posted by Patrick on May 9, 2012
{photo courtesy of chromewaves.net}
South By Southwest is a treasure-hunter’s dream: 2000+ bands, spread over a hundred stages and venues, with nothing more than a handbook in six-point type to guide you through the maze of obscure names and faces. At its best, the festival is an opportunity to watch terrific new bands before the masses overwhelm them. One of those hidden gems was an all-female band from Norway named Razika. Razika caught my attention while slogging through a sampler of tracks from 1,400 bands expected at SXSW. Most of those were mediocre or worse, but Razika’s sound really stood out. It starts with an upbeat, jangly, poppy rhythm that took a while to identify: it was ska, something you never hear anymore. Razika isn’t really a ska band, but ska influences most of their tracks. Razika is also unique in that they sing in both English and Norwegian. Somehow it doesn’t seem to matter which language they choose; their lyrics are more like an instrument than a means of communication. Most importantly, Razika was pure fun. On stage they harmonized, smiled shyly, and powered through a set of brisk, infectious tracks. There were tighter acts, with more serious sounds, but for one hour on one night, Razika was a guiltless pleasure. If they ever escape Norway again and tour near you, definitely give them a shot. Treasure abounds.
Razika – Nytt Pa Nytt (Downloaded 46 times)
Razika – Eg Vetsje (Downloaded 38 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Female vocal • Happy • Poppy • SXSW2012 • Upbeat
(5 votes)
Loading ...posted by Patrick on March 25, 2012
The musical madness known as South By Southwest has ended and, after a week to recover, I’m finally ready to start recounting it. Indieball was fortunate to have three writers at SXSW, each of whom saw different shows and came home with different lists of favorites. We will be writing about the bands we really loved in the coming weeks, but here’s my own preview of coming attractions. To start, I dodged most of the Really Big Names this year, so no Springsteen, Norah Jones or Timbaland. Instead, I focused on smaller acts that were new or new to me, along with a few “big” (in indie terms) bands that I just couldn’t miss. Of the 40 or so bands I was able to see, either briefly or for a full set, these thirteen made an impression in different ways and for different reasons. In alphabetical order:
Class Actress
The Drums
Fanfarlo
Grimes
Library Voices
Lumineers
Milo Greene
Polica
Razika
Superhumanoids
Team Me
Typhoon
Youth Lagoon
I’ll be writing about many of these bands in the weeks to come, but here’s just a taste for now. Library Voices are a Canadian group who put on an amazing show at SXSW, blazing through a set of songs that were poppy and infectious but surprisingly complex. The band had terrific energy without the sloppiness that was a little too common in Austin’s hot hot days and nights. ‘Generation Handclap,’ off the band’s new album “Summer of Lust,” has been on repeat since I got home, and I imagine it will worm its way into your subconscious as well.
Library Voices – Generation Handclap (Downloaded 132 times)
Milo Greene came to Austin by way of Los Angeles, but they have none of the slickness or dark cool I associate with L.A. If anything, the band’s SXSW set was a bit too earnest at times; their more up-tempo songs were outstanding, but they seemed to love slower ballads that were much less interesting. When the band was on though, it was irresistible. ’1957′ is one of Milo Greene’s best tracks, a taste of what this young group is capable of.
Milo Greene – 1957 (Downloaded 190 times)
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» Meaningless labels: SXSW2012
(3 votes) Loading ...posted by Patrick on February 19, 2012
Washington, D.C. was once a hotbed of indie music. Fugazi, Dismemberment Plan, Shudder To Think, and Jawbox are from the District. Henry Rollins and Dave Grohl grew up here, and Dischord Records is still chugging away. But as yuppification marched through D.C. like Sherman through Atlanta, the city started to price itself out of the indie scene. New bands sought cheaper rents and beer in Baltimore, while the old standard bearers got … old. So although I live here and love it, it’s been slim pickings for District-based music blogs.
Here’s hoping Pree is the start of something new. Formed by May Tabol, previously of D.C.’s Le Loup, Pree defies obvious labels. The band’s most recent E.P., “Folly,” includes lyrical, catchy folk like ‘Lemon Tree,’ and the more dischordant and psychedelic ‘Songs of Promise.’ A third track, ‘Fresh Paint’ is slowed-down bluegrass with a ghostly, warbling chorus in the background. Most of the band’s music combines high-register vocals with darker lyrics and weird sound effects. It’s an odd mix, but it works. Listen closely to the lyrics of ‘Lemon Tree’ and you’ll see how a band can subvert expectations, layering dark-dream ideas over sing-song sounds. Pree’s music is addictive and strangely fascinating, not unlike their hometown. As I said, here’s hoping for more of the same.
Pree – Lemon Tree (Downloaded 257 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Americana • Beautiful Lyrics • Catchy • Clever Lyrics • Female vocal • Folk • Psychedelic • Twee
(12 votes) Loading ...posted by Patrick on February 14, 2012
Short and sweet: We wrote about indie darling Ingrid Michaelson last week, but this cover is just too perfectly mopey-yet-catchy not to post today. Enjoy!
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May 6th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
This girl has a retro feel to her voice here~like the late 50 s or early 60 s when you could still hear the finesse getlne nuances in a singer’s voice. Inspires me to want to slow dance (w/ a little dash of cha cha cha thrown in) w/ my honey~tender but sexy. My only regret is that it isn’t longer. A few more verses w/ a full orchestra instrumental in the middle would be very satisfying. When will the girls who belt their voices grind their hips learn that wistful sweet is often much sexier