SXSW 2013: Friday (Part 3)

Ducktails @ The Mohawk Indoors



I did not intend to see any bands after the Flaming Lips. I did not want to see any bands after see The Flaming Lips. Any band I saw after them would just dull in comparison to the massive, mind blowing spectical I just saw. However, the one magical thing about SXSW is its ability to make even the smallest bands to appear just as great in contrast to the biggest one. So I soldiered on to The Mohawk with that mindset and caught part of Ducktails set. There was no problem with them sonically, Matt Mondanile’s solo project with Big Troubles as his backing band were tight and bouncy as hell. The problem was that Mondanile’s songs, which use to sound like a reduced form of Real Estate, acquired a ‘80s, cheeseball production that saps all the potency from the songs. It everything felt very on the nose about the set, and I just couldn’t enjoy it.

Merchandise @ The Mohawk



I got to see Merchandise on Thursday, but that three song set was nothing compared to the ear bursting, emotional swelling, noise drenched sprawl of a show that I saw Friday night. The band, now a fully fledged one with their new drummer, brought insane amounts of passion and intensity to their songs. From frontman Carson Cox's truly pained emotions to go along with the lyrics he was crooning out to Dave Vassalotti twisting around his guitar so much he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion by the end of the set. It was sounded like Daydream Nation-era Sonic Youth covering the Cure for an entire set, with an added level of catharsis from the band that was beyond palatable. So much so that people were dancing/writhing up front, and and people momentarily started moshing two-thirds into their set. Whether trigger by the music or drunkenness, it was still more emotion then I had seen at most places during SXSW.

Chelsea Light Moving @ The Mohawk



Thurston Moore has been making music for over thirty years. His new band mates were younger, but more than looked like they had years of experience in the same field. So how do people like that screw up and take forever to soundcheck? Moore played it off with humor, giving away free drinks if you could name Spice Girls and joking about firing the band. But Chelsea Light Moving did finally play, and any intact ears from Merchandise were instantly obliterated. I don't know for how long, or how fair it is, but for now at least Chelsea Light Moving will have to endure Sonic Youth comparisons. Which is OK because Sonic Youth are still awesome. Moore and co. ripped through what sounded like straight ahead off-kilter noisy rocker, picking up right where Sonic Youth left off from The Eternal. There was no flash, no gimmick, no posturing. Just some noise makers making new noise and having a blast while doing it. It was that simple, and it was simply awesome.

DIIV @ The Mohawk Indoors



Yes, DIIV said "Fuck SXSW". And while his points may sort of been valid (a thought piece for another day), he did continue to play a bunch of shows at SXSW. And I am forever grateful for that because DIIV were aboslutly incredible live. The absolutely stunning set I saw them pull off before they released Oshin while opening for Frankie Rose was easily topped here in five minutes of the band playing. Their songs sound so much more powerful live, capturing emotions that are only barely scratched on record. Frontman Cole Smith was a mixture of exhaustion, adrenaline, and weird happiness that seemed to amplify the music further, especially the new songs that the band played sounded more dynamic and emotional next to the band's older material. Much like the Beach Fossils set I saw the year before, a pit erupted early into the set and stayed there for the whole set. However, there was no irony attached to it, just a bunch of people going crazy for a band that was playing some incredibly energetic and excellent indie rock.

Top 25 Albums of 2012

Every year for about the past five years, at one point or another some publication will releases an article talking about the "death of the album as we know it". And every year since those articles have begun to appear, bands worldwide have continued to put out thought-out, cohesive,  40-80 suites of music designed to be listened as a unit. Here now, a little after 2012 and looking back at the year, there were some truly incredible albums released during those 366 days. No trends, no requirements: just 25 really excellent albums that everyone should have gotten last year.
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25. Gap Dream-Gap Dream: I want to call Gap Dream’s debut simple, but that feels like it is doing it a disservice somehow. Gap Dream feels like it’s from another era, 10 cuts of AM Gold influenced, burnt out psych from the mind of Gabe Fulvimar. It’s hazy in nearly every aspect, from the production, to the mood, to even the cover art itself. Still, it manages to claw its shimmering hooks inside the brain, its demented take on the genre(s) so well-crafted in the likes of “58th St. Fingers” or “Leather” that it feels like the album was actually plucked from the ‘70s, albeit an alternate dimension version of the decade.

24. Born Gold-Little Sleepwalker: Reinventions are nothing new with electronic artists, but rarely are they as much of a flip as Little Sleepwalker was with Born Gold. Completely stepping away from the creative bombast of Bodysong, Born Gold fully embrace mainstream pop, Burial style dubstep, and cut up synthpop, to craft a deeply twitched and new sound on Little Sleepwalker. Born Gold goes so far as to shift his vocals several octaves higher to change his sound even more. However, as current as Little Sleepwalker sounds, it is still a Born Gold, meaning that no matter what root Born Gold starts from, the end result is more off-kilter, more different, and more creative than where he started from. And that is no different with the ethereal Little Sleepwalker.

23. Royal Headache-Royal Headache: It seems so simple and so stupid at the same time; craft honest, genuine soul songs and have them backed by a garage-punk band. It could have easily turned out horrible, but Royal Headache’s self-titled debut instead turned out sort of really great. Shogun’s vocals are powerful, and well, deeply soulful, while the album’s clean production lets every instrument shine through, while still retaining more than enough energy to give every track a small, rough-around-the-edges quality. If this is what soul-punk is, less than three minute blasts sharply articulated of love and life, than I’m all for it.

22. Andrew Bird-Break it Yourself: I feel like Andrew Bird has never gotten the credit he deserves for his past few records, despite how solid each of his releases has been since The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Break it Yourself is another album to add to that cannon of quality works, a more cohesive album than expected that allows Bird to stretch out his legs sonically. Only two of the fourteen tracks are under four minutes, yet nothing feels unnecessarily long or forced. Instead, Break it Yourself is just as breezy as its predecessors, its hour length passing in the blink of an eye. Brilliantly constructed and intelligent indie-folk that feels instantly timeless. But what’s new for Andrew Bird?

21. Divine Fits-A Thing Called Divine Fits: Super groups, indie or not, will always get the short end of the stick with music history, not only having to create music of merit, but also having that music stand in the shadow of each member’s other musical accomplishments too. This is nothing new with music, or any musician who starts a new band after their initial one breaks up. Still, I feel it was that perspective that robbed people from fully appreciating A Thing Called Divine Fits. A deeply moody record that nicely balances Dan Boeckner synthier style to Britt Daniel’s bare-bones indie rock, ego doesn't prevail with Divine Fits but substance does. The pure intensity of “What Gets You Alone”, the sparse dance-rock of “Like Ice Cream”, the pitch perfect, and near haunting rendition of “Shiver”; if A Thing Called Divine Fits was nothing but the leftover scrapes from Boeckner and Daniel, they were more than substantial.

20. Dan Deacon-America: If America is what Dan Deacon sounds like grown-up, I do not mind him growing old at all. The shift is noticeable from the very beginning with “Guilford Avenue Bridge”, a track that begins with Deacon’s usual sonic barrage but instead tempers out to something more digestible half way through. Then there is the new found lyricism of “True Thrush” and the minimal, electronic burst (for Deacon) of “Lots”. Though what clenches Deacon’s stylistic shift is the epic, four part “USA” suite that ends the album. In those four tracks that can only be seen as a whole, Deacon creates something truly poetic and memorizing that he has never managed to accomplish before. America is a beautiful, chaotic, beep-filled sprawl, much like the thing it’s named after.

Top 15 Singles of 2012

The seven inch will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the perfect introduction to a band, an affordable way to acquire new music, and it’s a format that still manages to hold my attention span despite its rapid decrease thanks to modern life. This year’s crop for the most part either emerged from a darker area or pushed the artist into a darker path, though there are more than enough releases on here to contradict that thesis as well. My one rule was that every single must have been physically released in some fashion, so a few very worthy digital singles were unfortunately disqualified.

15. Pale Lights-EP: There are few things as wonderful a perfect pop single, and Pale Lights' EP was that in strides. Simple but oh so elegant airy pop from a handful of indie-pop veterans who haven’t lost their passion for the craft. Singles like this are almost a dime a dozen, but when done right as Pale Lights did, they just worm their way into the ear and heart and never leave.

14. King Tuff-"Wild Desire" 7": It is a testament to King Tuff that he could release a single as great as “Screaming Skull” and it could still come in second to another one of his singles. But the “Wild Desire” 7” is just that good. An exemplification of all of King Tuffs’ most addictive qualities (ungodly infectious jangly guitar lines, simple yet honest lyrics, and power-pop, garage, and pop-punk energy fused together), there was not one person (myself included) who was not singing along to this single after one listen.

13. WAR/VÅR-"At War for Youth" 7”: How many people were caught off guard when this synth project was announced, fronted by the two front men of Iceage and Sexdrome? How many people were caught off guard of how great it was? A single that was not only three tracks of very creative and intelligent lo-fi synth work, but introduced me to a whole genre of music that I wasn't really listening to beforehand. For that reason alone, it should be commended.

12. Heaven’s Gate-High Riser EP: Heaven’s Gate’s debut, just from the warped cover art alone gives you a solid hint of the distortion inside. Seven slices of decidedly modern shoegaze crammed onto one lathe, all but one song shorter than two minutes. High Riser twists and contorts, stops when you least expect it, screams and shouts out you over its sixteen minute duration. In other words, just utterly awesome indie rock.

11. Superchunk-"This Summer" 7”: Superchunk are a perfect single band in the sense that every time they decide to release a seven inch, it always winds up being a near indie rock classic (if it doesn't wind up being just a flat out indie rock classic). Case in point with the “This Summer” 7”; two tracks, one a upbeat yet melancholy infused yelper, the other a Bananarama cover of “Cruel Summer”. And not only do the two tracks complement each other perfectly, but I guarantee this single will be spinning every summer for years to come.