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The SXSW 2007 Recap: Day Two

Thursday

Day parties are a great opportunity to see bands while still somewhat sober. Publicity company Team Claremont organized an afternoon showcase featuring two impressive performances—one from the smart and gleeful indie-pop band Headlights, the other from earnest, Swedish twee folkies Loney, Dear. Headlights' tight harmonies and unpredictable choruses delighted the crowd while Loney, Dear's timeless lovability disarmed. I left before the Pipettes performed yet again.

A few blocks away, Filter magazine had rented out a courtyard space for three days of midday showcases. Thankfully, I caught the last few songs of Besnard Lakes' glacial pysch-pop. The Montreal band recently released a seasoned second album on the Jagjaguwar label, and the songs come to explosive life when they're performed on stage. And after a half-decade hiatus, Ethiopian modern rock vocalist Kenna returned with some new songs from his forthcoming sophomore release, as well as older tracks from the Chad Hugo-produced (one-half of the Neptunes) New Sacred Cow.

Finally, I heard an earnest, impassioned set by Australian's golden indie rock band Youth Group (pictured above), a foursome whose lyrics are presumably inspired by teenage diary entries. Singer Toby Martin's vocals soared into the open skies as the sun shone above—a perfect afternoon moment. For the last show of the day, I walked a couple blocks over to see Canadian cult band Sloan rock out at the Fort, a Levi's sponsored venue curated by Fader magazine. The power-pop veterans proved that you need not be a young buzz band to woo the cynics.

Following a much-needed nap, I started Thursday night at the showcase for sister labels Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, and Dead Oceans at the Mohawk bar, featuring an intimate, haunting set by pianist/vocalist Frida Hyvönen. Despite the background noises emanating from the adjoining bar, the Swedish songwriter mesmerized.

Brooklyn's Kinks-influenced Bishop Allen, led by Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, just wrapped an ambitious yearlong project that involved completing one EP, or four songs, every month. Tonight, they played the Mohawk's outdoor stage, previewing some of their more rustic material from their upcoming summer release on Dead Oceans, as well as some songs from the EPs project.

Norway's Datarock at the Emo Jr.'s venue was one of the most pleasant surprises of the SXSW Festival. The four members—dressed in matching red hoodies, sweatpants, and mirrored visors—inspired a crowd frenzy, a rarity in this stoic, industry-heavy environment. But the party anthems, which sounded like a beefier Franz Ferdinand influenced by Devo, were silly, ironic (including even a lyric reference to a Commodore 64), and just plain dumb fun. Why resist?

One of the more regrettable aspects of SXSW is that bands often have to set up their instruments in unconventional places, like the back of a bar or the patio of a restaurant, which leads to inferior sound. Portland, Oregon's Menomena had the unfortunate luck of playing Austin's poorest sounding venue, Buffalo Billiards, which year after year, inexplicably hosts its shows upstairs in a noisy pool hall.

After sound-checking for nearly an hour, the prog-art-rock trio only had the time to play less than 30 minutes of material. In a questionable move that was anything but subtle, the venue turned up all the house lights in middle of the band's set, which is a shame considering that their sophomore release, Friend and Foe, is easily one of the best albums of the year. Thankfully, Menomena is in the midst of a nationwide tour focused on avoiding pool halls. [keep reading...]

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