Jaguar Palace

If you’re looking for a soundtrack to slow yourself down, Austin, Texas-based group RF Shannon is here to provide one. Though Jaguar Palace is only a mere six songs (after a four-song EP last fall), its lengthy, meandering tones are enough to thoroughly induce a mood. Clocking in at a full 11 minutes, the song “Hottevilla” is like walking through the hot desert sun; slow-moving, listless guitar licks over barely beat percussion, with the occasional mirage of high fluttering flute. Bandleader and vocalist Shane Renfro has a smooth delivery somewhat similar to phases of Cass McCombs (see McCombs’ “County Line”), but Renfro has a more somber, airy quality. While some albums arc, this one seems to float. The songs slowly shapeshift between a heavy shoegaze vibe and a dark, brooding Americana mood, evoking the feeling of miles of dry land under densely starred sky. The direction can be hard to pinpoint, but that might be its enticement.