In an era dominated by digital downloads and music streaming services, the local record shop has gone the way of 8-tracks, flip phones and Atari game systems. But one local entrepreneur is bucking the industry trends by bringing a new record store to Austin.
Austin rockers Thieves are breaking all the rules. Whether they’re redrawing the boundaries of pop punk, or crawling across abandoned train tracks on government property in the dead of night while touring through Alabama, it’s clear that Thieves is well-positioned to steal the hearts and minds of everyone they encounter in 2015 and beyond.
With the music scene in Austin growing exponentially, there is a new band rising to the top almost every month. To make a mark in the overflow of talent, a group has to be capable of bringing a new dynamic to the table. Combining the smooth sound of jazz with the head-nodding rhythms of hip-hop, MODAL is a potential poster-child for innovative music in the “Live Music Capital of the World.”
After stumbling upon an art pop-up playing FKA Twigs’ videos in New York city this past August, I quickly declared my passionate love for the British talent. I don’t really know how to accurately underscore FKA Twigs’ value. She’s smart, her voice is the human version of church chimes, and she dances like a water bender. Also, her hair is like something you would see out of a Star Wars movie — in a good way.
Remember when MTV actually stood for “Music Television”? No? Well, the ORANGE Music staff does, and we’re still bitter about the change. At a ripe average age of just 20, we might be dating ourselves this week, but we consider these music videos game-changers in a field that is rapidly becoming a dying art.
Fame is fickle. Often the ones who are most worthy of the spotlight will go through their careers without ever reaching it. For some reason or another, these artists have yet to be embraced by the mainstream on the scale that we think they deserve. But at least we know they’re great, and our fingers are crossed.
Since 1994, local radio station KVRX has played local artists for college students’ listening pleasure. But if the station hopes to keep playing “none of the hits, all of the time,” as their motto proudly declares, they need to make some changes. The station has been running on the same transmitter for 20 years, and it could give out any day.
One of the prerequisites for being a music writer is believing in your own impeccable taste. If we have the potential to influence the public’s perception and consumption of new music, we have to like stuff that doesn’t suck. Still, we’re only human, and we all deserve a few get-out-of-jail-free cards. We can hold on to our favorite guilty pleasures without owing anybody an explanation. It could be worse. It could be Nickelback.
A proper movie-watching experience goes far beyond the visual appeal. A good soundtrack heightens the viewer’s enjoyment and understanding of the film, articulating the emotional impact of a scene when words might fail. Our favorite soundtracks do just that. They elevate their respective movies from mere entertainment to true art.
Fun Fun Fun Fest entertained Austin for its eighth year with fun, as promised. Relive the three days through these images captured by ORANGE photographers.
