TUIW Goes to SXSW

The music section of SXSW is really more like an alternative Spring Break than some sort of professional music conference. From Tuesday night to Saturday (technically Sunday morning) I saw pieces of over 60 shows by pretty much every member of the indie rock class of 2009-10. I’m not going to go into every band I saw, so instead, let’s talk about a smattering of the most interesting ones.

TUESDAY:

Metric: There was a time where Metric was one of my favorite bands, but a lengthy hiatus and a weak follow-up album killed some of my enthusiasm. Still, live, the band is a force to be reckoned with and their style of slick, highly polished pop-punk is so distinctive and big that I’m a little surprised they aren’t a much more famous band. Their show at the huge Fader Fort on Tuesday showed that Metric are a band that could have no problems entertaining arena-sized crowds, if only they could sell enough tickets.

WEDNESDAY:

Here We Go Magic: I know HWGM as friends and tourmates of Grizzly Bear and for their excellent first record, which was pretty sedate and deliberate. So I wasn’t expecting their show to be as raucous and thumping as it turned out to be. The songs were ratcheted up and their new stuff, for a record due out later this year, was quite good.

jj: jj put out one of my favorite records of 2009 but they were, without a doubt, the biggest disappointment of the week. Their show consisted of singer Elin Kastlander standing alone on a bare stage while someone hit play on instrumental versions of their songs, which she then sang over, without enthusiasm or energy. The bands other member, Joakim Benon, eventually wandered through, lit a cigarette, and stared at her while she sang. As performance art, jj’s set was kind of amazing, but as a show, it sucked.

Sleigh Bells: Sleigh Bells, however, were as advertised. One of the hottest bands to spring to life in the last 12 months, pretty much all of their praise has focused on their live show, since the band only has a few demos to its name as far as recorded output goes. Nonetheless, their show was a frenetic dance party, almost as if a Madonna show and a Metallica show were happening on the same stage at the same time. Unlike other bands, Sleigh Bells found a nice balance between utilizing loops and samples and actually putting on a show.

THURSDAY:

Local Natives: Local Natives just put out their kind of incredible new record a few weeks ago, and arrived at SXSW at the perfect time to build on that buzz. Their songs have a pop live that I wasn’t expecting, while bringing out the energy and sunny pop vibe in their music. I saw them twice and was impressed both times, especially with their insanely catchy single “Airplanes” which seems destined to be in a car commercial very soon.

Surfer Blood: By my rough estimation, Surfer Blood played approximately 3,200 shows at SXSW, which makes sense since their record is perfect spring break music. Filled with chunky guitar riffs (Weezer is a common reference, but I’d compare their single “Swim” more to Van Halen) and thumping percussion, Surfer Blood makes music that is perfect for a sunny, boozy day. But, while their show was serviceable, it lacked the energy that comes across on the record.

The Besnard Lakes: Led by a husband and wife duo from Canada, The Besnard Lakes make music with the rustic feel of Grizzly Bear, but the sweeping grandeur of The Arcade Fire. I would hazard a guess that Stubbs’ outdoor amphitheater was the largest venue they’ve ever played, but soaring songs like “Albatross” had no problem filling the space.

Drive-By Truckers: DBT are a Southern rock band, not a Confederate rock band, and that crucial difference gets at why Patterson Hood’s awesome band works for me in a way that, say, Kid Rock or .38 Special doesn’t. The band’s music has a dark, gothic edge (reminiscent of one of my favorite writers, Flannery O’Connor) but Hood doesn’t forget to just flat out rock. It was my first time seeing DBT (and I suspect I was one of the few people there who was more excited for them than either of the two headliners), and they didn’t disappoint.

Band of Horses: I’ve seen Band of Horses twice already, but it seems like they’ve been a little revitalized by their new material. They’ve fully embraced their country side to solid effect as the new songs sounded pretty good. I was surprised that it seemed like they had as many fans at Stubbs as Broken Social Scene, but they definitely earned even more this weekend.

Broken Social Scene: I’ve seen Broken Social Scene 4 times now and, if this time wasn’t quite as transcendent as when they’re at their best, it was still a darn good rock show. They devoted most of their set to airing the new material from their forthcoming album, but it all sounded interesting and fit right in with their old stuff (including a nice run through “Anthems of a Seventeen Girl” featuring Emily Haines on vocals).

FRIDAY:

Free Energy: Between this band and the new LCD Soundsystem song (which sounds like L.A. McCartney), it seems like DFA is branching out to other 1970s sounds besides disco. Free Energy is a power-chord, glammed out 70s rock band that wouldn’t be out of place opening of Aerosmith in 1974 (except they’d, you know, blow Aerosmith away). If you want to have a good time, see a Free Energy show or, failing that, just by their record and crank the stereo.

Washed Out: Washed Out mastermind Ernest Greene has been hesitant to tour and its easy to understand why after seeing him live. The show basically has Greene cueing loops on a sampler and singing over it – not exactly the most compelling stuff (added to the fact that I kind of don’t like his record to begin with). He brought out a band to spice things up, but it couldn’t rescue a show that just wasn’t working.

Best Coast: Best Coast’s winsome, fuzzed out beach pop made for some of my favorite songs of 2009, despite the fact they’re singles and Bethany Cosentino hasn’t put out an LP yet. Live, the songs don’t lose their melancholy beauty but, except for her two big songs (“Sun Was High” and “When I’m With You), the set dragged a little and the crowd didn’t seem totally into it. Still, “Sun Was High” was positively gorgeous and I can’t wait to listen to the full record.

Memory Tapes: Another chillwave, sample-tastic band, but Memory Tapes also has a post-punk edge to it that came out live (unlike his compatriots in Washed Out and Neon Indian, Dayve Hawk actually plays guitar at his show) and really helped the excellent songs from “Seek Magic” come out live. The crowd was really into it and all in all, it was an excellent show.

Neon Indian: I was fully prepared for a “they are who we thought they were” rant about Neon Indian but, I’ve got to admit, I kind of dug his show. Flanked by a live band that seemed a little more prepared and fine-tuned than Washed Out’s, the songs had an energy and directness that the album was missing. I still think “Psychic Chasms” sounds too much like a lazy first draft, but I now have a little more hope for the future of chillwave than I once did.

SATURDAY:

Wye Oak: Wye Oak’s live show consists of Jenn Wasner singing (and her voice is positively haunting) and playing guitar while bandmate Andy Stack plays drums with one hand (and both feet) and keyboard with the other. However, beyond being technically astounding, their music retains its patient beauty live, and was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend for me.

Titus Andronicus: I’ve been thinking about “The Monitor,” Titus Andronicus’ newest record, for a while and trying to formulate what exactly to say, but I’m glad I got the chance to see them live. I liked them a lot when I saw them last year but, I don’t know whether it’s the confidence that comes with the added experience of a year or the insanely high level of their new songs, but they were on a totally different plane. Their highbrow punk rock was blistering and epic (in a 45 minute set, they got through 4 songs, including the 15 minute “Battle of Hampton Roads”). Making a 68-minute concept record about the Civil War may be an inherently ridiculous undertaking, but Titus Andronicus pulled it off, in what may have been my favorite set of the weekend.

Woods: Woods is kind of a weird band. A lot of their set is devoted to noise and cassette looping and its difficult to tell how much of the singer’s odd timbre is his voice and how much of it is caused by the special effect microphone he uses. But, as a huge fan of “Songs of Shame” it was really awesome to see them take their pretty, pastoral folk songs and turn them into Crazy Horse-esque jams. They are decidedly esoteric, but highly rewarding to listeners who can get into it.

Real Estate: Real Estate’s show is kind of the opposite of label-mates Woods. While a live setting brings out Woods’ eccentricities, it irons out Real Estate’s, giving an immediacy to their winning, beachy, Jersey Shore shamble. It made for a really great show, as they tore through songs like standout “Beach Comber” and “Suburban Beverage.” I saw them twice and was not disappointed either time.