SXSW REVIEWS: Mr. Gnome Treasure Island, Austin TX March 16The Cleveland duo packed onto the tiny stage at the front of the bar, one of the more makeshift venue spaces at SXSW. Mr. Gnome consists of Sam Meister on drums and Nicole Barille on fuzz guitar and vocals. Despite having what is probably the worst band name in the history of music, by the time...
SXSW REVIEWS: Purity Ring 1100 Warehouse, Austin TX March 16The huge industrial space of 1100 Warehouse was eerily dark, just minimally lit by natural light pouring in from a few skylights above. The vibe was foreboding -- especially in contrast to the humid Texas day unfolding outside -- and the venue fairly close to capacity for the Canadian future pop...
SXSW REVIEWS: Miike Snow Lustre Pearl, Austin TX March 15The high level of anticipation was palpable for Miike Snow's SXSW set; some fans had even arrived with their faces painted with white house paint in tribute to the band's classic press shot (yeah, good luck getting that off tomorrow). And after a 40-minute delay, the group finally hit the stage,...
SXSW REVIEWS: J. Cole Empire Automotive, Austin TX March 15J. Cole was led through the side of crowd without much fanfare and onto the stage to cheers from the waiting audience. He started off with a slightly skittering version of "Dollar and a Dream" but segued straight into the title track from his 2011 album Cole World. Coming across as more...
SXSW REVIEWS: The Wilderness of Manitoba Velveeta Room, Austin TX March 15Five-piece Toronto band the Wilderness of Manitoba quietly stepped on the small stage, the bassist barefoot, introducing themselves and going straight into their opening track, which was a mellow folky number with a noticeable post-rock influence. They followed this by a number that had more of a...
SXSW REVIEWS: Choir of Young Believers Club DeVille, Austin TX March 14The seven members of Choir of Young Believers managed to squeeze themselves onto the stage, and their professionalism was evident from the efficient soundcheck that seamless segued into their opening track. No less than two keyboard players, two percussionists, cellist, bassist and guitarist, their...
SXSW REVIEWS: White Arrows Fader Fort, Austin TX March 14For their SXSW set, the five young players behind White Arrows took the Fader Fort stage wearing shades and an unholy mismatch of five of the worst gaudy thrift store shirts you've ever seen. Despite playing a Vampire Weekend brand of indie with subtle touches of those African or Calypso tonalities...
SXSW REVIEWS: Shigeto Club DeVille, Austin TX March 14Shigeto (aka Zach Saginaw) started off his SXSW set with a couple of his more hip-hop-based tracks, using just his laptop and trigger pad. Keeping it uptempo and fun, the beginning segment brought Dilla-inspired, knob-tweaking beats, but on the third track, the Ghostly International artist moved to...
SXSW REVIEWS: Bear in Heaven Mohawk, Austin TX March 13As one of Pitchfork's chosen acts to open the first official night of the music week of SXSW, Bear in Heaven were a good choice. They got off to a bit of a false start -- the opening track getting cut short due to an in-band technical failure -- but they brushed it off confidently and with a...
SXSW REVIEWS: Pretty Black Chains Buffalo Lounge, Austin TX March 13Playing as part of Oklahoma's SXSW state showcase, hard-rockin' three-piece Pretty Black Chains were a breath of fresh air from the hipster overload already gathering. Until recently a four-piece, their new sound was more about fuzzed-out, uncomplicated and unapologetic '70s rock than their old...
SXSW REVIEWS: Cults Speakeasy, Austin TX March 12You would expect a band as hyped as Manhattan's Cults to be all attitude and posture, but the group clearly enjoy what they do too much to care, appearing honest and out to have a good time. Live, they were pretty faithful to their recordings, performing as a five-piece with a drummer, bassist and...
DANCE & ELECTRONIC REVIEWS: Francis Harris LelandFrancis Harris usually goes by the moniker Adultnapper, but for his latest release he decided appropriately, and at the last minute, to use his name for this deeply personal record. A tribute to his father, who passed away exactly two years ago, Leland is a mesmerising album of tastefully...
NEWS: Mux Mool Talks the Extended Adolescence of 'Planet High School'Beat-driven electronic whiz Mux Mool (aka Brian Lindgren) just released the vinyl edition of his Planet High School album, and as the Minnesota-born musician explained to Exclaim!, that title is based on his observation that most of us are living in a state of extended adolescence. "I...
NEWS: Dirty Three Talk Their Return with 'Toward the Low Sun'It has been close to seven years since Dirty Three released their last album, Cinder, back in 2005, but the members of the Aussie trio of Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White have hardly been dormant during the years leading up to their recently released Toward the Low Sun. ...
INTERVIEWS: Dirty Three Choose Your Own AdventureWhile it's now been close to seven years since Dirty Three gave us any new material, its members kept continually busy with other projects. Violinist Warren Ellis has been collaborating with fellow Australian ex-pat Nick Cave on several film soundtracks as well as being a key member of both his Bad...
DANCE & ELECTRONIC REVIEWS: Burial KindredFollowing up 2011's somewhat underwhelming Street Halo EP and a one-off collaboration with Thom Yorke and Four Tet, Burial releases this highly anticipated new release, his first in a year. While dubstep (a genre you can't even discuss without mentioning Burial) has fractured into a hundred...
DANCE & ELECTRONIC REVIEWS: Tin Man Vienna BlueTo say that Tin Man's latest release is something of a departure immediately begs the question: "What is it exactly that Tin Man does?" Starting out producing acid house twelve-inches on the Finnish-based Keys of Life label, Californian-born Johannes Auvinen's subsequent work exists in a world...
POP & ROCK REVIEWS: Dirty Three Toward The Low SunDirty Three haven't brought us a new album in seven years, their members being kept busy with collaborations and guest spots. Warren Ellis composed several soundtracks with Nick Cave and also joined Cave's Grinderman project. Drummer Jim White worked with songstresses Nina Nastasia and P.J. Harvey,...
DANCE & ELECTRONIC REVIEWS: Terranova Hotel AmourThe fifth album from Berlin-based Terranova, Hotel Amour sees a move into more classic dance territory, leaving behind the downtempo style of some of their past work. The album features several recent singles, including "So Strong" (with vocals from Khan), "I Want To Go Out" and standout...
The Cleveland duo packed onto the tiny stage at the front of the bar, one of the more makeshift venue spaces at SXSW. Mr. Gnome consists of Sam Meister on drums and Nicole Barille on fuzz guitar and vocals. Despite having what is probably the worst band name in the history of music, by the time...
The huge industrial space of 1100 Warehouse was eerily dark, just minimally lit by natural light pouring in from a few skylights above. The vibe was foreboding -- especially in contrast to the humid Texas day unfolding outside -- and the venue fairly close to capacity for the Canadian future pop...
Carolina-raised...
The high level of anticipation was palpable for Miike Snow's SXSW set; some fans had even arrived with their faces painted with white house paint in tribute to the band's classic press shot (yeah, good luck getting that off tomorrow). And after a 40-minute delay, the group finally hit the stage,...
J. Cole was led through the side of crowd without much fanfare and onto the stage to cheers from the waiting audience. He started off with a slightly skittering version of "Dollar and a Dream" but segued straight into the title track from his 2011 album Cole World. Coming across as more...
Five-piece Toronto band the Wilderness of Manitoba quietly stepped on the small stage, the bassist barefoot, introducing themselves and going straight into their opening track, which was a mellow folky number with a noticeable post-rock influence. They followed this by a number that had more of a...
The seven members of Choir of Young Believers managed to squeeze themselves onto the stage, and their professionalism was evident from the efficient soundcheck that seamless segued into their opening track. No less than two keyboard players, two percussionists, cellist, bassist and guitarist, their...
For their SXSW set, the five young players behind White Arrows took the Fader Fort stage wearing shades and an unholy mismatch of five of the worst gaudy thrift store shirts you've ever seen. Despite playing a Vampire Weekend brand of indie with subtle touches of those African or Calypso tonalities...
Shigeto (aka Zach Saginaw) started off his SXSW set with a couple of his more hip-hop-based tracks, using just his laptop and trigger pad. Keeping it uptempo and fun, the beginning segment brought Dilla-inspired, knob-tweaking beats, but on the third track, the Ghostly International artist moved to...
As one of Pitchfork's chosen acts to open the first official night of the music week of SXSW, Bear in Heaven were a good choice. They got off to a bit of a false start -- the opening track getting cut short due to an in-band technical failure -- but they brushed it off confidently and with a...
Playing as part of Oklahoma's SXSW state showcase, hard-rockin' three-piece Pretty Black Chains were a breath of fresh air from the hipster overload already gathering. Until recently a four-piece, their new sound was more about fuzzed-out, uncomplicated and unapologetic '70s rock than their old...
You would expect a band as hyped as Manhattan's Cults to be all attitude and posture, but the group clearly enjoy what they do too much to care, appearing honest and out to have a good time. Live, they were pretty faithful to their recordings, performing as a five-piece with a drummer, bassist and...
Francis Harris usually goes by the moniker Adultnapper, but for his latest release he decided appropriately, and at the last minute, to use his name for this deeply personal record. A tribute to his father, who passed away exactly two years ago, Leland is a mesmerising album of tastefully...
Beat-driven electronic whiz Mux Mool (aka Brian Lindgren) just released the vinyl edition of his Planet High School album, and as the Minnesota-born musician explained to Exclaim!, that title is based on his observation that most of us are living in a state of extended adolescence. "I...
It has been close to seven years since Dirty Three released their last album, Cinder, back in 2005, but the members of the Aussie trio of Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White have hardly been dormant during the years leading up to their recently released Toward the Low Sun. ...
Following up 2011's somewhat underwhelming Street Halo EP and a one-off collaboration with Thom Yorke and Four Tet, Burial releases this highly anticipated new release, his first in a year. While dubstep (a genre you can't even discuss without mentioning Burial) has fractured into a hundred...
To say that Tin Man's latest release is something of a departure immediately begs the question: "What is it exactly that Tin Man does?" Starting out producing acid house twelve-inches on the Finnish-based Keys of Life label, Californian-born Johannes Auvinen's subsequent work exists in a world...
Dirty Three haven't brought us a new album in seven years, their members being kept busy with collaborations and guest spots. Warren Ellis composed several soundtracks with Nick Cave and also joined Cave's Grinderman project. Drummer Jim White worked with songstresses Nina Nastasia and P.J. Harvey,...
The fifth album from Berlin-based Terranova, Hotel Amour sees a move into more classic dance territory, leaving behind the downtempo style of some of their past work. The album features several recent singles, including "So Strong" (with vocals from Khan), "I Want To Go Out" and standout...
