Young the Giant dive into night one at Stubb’s

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Photo by Amanda

Maybe it was the smell of BBQ emanating from the soil inside of Stubb’s on Saturday night, but I swear Young the Giant single-handedly ushered in summertime in Austin, Texas. Between their catchy melodies, soaring, sparkly waves of guitars and Sameer Gadhia’s lion’s roar of a voice, Young the Giant sounds as if they can command nature. From a raucous but smaller-scale performance at Buffalo Billiard’s during South by Southwest last year to now, the band has garnered so much onstage confidence that it seems they were destined for sold-out-show status as quickly as they have achieved it, and musically, they have certainly earned it. Their first full-length release is solid from start to finish, with softer, breezy songs and wild, heart-pumping rock jams that weave together seamlessly.

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AWM’s Favorite Albums of 2011

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I think a part of the reason I like to make lists of my favorite albums of the year is selfishness. It helps me take stock of the art that was put out over the course of the year. It helps me remember shows I’ve seen, or moments I shared with new music. It helps me feel fonder about the year that has passed, and more hopeful for the year that is coming. It forces me to examine what this music meant to me, and why it meant that. I tend to favor albums whose tracks I loved, start to finish, that had meaningful lyrics or were soundtracks for important moments. Plus, I always favor risks. If I feel like a band played it safe and made a solid record, I’ll dig it, but for those who try to tackle huge topics through their art, I always admire it and end up loving it more.

For these reasons, I really could just jot down a list to myself, smile smugly, and move on. That said, I do think there is value in sharing lists, because it sparks conversations (or arguments, if you’re into that) and can potentially (and hopefully) help people discover new albums they may not have heard of before. This year, I found myself leaving off albums that contained a handful of unforgettable songs because the rest of the album was weak. I also found myself extending my list to a top-15 instead of top-10, including in my final 5 growers that I still need to spend more time with, but that were so striking in their own way that I had to include them. Without further ado:  my 2011 best-of list! Enjoy, be angered, argue and discuss. All is welcomed.

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Growing up with Austin City Limits – 2011 Reviewed

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Growing up adoring live music is a strange thing. All of us have to come to terms with aging, and I am by no means old — I’m only 24, well aware of how much more youth is laid out in front of me. But even though it’s six years until my thirties and that’s even so young in modern times, I feel like every year that passes, my live music experience is tweaked enough to make me notice that I’m growing.

Austin City Limits has so often been the backdrop of my slow and steady coming-of-age, that my experience with the festival, the fans, the weather, the bands and the music itself shifts all the time. I remember my first Austin City Limits festival in 2005, when I was just starting to find out exactly how much I was in love with music. I focused more on meeting my heros, spending a lot of time at the Waterloo tent, getting signatures and goofing around with Tristan Prettyman, Rachael Yamagata and the Blues Travelers — I’ll never forget John Popper spouting off to me in French and kissing my bandaged-from-rowing-tryouts hands. 2006 was a huge turning point, where I totally lost myself during Muse’s set, moshing just a little and sweating like it was detox therapy. My tastes were splintering off in a thousand directions, and ACL catered to that beautifully. I was always the one to camp out for artists, to dance with reckless abandon and spend the whole day in a field with strangers. I’d never care that I was attending the festival alone, because I’d inevitably make new friends sitting around on the grass.

Now here we are, at the festival’s 10-year reunion and what was my sixth time attending (would-be seventh, if it hadn’t been for my broken ankle ’09 debacle), and it’s a completely different ballgame for me. First of all, I’m not a student anymore. This means I had to work for a better part of Friday — I managed to take off three hours and make the shows I was dying to see, but was still a bit bummed not to catch morning gigs and make a day of it. I also find that I don’t enjoy the festival as much when I’m by my lonesome. I can (and will) still go it alone when it means making a performance by my favorites, but if I’m with people I love and they want to move back in the crowd a bit, I’ll tend to oblige. I feel the physical taxation of festivals a lot more now, too. I used to just get sick after a weekend of rocking out, but this year was the first where I felt I was coming close to fainting. Finally, I find myself a little more jaded by my surrounding festival-goers — I’m more easily annoyed, and a little more judgmental of the very young kids I see wandering around the festival grounds. When I catch myself being a grump, I try to remind myself of being that girl or boy, and having that experience. And sometimes, I’ll still meet people who remind me of how awesome festival-goers tend to be.

Of course, it’s not all grouchiness and disillusion. With my age, I have fallen in love with far more bands, and even more genres that allow me to enjoy more bands. I have also fallen in love with more people, and get to see festivals through their eyes, too. Just because it’s different doesn’t make it worse, and even though it’s harder to get the same detox high that I regularly felt when I was younger, when it hits now, it is euphoric.

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Austin City Limits Festival 2011 – Who to See

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I have been excited about this year’s Austin City Limits Festival for a while, but the giddiness just hit me on Sunday. It is indeed that time of year where Zilker Park closes to lazy weekends with your dog to make way for tall white tents, towering stages and tons and tons of your favorite bands. My all-time top two will both be performing this weekend, so I’m more than ready for it all. Mostly, I’m excited to stumble upon some new bands I’ve never heard before – there are quite a few that could fill some empty spaces in my schedule. For now, I will recommend the bands I feel secure in signing off on. Below, you’ll get a song and a snippet about who I think you should see. Drink tons of water, reapply that sunscreen, and rock out with abandon.

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Lollapalooza 2011 – Friday

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We kicked off our day early, because I haven’t been able to stop listening to Wye Oak’s debut on Merge, Civilian. Lead singer and guitarist Jenn Wasner has a deep voice she layers over her guitar shredding, and as a young female interested in music, this alone gets my blood pumping. Andy Stack is a great partner for Wasner. He plays a bellowing, heart-stomping drum and occasionally multitasks on the keyboard. The pair have painted a gorgeous, haunting picture on their album, and in the right setting, they can take their songs to another overwhelming level. Unfortunately, on a toasty day in the afternoon at a giant outdoor venue, the duo was plagued by technical difficulties, and the timing just seemed off. Wasner’s pedals were in and out during the first three songs, and you could see this talented musician slowly falling apart as a huge opportunity to gain new fans turned into a nightmare for her. After stopping in the middle of “Plains,” she looked to be at a loss, saying, “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” Finally, with some finagling and a bit of magic, things seemed to come together and the band started “Plains” a second time to loving hoots, hollers and applause. Highlights included the single and title track “Civilian,” which is a driving song that the audience recognized and got into, “That I Do,” which sounded much folksier than the remix by Mickey Free that was released on an old EP, and “I Hope You Die,” which is a desperate, destructive love song that was a sad but lovely send-off as the set winded down. Ultimately, it wasn’t the best venue for this band, but I think they pulled in some new fans and ended up having a good time.

We raced to Young the Giant as soon as Wye Oak’s set ended. This was a band that promised high energy, and they did not disappoint. Out of the gate, lead singer Sameer Gadhia’s voice was soaring, with crooner-style vibrato and intense power. The entire band is talented, but Gadhia is the show-stealer every time. As he beats himself up with his tambourine, dances and leaps up and down, it’s near-impossible to take your eyes off of him. “I Got” was the opener, and the crowd seemed involved immediately. Highlights were the best tracks off of the group’s self-titled album, including “My Apartment” and “Cough Syrup.” The latter song saw the first sing-along of the day, with hands in the air early on a Friday morning. A few slower tracks and an old one cooled everyone off before the one-two punch closer of “God Made Man” into “My Body,” which was clearly the most beloved song the band played. The entire audience was into it, dancing, singing and leaping along in the hot afternoon sun. Gadhia held nothing back, letting his voice rip out like a fighter jet. The swagger and energy of this set made it one of my favorites of the day.

Grace Potter was up next, and the boys in my party were giddy with excitement for her set. She and her Nocturnals came out, guns a’blazin, as Potter channeled Tina Turner and roared out upbeat blues rock to heat up the afternoon. Potter is hard to take your eyes off of; she owns the stage, strutting from instrument to instrument (she plays guitar and organ) and often dancing harder than most audience members. Her long blonde hair whips around her face like a weapon, and at her Lollapalooza performance, her sparkly flapper dress accentuated her movements. My favorite songs were the ones with oomph, that came barreling out of the speakers with speed and force. The band slowed things down for three songs in a row in the middle of the set, and with the heat of the afternoon sun beating down on us, it felt a little like swimming through tar. The set ended wildly, though, with the Nocturnals’ big hits, “Paris (Ooh La La)” (edited to “Ooh la la Lalapalooza” in honor of the fest), and “Medicine,” during which the entire band circled up around the drum set and banged away. Grace herself threw as many objects as she could reach into the crowd, including a big fuzzy tiger mask and a white tiger stuffed animal, which nearly took out a mic stand on the way down. This throw was reminiscent of a time a tried to toss a garbage bag into the giant bin behind my apartment complex, and Zack bore witness as I overshot far wide to the right and the bag ripped open on its sad, sloppy way to the ground. I appreciate a fellow klutz.

Before the Kills came onstage, a firework for later in the night went off a bit early, erupting in smoke and gold sparkles. It was a nice transition between the two sets, sending Potter out with a bang and making way for some darkness. Whereas our group’s men fell for Grace Potter’s feisty sensuality, I prefer the subtle sex appeal of one Alison Mosshart. I fell in love the moment I first saw Alison, in the video for the Dead Weather’s “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” She seems so sure of herself in a way that is more understated than diva Potter, and moves around the stage like a woman possessed. The duo of Mosshart and Jamie Hince were clearly beloved, as they played a nice mix of tunes. My favorites were from the album Midnight Boom, including “Tape Song,” “Sour Cherry” and “U.R.A. Fever.” As soon as the telephone boops signaled the coming of this latter song, hands shot up in the air and screams bounced around the audience. Mosshart stomped around stage, balancing on speakers in her shiny black boots, shimmying and shaking and mostly entrenched by a waterfall of black hair. At one point, two back up singers came quietly onstage, and then disappeared a few songs later. It’s kind of representative of the Kills — like a thunderstorm, they rumble along, striking with force in a storm of sound, leaving an uneasy calm in their wake. I tend to leave festivals obsessing over a few bands for a number of weeks. I have a feeling the Kills will join me in my car for a while.

The band I thought would be my show of the weekend was next, and I was jittery with excitement, clinging to our little stretch of festival gate we were leaning against like I would float away if I let go. Bright Eyes is my band and Conor Oberst is my man, with fierce political motivation, clear and rich imagery and melodies in most genres you could imagine. The bands’ catalogue is so robust that it is always a crapshoot as to what the setlist might contain. This tour has seen a good mix of old and new, and I expected a number of songs from this year’s The People’s Key, but we only ended up with three. “Four Winds” kicked everything off in an angry hoedown, and Conor didn’t address the crowd until a few songs in. He seemed especially confrontational at this Lollapalooza performance, which I tend to enjoy, but seemed to be a complete turn-off for a lot of people in the audience. The band’s fans just didn’t show up, which made the performance feel a little bit flat, particularly in comparison to their Auditorium Shores performance during South by Southwest. Still, despite lackluster crowd participation, the band sounded impeccable and pulled out tons from my favorite album, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. “Old Soul Song (For the New World Order)” was emotional, with Conor angrily screaming out, “Just when I get so desperate I can’t speak!” “Another Travelin’ Song” was dedicated to all of the bands stopping in at Lolla, and “Land Locked Blues” was a tune I’d yet to hear the group perform live. It was missing Emmylou Harris, but more fists flew up during this song than any other preceding it. Conor announced “Shell Games” for “all the phonies in the audience,” to which nobody really knew whether to hoot or boo, so we just kept quiet and looked bewilderingly at one another. He brought everyone back together for the one-two punch of the set’s end, “Road to Joy” and “One For You, One For Me.” Kids got together behind the “Road to Joy” line, “So when you’re asked to fight a war that’s over nothing/It’s best to join the side that’s gonna win/And no one’s sure how all of this got started/ But we’re gonna make ‘em god-damn certain how it’s gonna end,” as Oberst spat the words with as much venom as he could muster. He thanked us as his friends and ultimately left a sweet aftertaste with “One For You, One For Me.” He was the first musician I saw all weekend who jumped down into the crowd, and he wandered just feet away from my little section, once again evading my hyper fangirldom. My heart beat in my throat when I saw his small frame hugging luckier kids a few feet ahead of me, before he turned around and headed back to the stage as Denny Brewer was played on repeat, saying, “Mercy.”

Because of our excellent positioning, we decided to remain at our fencepost to let Coldplay end our night. We were 100% sure that Chris Martin would jump out into the crowd and run around, as he had in 2005 at Austin City Limits. We were 100% wrong. However, despite this slight disappointment, the Brits played tons of hits, with a number of new songs mixed in, and were so wide-eyed and thankful that you couldn’t help but love them. Lasers shot out from the stage, creating a giant nightclub in the middle of a field, and emphasized songs like “Yellow,” “Lost!” and “Clocks,” which were all huge sing-alongs. Really, every song was a sing-along, proving the depth of these hitmakers’ song cache. As Zack mentioned in his review of this show, we had a rolling bet for the weekend about how many times I would cry at performances: over or under 3 times. I picked under, thinking Bright Eyes, Coldplay, and My Morning Jacket might get me. Zack figured they all would for sure, and went over, hoping for a twofer at one of the performances. I ended up crying just once, during Coldplay’s performance of “The Scientist.” As Martin crooned, “Nobody said it was easy/No one ever said it would be so hard” over devastatingly tragic piano chords, I let my mind wander and lost myself in a stereotypical 20-something mini-crisis, and it was simultaneously so goofy and freeing that it made the moment a highlight of the weekend for me. Coldplay create songs that can soundtrack the overly dramatic moments of your life. If you’re like me at all, and fancy yourself a bit of a star of your own personal movie, I recommend digging through Coldplay albums for the slow-mo moments. Coldplay were the only headliners we saw who played an encore, and they killed it, with fireworks illuminating the night sky (and firework debris raining down on us) during “Fix You” and their new single, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.”

Lollapalooza Shakedown 2011

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It’s that festival time of year again, and I’m kicking off my season with the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza in Chicago. Whether you’re going to be up in the Windy City, or if you’re just tuning in online, here are my picks for acts to see and hear.

FRIDAY

Wye Oak – Noon, Sony Stage

A woman with a deep, warm voice who shreds guitar in a duo that writes songs to shake the earth. Get up early, or you’ll be saying “if only” down the line.

Young the Giant – 1PM, Bud Light Stage

I was lucky enough to catch these guys at South by Southwest, and they put on a forceful, high-energy show that will set you on fire. After the cool tones of Wye Oak, nothing will be a better system reboot than Young the Giant. Their Jools Holland performance really speaks for itself.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – 2:30PM, Bud Light Stage

No matter who you are, if Grace Potter doesn’t turn you on, you’re not paying attention. The sexpot songstress has a powerful voice and booming stage presence, and with her hard-rocking band backing up her soulful tunes, you’ll be sweating ooh-la-la’s before you know it.

Foster the People – 3PM, Sony Stage

I doubt I’ll be pulling myself away from Grace Potter, but in the event that you’re looking to go a little more indie, Foster are your people (oooh, forgive me). There are a lot of things about this band that make me want to call them Yeasayer-lite, but they’re such a new band that I don’t think it’s worth pinning them down like that yet. “Pumped Up Kicks” is their big hit, with a catchy chorus that has some punk attitude.

The Kills – 4:30PM, Bud Light Stage

The Bud Light Stage is where it’s at for afternoon female ferocity. I’m almost tempted to write “Alison Mosshart” and leave it at that, but for those of you unfamiliar with the siren who partnered with Jack White in the Dead Weather, the Kills are her original home. It’s raw, with some pop inclinations drizzled on top of its rock core.

Bright Eyes – 6:30PM, Bud Light Stage

To me, there is nothing else going on at this time. The world stops when Oberst opens his mouth. My fangirldom is no secret, and it does make it difficult to pitch to people who may be unfamiliar with Bright Eyes’ immense catalogue. If you’re unsure about this one, I’ll put it to you this way: if you love incredible, moving writing matched to tons of different musical genres, performed by people who put all their heart and soul on the line, this is your show.

OK Go – 7:15PM, Google + Stage

I won’t be leaving Bright Eyes early, and our team may decide we have too great of crowd positioning to leave, but I’ll be a bit heartbroken if I don’t see some of OK Go’s set. Their 2010 release Of the Color of the Blue Sky is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They are creative artists not only in their musical talent, but also their visual spectacle, and they write hella fun pop rock music that’ll get you grooving.

Coldplay – 8:15PM, Bud Light Stage

It is an honest toss-up for me between Coldplay and Muse; I’ll likely be at Coldplay because I’ll have been standing over on their side of the park the whole day, and because I’ve seen Muse 5 times and Coldplay only once. At their 2005 Austin City Limits performance, Chris Martin was the perfect big rock showman, running through the crowd and climbing soundstage scaffolding, making us all forget our lungs were filled with dust and we were sweating mud. If you’ve never seen Coldplay, don’t let yourself miss out because the hipsters of the world like to make fun of this British hit-making machine. I’ll be the one near the front, singing along to every song.

SATURDAY

Maps & Atlases – 2:15PM, Google + Stage

I have only ever heard this band’s name thrown around, but they sound similar to Dirty Projectors and other guitar-leaning indie rock groups, so I’m very interested in seeing what they can do.

Dom – 3:30PM, Google + Stage

I saw Dom perform at CMJ 2010, and they really surprised me. They were tons of fun, like the best parts of MGMT minus the pretty-crappy-live aspect. They can get far punkier and beachier than MGMT, too, and they wrote a song about a cat (“Bochicha”) – I’m sold.

The Drums – 4:45PM, Google + Stage

The Drums are another CMJ 2010 discovery, but beyond surprising me, this band knocked me on my ass. Lead singer Jonathan Pierce is intoxicating to watch – he has some of the strangest mannerisms and dance moves since perhaps David Byrne, and his voice is showy in a playful, almost sarcastic way. The band are all fantastic performers, and the music is catchy and danceable. You will fall in love.

Local Natives – 5:30PM, Sony Stage

My history with this band has been well documented, so I’ll just say – if you somehow haven’t managed to see this band put on their incredible live show, you really can’t miss this.

Ween – 6PM, Bud Light Stage

I’ll be at this show for two reasons. One, because my boyfriend loves this band. Two, because I actually really enjoyed their set at Free Press Summer Fest, because they were silly, haunting, rocking and, above all, entertaining. They’re underground legends and very much worth seeing live.

My Morning Jacket – 8PM, Bud Light Stage

Jim James is the hero of so many people I know. He seems universally beloved for his bear-like appearance, angelic voice and everydude sense of humor. His band crafts huge rock epics that are unafraid of veering into the sweet and simplistic, or out on a jammy limb.

SUNDAY

Titus Andronicus – 12:45PM, Music Unlimited Stage

I’ve been curious to see this group for a while. They’re a political, heart-stomping rock group with smart, straight lyrics, which is definitely up my alley. I’m excited to see what they’re like in a live setting.

Noah & the Whale – 2:30PM, Bud Light Stage

This is another band I’m curious about, and know very little about to date. They’ve been spun frequently on turntable.fm, and each song I’ve heard is beautiful and heartfelt. They remind me of a slightly happier Frightened Rabbit that plays a little bit more synth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – 3:15PM, Google + Stage

This band came through Austin and blew audiences away. Unfortunately, I missed their set, so I won’t make the same mistake at Lolla. I expected something like country rock based on the group’s name, but they’re a prefect blend of airy and poppy.

Flogging Molly – 4:15PM, Bud Light Stage

Raucous, familial Irish punk rock on the same label as Gogol Bordello (and rightfully so). After a rocky first experience with Flogging Molly (when another concert-goer threw up on my shoes), I’ve never been disappointed in their live show. They stopped by Stubb’s a few months ago and totally blew me away. Be careful, though – Chicagoans have proven to me they’ll crowd surf and circle pit for just about anything, so this is bound to be wild.

Lissie – 4:30PM, Google + Stage

It excites me to see so many strong, incredible, uplifting female voices on the Lollapalooza lineup. Lissie has a classic attention-grabbing voice that emotes over folksy rock tunes. She can use it subtly, and then let it explode when it’s called for. She’s also totally precious, the kind of artist you root for because she is deep-down good-natured.

Cage the Elephant – 5:15PM, PlayStation Stage

I tended to roll my eyes at Cage the Elephant at first – their two big hits, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and “In One Ear” sounded near identical to me, so I wasn’t particularly interested. However, “Shake Me Down” won me over immediately, and I’ve heard stories about how wild and energetic the bands’ live show can get. Seems to me like this is gonna be straightforward alt-rock fun, and I wouldn’t miss it.

Foo Fighters – 8PM, Music Unlimited Stage

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Foo Fighters. I loved “Learn to Fly,” but all the other songs in their enormous catalogue sounded the same to me, and I wasn’t a Nirvana diehard, either, so it was hard for me to be nostalgic about them. However, I’ve recently fallen in love with their covers album, and have enjoyed Dave Grohl’s sense of humor in various online forums. Plus, I have been promised time and again that they put on an unforgettable live show, and I wouldn’t want to end my festival experience without the Festival Crashers, so this is where you’ll find me, happily head-banging and fist-pumping along.

Kid Cudi – 9PM, Perry’s

I won’t be able to sneak away for this, but if you can, I highly recommend running over to see Kid Cudi on festival founder Perry Farrell’s stage. Cudi bends genre rules, rapping and singing with indie rockers to make music that appeals to all stripes. My younger brother introduced me to Cudi, explaining his intense past and how impressive his mixtapes were when he was starting out.

SXSW 2011 – Favorite Bands

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South by Southwest 2011 has come and gone, and in its path of destruction, it has also left behind a lot of great new music to enjoy. This was the most difficult year for me to navigate the conference, because it was the first where I was working a full time job most of the week. Still, I happened upon some exciting new discoveries and also enjoyed some of my well-established favorites, and am happy to pass it all along to you.

1, 2, 3 — Ever since this group’s grungy pop tune “Confetti” lodged itself into my brain, I was pumped to see 1, 2, 3 live and figure out how they’d come off on stage. Lead singer  Nic Snyder (who you’ll be forgiven for mistaking for Tobey Maguire) has the perfect pop voice, hi-pitched but powerful. The group’s onstage presence is fairly straightforward, but if you’re patient with them, they’ll treat you to a range of loose, beachy rock songs that sometimes even hint at southern influence. This is a band not quite ready to have a big breakout, but with tons of exciting potential. If you like being ahead of the curve, hop on this bandwagon early; I think Frenchkiss absolutely knew what they were doing signing these dudes.

Young the Giant — In my South By preview, I mentioned that these guys could end up being one of my favorite finds of 2011, or they could be another “their hit is all they have up their sleeve” band. I can now say confidently, they are totally the former. Young the Giant are indeed a young, energetic band on the brink. If you’re not too indie for arena rock, look to these guys as possible heirs to the Kings of Leon. The guys took what appeared to be whiskey shots to grand applause before they ripped into their set, and I only found out later that lead singer Sameer Gadhia was suffering from bronchitis that night; I had no idea, he sounded so incredible. The band’s sound is shiny and clean, but their energy is so raw that you don’t leave feeling that sterilized feeling you might with a too-polished rock group. Every band member is fun to watch perform, but Gadhia is unquestionably the show-stealer. The guys excelled at their fast, raucous songs just as well as they killed the slower, moodier tunes, and they left us “My Body” as their goodnight kiss-off. There is all kinds of awesome going on with this band. Listen, listen, listen.

The Dodos — These guys have been kickin’ around for a number of years now, but I’d never managed to catch a live show. I had always wanted to watch singer and guitarist Meric Long’s fingers fly in the fretboard, and watch drummer Logan Kroeber’s arms pump madly as he pitched out rhythms seemingly inhuman. It is as simultaneously whiplash-inducing and effortless as I expected. The guys mostly focused their setlist on brand new tunes, which fit easily into their discography. The Dodos are definitely straightforward performers, but their intense musicianship makes up for a lack of showiness. The band had things working against them; they were playing at 1:00 am, and they were playing fairly gentle folk music at 1:00 am, but they were still a joy to watch and a band I’d see again live. And I’ll always adore their lush, rich records.

Wye Oak — When I was scouring the SXSW ’11 lineup, I stumbled across this band’s song “Civilian” and was sold enough to know they were a group I had to see at some point during the week. I finally made it happen on their Friday night performance at the Parish. When they first started playing, I was worried; the music was beautiful, but the whole thing reminded me a little too much of my experience with Beach House at SXSW ’09. In other words, I was worried I was going to be bored to tears. Luckily, Wye Oak have way more backbone (sorry, Beach House fans). Guitarist and front woman Jenn Wasner has vocals that howl like some fantastical mermaid-siren’s, and she is so much fun to watch on guitar. Andy Stack is a perfect compliment on drums, adding to the tunes without overpowering them. I think the song that finally really knocked the wind out of me was “For Prayer,” which punctuates with a screaming wall of sound after each verse. It shocks you awake and alive, and I like that kind of fire. And you gotta love another female presence on Merge Records. Got to.

Sharon Van Etten — Sharon Van Etten is, as an everyday person, too cute for words. She’s clearly a total nerd, but she’s a nerd with this singing voice that can grab you by the throat and punch you in the guts and eat your heart for lunch. Her songs are the heartbreak kind, done with honesty and beautiful, relatable storytelling. Van Etten was an artist whose album I’d already fallen for pre-SXSW, and was heavily anticipating her live performance. She more than lived up to expectations, sounding impeccable in a noisy Mohawk as the sun shone down on our heads. The music sounded good (save for one new song the band had to start over; the bass never did quite sound like it was in the proper key). But it’s Van Etten’s voice that is the show-stealer every time. The instrumentation is ultimately a lovely dressing for her vocals, which are deep and luscious, an absolute treat for the ears and soul.

Sarah Jaffe — Jaffe, Jaffe, Jaffe. My love affair with Sarah Jaffe is now a solid year along in its development, and with each new performance, she affects a new part of me and impresses me even more deeply than the time before. Sarah Jaffe has an incredible honey-toned voice, is brilliant at songwriting, and continues to explore new and exciting experiments that, more often than not, succeed with flying colors. She still has a beloved cache of folk-rock and folk-pop tunes from her EP Even Born Again and debut album Suburban Nature, but she now tends to open her shows with an electro-R&B number that leaks into “Under,” where she sings over a loop of her own echoing chorus of vocals. It’s a show-stopper, and has elicited rabid applause each time I’ve seen it performed. If you’ve ever just felt this fullness in your chest, like happiness could be the fluffy stuffing of a teddy bear, except it’s in you and bursting out at your seams as you grin like an idiot, that’s the kind of feeling Sarah Jaffe’s music will give you. Plus, the woman’s stage banter is so endearing and hilarious and personable, you too will instantly fall in love. I’ll leave you with a couple of crude videos of Jaffe’s tunes, just to give you a taste of what I’m talking about (to really get it, see her live. I can’t stress this enough.)
Where you gonna rest your head?
Intro + Under

SXSW Preview No. 3 – Who to See

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Here it is – the last preview before the South by Southwest Music Conference descends and we all lose our minds. I scoured the band list to try and find the best groups I could to recommend. Below, you’ll get a quick-hit description of the band from me, a link to a song that exemplifies their sound, and the time and venue the band is performing at. I break it all down day-by-day; if you really love a band, check the sxsw.com schedule to get all of their performance dates (a lot of ‘em are playing 3+ shows). Read on, and then get out there and rock!

Tuesday, March 15

Admiral Fallow – upbeat orchestral pop from Glasgow; like if Freelance Whales had Frightened Rabbit’s accents. The Bat Bar, 9pm

Admiral Fallow – Squealing Pigs

Dry the River – Bon Iver-ish vox over sweet, smooth tunes. Like a brighter Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s. The Bat Bar, 10pm

Dry the River – Bible Belt

Fences – Beckish vox, gentle singer-songwriter stuff with a little folksy overtone. (His appearance = TOTALLY deceiving). The Bat Bar, 11pm

Fences – Girls With Accents

Mr. Heavenly – Man Man meets the Ronettes. The Bat Bar, midnight

Mister Heavenly – Pineapple Girl

Surfer Blood – Move the Drums south to Florida to beach up their sound; there you go. Emo’s Main Room at 1am

Surfer Blood – Swim

Wednesday, March 16

Brett Dennen – Paul Simon-y. Pretty voice, pretty songs. Moody Theater @ 7:30pm

Brett Dennen – Heaven

Erland & the Carnival – something familiar about this; like Travis-esque vox with throwback pop rock music. 8pm at Club de Ville.

Erland & the Carnival – Trouble in Mind

The Black Atlantic – saw ‘em at CMJ, absolutely gorgeous music. Teitur with more folk leanings than pop. 10pm at Esther’s Follies

The Black Atlantic – Fragile Meadow

1,2,3 – gritty pop-rock with a snarl. 10pm at the Parish.

1,2,3 – Confetti

Sea of Bees – 11:30pm @ Central Presbyterian Church; somewhere between Stevie Nicks and Martha Wainwright. Gorgeous voice, she’ll shine in this venue.

Sea Of Bees – Wizbot

Flogging Molly – the perfect band to get you ready for St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday. 11:45pm @ Moody

Flogging Molly – If I Ever Leave This World Alive

Sharon Van Etten – heartbreaking singer/songwriter with vocal power that overwhelms you. Midnight at Swan Dive.

Sharon Van Etten – A Crime

The Spinto Band – these are my boys. Super fun and smart pop music. Midnight on the Barbarella Patio.

The Spinto Band – Japan is an Island

Young the Giant – This band has a song in heavy rotation on 101x right now, and it hooked me. I’m weary that they might be another ‘The Hours’ for me (where “Ali in the Jungle” is amazing but everything else falls flat), but seriously – watch that video and tell me you’re not curious. Midnight at Buffalo Billiards.

Young the Giant – My Body

The Dodos – I’ve been a fan of these guys for a while. If you’re into heavy rhythms and incredible guitar playing, check ‘em out. The Parish @ 1am.

The Dodos – God?

Thursday, March 17

Sondre Lerche – gorgeous intricate delicate pop music. I’ve loved this Norwegian since I was 16 (I’ll be 24 on March 16). Not to be missed. Maggies Mae’s @ 9pm

Sondre Lerche – To Be Surprised

Phantogram – electronic rock, super catchy, bop-able. Playing Lustre Pearl at 11pm

Phantogram – When I’m Small

The Kills – Allison. Effing. Mosshart. ‘Nuff said. Emo’s at 11pm.

The Kills – Sour Cherry

Emmylou Harris – Classic country darling. Plus…will Conor make a guest appearance? She’s play his set at Auditorium Shores for sure. Antone’s at 11:15pm

Emmylou Harris – Making Believe

Miniature Tigers – saw these dudes open for the Freelance Whales, and fell in love. Incredible onstage charisma, great pop tunes – winners. Lamberts at 11:45pm

Miniature Tigers – Cannibal Queen

Maps & Atlases – really great vox, deep and luscious, plus uptempo rock to back ‘em; reminded me a little of TV on the Radio, but I like this better (keep in mind I’m not a fan of TVotR). Midnight at Red Eyed Fly

Maps & Atlases – Solid Ground

Dom – saw ‘em at CMJ, they totally won us over. Fun, dancey, energetic, depth – definitely a must-see. 1am at Club de Ville

DOM – I Wonder

Friday, March 18

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – local funky rock; the baby-makin’ kind. Moody Theater @ 8:05pm

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Sugarfoot

JBM – A blog favorite. The kind of gorgeous folk music that will make you ache in your guts. Central Presbyterian Church @ 8:15pm

JBM – Years/Cleo’s Song

Alex Highton – sweet singer-songwriter from the UK. 9pm at 18th floor at Hilton Garden Inn

Alex Highton – You’ve Got the Trees

Sarah Jaffe – You know where we’ll be at 9pm on Friday. Jaffe is stunning, stunning, stunning. If you haven’t caught her yet – you must. She’s at Momo’s.

Sarah Jaffe – Stay With Me

The Bright Light Social Hour – Austin’s men of rawk. Put your fist in the air and let loose. Momo’s at 10pm.

The Bright Light Social Hour – Bare Hands Bare Feet

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Thao is a beast. She’s emotive and fabulous and crafts kickass pop rock tunes. See for yourself – 11pm at Antone’s.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Body

Wye Oak – gorgeous folksy music with stunning lead vox. Great for woods-walking. 11:45pm at the Parish

Wye Oak – Civilian

Little Dragon – gorgeous R&B vox and moody/peppy electronic music from Sweeeeden!!! SVERIGE!! Lustre Perle at midnight.

Little Dragon – Feathers

Saturday, March 19

Man Man – Wild and crazy collaborative party good times. 4:30pm at Auditorium Shores

Man Man – Van Helsing Boombox

Middle Brother – Collab between Dawes, Deer Tick and Delta Spirit members. Old school country-fried rock. 5:25pm at Auditorium Shores

Middle Brother – Me Me Me

Bright Eyes – I don’t even know what to say about this. This will be my first ever time catching Conor with Bright Eyes. He’s my musical soul mate. Dig it. 7:30pm at Auditorium Shores.

Bright Eyes – Road to Joy

Pujol – Jack White’s babies. Raucous and fun. Mohawk Patio at 9pm

Pujol – Black Rabbit

Toy Selectah – mashin’ up the hits for you to get your dance on. 9:30pm at Prague

Toy Selectah – Cousins Remix

The Rural Alberta Advantage - kinda whiny vox (think Neutral Milk Hotel) but if you can get into it, the music is great. Great energy. 10:30pm at Central Presbyterian Church

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Stamp

Ezra Furman & the Harpoons – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! vocals set to folksy pop rock. 11pm at Speakeasy

Ezra Furman & the Harpoons- Take Off Your Sunglasses

Royal Bangs – forceful and fun electronic rock. 11pm @ the ND

Royal Bangs – War Bells

Royal Forest – Austin heroes; will sometimes cover Neil Young and the Talking Heads. (Full disclosure – I help manage these guys and they’re the bomb. See them.) 11pm @ the Marq

Royal Forest – Civilwarland

Deer Tick – Gritty country folk rock. 1am @ Lustre Perle

Deer Tick – Ashamed

Yoko Ono – Yoko! I mean. It’s Yoko. 1am @ Elysium

Yoko Ono – Walking on Thin Ice

BONUS: The Black & White Years are quickly becoming my favorite Austin band. They don’t have any official showcases, but they’re playing gigs every day until SXSW ends. Check out their show list here.

The Black and White Years – Two Reservoirs