While the snow softens everyone's will to work, I continue - with no excuse about transport or avalanches to get me out of it - to plug away at this gargantuan task of listening to and approving of/dismissing the acts playing SxSW in March this year. Here we go again...
CALLmeKAT (www.myspace.com/thisiscallmekat)
Slow, ponderous, scratchy samples, silken female vocal breaking upon the minimal synth lines or picked guitar; CALLmeKAT makes an achingly bare maudlin pop (including a diseased version of Toxic) which is as soothing as it is compelling.
Tom Cary (www.myspace.com/tomtomcary)
Taking a bluesy approach, Tom Cary seems to stick to the softer side, slowing everything down to a studious level. One track bursts upon a bed of distortion, sounding hellish and thrilling. The span of tempos doesn't really change the mood. Not really something exciting but definitely competent.
Casino (...)
You know that gliding shifting riff with clashing open strings that seems to infiltrate every BIG rock anthem? That's the basis for this band.
Caspian (www.myspace.com/caspiantheband)
Heavy instrumental riff-rock that couples the sledgehammer nuances of Pelican with the extended and melodic passages associated with the instrumental rock genre. They've been around since 2003 and have done a split 7" with the excellent Constants too. A must see if you like this stuff, like me.
Ceeplus Bad Knives (www.myspace.com/ceeplusbadknives)
Hi synth pop bands! Do you know why the synth is such an excellent instrument? Because it revolutionised pop and you can still make it sound utterly insane with a catchy tune. So why do you act as if nothing has changed since the pure pop tunes of the 80s? You are a joke.
The Chicharones (www.myspace.com/thechicharones)
A combination of comedy hip-hop covers and real dark breakbeats and catchy wordplay, The Chicharones are an unexpected treat and by all accounts, they sound like they'd put on an excellent live show. Definitely worth a look.
CHIEF (www.myspace.com/chieftheband)
Steady harmonies (no falsetto nonsense), pretty basic chord structures, yet nonetheless catchy, mellow, blues-baked rock. Nowt special but good vocal chops.
Children Collide (www.myspace.com/childrencollide)
It gets harder and harder to express indifference. It feels as if I should really like CC. Explosions of distorted guitars, driving rhythms underneath, semi-memorable choruses - but it all feels so formulaic, simplistic and uneventful. While I can't cite an obviously imitated band, all the elements are recycled making for an unappealing hybrid.
Ora Cogan (www.myspace.com/oracogan)
Sparse folk picking, maudlin female vocal - standard misery music.
Cosmo Jarvis (www.myspace.com/cosmojarvis)
One of our lovely singer songwriters who puts his heart on his sleeve, strums some guitars, plays a simple Korg, puts a drum machine on - that sort of thing. His lyrics are occasionally brilliant, occasionally hilarious. It's all quite light hearted and fun, but doesn't have the incisiveness or originality of The Streets or the social conscience of Get CApe. Wear Cape. Fly. Which leaves him where?
Courtyard Hounds (...)
WHERE ARE YOU COURTYARD HOUNDS FROM AUSTIN??!
Crayon Fields (www.myspace.com/thecrayonfields)
Great name. Boring band. Simply slightly aloof indie pop (yes it makes no sense but you still know what I mean when I use that term) with delusions of low-key grandeur.
Or perhaps just reluctant surf pop.
Crew54 (www.myspace.com/crew54)
They have a reality show. Fuck off.
The Dandies (www.myspace.com/thedandies)
I may just have to start being REALLY dismissive soon. Pub band.
Dark Room Notes (www.myspace.com/darkroomnotesireland)
Synth shit.
Dash Rip Rock (www.myspace.com/dashkicksass)
I like semi naked women as much as the next heterosexual male, but this doesn't disguise this awful southern state country rock enough. More than awful.
Das Racist (www.myspace.com/dasracist)
Slippery, watery, hazy hip hop with dark humour at its heart and intelligence seeping untapped from the source. It's edgy and warped, which makes it instantly brilliant.
Definitely worth some of your time.
D Black (www.myspace.com/dblackmuzik)
Standard hip-hop with female backing and hyperactive string samples.
dd/mm/yyyy (www.myspace.com/ddmmyyyy)
IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS. All within the safe confines of rock time signatures and artillery. Which is fine because it's where they obviously fit best in this case. Not much point trying to explain - frenetic, ambient, savage, quiet, petulant...it's exciting but not necessarily unexpected.
Dead Letter Circus (www.myspace.com/deadlettercircus)
Highly strung, faux-emotive rock. Terrible yet stingingly reminiscent of past guilt and shit music taste.
Dengue Fever (www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic)
You probably know their music without even knowing you've heard it. Especially if you've watched True Blood. To those who don't watch rubbish, they're essentially that lounge-tropical-afrobeat stuff that is pretty forgettable most of the time.
The Dollyrots (www.myspace.com/thedollyrots)
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! Terrible terrible female fronted pop punk bollocks.
Luke Doucet (www.myspace.com/lukedoucet)
Probably wants to be Ryan Adams. Inoffensive country-blues rock, but inoffensive to me means anaesthesia.
Rose Elinor Dougall (www.myspace.com/roseelinordougallmusic)
Slightly elegaic pop, wistful and harpsichord laden. It's nice but not particularly striking. Still the ambition is glinting underneath the concrete construction and perhaps Rose is biding her time, developing into an amazing songwriter. Or maybe not. We may never know.
DP (www.myspace.com/dpmetalheads)
Processed metal. Unappetising results.
Drive Like Maria (www.myspace.com/drivelikemaria)
Can't we talk about this? Slightly funked up stoner rock basically cribbing Josh Homme's vocal style, and hamming up his guitar technique good and proper. OVER AND OUT.
Well that was a mission. Let's hope SxSW don't add anyone else too soon...
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