CONSIDER THE SOURCE - ARE YOU WATCHING CLOSELY?

Let the outright fangirling begin. 

A few years ago when I first stumbled into the music scene a couple of friends continuously name dropped a band named Consider The Source. They came to town early on in my days in the DFW scene but I wasn't able to attend due to suffering from a car accident two days prior. So I gave them a spin on youtube and realized how bummed I was that I had missed them that March eve. But lo and behold I was informed that in June of 2011 they would be returning, even more thrilling was that they were playing in Denton on the night of my 18th birthday. But life has funny ways of making things happen my friends. I missed Consider The Source again for a second time that summer, due to an accident that occurred in West Virginia while my family and I were on vacation. Later that summer one night while I was playing minecraft with my friend Alex he decided to give the album "Are You Watching Closely?" a spin. Prior to this point the only CtS material I had heard was from their third album "That's What's Up!", an album phenomenal in its own right, no where near hooked me quite as much as "Are You Watching Closely?" got me. 

I ordered a copy from the local record store and it didn't come in until early October of 2011 and the rest of that year and up until this point now where I am typing this out, I am still utterly in love with this album.

Consider the Source is a hard band to pin down on what they play, they have prog moments, jazz, metal, sci-fi, funk, and even middle eastern moments in their music. It is literally all over the place. But what separates Consider The Source from a good chunk of prog and jam bands is that they do not sacrifice technicality for clever songwriting. There is not one boring moment on this album, the trio shift through moments of serene beauty to moments of pummeling force and back again. The most prime example of the CtS sound would be the second track "(Good Point) Wandering Bear" where in the middle of the song comes out this phenomenal slap riff on the bass and the guitars just begin to shred. 

Consider the Source comes through DFW about once or twice a year, most every time playing in Denton. I finally caught them in April of 2012, to date this is the only time I have seen them and literally the best band I have ever seen live. If you aren't into prog or any sort of music like that, give this album a shot. If you like this for the love of satan go buy this and see them. They do not let down. 

JAM IT!

ACHTÖNE! - S/T

And now for something entirely different. Achtöne! were a band from Denton that were around for a couple years and then dropped from the face of Earth. The band's sound was easily described as Psychedelic Post Rock, and is some seriously chilled out tunes. 

I remember catching them once at Rubber Gloves on the recommendation of a friend of mine (mainly as something to do, the fuel pump was out on my truck and I was dying to go see Creamers at 1919 but alas that didn't happen). That was a very chilled out show for the most part, but I remember Achtöne! being phenomenal that night and buying their CD.

The band's sound is a very good representation of their live sound, very smooth, very jammy and at times having some very Pink Floyd esc moments (A Falling Canyon And Green Grass in particular). And a definite shout out to the bassist of this band for holding down these monster grooves on this little EP.

Soon after the release of this EP, Achtöne! put out one more single this time adding vocals to the frey. While not bad in any sense, it didn't seem to have the same atmosphere that this EP had. Not long after the single hit bandcamp, Achtöne! broke up. Copies of this CD are still lingering around Denton, Recycled Books for one has about six copies of this discounted down to $3 a piece. But if you feel like giving this a go right now you can download it here.