On the first day of autumn, The Summer Wardrobe brightened the night at Ruta Maya as the band unveiled its brand-new collection of Jon Sanchez songs in fine style.

I had been hearing about The Summer Wardrobe (not your typical Austin twang band, yet with pedal steel!) for quite a while, and it was my pleasure to hang with the sizable crowd for this CD release.

Mazzy Star meets Isaac Hayes, or perhaps Pink Floyd plays country-western -- that's how the band once described their own music. Yet while the Wardrobe does not quite "fade into blue," the combination of electric guitar and pedal steel may have never been used to create this kind of mood before (or at least not in Austin) and then you realize your mind is also being massaged by lyrics that are way past bubble gum.

Jon is from Baton Rouge (my home away from home), and steel man John Leon is from Mobile, Alabama. The rhythm section for a while has been drummer George Duron (like Perry Drake and Clint Myers, an El Pasoan) and bassist Marty Hobratschk (though Zachary Firnhaber plays bass on the last half of the new CD - and lends his backing vocals, too). Mark Addison both produced and engineered the recording - which was done live, with keyboards, percussion, and vocals added later.

At the show, the band opened up with "Outcry in the Barrio" which for the first several minutes you think is an instrumental and then surprised by the tough images in the lyrics. The long intro is in reality a meditation to prepare you for the journey into the serenity and yet curiously active mind of our songwriter. "You don't know just how lucky you are, On a rooftop in the city looking out across the factories, wasting time ... flowers and drugs, an exceptional sadness, too .... Inside, just looking for contact, I'm hoping for something to find...." [Reminds me of what Poco was trying to tell us.]

Next up was "Sparkle and Fade," which asserts that "leaving this world would be the hardest thing you'll ever do." But is Jon really tired of "Crawling with Kings" (one of Zach's other bands)? Or is he saying something about choosing life over not life? This song has a real kick to it -- [I can't believe I am still hearing Poco here!] Then it was Ned Kelly, the song getting the most airplay on old radio and the myspace site -- now here we get back to the real Gene Clark -- MY favorite Byrd too! (but with Jim -- not Roger, as he is now known -- McGuinn laying down the 12-string riffs).

"Blind" - which also follows Ned Kelly on the CD - features Jon and John showing they listened to Link Wray as children of the deep South - but the vocals remind me a little of David Bowie (while I recall my bud Jackson's own song with the same title). Jon just calls this sound swamp rock -- and there is more of the same in "The Blackhouse," which on stage he dedicated to Baton Rouge. "Why did you leave this world with so many questions unanswered?" -- What an intriguing opening! I got so spaced out I forgot the names of the next two songs (maybe Underground, which opens with a harder, darker sound, and Starball Contribution, which brings back memories for me of the Byrds Mister Spaceman).

Next I looked up, Jon had re-donned his sport coat and stepped out into the audience to put his arm around a lovely lady while telilng what a heel he had been (at least in song) - a promise breaker whose woman had left him. This became sort of a medley with "All the Lovers I've Wronged" and the impassioned "One More Try," which (especially on the record, but also at the show) features a very lively guitar-pedal duet that once again takes us to the asteroid belt and beyond.

Perhaps the most inscrutable song on the record (which by the way features a reprise of Ned Kelly that again reminds us of our opportunity for a "new life confirmation") is "Redbook," which opens with the words, "Jesus knows me when I'm praying, he don't see me when I fall, Looking always for my savior, I don't see no one at all. When I open up your Redbook, I can't see my name inside .. all the pages stick together, does that mean we're out of time?" This has that Mazzy Star feel. But later, "You don't need proof to see what's already there."

The band says on its myspace page that, "Our music is ambient and somewhat dark, though it's wrapped up in a pop shell. We play ambient southern psychedelic music for the endtimes. If you've ever cried on a rooftop, you might like this." And that is exactly what we get with "Daisy Cutter" ... a real dirge musically, but one which emerges into a "dawn of excitement" and "exceptional life." It is almost as if the whole idea of the music is to put you to rest while you are having to deal with the heavier things of real life.

These purveyors of a sultry, hypnotic, sexy vibe just might be Austin's best kept secret, but not if we here at Kool Kat have anything to do about it! Their sound is something the band describes as "ambient southern rock." And, while they have been compared to bands like Pink Floyd, The Church, Mercury Rev and Luna, they do indeed have their own unique sound that draws from a diverse array of influences. Their stunning, 12-string, pedal steel, and harmony-filled, "Cosmic American", debut evokes favorable comparisons to such artists as Rain Parade, "Good Earth"-era Feelies, Tom Petty, and labelmates/fellow Austin underground heroes Cotton Mather! You can also throw some Dreadful Yawns and Autumn Defense in there too! It has that kind of flowing, melodic, laid-back groove throughout! GREAT!!!

Another great Rainbow Quartz release, this time they stretch their vision a bit, still firmly grounded on post-psych-cum-power pop jangle but mixing in lots of moody-ish Beachwood Sparks-ish landscapes, a few of which are extended jam-outs, pushing 7 minutes+, pairing steel guitar with meandering tempos. While the band has been compared to bands such as Pink Floyd, the Church, Mercury Rev and Luna, the Summer Wardrobe has its own unique sound that draws from a diverse panoply of influences, call it Cosmic Americana Pop! We like that! We`d add some Rain Parade, Good Earth-era Feelies, Tom Petty, and pop underground heroes Cotton Mather in a few spots. A fascinating journey in every moment and really pushes the boundries of every-day pop to new views on the mushroomed mountaintop! The Summer Wardrobe speaks volumes in its special brand of jangle minimalism, drawing you into a world of psych-pop and cosmic-americana charms. Sharp as a tack, well-crafted and emotionally resonant, The Summer Wardrobe, provided you live inside its world, stays with you long after the last song has played. Not for everyone, possibly, but still very, very highly recommended!