A Dose of 'Mind Blowing Organic Electronica'

I wasn't expecting much when I sat down to listen to Texas Microphone Massacre's first full album, "Fantasy Rolodex." Electronica isn't my thing. Instead of getting the usual dose of drone, what I heard from this purveyors of what they call "mind blowing organic electronica" was a dose of fresh electronica sprinkled with flawless beats, good guitar work, solid voice work, great songs and an impeccable production.

Besides being surprised at the quality of the record and the fact that it sounded fresh, I was glad to come across a group of folks that actually care about composing music you can come back to again and again and who obviously have a profound sense of melody, something that can be quickly grasped by listening to the singing on "Secret Love" or "Flood (In The House of Thieves)." The record is deliciously dark and gritty, but the sound is clear, the songs all have their own identity and there are enough rock and poetry touches to keep listeners entertained for a long time.

Texas Microphone Massacre, an Austin trio self-described as "an ever-evolving music experiment now in its 3rd incarnation," is the brainchild of Chris Veden and Heath Tull. In the summer of 2010, the group added accomplished stringed instrumentalist Gilbert Sanchez (who's guitar work shines in the album) to the fold and began working on "Fantasy Rolodex." The result, produced and engineered by Tim Gerron and Mark Dufour, is a breath of fresh air that's at once dark, entertaining and melodic. Want to know what I'm talking about? Check out their first video below.

If you want to get a taste of great local electronica, make sure you download the record for free here. Although there are plenty of free albums out there, you'll be amazed at the quality of the audio in "Fantasy Rolodex." To keep up with Texas Microphone Massacre and to learn about where you can catch them live next, just follow them on Facebook here and check their webpage.

Image courtesy of Texas Microphone Massacre