SxSW Beginner's Guide #3 - C-C-C-C-C

The most percussive letter in the alphabet, sounding like a snare hit or a rimshot, it's possibly also the most appropriate. Is 2010 THE YEAR OF DRUMS? If we think about bands like Foot Village, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, Vampire Weekend, Liars, HEALTH, Vessels - all vastly different but all with emphasis on their beaty backbone. Anyway, this has very little to do with me embarking on the letter C with SxSW's preliminary list, but there might be some drumm-y bands in here, alright?

Canja Rave (www.myspace.com/canjaraveofficial)

This Brazillian duo seem like enormous fun. Badango has a fairly standard garage-tilt racket with the male half gurning out a second riff which sounds hilarious. Aqui Agora has a Thermals tint to it which is immediately brilliant. Chega has a Jack White-esque pitch-shifted flurry but strikes into a much heavier and, thanks to the male/female harmonies, more melodic territory than White's current Dead Weather incarnation. Could be worth a look-see.

Capsula (www.myspace.com/capsula)

Hailing from the Basque region (Bilbao) of Spain this female fronted trio engage in hypnotic guitar textures and seductive intonation. At times though they descend into horribly derivative and dull garage-indie inspired thrashes. If they stick to the experimental stuff, they could well capture the audience with psychadelic flashes of brilliance.

Carsick Cars (www.myspace.com/carsickcars)

Brilliantly, the first track the myspace player chose on this Chinese trio's player is simply entitled 'C'. All reverberating guitars and shimmery percussion it soon pounds into atonal Thurston Moore-esque yelling and scouring repetitive guitar squeals. You Can Listen You Can Talk is straightforward crescendo driven noise rock, while Invisible Love has that aching, string tapping metallic intro SY made their own. Again, a band adrift in influences, still searching for the right path, but I can see myself enjoying their 'panda noise' live.

Caucus
(www.myspace.com/caucus)

Leaping from lovely acoustic pop to rawkus electro-city and back again (as Caucus do on In Vain You Are) is nothing new. Nevertheless these Japanese young'uns have use a naive weaving of melody that is inherently charming and exhilirating. Sing sounds far more generic though again the main melody is joyous and underlying warped guitars glue some intrigue to the mix. You can't help but think these guys would be fairly big in the UK. Might be worth some time as a lightweight indie-pop refreshment.

The Chevelles (www.myspace.com/thechevelles)

Initially everything from song names (Summer Fun, Stacey Loves Cocaine)to their profile picture makes me think I'm going to hate this. While I don't hate it, it's predictable, summery, vitamin C splashed power pop. Which is what I expected. Ridiculous fun though f'shure.

CHEW LiPS (www.myspace.com/chewlips)

Already pretty sick of these lot, Londoners that they are, with their self proclaimed "8-bit casiotone drone disco". Which actually sounds like an ace description, but the over-egged vocals, lamentably cliched arrangements and saccharine pop makes me feel ill.

Suzanna Choffel (www.myspace.com/suzannachoffel)

Stolen By Birds is all lounge-laden, jazz-flecked coffee table fodder. It doesn't get any better either.

Chris T-T (www.myspace.com/christtuk)

Chris T-T is one of the best songwriters in the UK already, and with a new album out in March (Love Is Not A Rescue out on Xtra Mile Recordings), a bunch of Acid Piano Improvisations and a Christmas EP due, he's a busy guy. He just finished his London trilogy of albums with last year's Capital. It's time for everyone to catch up.

C-Mon & Kypski (www.myspace.com/cmonandkypski)

Four lads from Amsterdam/Netherlands, the first track Turn of the Tides is a sample-cut extravaganza indebt to Daft Punk's heavy distorted synths and vocoder use. China seems like a choppy debt to UK and US indie, but a smooth harmony, odd samples and imagination makes it seem more like a lavish experiment by Avalanches with instruments instead of expensive cleared samples. Splashing soul, dance, electro, guitars, banjos, the kitchen sink all over the place, these guys will be fantastic fun to dance to.

The Coathangers (www.myspace.com/fuckthecoathangers)

The Coathangers' debut album was a sparse, lo-fi yet rotten flourish of a record and checking them out live is a priority.

Simon Collins (www.myspace.com/simoncollins)

When did it become acceptable to sound like an X-Factor dropout whose music inspires nothing but post-traumatic stress disorder? *shudder*

The Constellations (www.myspace.com/constellationsatl)

Atlanta, Georgia's The Constellations have a glam-esque stomp begin Perfect Day, while bluesy organ licks slip in over that faux-grim dark vocal that seems to inherit music which can be described as 'southern gothic'. The chorus is pure pop, but awful. I've already sunk into a stupor.

Contra Coup (www.myspace.com/contracoup)

An excellent name (named after a brain injury) this reggae outfit are playing it safe, sticking to the rudiments of the genre and adding very little else. Fine, but there are bound to be more original and exciting groups of this ilk out there.

Cotton Jones (www.myspace.com/thecottonjonesbasketride)

Cotton Jones is stripped bare, languishing country-esque downtempo....well...shit really. Sorry. I can't be any more articulate than that.

The Crystal Method (www.myspace.com/thecrystalmethod)

That dance duo with the dodgy name that have been around forever. Still be pretty good I reckon if their new album is anything to go by.


That's it for c's. Pretty interesting letter this time. Much better than B's. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT LETTER WHERE I'LL INvESTIGATE HORDES OF BANDS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO.