SXSW 2k7 Wrap-up

It's been close to a week since I've been back from Austin, but I've way too busy to get to any kind of formal wrap-up. Better late than never, right?

Anyway, this year was filled with many great bands, many of whom played their first Stateside show at the festival. Those that caught were Jamie T, The Automatic, The Wombats, The Sunshine Underground, The Pigeon Detectives and others. I am not really sure how to go about this, because if I try to write an exhaustive piece touching on everything I did last week, I will be here for days, plus I'll miss stuff. Also, I am not really into wasting your time with all of the minute details of what I did every second, who I hung out with, etc. You're here for some mp3s and to read about the good stuff, so I am only going to include the highlights.


[Photo Credit: Scott Johnson]
The Wombats: There is one simple reason I caught every SXSW performance from The Wombats -- they're just that good. It's no secret that I've been listening to Girls, Boys & Marsupials non-stop recently, and it's great that their new tunes are better than anything on that record. "Kill The Director" and that song about Joy Division are still stuck in my head. Nice guys and great performers! The demo below will only be available until the end of the weekend.
[mp3] "Kill The Director" [link removed]


The Black Lips: These dudes were literally everywhere at SXSW and at first I thought I failed because I only saw them three times, but really, I am probably should feel pretty lucky for ever seeing these guys once. If I had to pick one word for their shows, it would be insane -- the apathetic indie kids actually dance, every song is a rousing singalong, plus there is that oft-mentioned business of them kissing one another or peeing on the stage. Hey, it's all in good fun.
[mp3] "Not A Problem"


Rademacher: These Fresno dudes just continue to amaze me. Their new album is absolute bonkers, and every time I see them, they just get so much better. Bands shouldn't improve that quickly, but I guess that's how you separate the greats from the pack. "If You Got Some Magic," which has just started making the rounds on the internet is their "Dirty Boots" -- it's a song that is catchy enough to reel in the masses, but it's every bit as weird and quirky as the rest of the bands material.
[mp3] "If You Got Some Magic"

I suppose I could go on and on, but there are just too many great bands that played, and the best part is that a lot of them are going to be in Boston this week so I can see them again.

Incomplete list of bands I saw:
The Wombats [four times], The Black Lips [three times], Chromeo [two times], Mew [two times], The Automatic [two times], Kristoffer Ragnstam [two times], Oppenheimer, Land Of Talk, The Gray Kid, Rademacher, Birdmonster, Division Day, Winterkids, White Rabbits, Peter Bjorn & John, Midnight Movies, Office, Bonde De Role, Saturna, Buffalo Tom, Robyn Hitchcock, The Blood Arm, The Good The Bad & The Queen, Sound Team, Plan B and many others.