LATE PASS: WESTERN CIV TO PLAY WARPED TOUR, TOTALLY FREE VIP SHOW

Man, we're so behind the ball on this one, it's a wonder we're even posting it, since it's already been on Handstamp and Space City Rock (and we know you read both of these - right? RIGHT! - you should, and not just because SCR just gave us a big WUT UP the other day, but because they catch stuff we miss all the time. Also true for Free Press, Houston Calling, Houstoned Rocks and Breakfast on Tour. Damn 713, way to have a bunch of rock blogs). Anyway, back to Rachel's band. Reggie O'Farrell, who needs to get more dictatorial on his band in the RECORD ANOTHER RECORD department, wrote to tell us about a free show they have coming up at Club XO. Free, that is, if you get on the guest list. Well, that's not hard to do either, you won't need to have any sort of pre-qualified pedigree, not the right name or the right pair of Z-Cavaricci pleated slacks.

Nope, all you need to do is drop an email to westerncivbooking at gmail dot com and give them your name. And your friends names. Or just your name and a number of friends you plan to bring. Or whatevz. They'll be sharing the stage last night with their pals, New York's Via Audio. Rock. Also, those over 18 but under 21 - you can get in too, but you'll have to pay a cover. So yeah, they're looking to just play a big crazy show to as many folks as possible for as free as possible. So, if you haven't yet caught them, this might be the time to do so. Party.

In other Western Civilization news, they still aren't recording a follow up to their totally fun, totally should be in your collection debut, nor have they releases a set of Rachel trading cards. BUT - they are going to be playing the Vans Warped Tour this year when it grinds its way through town like a Veriflex on a hand-rail. They are now accepting donations of used Vision Street Wear t-shirts to don for the occasion. JK.

PS - This post was terrible, and we apologize to everyone who struggled through it and especially the Western Civilization.

UPDATES FROM THE ROAD: THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION

FTW RACHEL FROM WESTERN CIVILIZATION IS SO HOT. HOLY HANDBAGS BY MONICA SHE IS EPIC! LOOK AT HER PLAYING THE MANDOLIN, LOOK! GREAT FRANCHISE OF BOND WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE CARVE HER IMAGE INTO MARBLE AND PUT IT IN THE LOBBY OF A BANK BECAUSE SHE COULD END THE MORTGAGE CRISIS AND CREDIT CRUNCH WITH ALL THAT VENUS. OK, WE GIVE, IT'S PARTLY 'CAUSE SHE WORKS WITH LEVI @ GUITAR CENTER.

But in other Western Civilization news, the fine fivesome has been on the road for a few weeks in support of high gas prices and their still perterbidly underappreciated and self-titled and debut and other adjectives LP. We got an update from Reggie, HE WHO SINGS AND STRUMS AND PRODUCES (including the WHPIS OF RACHEL debut Buxton LP, actually, which we will get around to review sometime between now and 2015), and we thought we would pass some highlight on:

Pretty much the whole first week was cursed with empty shows and no money to speak of. $90 stops at the gas station were not exactly helping moral at that point either. The fist show was in Baton Rouge, LA where we played with a band from Baltimore and no local band at all. Despite two blogs supporting the show and a radio interview there was still only about 10 people at the show (counting the other band). Birmingham saw us play with a blues band and a jam band. Atlanta was an acoustic show where we played to the other band and their girlfriends. There was an uplifting night in Greenville, SC where we came across the nicest club owner on planet earth at The Gypsy. We were payed $200, fed dinner, and given free drinks. Bless that man. Mostly empty shows in Asheville, Greensboro, and Chapel Hill, NC. Despite the disappointing shows of week one, we still met some pretty awesome people. We also got to revisit friends that we made randomly last time around. It is a really cool feeling to be able to revisit all of these amazing people. No matter how small the crowds have been, we have always been well received.

Oh damn dude. We almost didn't want to read anymore. Oh word, things turn a corner?

Things finally started to turn around in Greenville, NC when we played at a little know gem called the Spazzatorium Galleria. This really felt like the first show of the tour for us. You can tell when people are genuinely interested and excited to be at a show and we felt it in full force that night. People danced, sang, yelled, drank, fell down, lost clothing. The after party lasted until dawn. It was everything that a night on tour should be. Congratulations once again Greenville, NC on one uping every major city in the eastern U.S. with your pure awesomeness. The next night we played a house party for a bunch of cool kids in Fredericksburg, VA. There was a problematic college radio performance in Philly (they couldn't get half of their mics to work). The show that night was alright. Philly is dirty.

Philly only really got dirty since Brian McManus moved there. We miss that dude. Oh yeah, back to the East Coast - NYC! MAKE IT HERE, YOU CAN MAKE IT SOME OTHER NON-HOUSTON PLACES!

April 17th was our NYC debut at Piano's. There were actually a lot of people there. With the exception of a couple of technical difficulties with the P.A. during our set, everything went really well. We got lots of compliments. So far the comical highlight of the tour happened before our set that night outside the venue. There was a really corporate sounding local rap rock diva by the name of "Krista" that had a set in front of a bunch of industry invitees to kick off the show. After her set we were standing outside while she was being interviewed by some people from the Pandora site. Our friend Eric, in protest of her awfulness, pulled his balls out and nonchalantly stood behind her in view of the camera while pretending to talk on his cell phone.

This is funny because one evening Shawn Adolph (Fatal Flying Guilloteens) was watching the Western Civilization do a sound check, and he commented that he didn't think he could ever be into a band that had to check levels on a xylophone, yet i think this is a prank he would be proud of. Give em a chance, roomie.

The WC will be on the road until May 3rd, and after that will have a month off from shows until something decidedly wicked at Roc Bar on June 12th. Does your band tour? Why aren't you sending us your updates?

Photo by Jack Potts

THE SKYLINE 50: OUR FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR, PART ONE

OH SNAP! This has been such a whips year for local releases. The beautiful people that we all rub elbows with on a daily basis have put out a slew of aces recordings, both those barely registering on the local radar and ones getting good reviews in publications across our mighty and rarely making erroneous foreign-policy decisionsish nation. Therefore, in the week leading up to the announcement of our first ever SAMMIES AWARDS (you’ve voted, right?), we are pleased to unleash upon you our fifty favorite tracks 0f 2007. To qualify, the songs need only have been released on some media or another (LP, CD, CDR, tape – whatever) and be really really party call me.

So, without further ado, we present the 2007 Houston 50, in totally non-biast alphabetical order:

Alien Abduction – Linus Pauling Quartet
All Things are Light
What better way to start our countdown than with a nearly nine minute album-opening opus by one of the 713’s has-been-around-but-definitely-not-has-been stardog champions. Combining the big fuzz that got you listening to Soundgarden in the first place with enough of a groove to tempt Herbie Hancock, Abduction rides out her parts to the last exit for Roswell and then loops back around to enjoy the drive a little longer.


Ankstiyeti – Cop Warmth
Centaur Cop Top
We remember in High School there was this total dish of a photographer who wrote angry editorials in the school paper and once took this picture of a rack of girl’s clothes, all identical and neatly placed next to each other, under a sign that said “Be an Individual.” We freely admit that we were not yet sophisticated enough to immediately understand a pictorial representation of the irony of wanting to be different just like everyone else. In a sense, Anksiyeti is similarly satiric of that part of life, with its demand that no on/every stop looking. It baffles us to no end how a song so chaotic can be so catchy at the same time.


Art of Malnutrition – Bring Back the Guns
Dry Futures
A friend of The Skyline (and BBTG) asked the question, can a song that’s been played live for so long really be considered one of 2007’s best? Yes. Absolutely. Even if it had taken another five years for this record to finally come out, this song would have been one of 2012’s best. A band notorious for not riding out any of the gunch-busting riffs that pack their songs like a wet burrito, Malnutrition is one of those rare exceptions where an almost, dare we say it, conventional approach to rocking out pays off like Casa Ole green dip. Pass the salt.


Ashes – Balaclavas
Inferno
When we first heard this ep, we immediately got in touch with Chris Ryan over at Dead City Sound to ask how he recorded the bass on it. While we won’t reveal his secret, we will say that in terms of the tone it’s a complete departure and total breakthrough for the band. It slinks around heavily and without hard edges, like a gigantic scorpion’s tail stabbing about with unknown intentions in the dark. On Inferno especially, it adds a new form of pleasurable disquiet to what was already one of the most unique sounding acts in town. It gives us the creeps and we love it.


At a Second Glance – Balaclavas
Balaclavas
Sometimes, you’re supposed to avert your eyes and not look directly at something, even when it might be polite to look just as though there were nothing shameful, awful or disturbing about what you’re seeing -because you know that, if you look away, every muscle in your neck and ocular sockets will try instinctively to go back for that second, perversely satisfying glance. For us, this song isn’t about that second look – it’s the struggle not to, and the bit of self loathing when you do.


Beatle Battle – Golden Axe
Kill Them Allah
If Golden Axe had put out a 50 song release, they would be the only band in the top 50 this year. Fortunately for everyone else who poured blood, sweat and tears into their Tele’s f-holes during 2007, Golden Axe did just a Grey Ghost single this, which means that there isn’t an overwhelming amount of material evidence that your band is not as good as Golden Axe and that you really should stop practicing right now and start spending more time planning for what the world will be like when it is ruled by James and Warren’s benevolent co-dictatorship.


Bird – Jana Hunter
There’s No Home
We iTuned this album, as it came out on the net a few weeks before the actual release, and we needed something that reminded us of home to listen to while we walked aimlessly around the akward Stevedore paradise of Long Beach, California. As such, we’ve never (to this day) seen the credits for this song and who all it is that’s singing and strumming along with our city's favorite daughter-in-exile. Even if there isn’t one, this track always sounds like home to us, and every few months we’re both surprised and not to learn of someone else we know who was sitting around the campfire when the gentle romp got put to tape. Come home soon.


Bruise the Paper – The Western Civilization
Letters of Resignation
Aside from platinum selling and prematurely deceasing rappers, Houston is generally know for bands that ride in a very different bumper car from bands like The Western Civilization. Bruise the Paper, in spite of lyrics that might get a troubadour down, is pure pop bliss. But this syrup is anything but factory processed maple that’s never seen the inside of a tree – so far from it. This taste of Karo doesn’t have a lot of local contemporaries, but they’ve sure got the pancakes to put them on.


Cuttin’ a Rug – Arthur Yoria
Handshake Smiles
We’ve heard the studio chatter lead-in to this song, “I do need a click for this one,” so many times this past year that we’re more than a little astonished it hasn’t become a catch-phrase around the newsroom along the lines of the now ubiquitous “oh word?” Frankly, we wonder why Arthur Yoria isn’t more ubiquitous either. It doesn’t speak very highly of the music industry that Cuttin’ a Rug hasn’t cut its way up the charts of some sort. Maybe it’s for the best, as it means we get to keep our local treasure around just a little longer. Party call me.


Drugs and Drawing – Wicked Poseur
Wicked Poseur 7”
Arthur Bates is a weird weird weird dude. We’re not really convinced that this song is about drugs or art. Seems too obvious and, well, not weird enough. That’s pretty subversive, to write a song about the role of chemical substances in artistic expression and spell it out plainly but still have people wondering "yeah, but what is he really talking about here.” Weird.

ROAD UPDATES: GUILLOTEENS, GUNS GO CMJAZY! WESTERN CIV TAKE A SHOWER! PAPERMOONS SLACK FOR SUPERDRAG!

Well it must be Fall, because CMJ, New York’s considerably more leaf-turned version of SXSW (but with larger distances between venues) is kicking off this very day. And two of our own have forked over the dough to Jet Blue for a little fun in the Big Apple sun. Specifically, we’re talking about Bring Back the Guns and the Fatal Flying Guilloteens, who both decided that October was the month to release a pair of knock-out party rockers. The Guilloteens have up to four shows that they can take the wrong subway to, while the Guns have a single show. So, all you Houston exiles, get yr ass out and see what these kids have been up to. Also, lend them a floor and a place to shower.

Guilloteens Shows:
Oct 17 – Soundfix Records (Brooklyn) w/The Big Sleep
Oct 18 – Paino’s (Manhattan) w/The Big Sleep & Cut Off Your Hands
Oct 19 – R Bar (Brooklyn) w/ Islands, Saturday Looks Good to Me, Black Kids and Other Passangers
Oct 19 – Galapagos (Brooklyn) w/Jay Retard, Foreign Born, A Place to Bury Stranges , Holy Hail and More

Bring Back the Guns
Oct 20 – The Annex (Lower East Side)

Speaking of taking a shower, we got word from Reggie of the presently free-agent Western Civilization that, as of Monday, they had finally broken down, gotten a hotel room and taken their first shower in seven days. HOT. Can’t wait to hear the b-side about that. The kids who make the birds sing were holed up in Baltimore and should be back on the road by now. They’ve still got a few shows left before they return in the big white van to the 713, so if you happen to cross their paths, stop in for a listen:

Oct 17 - TBA - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 22 - TBA - Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 23 - The Nite Owl - Dayton, Ohio
Oct 26 - MEMORIAL UNION - der Rathskeller (UW Campus) Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 29 - The Way Out - St. Louis, Missouri
Oct 31 - The Gypsy - Fayetteville, Arkansas
Nov 1 - Convergence - Oklahoma City
Nov 3 - Emo’s – Austin

Also out on the road at present are none other than the Civ’s kindred spirits, the Papermoons, who knocked our socks off last month at Walter’s. We’ve been studying their 7” ever since and think that you should to, if for no other reason than that this drifting duo is taking a day off from their current tour to see a Superdrag reunion show. Yep. Superdrag. If there is anyone we love as much as Spacehog, it may well be the Knoxville power-poppers, and had we known about this event, it might be possible that we’d be driving their van. Check the rest of their scheduled romp through some of John Cougar Melloncamp’s favorite parts of the country.

Oct 17 - The Matinee - Highland Square, Ohio
Oct 18 - The DAAC - Grand Rapids, Michigan
Oct 19 - 403 Kling St. - AKRON, Ohio
Oct 20 - Day off for SUPERDRAG reunion!
Oct 21 - Old City Java - Knoxville, Tennessee
Oct 22 - The Mug - Mobile, Alabama
Oct 28 - 1982 Bar - Gainesville, Florida

That’s all we have on their schedule right now – not sure what they’re up to between Florida and here. Maybe something. Maybe nothing. Maybe a Better than Ezra reunion in New Orleans. Who can say. Drive safe everyone.

Van Photo by IwateBuddy.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION TO GET EXTREMELY ACQUIAINTED WITH THEIR VAN

You know those times when you get up much earlier than you anticipated, and suddenly are in a public place and have to interact with folks? And though you're up and showered and toweled off and even coffeed up, you just can't break the haze/daze? It's sort of like you're drunk on morning and someone has put a three-second live delay between when things happen and when they actually register in your mind. That pretty much sums up the last time we ran into Rachel of the good ship Western Civilization. We didn't know we were going to Guitar Center first thing Labor Day morning until our microphone stopped working the night before and we neglected to turn off our alarm clock. So, there we were, at the early bird sale buying a way more expensive set of mics than we really need, and there she was, working, but we're not really sure what we talked about. Indeed, it may not have even been her at all, it could have just been us deciding it was because the Fog of Morn was too great and it was important to know someone, anyone, there amidst the morning chaos and 7am Metallica wanking.

We think this is what every morning on tour must be like. Total disorientation, absurd mental cobwebs, unfamiliar lights on unfamiliar streets and miles to go before you sleep. Which is why the tour van, musty foil to the chariot of church choirs, must be such a comforting thing. Everything outside this painted-white capsule that Detroit still makes best passes by in a moment, and may never be re-perceived again, but the vinyl of the seats, the carpet of the floor and the steel of the buckles will never change. And thats a comforting thing. Surely it will be for the Western Civilization, who kick of a 21 show tour starting tonight at Walter's on Washington. Fellow Mia Kat rawkers Hollywood Black are there for the sendoff, as are Elbows as Weapons and Papermoons. PEEP WHERE THY VAN SHALL TRAVEL:

Oct 4 - Northgate Tavern - Baton Rouge
Oct 5 - Cups - Madison, Mississippi
Oct 6 - The Nick - Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 7 - Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, Florida
Oct 9 - Tasty World - Athens, Georgia
Oct 10 - Blend - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Oct 11 - TBA - Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia
Oct 12 - White Hawk Music Cafe - Goochland, Virginia
Oct 13 - Cafe Diem - GRETCHEN SCHMALTZ SHOW Richmond, Virginia
Oct 14 - Grog and Tankered - Washington DC
Oct 15 - TBA - Baltimore / DC, Maryland
Oct 16 - Sidebar - Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 17 - TBA - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 22 - TBA - Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 23 - The Nite Owl - Dayton, Ohio
Oct 26 - MEMORIAL UNION - der Rathskeller (UW Campus) Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 29 - The Way Out - St. Louis, Missouri
Oct 31 - The Gypsy - Fayetteville, Arkansas
Nov 1 - Convergence - Oklahoma City
Nov 3 - Emo’s - Austin

HAVE FUN IN THE VAN KIDS. DRIVE SAFE. DON'T FORGET TO TAKE J RELLI WITH YOU.

Stream: Western Civilization - Various Tracks

WEEKEND WRAP-UP: FALLING ON OUR ASS EDITION

You may have heard, but we were a little busy this weekend. So much so that we let a number of things not get done. The fruit-fly population in our office kitchen is beyond epic, to say the least. But, back from a trip to Austin and with the planning and preping and decorating and stage managing and pure rockuledge of some festival or another behind us, we are stoked to be back on the job. Here's the dirt on this past weekend.

• The Feel Good Hits of the Summer Fest was a great time. A big thanks to all the bands, especially Paris Falls, who was kind enough to bring their lighting rig when some problems popped up with The Proletariat's array. The Western Civilization and The Watermarks both moved their cribbage piece up a notch in the category of ACES Local Indie Pop Band You Have Never See Live Which have a Definitive Article in Their Name (we should stop and point out here that Coach Springer, owner of more enviable records and listening taste than we will ever have and consulting muse to the Skyline Network seemed pretty stoked on The Watermarks' set). We could go on and on about all the performances - like whats up Kimonos, way to shred the heck out of a Zeppelin tune?! - but how about that decorating?!
  

• A big thanks again to all the bands, the Proletariat, Gilbert, Dunnock, the hard working folks behind the bar, and the door and in the sound-booth and all the people that showed up. With as much of a success as it was, very unlikely that this will be a one-off. Also, while we didn't see too many flash-bulbs throughout the evening, we did see a few - if you took some pictures, post links in the comments section.

• Speaking of Paris Falls, their first CD, the succinctly titled Volume One, was finally available at the show on Saturday. We picked up a copy and are looking forward to bringing our review of it to you soon.

• Speaking of the Kimonos, their next release is in the mastering stage and we are hopeful to have a sneak peak for you soon.
  

• Speaking of record reviews we are looking forward to bringing you soon, we've been blaring Wicked Poseur's 7" ep around the office for the last week, though sadly we were unable to come up with the words to describe it in time to share with you before his show with Dan Deacon at the Mink last night. We also were so flubterghasted from Saturday that not one of our correspondents actually made it to the show. Had we wrote about it in advance, we would have told you that, Mr Deacon, in an inspired moment, was the source behind the name for Jana Hunter's dance troupe, Bony Poner.
  

• Speaking of Jana Hunter, she left Sunday morning for the next stretch of her tour. Pitchfork has the dates as well as the deets on some other stuff she has going on. For this stretch of the tour she is joined by Ray of the Castanets as well as a photographer whose name we are completely drawing a blank on and cannot locate the napkin we used for notes.
  

• Speaking of people who practice in Jana's living room, we learned that Bring Back the Guns have been notified that they are up for a Houston Press Music Award; ditto for the Fatal Flying Guilloteens (we had previously reported that Something Fierce is also on the ballot).

• Speaking of things we are unable to connect to other things, we ran into Bianca of Heist at Hand over the weekend. She's moved back into town after a series of escapades we'd eventually like to get a summary of, and HAH is gearing up for some shows once again. Welcome back kid.

REGGIE GETS ROBBED

Talk about one of our least favorite kinds of stories to run; Reggie O'Farrell, Mia Kat Empire's in-house producer and member of The Western Civilization had his van broken into early Sunday morning. The thieves took a black plastic guncase which was full of microphones. Here's the list of what was pilfered:

6 - Shure SM57
2 - Shure SM94
1 - Shure BG 4.1
1 - Shure Beta 52
1 - Audio Technica ATM25
1 - Octavia MK319
3 - Sennheiser E604
1 - Sennheiser E609 Silver

Gear shoppers - keep your eyes out for this stuff, and if you happen to spot such a collection, call Reggie at 832-563-6561 or email him: reggie at miakatempire dot com. A free Skyline Network Goodie Bag is up for the taking if you help Reggie recover his lot. A lifetime of good karma would be your prize if you run into someone selling this out of the trunk of their car and you hit them in the head with a brick.

We feel more than a little sheepish mentioning that you can try to cheer Reggie up when the Western Civilization play the Feel Good Hits of the Summer Fest on Saturday.

BUCKY SAVES WESTERN CIVILIZATION!

Weaved into the middle of yesterday’s thorough Space City Rocks interview of The Western Civilization is a tid-bit about the Mia Kat Kids’ upcoming summer tour, and how they were getting some spot on help from none other than boyish one-named wonder boy, Bucky:

Reggie: If you know Bucky who used to be part of Hands Up! Houston, he's actually working on a national tour for us right now.
SCR: Cool; I'd heard he was back booking shows.
Gretchen: Yeah.
Reggie: That will happen in August.
Gretchen: He's the definition of efficiency.
SCR: They did a really good job of bringing bands to town.
Reggie: After going through probably five people at this point, that we had talked to about booking for us, that flaked out, and sitting down with somebody and showing them a list of cities and have 'em tear it apart and tell you that it was all bad ideas and completely rearrange the whole thing to pick new cities for you because they know what's going on...that's a good feeling.
Gretchen: And down to like, y'know, bookshops along the way that we should check out and excellent burrito joints that we should walk into and places that'll give us food at the back door like on Lady and the Tramp, and...
SCR: Yes... You get like a little manual as you go?
Reggie: Yeah. He's gonna give us The Bucky Travel Guide for America. [laughter]

Yes, the Bucky Travel Guide to America, coming soon to a Domy Bookseller near you. Or Not. So, regardless of the fact that he took none of your suggestions in finally naming his local booking efforts (by the way, it is at this point that someone will need to stand in and remind us what counts as booking and what counts as a talent-hiring, cause we cannot find our notes on the subject), atleast he is putting all that time spent on the road with MC Chris to good use.

Meanwhile his deliberate booking (or talent hiring) of ACES touring acts continues to provide excellent nights out on the town for our fair city, such as on the 24th of this month, where several young Matt and Kim fans will most likely be punched in the face by openers the Fatal Flying Guilloteens (Best Fwends and O Pioneers!!! also on the bill).

To learn more about the haps and the here’s and there’s about Western Civilization (next record: concept album) and Mia Kat Empire Records (no longer located in Kingwood), we implore you to click your way on over to Space City Rocks for the entire interview (you should be checking SCR pretty regularly anyways - always a good read). If you are the Western Civilization’s MySpace friend, then you already know twice every day that they have a ‘big show’ coming up next Friday, the 11th, at Walters with the studiously recommended Church of Philadelphia and San Marcos’ Explorers.

RECORD RELEASE: THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION

We can’t remember the book specifically, but we’re pretty sure it’s Samuel P Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. No seriously, it’s a wicked page-turner. And, if we’ve got the book right, somewhere in it is this great statement about how, in spite of all the bitching and moaning to the contrary, Western Civilization (as opposed to Islamic or Hindu or Orthodox or Sinic or Latin American or Sub-Saharran) hasn’t really caught on in the rest of the world.

This proposition doesn’t dispute the rather one-way transmission of Western cultural and commercial brands and iconography like Pepsi, Elvis or the Marlboro Man. Rather, it posits that things like the rule of law, freedom of thought or expression and representative government are the true embodiment of Western Civilization, and that nobody should really get that worked up that a cab driver in Serbia is listening to The White Album.

Put another way, who gives a lick that some bastard Sudanese is wearing Levis when he commits genocide; him liking Donald Duck doesn’t count for spit if he hasn’t bought into the theory that you shouldn’t maim, rape and/or kill people because they have different ideas about what God is.

Ok, how does this record review feel so far? Pretty heavy, right – you weren’t exactly expecting a Darfur reference when you typed in the URL were you? Yeah, now find the opposite of that response: That’s way more akin to the listening experience of Letters of Resignation, the debut full length by local kids The Western Civilization.

First off, from its core to the carmel skin around it, this is a pop record (and we do not consider that a derisive label, quite the contrary). It’s rich and textured and beautifully produced, full of duets and accompaniments, be they male/female vocals, live/machine drums or guitar/ harmonica/ chimes/ organs/ whatever. Real Talk: This is one of the best sounding local releases to come out of Houston in years. Unlike the sparseness of WestCiv member and Mia Kat Empire label-mate Gretchen Schmaltz’s solo work, this record doesn’t want you going through it alone; even at its quietest moments, they make sure every instrument has at least one hand to hold.

And while Letters is not peck-and-a-smile blush-pop, even in its most dire gullies you still get the sense that the travails of which they speak are surmountable; that far from no hope, they are on the chapter subsequent or at the very least know that the stitches will be out soon. You will not find the grit and balm of too much time lived in the heart of smog on Letters. For every time this record will make you want to get off the highway and take a meandering FM road, there are an equal number of moments where you'll mash the gas and beat the cameras when yellow turns to red.

No doubt some of you, our readers, will not like this record. “I don’t like the words” or “It sounds like someone else” you might say. And that’s ok. The Western Civilization isn’t trying to be as one-size-should-fit-all Western Civilizationally as gender equality. They’re a great pair of jeans, and while they may not fit everyone, they fit us – and Letters of Resignations is more than worth trying on for size. Recommended.

Catch The Western Civilization Saturday at the Westheimer Block Party, 2:30 PM on the Mango’s inside stage. Or, wait until later that night, when they’ll be playing their own record release party along with Peekaboo Theory and Buxton at Walter’s on Washington (cover charge includes a copy of the CD).