Do512 - What to do in Austin

Rock ‘n’ roll has rarely been as smart, soulful or satisfying than it has in the hands of The Posies. During an on/off career that’s spanned three decades, the Seattle-rooted outfit, led by musical polymaths Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, have shaped and re-shaped their muse, creating one of the more compelling catalogues in modern pop.

Following a professional and personal split between Auer and Stringfellow at the end of the ‘90s, the second act of The Posies’ career began with 2005’s triumphant reunion effort, Every Kind of Light. The group’s first studio album in nearly a decade was a musically plangent and lyrically politicized album — informed heavily by the foibles of the Bush Administration and the Iraq War – that reintroduced The Posies to the world in grand fashion.

Ultimately, the magic of The Posies lies in the special chemistry between Auer and Stringfellow. Like any great partnership, it’s one that’s had its ups and downs, stops and starts, over the years. But those experiences have simply served to strengthen the bonds between them.

Brendan Benson is a genuine American voice. A co-founding member of The Raconteurs, Benson has released critically-acclaimed albums throughout the past decade. The songs come rough-hewn but charged with hooks and wit on 1996's One Mississippi. 2002's Lapalco brought perfect pop ripeness. On The Alternative to Love in 2005, there was something quite brilliant, quite burnished about his songwriting. This year's offering, My Old, Familiar Friend, gathers all of these influences -- the Americanness, the Anglophile twist, the geography, the rock and the pop -- and creates something truly exceptional.