SXSW Six Pack: Booher Revisited
An apple that fell from the Pavement/Springsteen tree and later fermented in a Replacements barrel before it became German apple wine, Austin’s well-known Michael Booher is climbing back into the ring in 2015, set to play a trio of shows at SXSW in advance of the release of his first album in eight years.
Building off a 2014 that included months either locked away in the recording studio or sequestered in a north Austin practice space, the Houston-born songwriter showcases the vulnerability of a narrator bitten by that fine line between romance and nomance, bent on making the effort even if it turns out to be a down payment on future heartache.
Clocked in at 36 minutes, the yet-to-be released (read: searching for a label) album is a fierce collection of indie-rock love/indie-rock what-the-hell-happened-to-my-love songs.
Known around town for his six years in service as frontman for Zykos, touring with the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Cursive and a couple of one offs with Interpol and The Hold Steady, Booher’s creations are that of an inquisitive and restless observer, freed rather than burdened by the intensity of the experience, producing a strain of foot-stomping indie rock that will either make you want to buy a convertible or give love one more try.
While the album produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Patty Griffin, Heartless Bastards), comes with its share of short sharp rockers and big orchestrations –‘Ourobros,’ ‘Auto Bibles,’ ‘Neighbor’– the slow-builders “Find Out” and “Funny Tears” show a level of layered creative instrumentation, vocal hooks and uncontrived emotional depth infrequently seen.
More SXSW Six Pack 2015
SXSW Six Pack 2014