Photo by Courtney Chavanell
Each month, KUTX turns the spotlight on a local artist as our artist of the month–learn more here.
During his recent My KUTX stint, Austin’s Abram Shook rattled through a kaleidoscopic array of influences: Swedish psychedelia, Brazilian ballads, David Bowie’s electro experiments, the timeless folk of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. It all comes to bear in his own music, but he’s not a dilettante. Shook may have a technician’s ear when constructing his songs, but they all move in organic, unpredictable ways. Landscape Dream–following last year’s solo debut, the stellar Sun Marquee–is a tour de force, bringing tons of ideas into a clear, coherent picture.
Much like White Denim, Shook plays fast and loose with rock and roll. Songs swagger and stomp like Zeppelin one minute before erupting into polyrhythmic passages, only to fade away in a psychedelic haze. He’s a student of the studio, working with a who’s who of Austin producers–including Erik Wofford and Danny Reisch–to bring his unique sound to life. On “Understood,” Shook builds a stuttering funk-rock symphony that’s hard to categorize–just like Abram Shook himself. Take a listen and download below.
Landscape Dream is out May 12 and you can catch Abram Shook at the Mohawk on May 15.
–Art Levy
