Download:
SXSW 2007 Radio (65 great songs from the SXSW website and beyond - 205 MB)
Just The Hits (Randy's Top 10 songs from SXSW 2007 - 35 MB)
SXSW was different this year because I've been previewing new music so religiously that most great new musicians I'd already heard of. I miss the magic of discovery, of innovative bands with rough edges. Next year I'll take more chances.
Favorite Shows:
Tokyo Police Club
MC Chris
Snowden
DATAROCK
Peter Bjorn & John
Amy Winehouse
Chromeo
Girltalk
Runners-Up:
Tunng
Todosantos
The Blood Arm
Dandi Wind
Peter Bjorn & John - I had no call to worry I'd miss these guys, as they played small venues four times a day for the entire conference, but still they made for a magical first act of the year when I wandered past Buffalo Billiards and they were performing an acoustic live broadcast. Later that same day in Red Eyed Fly, I was struck by their genuine enthusiasm and the clarity they achieve with their reserved arrangements.
Honycut - The mp3 is a fabulous electro groove soul pop thing, but live they appear to be working too hard to get it out and the keyboardist indulges in these epic self-gratifying jam band solos.
Octopus Project - Toto drums like he's in a frenzied battle for his life in medieval times. After years of unwavering performance, they seem to be building momentum again, or at least have picked up a very enthusiastic following of musicians who like weird time signatures.
Todosantos - Like having digitized rainbow jizz sprayed all over your face at the perfect Venezuelan apartment party, with the whole package - overdriven trashy electro pop and projected pixely video. Yeah, you like it bitch.
The Mae Shi - is a train going seventy thousand miles an hour only loosely attached to the tracks. They are bratty but completely satisfying and can start the "agitated" dial at 10 and still find another couple notches.
Los Dynamite - Franz Ferdinand style post punk / dance rock from Mexico City, loud and effective.
The Panda Band - Like Bob Dylan rocking out, only I don't know what I'm talking about. The mp3 was interesting, but live it was bland alt rock.
The Deaths - Probably the only random album I ever picked up for free at a sxsw that turned out to be really great. Super competent rock with an authentic blues / r&b undercurrent.
Tunng - Hippie jam band? Melodic IDM? Heartbroken lullaby trance folk? Super awesome, much? Feels warm and satisfying like reading an amazing novel.
Popup - The only great thing about this fast pop rock band is how thick their Scottish accents were, even when singing.
Tokyo Police Club - strike me as the template of the new rock band: ever shifting but patient, unbound to rock conventions, deep with perfect clarity. Fast, energetic, and soulful, they played a perfect day show with Xs on their hands.
Danavan - The most stoned ever long haired Sabbath-esque band.
Tiny Masters of Today - This pre-teen sibling duo really got the crowd going after the kind of degenerate blues rock that kids play when they bust out their well-realized cover of House of Pain's Jump Around.
Marnie Stern - A one woman, white trash lookin', fretboard tappin', Hella-style speedy math band, unhinged and psycho. She has a creepy smile, and her songs are really good.
No Age - I guess these guys are outsider garage rock? They hit some good switches.
INTERMISSION: Todd P Presents
"Who is Todd P?" Todd S asked me. "As far as I know he's not even from Austin, but he comes here and promotes these bands. I feel like I should be threatened." Not sure who he is, but he's friendly, hands out lots of flyers, and has been rocking crazy east side day shows at Mrs. Bea's for years now; this year he scooped everybody but Emo's. Props to you, P!
The New Violators - Depeche Mode tribute? Duran Duran meets Bowie? Totally gay.
Cloud Cult - Ok, I knew they were the ultimate grad student band stuck in the early 90's, so I expected the baggy pants with vertical stripes, and even violins and cellos, but did they absolutely have to paint live on stage and then auction off the art? I love how fresh this band's compositions are on their cds, but live the songs felt a bit flat and tired. Maybe they are one of those rare bands who actually benefits from a longer set.
DATAROCK / Chromeo - This was the best night since LCD Soundsystem invented dancing in 2005. DATAROCK is the Talking Heads plus more rock plus a little dumber. Chromeo is slick ass electro disco funk that sounds even better live. Both of them are on the verge of blowing up, but DATAROCK played a weak show in LA this week, so I might put my money on Chromeo.
Snowden - I didn't actually see them at sxsw, I saw them in LA the week before to avoid schedule conflicts. Their thoughtful, angular, and visceral hybrid music loses none of its subtlety live, if anything their energetic rock star performance brings another angle to it. The remix cd I bought at the show is an absolute favorite of the past many months.
Shout Out Out Out - They are a pack of smelly nerd boys, they are hyper with huge crazy grins and exaggerated motions, they are Canadian, and they write electro dance music with real instruments - why aren't I totally in love, right? I think it's because their songs are kinda slow and have a bad habit of treading water after a couple verses, which leaves you wanting to dance but not doing it. Other than that, I'm all about them.
Pelican - Who likes this sludge metal stuff? Besides Vice, I mean?
Amy Winehouse - The 19-going-on-43 year old body named Amy Winehouse has been abused by drugs, exhaustion, and depravity, but the voice it hosts has clarity, maturity, and command like a pure force of nature. Welcome to the one woman Motown / soul revival.
Puppetmastaz - Rapping puppets from Berlin, Germany. You'd think the hip hop would be lame and the skits would be awesome, but you'd be exactly wrong.
Yip-Yip - The pure electro version of Japcore a la Zorn / Boredoms. Once it's unraveled, you discover it has a melodic core between ADD 30 second blasts.
MC Chris - I had never heard of him, but the crowd sure as fuck had - oops, not watching TV makes me late for the party once again. With wit and energy like Sam Kinison bred with South Park, an uncanny verbal agility, and an irreverent pop mentality, MC Chris was instantly seductive. Hook me up with the discography asap.
Flosstradamus and Cool Kids - Together they combined to form a dirty deep south hip hop unit hosting a bouncing dance floor.
Bonde Do Role - Brazilian favela reggaeton, the ultimate in trashy pop screaming and plundered samples. Shit like this just sounds better in a small dingy club, not like that open warehouse penthouse floor business where I saw them in LA.
Apostle of Hustle - I'm not sure why these guys don't grab me like Broken Social Scene did... the airy organic rhythms just fail to congeal. But at least it's a great show for talking to your friends in the back row.
The Blood Arm - Party garage rock like The Strokes only more drunk. Based on the voice, I'd hoped for a careworn maturity or at least tighter jeans, but since the singer had some of the most fun and intrusive stage antics I've ever seen, I'll forgive them.
Asobi Seksu - Angsty shoegazey rock with lilting, off-key vocals. The contrast between hard and delicate mostly doesn't do it for me, except every so often.
Menomena - I enjoy the noisy surges and quirky production tricks in this clean, clashing, very male indie rock, but too often inadvisable shifts in aesthetic make the songs fall apart, leaving you with nothing. They can do it all live, which is cool, but they still sound best when reaching for some emotion rather than just being clever.
Aqueduct - I've been trying to see them for years now. "Here's a song off the new album. It's called As You Like It. It's about the Princess Bride. I don't know, I love that movie. Movies are cool. Music is cool." There is no music that gets whiter than this that also gets better than this. A fat bearded dude writing amazing and deliberately composed pop rock by himself with keyboards and guitars and computers.
Walter Meego - They extract the trance from Duran Duran and totally amp it.
Dandi Wind - Spitting and jumping, agitated, wall-climbing, stage prancing hyper synthy club rock. I was in a red bull and vodka haze, which probably helped me really love it.
Girl Talk - Wall to wall packed shows where the crowd dances and throws their hands in the air actually exist outside of MTV Spring Break specials. Look how crazy this dude is! Remember laptop shows from the 90's? Can you believe we've come this far?
Todd P is one of the most well known promoters in nyc. My friend just had a party put on by him at his new loft, was totally bummed I couldn't go.
Thought Oct Proj not as good as they use to be in terms of music.
Posted by: Ms. Burge | Apr 01, 2007 at 06:19 AM
Oh man, I love Pelican! But you may have guessed that was the answer to that question.
Posted by: Lulu | Apr 01, 2007 at 11:02 AM
I heard Chromeo live, first, and only bought their album after that, and while the album is very good, I think I have to put them in the same category as Hot Chip and Freezepop: the distortion and extra energy in the live version makes it dramatically better than the album, which feels a little clinical, slightly sparse in comparison.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 01, 2007 at 11:24 AM
here's a band that is rad and super fun and i think that you would like them, i played with them at a house party last night and they were RAD!
they're called So So Modern and they're from New Zealand. so rad.
www.myspace.com/sosomodern
Posted by: jef | Apr 18, 2007 at 11:57 AM
i wanna play at todd p's party at mrs bea's. we're going down there to play the schubas showcase, any further investigation into who todd p is? oh and you like discovering new music, listen to us. our ep isn't out yet, was produced by dave sitek, and sounds as fucking bombastic as a pretty apocalypse. so maybe you can see us there and say hello. i got alot of good tips on your page, thanks!
aleks
www.myspace.com/aleksandthedrummer
Posted by: aleks | Feb 13, 2008 at 10:20 PM