Austra
My local Indy radio station is WKNC 88.1 and they are one of the best college radio stations in the nation. They were even nominated for an MTVU Woodie for Best College Radio Station. Not bad! Well, they usually have a band or two that the obsess over each month. A few months ago it was Austra. Soon after hearing a song or two from them, I too began to obsess over them. They are a New Wave band from Canada who have created a dynamic, over-arching sound that mixes elements from electronica, dance and classical music together. They are lead by Katie Stelmanis whose middle name is Austra, which is the Latvian Goddess of Light. That's like if my middle name was Zeus, pretty sweet. The trio is completed by drummer Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf. Even though the share the workload in writing the music, Stelmanis is at the front and center of everything they do, hence the picture above.
Their debut album, Feel It Break was released by Domino Records on May 17th of this year. Critical acclaim, fanfare and comparisons followed soon there after. They have everything a successful band needs. A lead singer with a powerful and memorable voice, great rhythmic foundations, monster bridges, and sensational hooks. They sound like Bjork, The Knife and Zola Jesus had a very crazy musical orgy, made a baby and gave all of their best gifts to the child. That is a loud statement to make, but Austra has backed me up already. Feel It Break is simply brilliant! It moves fluidly, it pulls your energy and it tugs on all areas of the mind. Stereogum even had it in the Top 5 of their albums of the First Half of the Year. It will most likely make my Top 10 for the year. Austra will beat your heart to a pulp, beat your brains to mush and your feet will keep dancing all the while!
Check Out These Tracks:
- Beat And The Pulse
- Spellwork
- Shoot the Water
- The Noise
