Austin’s The Gougers Offer Latest CD for Free

Austin's The Gougers go the Radiohead route. (Traci Gourdie) Just a few weeks before the band hits the stage at the Granada, alt-country combo The Gougers is making its nifty latest release, A Long Day for the Weathervane, available for free via the Web site feegougers.com. The Austin quartet released...

By Pete Freedman

June 6, 2008

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Austin's The Gougers go the Radiohead route. (Traci Gourdie)

Just a few weeks before the band hits the stage at the Granada, alt-country combo The Gougers is making its nifty latest release, A Long Day for the Weathervane, available for free via the Web site feegougers.com.

The Austin quartet released the CD late last fall, but decided to make it available gratis as the band heads out on tour with Reckless Kelly. Distinguishing oneself in the crowded Americana marketplace of Austin is no easy task, but A Long Day for the Weathervane features the talents of vocalists Jamie Wilson and Shane Walker. The duo’s voices blend smooth and rough in a way reminiscent of The Band in its heyday.

Check out “Manheim Station” and the wordy but essential “Riding in a Lincoln Continental with Sylvia Plath” for some authentic folk/country that doesn’t shy away from earnest romanticism or literary affiliations. After Radiohead started this trend of allowing folks to download albums for free, it’s heartening to find a band like The Gougers doing the same, especially since these guys and gals certainly don’t have the financial wherewithal of Yorke and company. --Darryl Smyers

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