Ume

Kick ass rock and roll edging on punk at times.  Their name sounds like a sushi order ("You should try the Ume, I hear whale vagina is in season right now"), but this is an Austin threesome that rocks hard.  Funny thing, but it looks like people have been hailing them as the next big thing for quite some time, I see as far back as 2010, including a 2011 naming by Rolling Stone as a top unsigned band.  And they are even from my hometown, but I've never heard their music or their name.  Weird. But now that I know about them, I like it.

Their most recent issue is a 2015 EP, but before that they released albums in 2005, 2011, and 2014. Also had an EP in 2009 called the Sunshower EP.

Their most recent full album is great.  2014's Monuments.  The opener, "Black Stone," is vintage grunge sludge rock and roll that gets my blood pumping.  Some Pumpkins guitar flair in here, with the great bass/drums kick of classic rock.  Yeah! The video is a little too slick.  Everyone has the look of rocking out, but their hair is too well manicured for a legit rock and roll moment.

Tasty album.  Check "Gleam" for some "Crazy Train" guitar, but most of this cribs more from the 90's than 70's.  The disc before that, 2011's Phantoms, is the album with way more plays on Spotify. Of their top ten most popular tracks, five of the top 10, and 4 of the top 5, are from this album.  The most popular track is called "Run Wild," which has just over 100k listens.

The middle section of that track is some good fuzzy 90's jam session action.  Another good album of cool music.  Lots of 90's nostalgia feelings on here, but it still feels like new music to me.  I really dig the singer - strong voice but can make it soft if she needs to.

Their 2015 EP (Too Big World) keeps up that flavor, but also throws in a fuzzed out version of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My," which has some of the coolest one liners in rock and roll.  "Better to burn out, than to fade away" is about as rock and roll as they come.  Nice choice for a cover.

However, I am not that in to their first two efforts.  Sunshower EP starts off with a Hole-esque blast of grunge-y rock and roll.  2005's Urgent Sea makes me think of old Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, and more Hole.

Overall, I dig the band.  Good find that ought to be pretty fun at the festival.  I'll just hope that they stick to their newer sound and stay away from their older look.