indie mecca 2008 : sxsw 2008
The indie rock and roll mecca/playland that is SXSW is just around the corner, less than a week away. The festivities start next Tuesday, and FUG IT will be enthusiastic attendees.
We will endeavor to see the many of the following acts whilst we are there. If you have not already heard of some of these artists, do take the time to give them a listen. We have divided them up into sections, not completely arbitrarily. Obviously there are more than enough bands to keep us busy. If you wish to view the complete list, you can do so by visiting the SXSW website band list.
Surefire Rockout- we know from previous experience and/or other knowledge they will not disappoint:
The Black Angels (stormy psychedelia from Austin)
The Cribs (raucous punky rock & roll from Leeds, UK)
Earlimart (warm & soft like the California sunshine they bask in)
Ed Harcourt (the UK’s Rufus Wainwright-except straight)
Jeffrey Lewis & the Jitters (the U.S.’s most talented frontman/illustrator/comic)
Joseph Arthur (artiste, bard, poet, musician)
Love Like Fire (dynamic, powerful, spine-tingling edgy pop)
Matt & Kim (ecstatic drum & keyboard joy from smiley Brooklyn duo)
Okkervil River (vies with Voxtrot for top slot as Austin’s indie heroes)
The People’s Revolutionary Choir (if Spiritualized had dynamite up their arses)
Ra Ra Riot (dancetastic, cheery, & wondrous pop from upstate NY)
Rogue Wave (with each album this Oakland band fine tune their Cali folk/shoegaze crossover)
The Raveonettes (Danish/US res duo churn out loveliest reverb dream pop this side of..)
REM
Rademacher (clever indie pop from California’s heartland)
The Sleepover Disaster (fuzzy shoegaze experimentals from California’s heartland)
The Stills (our melody heroes from Canada)
Thurston Moore w/ band (super solo craftings from Sonic Youth-man)
Buzzsters- THE bands which the industry and fans alike are panting for this year
Atlas Sound (new, gorgeous, experimental project from Deerhunter’s frontman)
Bon Iver (singer/songwriter)
Grand Archives (sweetly singable fuzzy folk pop in Earlimart/Rogue Wave vein)
Grand Ole Party (sprightly indie pop & roll from San Diego)
Headlights (pretty pretty pretty pretty, shoegaze tinged pop)
Holy Fuck (see previous review)
Lightspeed Champion (Dev of test-icicles trades a rave up for well-crafted indie pop)
MGMT (brooklyn’s latest electro heroes)
Maps & Atlases (beautiful & different from Chicago)
The Octopus Project (Austin’s other happy heroes of experimental/electro)
A Place To Bury Strangers (see review)
Sea Wolf (if Conor Oberst sounded more content-and had LA’s sunshine)
Tall Firs (brooklynite reverb, distortion, shoegaze-idelica)
Tiny Masters of Today (exactly what they say on the tin.Underage&ready to rock)
Vampire Weekend (paul simon’s graceland anyone? But they do it oh so well)
The Whigs (garage-y, swaggering rock from Georgia)
White Denim (nuff said)
Working For A Nuclear Free City (swoony tinkerings from some crazy Mancs)
Yeasayer (alongside Vampire Weekend & MGMT for hottest industry ticket of the fest)
Steadfast Stars- gems everyone knows they will enjoy, most likely not virginal SXSW performers
Helio Sequence
I Was A Cub Scout (electro pop from northern UK)
The High Strung (Detroit garage rockers)
The Kills (garage-y dark rock from London duo)
The Little Ones (ecstatically fun, beautiful, singable indie pop)
Shout Out Louds (more ecstatically fun pop)
Son, Ambulance (beautiful, well crafted, contemplative tunes from Saddle Creek label buddies of Mr. Oberst)
Quiet but Soulful- the singer/songwriters we know and love
Correatown aka Angela Correa(soulful L.A. songstress who can walk onstage to a rattling din and have crowds silenced in one chorus)
Joshua Radin (soundtrack friendly, heartfelt, folk-twinged tunes)
M. Ward (solo performance from eerily lovely crackling voice of this talented man)
Mark Kozelek (of Sun Kil Moon/Red House Painters)
