Our “Voyeur Video” series is a lot like porn for music lovers. Shot in one take at locations around the city, the videos are intimate, stripped down and raw–nothing like traditional live performances. Enjoy!

Last fall, Austin’s The Black and White Years released Patterns, one of my favorite albums of 2010. With its rich layers of sounds, melodic synths and danceable beats, it felt like the band had found their voice. Here’s an excerpt of my review:

For me, “Patterns” feels a little like a journey through the inner self. With it’s dense layers of sound, there’s something organic and shamanistically spiritual about the album. In fact, it kinda makes me feel like I’ve taken mushrooms.  Plus, the lyrics carry us through one man’s journey that begins in a place that’s empty and pointless and ends with the discovery of what’s important to him. But don’t let that scare you away; it’s ultimately a danceable, uplifting album that I can’t stop playing. [Check out the full review of The Black and White Years's "Patterns" here.]

Months later and the album is STILL in heavy rotation on my playlist.

Fresh off winning a 2011 Roary award for Best Austin Band, we recently met up with The Black and White Years to shoot a Voyeur Music Video. For the shoot, the band chose a special arrangement of the song “Cold.”

One of my favorite tracks off the album, Cold reminds me of going up in a glass elevator: Almost inspirational, the  dancing synths carry us higher towards the heavens. As you look out through the glass from high above the earth, you can see the city beneath you, giving you a different perspective of where you are and where you’ve been.

The Black and White Years hold an elevator at the W.

With that concept in  mind, we lovingly crashed the W Residencies to take advantage of their super chic elevators (hardwood floors, a female robot voice with a British accent, animal hide-lined walls) and floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Right before sunset, all 4 members of the band plus drums, keyboards and guitars (and me and my camera) piled into an elevator headed to the yet unfinished penthouse suite. Rising to the top, the band played a stripped down, amazing arrangement of what is normally a fully electronic track. As the final note gets played on the mini-synth, we walk out to a stunning full view of South Austin at sunset.

Check it:

What happens when you play in an elevator? Some people have to sit on the floor.

The Black and White Years – “Patterns”

The Black and White Years are playing FRIDAY night at Stubb’s. If their performance last week at the Roaries was any indication, it’s gonna be a dance-tastic time. You’ll also be graced by the lyrical skills of Austin electro-rapper Zeale. Grab tix quick, we’ve heard they are close to selling out!

• EXPERIENCE: “101x Homegrown Live welcomes The Black and White Years and Zeale” (Friday, 02.24.11); Stubb’s Indoor (801 Red River St, 78701); 10P-1A; $13  Facebook Event or Buy Tickets

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Not sure if you guys are big Bowie fans, but I love the man. With a diverse body of work that includes everything from folk music to 80′s pop to Drum and Bass, the dude has gone through quite a few changes in his career. The biggest jump was probably from folk to funky. I wasn’t alive at the time, but I always wonder if he was changing his style or finally recognizing the sound that he’d always wanted to make?

This is the question I asked myself a couple weeks ago when I received a copy of the new album by Austin’s Black and White Years. From the dreamy “Up!” to the echoing, heavenly loops on the closing track “Promises,” this album is distinctly different. The college rock drums and guitars are gone, replaced by rich layers of sound and melodic synth lines. For me, “Patterns” is a well-thought techno-pop album that shows the bands true voice.

For me, “Patterns” feels a little like a journey through the inner self. With it’s dense layers of sound, there’s something organic and shamanistically spiritual about the album. In fact, it kinda makes me feel like I’ve taken mushrooms.  Plus, the lyrics carry us through one man’s journey that begins in a place that’s empty and pointless and ends with the discovery of what’s important to him. But don’t let that scare you away; it’s ultimately a danceable, uplifting album that I can’t stop playing.

Track-by-track listen to Black and White Years new album “Patterns”

• The opening track Up! sets the mood for the album. Dreamy, almost Japanese-sounding synths swirl around like early morning grogginess. Like an alarm clock, the vocals kick in: “Wake Up. It’s morning,” reminding us of another day of stress ahead: work, maybe a boring relationship and the artist’s quest to balance a job and art. He questions his own work: “There are too many artists, too much noise and not enough genius.” Or maybe it’s a wake-up call to the masses influenced by pop music?
• As Thick As Thieves takes us through a scarlet darkwave journey through paranoid love. With all the isolation of a Suicide track combined with the emotional synths of the Knife, it’s violent yet danceable. Distorted everything, but still uptempo and poppy, like Joy Division on a happy day, it ends with an electric guitar riff layered over distant grunts. My favorite track on the album, I’ve had this on constant repeat all week. <3 srsly.
  • LISTEN: “Thick as Thieves” by Black and White Years

• Patterns feels like a Cut Copy track if they stripped away all the diva disco beats, and dance floor light. Love the harpsicord. And how can you go wrong with a song that talks about dancing? Actually, I think this might be some sort of metaphor about Plato’s the Cave?
  • DOWNLOAD: “Patterns” by Black and White Years [right click to download]

• Animal Behaviors uses a dark, grimy synth line, techno beats and  fun wordplay to explore the relationship between modern man and our animalistic self. This is that heady part of the trip where you’re alone, exploring your darker side.
• Perfect is definitely the most trippy track on the album. Looping high-pitched pygmy voices, I’m kind of reminded of 90s techno band Deep Forrest. The keys kinda drift between 60s psychedelic playful to a cinematic Vangelis. This is where our hero starts to come out of his head.
• Luck and Timing has a dirty, funky synth line. There’s something sardonic about the lyrics–like Pink Floyd’s “Money” except less obvious and more Buddhist. He’s discovered his true self. Another one of my favesies on the album.
• Quintessential Twenty-something is a brilliant pop song. The uptempo beats remind me of Knife’s Deep Cuts album with a dash of Erasure. With his new found knowledge of himself, our hero reflects on a past relationship.
• Helen has a beautiful 80′s synth pop sound that reminds me of early Depeche Mode or Yaz. Very heavenly song about reconciliation with a lover.
• Silence Is Our Medicine is like if Prince and Gary Numan had a kid and raised it at Elysium. Seriously, I swear there’s a Prince sample in there. Love this song.
• Everything’s Eventual reminds me of a 90′s pop song. Maybe Color Me Bad? Back track has some house music horns and strings. Makes me think someone is in love…woooooo
• Promises continues the happy house, lovefest. This is that part of the trip when you all sort of gel. Watching the sun come up, everyone is feeling good. You want to be with your friends forever. Such a HAPPY HAPPY song It’s like

The album comes out next Tuesday, but if you can’t wait that long to hear it, scoot on down to the Album Release Party TONIGHT at ND Studios. You can also cop the first single, Up!, on iTunes.

• EXPERIENCE: “101X Homegrown Live Presents The Black and White Years CD Release Party w/ Sip Sip and MoTel Aviv” (Friday, 11.12.10); ND Studios (E. 5th St and Brushy, 78702); Doors at 9P;  Do512 Event

Like an early Christmas gift, two of our favorite Austin musicians are dropping new new on you you today.

Amy Cook Releases “Hotel Lights,” the First Single Off New Album

First up is Austin’s desert song bird Amy Cook.  Last summer, Amy was in the studio recording her new album with Alejandro Escovedo.  Over the last couple of months, she’s been up in the lab finalizing the mix of the album. Well today the world gets to sample the end result with Hotel Lights, the first single off the new album. [Check out our interview with Amy Cook from last August.]

Hotel Lights has been one of my favorite songs from Amy’s live set over the last few months. Something about the tenderness of the song touches something inside me and takes me back to a time before I’d been burned by love.

True to her craft, Amy fills the song with poetry and imagery. For me, the song is painted in pinks, and it feels like you’re experiencing an intimate moment.  Neon lights from the hotel spill across her lover’s naked body. As she reflects on the night, it’s almost like she wonders will this love be fleeting.  And if it is, at least they’ll still have the hotel lights.

Get a free download of Hotel Lights from Amy’s site [Click on "Hotel Lights MP3 Download" on the left side], or purchase it off iTunes. Oh yeah, did we mention that Patty Griffin adds supporting vocals?!

COMMENT: What do you think? What do you see from the song?

We emailed Amy a couple of questions, just to make it fun:

RoA: You made the album with Alejandro Escovedo. Did you learning anything from him in the process?

AC: I could write a dissertation on the things I have learned from Alejandro.

I will list a few things he has told me:

• Look your best.
• Sing like you’re singing to one person.
• Don’t get a drug problem.
• Get to the good part.
• Praise Jah for the many blessings.

RoA: Has a release date been set?

AC: 3-2-10

RoA: How will you be spending the holidays?

AC: Marfa, Texas, baby.

New Video for “Two Reservoirs” from The Black and White Years

Today we also get to see a new video from the Black and White Years for “Two Reservoirs.”  Where Amy’s “Hotel Lights” shares a warm, intimate moment, “Two Reservoirs” feels more a summer love–or is it?

The song’s happy-go-lucky whistling open immediately makes you think it’s a song about a fun fling. When the whistling fades, the singing begins. With David Bowie crooning, we hear “we were too young to be lovers,” but does he believe it?

For me, it’s kinda like when you go on a few really cool dates with a person, maybe have a couple of hot nights–but they seem to pull away. Instead of trying to convince them to just give it time, you try to find all the reasons why it won’t work in order to convince yourself it wasn’t meant to be.

COMMENT: Check out the video for yourself. Let me know what you think. Am I right?! Is he really over it? OR just trying to convince himself?! You can also download “Two Reservoirs” for free from the Black and White Years’s website.

The Black and White Years “Two Reservoirs” from Matthew Hoffman on Vimeo.

INTERVIEW: At Red Bull Locally Grown, we hung out with the Black and White Years. They’ve been working hard in the studio with some new ish coming out soon. We shot Landon a couple of questions for follow-up. Here’s what he said:

RoA: You guys are in the studio. When’s it gonna be ready? What should we expect from the new material?

TBAWY: We actually just finished another batch of 5 songs and we’re looking for a home (a label) for the new LP.  The newest material sounds more polished than the EP.  The writing is more focused and lyrically has everything to do with psychology, sociology, science and the modern age.  The music reflects it too.  Kinda has that lab coat vibe.

RoA: If you had to get one member of the band a white elephant gift, who would get it and what would it be?

TBAWY: I’d gift the whole band a self portrait of me enjoying the gifts I intended to give them but enjoyed myself….i.e. a smoked turkey, bottle of jameson, a “bowl” of Austin’s finest……;)

OH YEAH: Don’t forget to nominate these Austin bands and others for our Austin music awards, the Roaries.

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