AUSTIN TV

This is the first EP that Mexican post-rock band Austin TV released. Here we can appreciate their musical tendencies and the direction they took since the very first moment: instrumental music, emotional compositions, excellent use of guitar and wonderful atmospheres. Nowadays I can say I like this band a lot, though I have to admit I was really skeptic because of some media misinformation, I remember I hardly wanted to listen to them, now I regret about it.

In this self-titled EP released in 2002 we will find five compositions that make together a total of 20 minutes. So prepare to listen to the light-side of post-rock composed by these talented musicians. "Vendrán lluvias suaves" is a wonderful introduction, four minutes of cool post-rock that surely will make you feel interested. The first moments are a bit weird, with some seconds of violin that all of a sudden disappear in order to open the gates of the true post-rock sound. Nice piano, drums and mellow and emotional guitars. The Explosions in the Sky and God is an Astronaut influences are in my opinion obvious here.

"Phillipe, Je Ne Sais Pas" has a soft sound, that is why I mentioned this is the light side of post-rock. A thing I like about Austin TV is that they like adding some lifestyle sounds as background, as we can notice in the first seconds of this track (and in several songs of theirs). This track also has a beautiful violin sound in the second half, which gives an even more emotional feeling, especially in the last moments where the drums sound also increases.

"Esa soy yo" actually follows the same line as the previous ones, with gentle and emotional guitars. Here the background sounds are spoken words in English, it is like a chat that fills or complements what the music suggests. This is the shortest track, and maybe the one that has less to offer.

"Satélite" may be the continuation of the previous track, here we will once again listen to those spoken words in English, which is a double-sharp weapon, because you can either feel attracted by the same (let's say the band's sound) sound, or feel bored of listening to the same. Though I like what I listen, here I honestly consider that the repetitiveness does not really help the band, at least in this first EP.

And finally "Les Choses Sont Bizarres" whose first two minutes have exactly the same style, then there is a calm passage where keyboards prevail and create a nice atmosphere, and then the track changes and a heavier guitar enters, creating an emotional, fast and even happy sound. However, I have to say I did not really love it.

Well, these are the first steps of this cool Mexican band, and though I like and enjoy this EP, I would not really recommend it, because here they do not show their best, so better to get their full-length albums, and leave this to fans. My final grade will be two stars.

Enjoy it!