Corridor w/ Halo Maud

We caught the poppy, jangly Montreal band Corridor today at SXSW in a small and much more crowded room than i would have ever expected, but the 4-piece certainly deserved all of the eyes and ears upon them.  Check out a single they did last December featuring Halo Maud on lead vocals, the pysch-tinged "Deux Coeurs," and download it here.

SXSW 2018 Day 4 Pics

Got a little sunburned yesterday, and it's made me very tired today.  Also, it was much more crowded out there today...so we were unable to go in and out of different venues and just hung out at Cheer Up Charlie's for the Brooklyn Vegan/Margin Walker party all day.  Anyway, here's some pics.  Bat Fangs rule.

Bat Fangs

Bat Fangs

Stella Donnelly

Ezra Furman

Men I Trust

Okkervil River

Common Holly

Girl Ray

Corridor

...

Sudan Archives

I really would like to catch the enigmatic Sudan Archives at some point this week, but my schedule and the demands of children who expect to be picked up from school/day care are making it very difficult to do so.  And man, that's a goddamn tragedy, because the LA based violinist/vocalist makes a groovy and enchanting mix of classical and experimental electronica infused with R&B and West African rhythms.  Listen to the haunting and hypnotic "Water" below, get it here from Stones Throw, and cross you fingers for a full length sometime in the near future.

Flasher - Skim Milk

I caught DC area pop rock band Flasher last year during SXSW, and was pretty taken with their jangly antics.  They're back this year with a new single, "Skim Milk," and a new label, Domino, behind them.  Listen below.

Cut Worms

Brooklyn's Cut Worms make music that sounds like i should be listening to it outside, sitting on a patio chair, hot and sweaty from mowing the lawn, and beer in hand.  A mix of '60s sunshine harmonies, psychedelic pop, and country-tinged Americana, it hits just right on a warm day.  Listen to "Don't Want to Say Good-bye" below and grab new album "Hollow Ground" in May from Jagjaguwar.

Suburban Living

Honestly one of the best things about going to SXSW every year is discovering some band i probably never would have given my attention to under normal circumstances.  And so we have Philly band Suburban Living and their sweeping brand of synth pop rock.  They sound like the climax of an '80s teen movie, and i mean that in all the best ways.  Listen to "Lovely Times" from their 2016 album "Almost Paradise" below and get it here from 6131 Records.

SXSW 2018 Day 3 Pics

Another beautiful day here in Austin, sunshine and 70 degrees, though i would like to inform any tourist considering a move to our berg that this is not the norm.  It's hot and humid and sticky the rest of the 51 weeks of the year.  Just so you know.

Paige was able to accompany me today, and we split our time between the Ad-Hoc party at Cheer Up Charlie's and the Innovative Leisure party/showcase at Mohawk, as well as making a field trip to walk around (dirty) 6th, grab a slice of pizza (and offer words of encouragement to my exhausted brother) at The Onion, and check out a couple of Batmobiles at a pop-up DC Comics thingy.  Other than that, it was music, music, music, and i do believe The Buttertones are my new bag.  Check out some pics below.

Sun Seeker

Suburban Living

Cut Worms

Mint Field

Flasher

Pinky Pinky

Vicktor Taiwo

De Lux

The Buttertones

The Buttertones

U.S. Girls

And we're doing it all again tomorrow...

Helena Deland

I first came across Montreal's Helena Deland a couple of years ago with her lovely track "Baby," a gorgeous mix of dreampop and Americana that would have been right at hope in the "Twin Peaks" Road House.  Earlier this month, she released a new EP, "From the Series of Songs 'Altogether Unaccompanied' Vol. I and II" on Luminelle.  She also played a dynamite set earlier today in Austin.  Anyway, you can (and should) get the record here.  Listen to "There Are a Thousand" below.

RIP Craig Mack

I got home today and then got the news that Craig Mack had died.  That sucks.  "Flava in Ya Ear" was a staple of '90s hip-hop, and it still kills today.  RIP Craig Mack.

Major Murphy

Pulling from indie, pop, dreampop, and good old rock n' roll, Michigan trio Major Murphy sound distinctly American, jangly guitars, grooving bass lines, and a steady toe-tapping beat just meant to be heard in festival fields and dive bars across the country.  The band's latest "No. 1" LP is due at the end of the month on Winspear.  Listen to the title track below and get the record here.