New Music October 2007

I have to confess I am listening to a lot of Sloan these days.

And Austin's The Sword. And "Louder Than Love" by Soundgarden.

But I've still let a few new(ish) things sneak in.

Individual songs that I've gotten stuck on:
Keane - Is It Any Wonder?
Esthero - Everyday is a Holiday (with You)

New album:
The Slip - Eisenhower. All over the place. Not sure how to categorize. Buy it.

April Songs

Yeah yeah some of these aren't brand spanking new but they don't let me out of my cage as often as they used to.

Laura Viers - Saltbreakers
Gotta love Laura Viers. Saw her at SXSW 2006 and she gave the sound guy an earful after he blasted her with feedback for the 3rd time. She does that thing with loops that I've noticed a lot of solo artists doing, but it looks like now she's got a full band.

Teenage Fanclub - Sparky's Dream
OK so it's not new. But I like it.

Guillemots - Trains To Brazil
Kinda reminds me of that song June Gloom by The Like.

Stereophonics - Dakota
I don't care what you say about them, you have to admire bands like Stereophonics (and Sloan, Juliana Hatfield, Creeper Lagoon) that can take three chord pop songs and make them sound like something fresh. Not quite as ooey gooey pop as my other favorite by them, Have a Nice Day, it's still poppy. A la Maritime though, when I saw them live a couple years ago they were much more rockin' and seemed to eschew their ooh and aah material.

The Teenage Prayers - Brown Bottle
Sounds all swamp dirtay.

The Bird and the Bee - I'm a Broken Heart
I like a few of the songs on their latest album. I can't find it though anywhere so I don't know if the whole thing is good. Dear The Bird and the Bee, I know you're reading this because this is the most famous and influential music blog there ever was, so please come to Austin and sell me a copy of your CD.

Stereolab - Space Moth
Kind of a multi-faceted thing. Veers a little, but overall a great song.

Six Parts Seven - Stolen Moments
Somewhere between Tristeza and El Ten Eleven. Good stuff.

SXSW Last Day Wrap Up

This is the end...

So we made it down town around 6 or 7 and had burgers at Jackalope.

Then over to one of the clubs on 6th street to catch an Australian(?) band called Porcelain. Not sure if they were part of the official SXSW or not. They all seemed like very talented musicians but I wasn't blown away by the material. Nevertheless, anyone who comes all the way from Australia to play on a Sunday night has my sincere appreciation.

Porcelain @ random 6th street bar

Over to Emo's for the rest of the night. First it was Dynasty Handbag. I'm not really sure what the deal was and I don't want to sound disrespectful but the best way I can describe this act is a female Richard Simmons stream-of-consciousness spoken word thingy over dub beats. And she had handbags for sale. I defy you to go see her show and keep a straight face.

Dynasty Handbag @ Emo's Jr.

Then V.I.P. from Philly. I think they are just doing this rap thing until they meet some nice girls and settle down.

V.I.P. @ Emo's Jr.

Au revoir SXSW 2007. It were a good one. And that's that.

SXSW 2007 Day 4

Ah, the last big day. And Saint Paddy's day no less.


We started off seeing Josh Pyke again at Whole Foods. He was fantastic again, his songs are so well written - I take it back about wanting to hear him with a band. Apparently his record Memories & Dust just debuted at #4 in Australia.

Josh Pyke @ Whole Foods Market

Then a brief lunch intermission and on over to Habana Calle 6 for their invite-only day party (ooh la la).

We saw Johnossi and drank a few free Heinekens.

Johnossi @ Habana Calle 6

Then over to Chuggin' Monkey and caught the tail end of a set by Cameron McGill, who has a fantastic string section. Not sure if he was originally part of SXSW or a last-minute addition... he's not listed on the official site.

Then Cloud Cult. They were good - I like their album Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus but it doesn't really seem to translate to Rawking Out Live.

Cloud Cult @ Chuggin Monkey

Then Earl Greyhound. They were a lot looser and more relaxed than the Thursday show at Mugshots. And they had picked up quite a few fans during the festival who all pumped the official international the rock and roll hand symbol the entire show.

Earl Greyhound @ Chuggin Monkey

We literally ran down the street to see West Indian Girl at Opal Divine's. The sound was great, the band was great, the energy was great. They didn't play many songs from their s/t debut album which is hopefully a good sign that their new record is coming along soon.

West Indian Girl @ Opal Divine's

Then we caught a cab so that we could catch the last couple of songs from Oppenheimer, who always put on a fantastic show. The cab driver was talking a cell phone and told how he got a call from one of his regular customers who was too drunk to go out and get himself cigarettes, so he asked the cab driver to deliver some. And the customer apparently repeatedly assured the cabby that he would take care of him in exchange for the favor. When the cabby got there the customer gave him a $5 tip and a bunch of Vienna Sausages in a plastic bag.

Then ran back down 6th street to Molotov's to see the tail end of The Yoko Casionos. They were good.

The Yoko Casionos @ Molotov's

Then one of the shows I was most looking forward to: Golden Dogs. The mp3s they released this year and last year were both in my list of favorites. Live, they were awesome. High high energy, great material. They closed with the big drum solo / jam at the end of Abbey Road. The bass player from Sloan showed up and danced for the last couple of songs. Also, helpfully, the band displayed the name of the song they were playing with a little placard on a music stand.

Golden Dogs @ Molotov

Chris Murphy from Sloan rocking out to Golden Dogs @ Molotov

Then the last show of the night... Kissaway Trail. I like their single a lot. I was less impressed by them live but it's hard to put my finger on why. They were really loud, and they had three guitarists which can sort of muddy the sound. I need to see them again in a different venue.

The Kissaway Trail @ Buffalo Billiards

SXSW 2007 Day 3

Big day...

We got a late start. Got down to the Jane magazine party around 3ish. Walked past Architecture in Helsinki at Cedar Street - the little I heard was pretty good.

At the Jane magazine party we caught the tail end of The Comas' set. It was really, really good. Then Scissors for Lefty - they were fun but the material wasn't all my cup of tea. Then Great Northern - good songs, good performance, good "look" but missing some oomph. Margot & the Nuclear So & So's were my least favorite band of the day. Sue me, I'm just not all that in to rackety dirges performed by vintage store retro-chic clad hipsters. Then...

Sloan. SLOAN SLOAN SLOAN!! It's probably redundant to say Sloan rocks, like saying Rio Grande River. But mah gawd Sloan rocks. And they rock so effortlessly and confidently, you know that their not rocking would be an unnatural state that would cause a disturbance in the force. The sun will rise in the east, Sloan will rock.

Sloan, rocking (duh) @ Jane Magazine party

Quick food break at 7... we caught a rickshaw (I think they call them pedicabs) over to the Convention center for the next couple shows.

8 PM - Annuals. This is where my South by Southwest dream came true: I got to see an awesome indie band whose material I really love, where the sound was really good, and for the entire show nobody bumped or shoved me, or blew smoke in my face or flicked ashes on me, or talked on their cell phone with bad breath near me, or moshed, or farted, or spilled a drink on the floor for me to slip on. Heaven. As for Annuals' music: it's awesome, their record is totally awesome, and live they play it all with awesome energy and awesomeness. Buy the record and see them the next time they are in town. Oh, and the members are all 14 years old and 3 feet tall. I was a little surprised by that.

Annuals @ Austin Convention Center

9 PM - Peter Bjorn & John. More total awesomeness at the Convention Center. Another great band, great sound, great show. Half the audience left after they played their hit ("Young Folks"), which just goes to show there's no accounting for taste because the show kept getting better as it went on.

Peter or Bjorn or possibly John @ Austin Convention Center

10 PM - Via Audio. I was a little disappointed but I think that for any musician to escape the curse of Berklee music college and come out of there able to play a decent song without 14 time signature and key changes modulating all over the place is an accomplishment. They have a great song, but to memorialize the late, great Paul Sessums (RIP), every band has one good song so it's nothing to go on. I got their CD though so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

11 PM - Aqualung, AKA Coldplay's little brothers. Great songs, performance, blah blah and don't get me wrong I really liked the show and wish them the best but I cannot watch them and not think of Coldplay. It's a shame because they are probably more talented than Coldplay but seriously IT SOUNDS LIKE COLDPLAY. OK enough complaining - Aqualung truly is great and I've seen them a few times and every time they put on a great show. If you like Coldplay.

Coldplay @ Austin Convention Center

12 AM - Maritime. 2 data points does not a representative sample make, but I'm wondering if there's an emerging mini-trend where a band records upbeat pop music then plays punk rock at their live shows. I really like Maritime's record (this song is great) and live they were fun but I kept having to ask people in the crowd "this is Maritime, right? Maritime, you're sure?" I couldn't really think of the scenario where they would do that. It could be that the real Maritime died in a bus wreck or something at the last minute and they found a Sex Pistols cover band and gave them a quick listen to the Maritime CD and shoved them out on stage and said "remember, you're Maritime." Or maybe Maritime really is a punk band and they got some hollywood producer who kept trying to smooth out their material to make it radio friendly and they think it's really lame and have returned to their punk roots live. I don't know. It could also be that the sound at Soho Lounge was the worst of any venue anywhere in the entire city for the entire duration of SXSW.

Maritime @ Soho Lounge

1 AM - Josh Pyke. This guy is a supremely talented songwriter. It's hard to engage people and keep them listening with just an acoustic guitar so anyone who can do it is already ahead in my book. Plus he has some incredible songs like this one. I think he would be even better with a backing band but I can understand not wanting to fly them all in from Australia for a 40 minute set.

Josh Pyke @ Hilton Garden Inn

SXSW 2007 Day 2

Whee! The first "full" day of music for me - I had to work Wednesday and didn't make any of the day parties.

Most Rock and Roll moment so far in the festival: Earl Greyhound playing S.O.S. Least Rock and Roll moment so far: This Kiss by Faith Hill on the Spaghetti Warehouse muzak system.

Started off at Antone's with Dirty on Purpose at 1:20. I don't think any of us were awake yet. I wasn't so hot on the song they released this year, but the ones they did for SXSW 2005 and 2006 both made my top 40 best of.


Dirty on Purpose @ Antone's

2 PM caught the last of Headlights' set (who have a great song called TV) at Flamingo Cantina where we just missed them (the club not the band) giving away free shoes.

2:45 saw Earl Greyhound in the "patio" of Mugshots. I have to say that band's rhythm section is fan friggin tastic, and very nearly overshadows the main dude half the time. If they can come up with a couple more songs like S.O.S. they could be to the Zeppelin side of 70s music what Lenny Kravitz was to the T-Rex side. And I mean that as a compliment.

Earl Greyhound @ Mugshots

4 PM saw Badly Drawn Boy at Cedar Street. I liked the soundtrack to About a Boy but was underwhelmed by the rawk set they played.


Badly Drawn Boy @ Cedar Street

The rest of the afternoon was kind of a bust for music, but we finally tracked down Tally Hall and forced them to sell us a couple of their CDs.

Stalking Tally Hall

8 PM saw Say Hi To Your Mom at Buffalo Billiards. I'd never been there before and it's a great place for live music. The band was a little more Emo than I expected after the single they posted, but they were still great to see. I think maybe they had a lineup change at the last minute because there was a girl playing keyboards whereas three dudes are in their publicity photos. Said girl did not look especially happy to be there.

Say Hi To Your Mom @ Buffalo Billiards

9 PM saw Apollo Sunshine. WARNING: do not go see this band. For some reason they are bent on releasing sunny little pop songs (like this one) but then at their shows play an awful screeching cacophonous racket that bears no resemblance whatsoever to their recorded material. Plus, they switch instruments between (and sometimes during) ever song as if they are each Steve Lukather and only specialized, unique instruments are capable of producing the various nuances they're trying to connote. Avoid at all costs.

Plus at 9:30 I could have been seeing Trances Arc who don't appear to be playing any day parties. AAaurrrrgggghh!!! Curse you Apollo Sunshine!

10 PM we punted and went to see Midnight Movies set at the Ritz. Capable shoegazer material and performance, nothing to write grandma about. Besides they were really just a warmup for... (drumroll)

11 PM OFFICE. I wanted to see them for a while and they were solid. They have the look, they have the sound, they have the stage presence. I'd just like to see more songs like the one they released last year than the one they released this year.

12 AM The line to get in to Stubb's was insane, so no Bloc Party for us. Instead we cabbed it on down to Molotov's and caught the end of some punk band and then...

1 AM Peelander Z. Well what can you say, you've either seen them or you haven't. Insane Japanese punk rockers with a Japanimation comic book character theme who give the audience instruments to play along with. The moshing ends up on the stage by the end of every song. I'm surprised nobody got hurt.

NOTE: Updates to come with pictures as soon as the camera recharges.

SXSW 2007 Day 1

Last night kicked off SXSW 2007.

At 8 PM we started with Lemon Sun, who's bio and sample mp3 you can see here. They were pretty good - especially the rhythm section. VERY LOUD THOUGH. I BLAME THE SOUND GUY.
9 PM we booked it over to the Hilton to see Harris Tweed from South Africa (bio and mp3 here). Very polished. I couldn't get over the fact that at roughly $4000 a pop for a plane ticket from Johannesburg (plus hotel, food, etc.) they had to have spent at least $20 grand just to play in front of about 100 people. It was worth it for me though...

10 PM we went to Flamingo Cantina and waited in line for 20 minutes. That was total BS. All these fools with badges kept coming and jumping the line (which the SXSW people clearly state is their right, but still). Finally got in to see Pony Up. They were pretty dull.

11 PM we went to the Habana Calle annex and saw Tally Hall (bio/mp3). By far the best show of the night. They look like science fair nerds in ties, but they rock like Queen. They opened with Bolero, in it's entirety for gawd's sake. Bolero!

12 AM we went to Soho Lounge to see Gavin Castleton, who has a FANTASTIC mp3 here. His set was plagued with technical problems. Plus they kept playing crappy 90s rock on the PA downstairs (the stage was upstairs). He took it pretty well but I could tell he was disappointed. Cheer up pobracito, we still love you.

We walked past Flamingo again to see if we could get in to see Har Mar Superstar (no mp3 from current year but they still have the one from 2005 up). No dice. So we got some greasy snacks and hit the Night Owl North (route 481) and called it a night.

What Made Milwaukee Famous & Dr. Dog at Emo's tonight

This will be a fantastic show. These are two fantastic bands. If you are in Austin tonight you should go see this show.

SXSW 2007 mp3 torrent file

Spare yourself the agony of downloading all 700-something mp3s individually. Get a BitTorrent client (like Azureus) and let it do the work for you.

The link to the .torrent file is on this page: http://2007.sxsw.com/toolbox/

SXSW Schedule and MP3s released

As listed on the SXSW site:

Band Schedule Now Available!

The South by Southwest Music Festival is happy to present the 2007 Music Festival Schedule. Also, don't forget to check out the mp3s.

Also - happy Chinese New Year, y'all...

Mid February Music

Songs

Publish My Love by Rogue Wave. Vertical Horizon meets Pete Yorn.

Rough Gem by Islands. Actually the whole album is pretty good, but I have mostly just been listening to this one song over and over.

Cream and Bastards Rise by Harvey Danger.

Well Thought Out Twinkles and Little Lover's So Polite by Silversun Pickups. The members of Smashing Pumpkins' little brothers all get together and form a band. The rest of the album is good but I'm stuck on these two songs.

Poetry Class / Hit Me by Moi. Cynical pop. Something about love and being in prison. Who the hell knows.

SOS by Earl Greyhound. Go ahead, rock your ass off. Seriously these guys (and gal) are the heirs to the Edgar Winter Group and Grand Funk Railroad.

They Can't Buy the Sunshine by Turin Brakes. Ordinarily, this would be a little on the verge of an alt-country Fleetwood Mac sound for me, but I really like the chorus. Indigo Girls should do a cover, that would be tight.

Albums

Friend Opportunity by Deerhoof. Bjork meets the Cardigans and My Bloody Valentine. Standout tracks: Believe E.S.P., Choco Fight, Cast Off Crown, Matchbook Seeks Maniac.

Momento by Bebel Gilberto. Smooth Brasilian pop. Standout tracks: Os Novos Yorkinos, Um Segundo.

Bring it Back by Mates of State. I'm not sure if this is one of the bands that shares members with Broken Social Scene, but they sound like they ought to be. Standout tracks: Think Long, Punchlines.

Roots & Crowns by Califone. Drum loops, weird creaking sound effects, guitars that sound like they're made out of old boats and bees' nests. All the songs are good. Either you like Califone or you don't, but if you liked them before you'll still like them after you hear this one.

Writers Block by Peter Bjorn and John. Swedish pop. Sweet, innocent, and slightly off key. Perfect. Standout tracks: Let's Call It Off, Poor Cow, Young Folks.

Catching up to the present

Buy these now.

Albums that have been released in the not-too-distant past that are so awesome you should take my advice and get them immediately.

In Exile Deo by Juliana Hatfield. It is a crime against humanity that Britney Spears is famous and Juliana Hatfield is on an indie label. Only Everything and Bed are fantastic as well. Really so is everything she's ever touched (except Evan Dando).

Be He Me by Annuals. Jellyfish performs the lost Jane's Addiction album.

El Ten Eleven. It's two guys, and they play all this stuff live, just like the record. Another band from the Bar / None label, which has the most consistent roster of the indie bunch these days.

Can'tneverdidnothin by Nikka Costa. Don't be fooled by the fact that she looks like Chlamydia Spice (or whichever one the redhead was). This gal can SING.

Effloresce by Oceansize. Yeah we're reaching a few years back with this one but it is still five-star Bitchen.

West Indian Girl. Another band that sounds like they were influenced by Jane's Addiction. Except more the flowers and free love side of Jane's Addiction than the heroin and raging against the machine side.

Trying to Never Catch Up by What Made Milwaukee Famous. Local Austin boys finally got picked up by a major label. BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE DAMN ORIGINAL SEQUENCE ALONE.