6 Apr, 2008
- The Quebe Sisters Band (”So Long To The Red River Valley”) - Who cares if they’re award-winning fiddlers? Like Alison Krauss, these sisters’ voices and not their fiddle playing attract my attention. The girls’ three-part harmony likens back to the days of the 1940s. You think you’re listening to the Andrews Sisters on an old radio show.
- Socratic (”Just Turn”) - Kerrang! describes themselves as Jimmy Eat World overdosed on Meatloaf. I hear more Gin Blossoms, but, well, okay.
- Stephanie Dosen (”Vinalhaven Harbor”) - Oh wow. Her voice is angelic, the harmonies are ethereal, and the strings with acoustic guitar are heavenly. Yes, Stephanie Dosen might well be a messenger from God.
- The Subjects (”The Hounds of War“) - Composed of a few former high-school students with their teacher, this group surprises you. The opening of “The Hounds of War” is slow, with a lone electric guitar and one slightly off-tune vocal. Then all hell breaks loose, and with some nice chord progression, the song turns out right nicely, thank you.
- The Submarines (”You, Me and the Bourgeoisie”) - The Submarines are actually a duo, and lead singer Blake Hazard (a female) sounds like Nina Persson from the Cardigans. Go to their site and you’ll be greeted with this song, which is a good thing.
- The Western Civilization (”Love Struck Angel”) - Another band fronted by a female, this song sounds a lot like Camera Obscura - heavy drums that sounds like trash cans, but lots of bells. Who doesn’t like bells? Their MySpace page pegs them as electroacoustic - interesting term. I’ve never heard of it, but they may be on to something.
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5 Apr, 2008
- Holly Conlan (”OK”) - McCartney-esque, piano-based, Tin Pan Alley - that’s what I heard from the opening bars of “OK,” and she continues the theme throughout. Judging from her MySpace selections, she’s a little more downbeat, but sticks mostly to the piano throughout.
- King of Prussia (”Misadventures of the Campaign Kids”) - No, not another Belle & Sebastian sound-alike. This band is from my neck of the woods (Athens, Ga.), and they claim B&S as an “obvious” comparison. But they have more bite than that, and despite the bizarre lyrics (which is a nod to B&S), “Campaign Kids” is full of energy, with strong, strumming acoustic guitars accenting a big sound.
- Little Jackie (”The World Should Revolve Around Me”) - This is what R&B should always be like. I fear too many comparisons to Amy Winehouse, but Little Jackie delivers a big Motown sound with strong, independent, feminist lyrics. This song is fun and infectious.
- Look See Proof (”Casualty”) - They’re from the UK, but they sound like early U2. NME is even more flattering: “Pure pop with all the good bits present and correct: choppy, insistent guitars, a pounding beat and harmonies a go-go.”
- Nicole Atkins (”Maybe Tonight”) - I had tried to peg Nicole Atkins as a female Jeff Buckley - soaring vocals, heartfelt anthems, but there was something missing. Then Chris at Music Snobbery nailed it: “The kind of music you would hear in head if you visited an abandoned amusement park.” If you listen, you’ll understand.
- Paul Collins Beat (”Don’t Wait Up For Me”) - Forerunners to the Knack, this group has been making music off and on for almost 30 years. In fact, this song was on their debut album in 1979. It’s timeless, and is a quintessential power pop song - strong hooks with a memorable guitar riff.
Part 3
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5 Apr, 2008
SXSW has always seemed to be a place to find cool, new upcoming artists, so when I noticed that the 2008 showcase was available on BitTorrent, I downloaded it - all 3.5 GB.
Yep, 764 artists.
It’s taken me a while to get through it all, even with my “If it doesn’t sound promising in 10 seconds, delete it” rule. But after countless listens, callbacks and consultations with Simon, Paula and Randy (Paula was pretty incoherent most of the time), I’ve narrowed it down to 18 artists. Here are the first six to watch (the others will be published in subsequent days):
- AJ Croce (”One And Only”) - The son of the late singer-songwriter Jim Croce has big footsteps to fill, but he’s been churning out albums since 1993. He’s hard to categorize - his albums have spanned such genres as jazz, Americana and blues. This song, from his latest album, Cantos
, seems to span all those genres while still giving a nod to his father.
- Birds of Wales (”Cinderella (Has Nothing On You)”) - This Toronto-based band has evoked comparisons to Belle & Sebastian and even Coldplay, but I’m getting a Dream Academy (”Life in a Northern Town”) vibe from them. In the same realm as Belle & Sebastian, this song is acoustic-based but overproduced so that it sounds more chamber-pop.
- Blue Rodeo & Friends (”This Town”) - Oh, no, it’s another piano-based male balladeer, you think at the opening chords. But it’s a Canadian country-rock band that’s been playing together for the past 25 years. Probably one of my favorites.
- Clare & the Reasons (”Pluto”) - It’s the first ode to a planet - er, dwarf planet that I’ve ever heard, and it’s charming. Plucked strings provide the accompaniment for Clare Muldaur and her band, which sing in perfect multi-part harmony.
- Doug Walker (”Obstacles (Demo)”) - Okay, so this is another piano-based male balladeer. But he’s from Manchester, England, and counts ELO and Jeff Buckley among his influences. “Obstacles” is less pretentious than, James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” without being boring.
- Glen Reynolds (”Wonderland”) - “Wonderland” starts out sounding like early Radiohead, and the course is vaguely reminiscent of something I heard on “Dawson’s Creek” or “The O.C.” But it’s catchy nonetheless, and relatively harmless.
The second six debuts tomorrow…
Part 2
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