Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes

There’s a lot of hoarse yelling on the recent self-titled debut by Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, but the bitter shouts are thankfully matched by the Austin trio’s bracingly noisy sound. Highlights include scuzzy lead track “(1)” and “Smoke,” an uncharacteristically melodic song that’s very Dinosaur Jr.-ish. The song “Sundance Kid” was inspired equally by Neil Young and Shellac – who are also in town this week, by the way – while other tracks recall fellow Austinites like the Butthole Surfers. It’s mostly a very good album. The band’s touring with the seasonally appropriate Vampyre and playing with locals Public Policy and Honest Living.