SXSW BANDS TO WATCH | 2010
According to the official South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) stats, there were 1,981 bands with 500+ hailing from outside the United States. SXSW is known as premier venue to showcase up-and-coming acts. Having seen over 50 of them in a whirlwind 4 days, here is the Record Dept. list of some the most interesting acts to catch over the next year.
ALLO, DARLIN’ | LONDON, UK
Allo, Darlin’s indie pop can turn a room of the hardest punks into a joyous, jumping, sweaty, pop-mosh pit.
AVI BUFFALO | LONG BEACH, CA
Sub Pop darlings Avi Buffalo’s music is a rootsy mash-up of many genres, with heavy guitar influence and lyrical ambiguity.
BEACH FOSSILS | BROOKLYN, NY
Self recorded ramblings full of sun drenched riffs, kaleidoscopic rhythms and carefree vibe make for catchy tunes.
BEST COAST | LOS ANGELES, CA
Best Coast sounds like a surf pop band fronted by a girl group singer, belting out beach blanket, lo-fi 60’s garage rock – a scratchier and more traditional rock sound than the lusher chillwave scene.
THE COATHANGERS | ATLANTA, GA
This experimental rock quartet mixes indie rock and punk with a fun, feminist sass at their party-infused shows, complete with confetti, balloons and homemade cookies.
FUTUREBIRDS | ATHENS, GA
The Futurebirds infuse their 70’s sound with a thoroughly modern spin, paying lo-fi homage to psych, folk and rock ‘n roll.
GANGLIANS | SACRAMENTO, CA
Ganglians’ psychedelic noise pop is a chorus of voices over foggy and distant sounds with lo-fi values and a ton of reverb echo.
THE GRAND HALLWAY | SEATTLE, WA
This eight piece orchestral pop band combines Western music with Eastern textures, incorporating violins, Oriental string and traditional rock instruments with banjo and accordion that result in poignant, fun, and beautiful songs.
GRASS WIDOW | SAN FRANCISCO, CA
California band Grass Widow captivate audiences with songs centered around haunting vocal harmonies over distorted post-punk riffs.
THE GROWLERS | COSTA MESA, CA
You got to love a band whose name comes from the carnage released in the outhouse by their guitarist Moustache Matt. These five SoCal guys bring sunny surf pop by way of a touch of 70’s psychedelia.
SARAH JAFFE | DENTON, TX
Musician Sarah Jaffe’s songs are deeply personal and inspiring, folk confessionals inspired by artists from James Taylor and Cat Stevens to The Magnetic Fields and Broken Social Scene.
JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD | NASHVILLE, TN
With a “play anywhere” attitude, frenetic live shows, three guitar strings and a minimal drum kit, and a sound described as “kraut punk”, “psychedelic grunge” and “noise pop,” these brothers distill rock to its primal essence.
THE JIM JONES REVUE | LONDON, UK
Britain’s Jim Jones stirs up his disciples like a diabolical preacher, with soul-drenched rock n roll and stage antics sure to bring hellfire.
THE MEGAPHONIC THRIFT | BERGEN, NO
The new project of Richard Myklebust (Stereo 21) Linn Frøkedal and Njål Clementsen (Low Frequency in Stereo) and Fredrik Vogsborg (Casiokids, Syme) showcases noise-pop with elements from shoegaze.
THE MIDDLE EAST | TOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND, AU
This unique band out of Australia incorporates influences from post-rock, folk, and ambient noise, creating a magical, hypnotic sound featuring varying instrumentation and gentle, addictive guitar hooks.
MOON DUO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Moon Duo uses guitar, keyboards, percussion and vocals to create a series of mostly instrumental, neo-psychedelic guitar jams described as a “primordial and disorienting sonic stew.”
JULIE PEEL | BROOKLYN, NY
Self-taught multi-instrumentalist and French native has her own distinctive indie sensibility and style of lo-fi, guitar driven pop like Mirah.
THE PEELIES | MONTREAL, QC
An all-girl band together only about a year, The Peelies have gathered quite a following due to their Raincoats-like swagger, punk technique and garage sing-along melodies.
POMEGRANATES | CINCINNATI, OH
This self-professed art-pop band creates engaging, fuzzy indie rock with a charming, under-produced quality reminiscent of a variety of influences from Talking Heads and Brian Eno to French Kicks and Fela Kuti, to early Modest Mouse and Wolf Parade.
SHARON VAN ETTEN | BROOKLYN, NY
Formerly of TN and NJ, Van Etten’s rich, pure voice and sad songs seem to convey universal truths which are enhanced by a simple bit of studio layering and double tracking.
SONNY AND THE SUNSETS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA
With his carefree California beach pop sensibilities, Sonny Smith’s honest melodies charm with a hint of a sly smirk in his lyrics.
THE SPLINTERS | OAKLAND, CA
This foursome’s riotous garage pop (think Shangri-Las, Bikini Kill) screams of punk, du-wop, and Stones-esque rock with a serious badass attitude.
THE STRANGE BOYS | AUSTIN, TX
The Strange Boys bring it all with stylistic elements of garage rock, punk, R&B, country, lo-fi, and psychedelic rock.
TURBO FRUITS | NASHVILLE, TN
The bluesy and punky Turbo Fruits, led by Jonas Stein (Be Your Own Pet), shit-kick harder than every other band on the Fat Possum label.
T.V. TORSO | AUSTIN, TX
Matt Oliver (Sound Team – lead vocals) leads three-piece band TV Torso who practice their own brand of self-proclaimed minimal rock music with a fuzzy, rough-hewn sound.
VADOINMESSICO | LONDON, UK
Vadoinmessico’s international blend of music is making fast fans with their unique blend of Mediterranean alternative folk and a touch of psychedelic rock.
WARPAINT | LOS ANGELES, CA
Experimental art rock group Warpaint features gorgeous female vocals over lilting melodies and talented instrumentals – its shoegaze at its best.
YUKON BLONDE | VANCOUVER, BC
Yukon Blonde’s own brand of twangy indie rock brings the best aspects of 60’s psychedelic rock/pop into contemporary times with great harmonies and hook-filled melodies.