Don’t have a lot to say on this Monday, but this is a great playlist to smoothly transition into the start of the week. Let’s work on stopping the fear mongering that the media and politics and WHAT FEELS LIKE EVERYTHING AROUND US is spewing. People can’t take away your positivity or hopefulness.
It was 2012, I was a spry 28 years old spending a weekend at Austin City Limits in Austin, TX with a group of great friends and music lovers. We walked into the concert at Zilker Park in the early afternoon on a sunny Friday to a band I had heard of but never heard, Delta Spirit.
The song we heard is indelibly marked in my brain as a reminder of that day, that weekend, and the joys that music can bring, bringing friends closer together:
“Tear It Up,” from Delta Spirit’s self-titled third album, was the opening to our weekend of fun and a hell of an anthem. What a memory.
Eight years have passed, and Delta Spirit just released their fifth album, What Is There. I’ve listened to it all the way through a few times, and it’s great. I want to say it’s their best, but I’m still debating whether their self-titled album was better.
Wherever I end up on that internal debate, nothing will take my ears off of “Making Sense,” the first track on today’s mixtape, and on e of the best songs Delta Spirit has made. There’s something to the spacey synth that punctuates this song. It ties together a typical yet great Delta Spirit song.
“The Pressure” is another banger by Delta Spirit on the mixtape. Their energy is infectious and the pace non-stop.
Another thing I’ll never forget from that awesome set at ACL in 2012 was their frontman/guitarist, Matthew Vasquez, in the midst of his band going to town on a hard rock interlude, started climbing the scaffolding on the side of the main stage. Easily twenty feet into the air, high off god knows what (I can’t imagine it was just life at 1pm in the afternoon, but who am I to judge?), he starts dangling with one arm and swinging on the scaffolding.
We’re all witnessing a potential death while also getting to see some crazy rock star shit a la Eddie Vedder.
I remember the look on his bandmates’ faces. They continued to play, but they all saw their future falling before their eyes in the name of rock. Most of them looked slightly bemused. No one was angry, no one was particularly scared. That was Matthew being Matthew, I suppose.
But I’ll remember the energy. The feel of the crowd’s shock, fear, and genuine appreciation of some dude’s craziness and commitment to being a showman.
Vasquez climbed down easily, grabbed the mic, and screamed on.
Starting the mixtape with a new troubadour by the name of Alfie Templeton. He’s giving me some vibes of a more pop oriented Mac Demarco. His track “Stop Thinking (About Me)” show his pop chops while “Tragic Love” has that total Mac Demarco chilled out vibe.
ALPINE. These guys & gals are VERY underrated. A Is For Alpine is a really great debut album (from 2013) and no one sounds like them. They just released a new track that is as catchy as their best stuff and a hint of what’s to come on their new album. Check them out, go deep!
Speaking of underrated, Spoon is one of those somewhat unsung heroes of rock n’ roll. They’ve kept the torch alive for all the new bands to take rock forward, and they’re one of the most consistent bands in all of music.
Whitney’s debut album was really good. I can see how they’re divisive since the lead singer’s voice, is, um, a bit high, a bit weird, a bit whiny, and maybe VERY annoying to some, but it works for me, and they’ve developed a pretty big following. I compare them a bit - at least via the relaxed vibe - to Real Estate, though I’ll take Real Estate over them any day of the week.
Omar Apollo sounds like a mix between Gary Clark Jr. and Leon Bridges. Need I say more?
Faye Webster. If you didn’t read my earlier stuff, her album this year is easily one of my favorites, it might still be sitting at #1 today. SO LISTEN.
AND HAVE A GOOD WEEK.