only mean two awesome articles for next week! That only brings reasons to get excited to mind. But - and that perfectionist bit is showing right now - I can't just let Voilà! sit completely empty for a week. I have to do something.

Voilà! loves all things independent, from music, to cinema, to literature. We've mentioned our old friends, the Vomitorium Collective Art Concern about one year ago; the indie art magazine still feature some of the greatest contemporary artistic minds you can find on our fine planet. But all this talk of art, culture, and independence is making me tingle with excitement. Because by complete chance, I've stumbled upon something that may just be right up Voilà! readers literary alley.

Elliot Magazine is touted as being a quirky cultural collective from a duo of designers, interested in the presentation of journalistic expression. That might be one bold, longwinded, tongue twister of a claim, but you'd be hard pressed to find some sort of way to contest it! This very sleek, well designed, unique, cultural webzine literally made its inaugural launch today. Filled with 63 pages full of interviews, articles, photographer features, some music articles, Elliot Magazine is due to be an up and coming star in the online cultural scenes. And since I try to tie everything on Voilà! back to music, I'll have you know that besides a couple of neat playlists at the end of the magazine, the debut issue of Elliot Magazine features a favourite from Elliot Magazine's own home town, Toronto: a concert review of Broken Social Scene.

See how your eyes widened and ears perked up, just dying to hear a clip from "Pacific Theme?" Oh yes, reader, I knew your interests would be peaked. For our old friends at Vomitorium, editor-in-chief Brice Baum has released six wonderfully eclectic magazine issues, and is busily working on the seventh issue, due sometime in the future (hopefully soon); you can check out all the news, as well as purchase your own copy of Vomitorium from their official site. As for our new friends at Elliot Magazine, you can wander directly to the free and independent online magazine as we speak, and check out all of the lovely literature they have to offer!

Thao with The Get Down with A New Album!

Friends, real and otherwise! Time to come together!

It's been a long time gone, friends. "Geography" has made a mess of all of us, and even though we've been around our "Swimming Pools", sitting at our "Big Kid Tables," "Yes, So On and On," we haven't forgotten the memories that have been left with us. I could be talking about no less than the wondrous trio of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down!

I was lucky enough to see the cool cats behind the folk rhythms down at South by Southwest during the Mess For Texas performance, following up Cursive. The performance was neat despite crazy Austin winds, and was a refreshing reminder of exactly how awesome Thao and the boys are. But at the time, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down were recently featured in a brand new Daytrotter session, where they performed a new song! Exciting as that is, new songs insinuate that a new album is in the works...

Hopes have now been awarded!

"We are proud and pleased to announce the upcoming release of our new record Know Better Learn Faster-- out Oct. 13th on Kill Rock Stars. To celebrate, we are going on tour. Please see show dates; we are thrilled at the prospect of seeing you again or for the first time.
On this record, we clapped, sang, shouted, laughed, danced, played instruments, and i cried just a little bit, for texture."

Need I say more? Hurry off to Thao with The Get Down Stay Down's Myspace, check out their tour dates, catch up on all their tunes, and get ready for the release of Know Better Learn Faster this October! Huzzah!

Video: Down On Lovin' - The Soft Pack

So Voilà! is featuring different [ex]bands all month long. It's a nice way to get cozy and retrospect about wonderful musicians and songs gone by. Makes one think of past styles, and past musical trends. But it's not all about old music this month; there is room for the new as well!

The Soft Pack draw from the old themselves. Their simple style of straightforward rock reminds many of a brand of rock music that's more old school. But this new band has been keeping themselves quite busy down in Southern California. To be incredibly timely, these boys have just released a brand new song with a video! Filmed straight on the beaches of the Pacific, the blokes of The Soft Pack are playing their latest song, "Down On Lovin'", which is another well crafted song from a wonderful band. You can check it out on Voilà! right here!

The Soft Pack 'Down on Lovin'' from Felipe Lima on Vimeo.