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(L TO R) MATT STOESSEL, T. HARDY MORRIS AND THAYER SARRANO
N onlocal media often cite Athens' music mecca status in
such generic and ill-informed terms that the self-doubt
starts to creep up for even the staunchest scene sup
porter. You've no doubt found yourself wondering from time to
time if Athens' music scene is really still all that vital. But then
you smacked yourself in the head, because, well, duh.
Still, it is our burden as the Classic City's colorbearer to
occasionally remind the outside world that our cultural rel
evance didn't end in the 1980s. Below, we've compiled a list of
some upcoming local music that has got Flagpole all hot and
bothered. And, of course, there's plenty more where this came
from???so y'all keep calm and carry on.
Drive-By Truckers: TBA
In addition to the much-anticipated re-release (including
an expanded vinyl version) of their 2000 live record Alabama
Ass Whuppin', the Truckers will enter Chase Park Transduction
in August to record their 10th studio album with longtime
producer David Barbe. Frontman Patterson Hood tells Flagpole
the band plans to "[cut] it fast, mostly live in studio. The cur
rent lineup of the band is really kicking, and we're wanting to
capture what we're doing right now." All of which seems to
indicate that the record will be a fierier affair than 2011's soul
ful but too-restrained Go-Go Boots, a conjecture sure to excite
longtime DBT fans. The record, which is as yet untitled (might
we suggest A Fierier Affair?), is this list's lone straggler: it
won't come out this year, although Hood promises that it will
see the light of day in "very early 2014." But don't begrudge
the Truckers their turtle's pace: it's a Southern thing.
Elf Power: Sunlight on the Moon
With over a dozen albums under its belt, the steadfast
Elephant 6 anchor that is Elf Power could be forgiven for rest
ing on its laurels. Instead, led by the warped but friendly
mind of frontman Andrew Rieger, the band continues to push
forward. The appropriately psychedelic-sounding Sunlight on
the Moon, out this October via the group's own Orange Twin
imprint, looks to be another strong outing. Recorded in vari
ous locales and capacities???Rieger's home studio; The Glow
Recording Studio with engineer Jesse Mangum; the haunted
and historic Gypsy Farm compound in Lavonia???the album will
reportedly return to the fuzzed-out psych-folk of the band's
earliest material and also pay heed to the group's "powerful
live bombast." Elf Power will accompany the reunited Neutral
Milk Hotel on a handful of tour dates this fall, but Rieger says
his band will "probably play some house parties or smaller
shows this summer to get ready." Keep your eyes peeled.
T. Hardy Morris: Audition Tapes
Anyone who's caught a T. Hardy Morris and the Outfit show
over the last couple years knows that the Dead Confederate
frontman is equally comfortable with the tender and the tough.
Audition Tapes, Morris' debut solo outing, is set to drop July
30 via L.A. indie label Dangerbird Records. "I've always written
lots of songs that don't necessarily fit the Dead Confederate
sound," says Morris, "and I just happened to have enough time
last year to finally record a handful of them." The album is full
of nostalgic, country-rubbed tunes Morris recorded in Nashville,
"onto tape and late at night," like "Hardstuff," a haunting,
elegiac song featuring local session dude Matt Stoessel on
pedal steel. (Other notable guests, like songstress Thayer
Sarrano and The Black Lips' Ian St. Pe, pop up throughout).
Having already put our greasy ear-paws all over this one, we
can attest to its solidity. Lead single "OK Corral" is one of our
favorite tracks of the year???and yes, we know it's only May.
murk daddy flex: MDF
Terence Chiyezhan's mesmerizing beatscapes seemed to
emerge from nowhere. Crowned with the excellent murk daddy
flex moniker, the sound explorer's 2012 Compilation series
proved to budding creators that, if it's a psychedelic sound
collage you're looking to weave, Audacity beats Pro Tools any
day of the week. Hip hop in spirit but punk in execution,
Chiyezhan's music breaks DJ music's rigid boundaries and dis
covers new sonic worlds in the process. MDF, murk daddy flex's
official debut, has been available on Bandcamp for a couple
months with the caveat that it's "in progress," providing folks
with a rare opportunity to witness an album's construction
from start to finish. "I have been using some of the same
sound effects/elements for different purposes in different
tracks, and I think that will help give the album a sense of
continuity," says Chiyezhan. Early sketches reveal a titillating
and quixotic sound, like Boards of Canada exploring West Coast
hip hop, the stuff of a music nerd's wet dreams.
Muuy Biien: DYI
Don't be surprised if the drolly titled DYI (or "Do Yourself
In"), Muuy Biien's official debut for local label HHBTM Records,
ends up being a pretty dramatic departure from the group's
flint-and-spark hardcore beginnings. But don't expect a lack of
dynamism, either. Controlled chaos has always been the name
of Muuy Biien's game, and early reports are that the band has
focused its energy inward, adding a whole new layer of ten
sion to its already tightly wound music. Frontman Josh Evans
told us last year that the band's follow-up to This is What Your
Mind Imagines would draw from an unlikely set of influences???
namely, the gloomy death-rock of groups like Bauhaus and
Christian Death. Recent live performances, which have seen
the band easing back on tempo but ramping up the attitude,
have seemed to confirm this development. The album, which
is finished, will sit tantalizingly on the proverbial shelf until it
finally emerges late this year on CD and LP.
Gabe Vodicka
Also in the works
Blue Blood: TBA The promising debut from Hunter Morris??? new
psych-pop supergroup, which features members of Kuroma
and Dead Confederate, is finished but looking for a label to call
home.
Easter Island: TBA EP Studio wizard Andy LeMaster will helm
the boards for the local post-rock band???s forthcoming EP, which
the band says will be out ???early next year, at the very latest.???
Adam Musick: TBA The former Southern Bitch frontman, who
left a life of music to run a pig farm in Virginia, is finishing up
a long-awaited solo album here in town. A documentary film,
MUSICKLAND, will follow.
New Madrid: TBA Coming off a breakout year, the local roots-
rockers will begin recording their Normaltown Records debut
this July at Chase Park. The album???s set to drop in early 2014.
Tunabunny: Kingdom Technology Sticking to its self-
imposed one-album-per-year minimum, the prolific and
awe-inspiring experimental pop group will release its fourth
full-length this fall via HHBTM.
MAY 29, 2013-FLAGP0LE.COM 9