-
THE GOOD MUSIC CLUB: Melogrand
[+ Show ]
It’s like an explosion of good music, unfolding right before your very eyes! Time once again to shar...It’s like an explosion of good music, unfolding right before your very eyes! Time once again to share some more amazing performances courtesy of The Good Music Club, the live monthly music event and online video series highlighting local music artists making their mark on the Austin scene. The GMC’s ultimate goal is to share these performances with new fans and resources outside of the Austin area, across the country and worldwide.
This week, we present psych-pop sextet Melogrand. The East Austin-based band was formed by three former members of art-pop group The Story Of. On Melogrand’s incredible debut full-length release, Waves For the Ages, the band crafted a grand, lush, dreamlike soundscape with melodic precision, blending psychedelia, pop, and electronic sounds.
-
MELOGRAND - WAVES FOR THE AGES
[+ Show ]
Out of the ashes of the progressive pop band, The Story Of, which played melodic and expansively-orc...Out of the ashes of the progressive pop band, The Story Of, which played melodic and expansively-orchestrated pop songs and reached national acclaim, was birthed Melogrand. The previous members of The Story Of sourced some of their musically-inclined friends to build the sound of Melogrand, which put out a unique breed of psychadelic pop. Today, Melogrand released their first full length album titled Waves For The Ages as a follow up to their debut 7? in 2010.
Recorded in East Austin at Public Hi-Fi and in their home studio, Waves of The Ages is the product of 13 months of recording and mixing. On the album, you’ll hear dreamy pop punctuated by progressive musical elements like throat singing and drippy guitar effects. Melogrand frequently build up multi-layered soundscapes that make for a huge backdrop for their soaring vocals. I could see fans of Beach House and John Vanderslice really getting into Waves for Ages.
The album is very intricate and incorporates a glut of surprising musical elements throughout the 10-song strong release including a folky breakdown on the first track and a trumpet-featuring bride on “Maribelle” the second track of the album. There’s a good number of standout tracks here, but the repacks of “All the Young” and “We’re Being Robbed” from their previous 7” were instant ear candy and “Modern World” with its rich piano backing and glittering melodic lines was a favorite also. Waves for the Ages has a huge sound and pop accessibility and will be spinning in my metaphoric Discman for a while.
Waves for the Ages is available to stream and purchase at Melogrand’s website here. Also, be on the lookout for Melogrand’s upcoming shows in support of their latest release. Hey, who knows, they might even be playing a SXSW show sponsored by a local music blog that rhymes with nematode.
-
The Good Music Club: Melogrand -- Good clean restlessness
[+ Show ]
Ohio art-pop emigres the Story Of shed three bandmembers, who then added a fellow homelander that mo...Ohio art-pop emigres the Story Of shed three bandmembers, who then added a fellow homelander that moved from California to Austin to fill out Melogrand's core.
-
9 Bands that Made our Year So Far
[+ Show ]
There’s a lot to like in the debut LP from the six member deep Melogrand. Their dreamy pop tunes inc...There’s a lot to like in the debut LP from the six member deep Melogrand. Their dreamy pop tunes incorporate psych and progressive elements along with folk stylings and digital samples. Combined, all of these elements make for a unique sound that’s completely fresh. My favorites off the album are “Modern World” and “All The Young.” Featured in these songs and throughout the whole album is expert craftsmanship. The balance of the acoustic and electronic instrumentation is superb. To my ears, the strummed acoustic chords on “All The Young” are excellently balanced with twinkling melodies on the keys and on “Modern World,” digital samples add great punctuation to the soaring lead vocals. Grab up a copy of Waves For The Ages now if you missed it when it released earlier this year. It’s available on Itunes and on Melogrand’s website to stream.
-
Melogrand - Ohio
[+ Show ]
The group of East Austinites spent over a year recording both at Spoon’s Public Hi-Fi as well as the...The group of East Austinites spent over a year recording both at Spoon’s Public Hi-Fi as well as their home studio. The results are a finely crafted body of solid rock songs clearly influenced by their neighbors. This track has the dusty skinny jeans + worn boots that would be absolutely at home at an East 6th Street dive bar + taco truck.
-
Melogrand - Ohio
[+ Show ]
I first heard Melogrand in 2010 when they released a two song EP. Their brand of psychedelic, folk ...I first heard Melogrand in 2010 when they released a two song EP. Their brand of psychedelic, folk tinged pop (think Fleet Foxes and Band Of Horses) really won me over. Things went quiet for a bit, but now they have a full length titled Waves For The Ages. A lot of the album features a mixture of layered harmonies and guitar riffs alternating from driving and psychedelic to gently strumming and jangly, and I greatly enjoy it. The band is having an album release party on May 11 at Frontier Bar. You should go.
-
Melogrand Interview on Texas Music Matters
[+ Show ]
David Brown: "Laurie Gallardo turns us on to the phoenix-like rise of Melogrand...Bands come and go ...David Brown: "Laurie Gallardo turns us on to the phoenix-like rise of Melogrand...Bands come and go with alarming frequency in this town, but occasionally when they unexpectedly reappear, it often means that there was something happening to good to let go of. Such is the story of Melogrand, risen from the ashes of the late, lamented band, The Story Of. For the past 13 months Melogrand has been recording, mixing, overdubbing, re-arranging, remixing, finally feeling confident enough to send their labors of love off to John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studios for a final mix and on Feb 21st the band is set to release Waves for the Ages, which are are about to get a sneak preview of....
-
Sound Off: Melogrand
[+ Show ]
Building on the chemistry achieved with their former project, The Story Of, Alex Huff, David McCully...Building on the chemistry achieved with their former project, The Story Of, Alex Huff, David McCully, and Michael Brennan teamed with drummer Brian Bolek to create Melogrand earlier this year, and already with a 7? under their belt, the quartet’s melodic pop has been garnering deserved attention down Red River. While maintaining some of the expansive elements that defined The Story Of’s direction, Melogrand smooths the edges with a tighter focus and Brit-pop touch that can still drift into extensive psych-laced digressions, especially live. The band’s debut LP will be released later this year, and looks already to be one the year’s best local premiers. Melogrand will be joining the giant Red River Rocks party this Saturday, August 28, at the Mohawk, which features three stages of bands and DJs including Dead Confederate, Hacienda, Futurebirds, The Eastern Sea, Frank Smith, The Noise Revival Orchestra, The Mercers, Booher and the Turkeyz, The Georgian Company, ZEALE, Freshmillions, Ume, Built By Snow, The Pons, Stereo is a Lie, The Boxing Lesson, Red Falcon, Young Girls, My Education, Team Fabrication, and much more. The party kicks off at 2:00pm.
Profile: Melogrand
Year Formed:
2010
Members/Instruments played:
Alex Huff: Vocals, Guitar
David McCully: Guitar,
Brian Bolek: Drums, Samples, Percussion
Mike Brennan: Bass
Former Bands/Side Projects:
The Story Of (disbanded in 2009)
Oceaneers (Mike and Brian’s side project)
Alex used to play guitar in country rock band Pissant Farmers
Albums:
Melogrand 7? EP (Self-titled / Recorded at Public HiFi) April 2010
Full Length album due out Fall 2010 (Self-Released)
Influences:
We’re influenced by a lot of new bands too, but some of our common mainstays: Beatles, Radiohead, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Tool, Bowie, Belle and Sebastian, Brian Eno, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sigur Ros, Built to Spill, John Vanderslice, M83
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
We were once compared as a cross between Sunny Day Real Estate and Genesis.
Favorite local bands:
Brazos, Balmorhea, The Eastern Sea, Magnifico, The Strange Boys, Mike and the Moonpies, Spoon, Octopus Project, Royal Forest, Wiretree.
Favorite local venue:
Mohawk
Upcoming shows scheduled:
Red River on the Rocks at Mohawk 8/28
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
Twin Sister 8/23, Efterklang 9/24, Guided by Voices 9/30. School of Seven Bells (10/9)
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
The National High Violet, Yeaysayer Odd Blood, The Heligoats Goodness Gracious, Young Man Boy, Phantogram Eyelid Movies, Beach House Teen Dream, Cults Cults 7?, Brazos Phosphorescent Blues, Arcade Fire Suburbs, Efterklang Magic Chairs, Twin Sister Color Your Life.
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
ha, umm…Spoon, The National
Austin Sound questions:
Looking back, what would you say is the story of The Story Of?
It was a story of good friends sharing lives and making music.
If “all the young will die here”, how are they going to die?
It’s not a matter of “how” but “why.”
Song Introduction:
All The Young.
A: This song was written after talking with some teacher friends about their students . It was depressing, but we all agreed that all hope is not lost. The “shaker” in the record is actually a can of Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning.
M: To me, the song is more about the death of the spirit… kids getting wrapped up in societal roles, becoming apathetic, losing the spark. It can be difficult to live on one’s own terms and appreciate each moment. When I think about this theme I also think of Shaw’s quote, “Youth is wasted on the young” or Yates’ poem “Sailing to Byzantium.”
Sound Off:
Memories are just patterns of movement across neurons. Some elicit emotional responses, detected by an arrhythmia in pulse. Take us in your tympanic membrane and we’ll love you ’til we die.
http://vimeo.com/melogrand
-
Melogrand 7-Inch Vinyl Release Show Saturday at The Parish
[+ Show ]
It was no secret that I, your friendly neighborhood Austin Music Minute maven, Laurie Gallardo, was ...It was no secret that I, your friendly neighborhood Austin Music Minute maven, Laurie Gallardo, was absolutely friggin’ gaga over Austin band The Story Of. I was smitten from the moment I got my paws on a copy of Trust in Amanita (2003) and then Foothill Highway Appalachian Road (2005). By the time The World’s Affair came out in 2008, it was a mega-love fest. Captivating, infectious, melodic and absolutely brilliant music came from this quintet. There was something catchy yet emotionally overwhelming within those immense layers of sound that blew my mind. Some of us were literally gushing over that album on the air - me included.
So, you can imagine it was a dark day when I got word from band members David McCully and Michael Brennan that the band was calling it quits. It was basically me emitting one long, wailing “NOOOOOO!” that more than likely embarrassed them both, but they were too nice to say anything about it.
However, the silver lining cheered me right back up. McCully, Brennan and guitarist/vocalist Alex Huff got together with drummer Brian Bolek to form Melogrand. Their tradition of phenomenal songwriting continues. If their two-song preview EP (”All the Young” and my favorite, “We’re Being Robbed”) are any indication of what’s to come, this will be a wonderful thing, indeed.
Melogrand’s first show is Saturday night at The Parish, 214 E. 6th St. It’s their 7-inch vinyl release party; you’ll be able to purchase their new music on vinyl with fab artwork. The show’s bill includes performances by Sad Accordions and Mississippi band Come On Go With Us. Doors open at 8 p.m. Fantastic all around. Highly recommended.
-
PureGrease.com Launch Party w/ Traill of Dead
http://austinist.com/2010/07/02/weekend_music_preview_puregreasecom.php
supersonic
