Maile Carballo: “Heavenly. Ethereal. Absolute perfection. I’m beyond excited to see how far this group of wonderfully talented musicians goes, and even more than thrilled to witness it all come to life in our sweet town of Austin. Behold The Grandmaster!”

Aaron ‘Fresh’ Knight: “While the song is short, I think that is the great thing about this Mike Melinoe single: it makes you want more. “Casper” has an infectious hook, a beat you can bounce and groove to, and the Detroit native, now Austin based, delivers what feels like a certified hit.”

Confucius Jones: “Austin’s Mike Melinoe dropped one of the best albums of any genre with STRCHLD. What’s wild is that it isn’t even the best song on the album, but it still sounds better than 95% of the music coming out of Austin.”

Bill Childs: “This is the song, for some reason, that finally made me realize the genius of Charley Crockett. Crockett says he wrote the album in truck stops and casinos, and that’s the vibe here. Perfection.”

Bill Childs: “This relatively new side project from the Mekons and Waco Brothers veteran was all over SXSW this year (while the Waco Brothers closed out Rock the Shores with a raucously fun set). It’s a collaboration with Alice Spencer, Tamineh Gueramy, and frequent Langford side man John Szymanski. This gentle and deceptively simple seeming number, featured on Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, does as the best Langford tracks do—celebrate stories.“

Confucius Jones: “Anyone who listens to me on Sundays has definitely heard this song. Former AOTM S.L. Houser dropped an amazing album last year but this song gets spins like it came out last week. Ask my shower. “

Diego Artea: “I first discovered this band on the radio  while driving to work and I instantly turned the volume up. I’m a sucker for the country twang this band brings to Austin. Seeing them perform in the KUTX Studio1A made me love them that much more.”

Jack Anderson: “First and foremost, kudos to the group formerly known as Baby for changing their name into something infinitely more findable online. This one’s best enjoyed back to back with its companion piece “Not Forever”. But even on its own, “Stain” has made a mark on the Texas psychedelia spectrum with Tame Impala-type energy.”

Jack Anderson: “Hard not to latch on this one and its hypnotic, lofty vocal loop. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. And its repetitiveness is mitigated by an arrangement that never sounds too same-y. I wouldn’t be too surprised if this one gains more traction in the world of house DJs.”

Jacquie Fuller: “You know those clouds that give you temporary respite on brilliantly hot days? That’s Del Grandi’s Stereolab-cool voice here – floating gently over an expansive, hot vista of rolling hills and jagged roadcuts. Reynolds is nothing if not a landscape painter. Like everything he does, this song is widescreen.”

Jay Trachtenberg: “They may not be opening for the Rolling Stones anytime soon despite what you’ve read online but this smokin’, largely instrumental, this Austin drum-keyboard-guitar trio is one to definitely keep your eye on.”

Jeff McCord: “With an album finally on the way, the Austin five-piece show little signs of diverting from their finely controlled chaos. Singer/guitarist Thom Waddill applies his weird warbly vocals to lyrics about the famed 1800’s chemist and his snake-like polymers, yet all you want to do is dance.”

Trina Quinn: “ATX making art of noise!”

Taylor-Wallace-Riegel: “Our April Artist of the Month continues to reaffirm that title and show why they were asked to open for Yard Act on a leg of their North American tour. A fresh reminder of why my favorite genre (dance punk) is just that. Most of their material leans more post-punk, but the LCD Soundsystem-influenced groove here is undeniable. Please watch their Studio 1A session and see them when they return to town. Your trance awaits.”

Jody Denberg: “Leave it to Alejandro to reinvent a song he first released in 1992 on his solo debut “Gravity” and make it sound like he wrote it yesterday. In fact all his re-inventions of his songs on this year’s Echo Dancing make the compositions seem new and relevant to today.”

Soundfounder: “One of the best hip hop acts in Austin remixed by one of the best electronic producers in town in Drum n Bass style. The result is a super solid, fun track that really shows off the various talents of everyone involved.”

Taylor-Wallace Riegel: “A great project from Borzoi’s Rhys Woodruff.  Borzoi’s technical, art-punk style lays ground for a more dampened, garage sound without dropping any of Woodruff’s flare for time signature fun. They’ve been breadcrumbing excellent singles leading up to their full debut in the fall. Expect to see these guys on many Austin stages soon.”

Trina Quinn: “ATX banger!”

Trina Quinn: “ATX summer dreams”