Tag Archives: SXSW 2009

SXSW 2009 Preview: Part Three

Music, SXSW,

Sprengjuhollin

They are: An Icelandic pop band. According to their SXSW page, “Sprengjuhollin’s success in its native Iceland can be viewed objectively by the broadness of its fanbase that covers art school hipsters, mechanics, housewives, convicts and politicians.” Unfortunately, my Google search for “Icelandic Convict Radio” failed to return more information about this exciting new subgenre.

Sounds like: The type of band that plays over the credits of a Wes Anderson movie. (Their web site says Belle and Sebastian, so I don’t have to.)

The Tracks (from their MySpace page):

Worry till Spring
Some brass over the chorus gives this mellow groove-rider a little extra flavor. Clean production, warm vocals and a plucked guitar keeps the whole thing humming.

The Drive
A snare heavy intro (channeling “Get Off Of My Cloud”?) gives way to surf-scented fuzz. It’s a nice groove, reminiscent of Apples in Stereo, but it doesn’t seem to quite have anywhere to go.

Tonight
A descending violin squall jumps into a propulsive, string-heavy rush of a song. It turns dreamy at the end, with chanted “Oh la la”s that are bright enough to life the mood of even the most jaded convict.

The verdict: Sprengjuhollin is a great pop band, with a fun, clean sound, but they seem a bit too edgeless to be compelling live.

SXSW 2009 Preview: Part Two

Music, SXSW,

Parenthetical Girls

They are: “Parenthetical Girls are a musical group operating within the pop idiom. Entanglements is the name of their recently completed full-length album. A dense, winkingly ambitious orchestral song cycle, Entanglements is an eleven-song, linear meditation on authority, adolescent sexuality, quantum mechanics, consent, and other moral ambiguities—all set to an elaborately orchestrated olio of timeworn, traditional pop forms” (SXSW web site).

Uh, yeah.

Sounds like: Lou Reed’s “Goodnight Ladies,” only with more orchestration and an actual singer

The tracks (from their MySpace site):

A Song for Ellie Greenwich
I don’t know how “winkingly ambitious” it is, but it kicks off with a lively trumpet/baritone setpiece and walks through a multinstrumental suite. It’s dense, but never too heavy, and the vocals are warm and well-placed.

Unmentionables
Falsetto vocals begin over a halting trumpet-tuba-ukulele pattern before the whole thing swoons to strings. The song changes gears mid-way, passing through a brassy march and pizzicato strings en route to an understated finish. A neat track.

The Weight She Fell Under
A light, pushing drone and xylophone arpeggio pace this bright tribute to a woman seemingly sliced in half by a train.

The verdict: Very cool stuff. Their sound is complex without being overstuffed, ambitious without being pretentious. There will be a lot of pieces to pull together live, but I’d like to see how they’re going to do it.

SXSW 2009 Preview: Part One

Music, SXSW, , ,

To prep for the 2009 South By Southwest music festival in, I’m arming myself with a list of the groups performing and an active Internet connection with the goal of listening to top tracks from as many bands as possible and offering my impressions here.

The reactions will be quick and dirty, reflecting my own musical taste and ignorance, but if they save me or anyone else from accidentally sitting through a performance of Hey, How’s Your News, then they will be worth it.

Akron/Family

They are: A New York City–based folkie band with drums, guitar and bass.

Sounds like: Mostly Iron and Wine, with maybe a little stripped-down, unfrenzied Dirty Horse thrown in.

The tracks (Rhapsody):

Afford
A dreamy lament, with picked guitar, light cymbal taps and a little steel-guitar drone to close her out.

…are those cricket sounds and bird calls?

Yep, they are.

Untitled
Well, it’s a hidden track, so it starts with the obligatory two minutes of silence (thanks, guys!). The track itself is leisurely, unspooling string arrangements and clean electric rambles over a strummed acoustic timekeeper. It’s nice, and sad, and quiet.

Before and Again
Kicks off with a bright, picked acoustic pattern and moves into hummed vocals, electric beeps and a little tin whistle. It spins a thin, delicate, beautiful thread before closing with an upbeat bongo jam.

The Verdict: Unrushed and melodic, the band gives each component of its sound room to breathe and be heard. It’s headphone music, songs you need to surround yourself with—tunes that might make you close your eyes and daydream for a while. It’s a great sound—I want to listen to more—but it seems best suited to a small, hushed venue.

Anni Rossi

They are: “From Minnesota via Los Angeles and now based in Chicago, twenty-three year old Anni is an exciting prospect. Having been classically trained since aged three, Anni is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and has been performing as a solo artist for the past few years.”

Sounds like: A slightly squawky Alanis Morrisette with a violin

The tracks (Rhapsody):

Machine
A plucked violin provides the push for the track, with Rossi offering breathy, trilled vocals. The backing sounds like something Andrew Bird would record in his bedroom, but the singing is too slippery for its own good.

Ecology
A Vegas lounge swing on organ in punctuated with a bassoon and stiff snare beats. The lyrics quiver, but you just want them to hold still.

Venice
Kicks off with a nice woodwind/drum groove, which alternates with a rough, swelling string country waltz. The end goes uptempo over a frenzied violin pattern

The Verdict: It’s a bit punk rock, but the vocals are more grating than attention-grabbing. Andrew Bird has nothing to worry about.

Department of Eagles

They are: A band fronted by the lead singer of Grizzly Bear and his college roommate, who retained the itch for music after many years in an office job, giving hope to schlubs everywhere (or at least schlubs with former college roommates in successful bands…step to it, guys!)

Sounds like: Nice, high and soothing…My Morning Jacket meets Of Montreal? (Pre sex-soul explosion for both)

The tracks (Department of Eagles web site):

No One Does It Like You
The tune marches along with a dreamy strut. Strong lead vocals, falsetto backups and a steady lead make for a nice, Gorrilaz-esque track.

In Ear Park
Opens with a range of rippling acoustic patterns that cede to a dreamy, wavering vocal. Evocative and soothing.

Phantom Other
Another acoustic track, one that makes gorgeous use of vocal overlays. It’s still light, with a more conventional drum backing, but there are a lot of interesting sounds in the margins.

The Verdict:Great production and a polished sound. They might be a little soft for a live setting, but they could also unleash some fuzzy firepower. An intriguing band.