Royksopp's JUNIOR is one of the best electronica albums I have heard in quite some time. They are the masters of chill out and they do not disappoint with their latest contribution to the genre.

It is a fine line between "lounge" and other types of electronica music. I had putting labels on it because most of the stuff released today might be initially released as one genre but then remixed into the next big club anthem. The bottom-line though is to have some stellar melodies to overdub in the first place.

Royksopp's first disc MELODY AM was the perfect blend of catchy tunes with some upbeat tracks that ensured you didn't fall asleep unless you really wanted. I felt like their 2nd disc wasn't anywhere near as good as their first as the overall sound and theme of it just didn't mesh with what Royksopp typically bring to the table. They fall into the rankings of Kruder & Dorfmeister and Dzihan and Kamien. I would rank them as some of the best original artists releasing material today.

JUNIOR has plenty of vocal tunes to go hand in hand with the instrumental as well. The Royksopp boys enlisted some of the better female vocalists available (Robyn and Lykke Li) to assist on some of the stand out tracks (The Girl and the Robot and Miss it so Much respectively). They manage to balance the album perfectly by mixing up instrumental and vocal tracks on a pretty consistent alternating basis. A proper flow for an electronica disc is key and that is what makes JUNIOR work so nicely.

If you aren't a huge electronica fan, JUNIOR would probably be a great disc to introduce you to the genre. It is not too experimental but it brings plenty of excitement to the party.

Try tracks Royksopp Forever, the two tracks by Robyn and Lykke Li and Happy up Here for a nice sampler.

http://royksopp.com/

Heavenly States - 3.5
Chairlift - 4
Just missed the free meal :( but excited to hear their iPod song. I tried to do handstands for you!

Angry vs the Bear - 5
I met up with Rachel, and we both were feeling the need to have a day where we meandered and didn't over think. So we decided to head over early to see a band I had heard one song from on the SXSW website. When we got to the venue - the rainbow cattle company - I saw that there was a bear flag flying on the wall (bears are big hairy gay men). So I turned to the older woman checking badges and I asked "is this a bear bar?" and in her thickest texan accent she responded "honey, we got bear, we got wine, we got vodka..." Amazing. After a couple of drinks and losing some money to their crappy video arcade game we were treated with seriously one of the most fun shows of the weekend. Angry vs the Bear. Check them out. SO fun. They get my "least buzz, biggest potential" award. Also, winners of the craziest hair award.

Camera Obscura - 5
One of the only real must sees of the day for me (along with voxtrot). We got there early and saw a bit of Amazing Baby (I believe). Anyway, glad to get to see Camera Obscura. They are great, and the new stuff sounded wonderful - sad to miss them at their metro show, but happy I saw them here.

Ed Harcourt - 4.5
Having missed out on Ed the day before, I decided to stop into his taping for Direct TV - a bit boring and a bit more of the country stuff, as it was being filmed on the country sound stage, but I still got to hear "Until Tomorrow Then."

Janelle Monae - 5
While seeing Ed Harcourt, Rachel and friends snuck into the Chop Shop party, so I decided to try my luck too. "I think I am on the list." *volunteer flips through papers a bit* "go on in." Score. I made it in time to see the end of Janelle Monae. Wow. Wow wow wow. This year's Amy Winehouse/Duffy/etc. iteration? Maybe. But way way way better. If I had to make a "next big thing" guess, this would be it. She's opening for No Doubt - just not in Chicago :(

Little Boots - 5
Way fun.

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - 5
After debating whether to try and find and get into the Perez party, we opted to head over and see Chicago's SYGC - who we've seen a number of times, but whatever, it was fun! We even stayed afterwards just to hang out with Chicago folks

The Love Me Nots - 3.5
An Horse - 5
One of my fave "stumbled upon" bands of the week. I need to hear more!

Voxtrot - 5
This show was a hot sweaty amazing mess. I loved every second of it. Voxtrot is so good, the singer is hot as heck, and the new stuff sounds unbelievably good. Is this the start of something good?

Various Comedians (Included Janeane Garofalo, Todd Barry, and more) - 5
Rachel suggested that instead of going to another band we check out the comedians. Wow, I had never gone to the comedians before. And it was really really fun. Lots of great bits, a nice seat in a not too crowded venue... who could ask for more. This day shaped up to be really great, just because starting the day I was kind of done with everything, and so I just let go and drifted. Love it!

The Spinto Band - 5
Rachel decided to go home, but I couldn't end my SXSW with comedians - I needed to squeeze in one more bad. I decided to end the festival this year by righting a wrong from last year... I had planned to go see Spinto Band close out SXSW 08 and just didn't have the energy for it... This year, because of my chill pace, I was ready to fix that. What a great way to end things - the Spinto's put on a damn good show, the new stuff is quality, and I still have the last song, The Black Flag, ringing in my ears months later!

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 4"

Kyle's Note: Of course, I took a months long break recapping SXSW 09, so now I don't really remember much of anything about it, yet I am still going to give it a shot and add a couple of little notes.

Kiernan McMullan - 3.5
Lisa Hannigan - 5
I had a great Irish breakfast at B.D. Reilly's and stuck around for a few songs from the lovely Lisa Hannigan (and got a photo with her!) I took off a little early to catch the last few songs of...

The Wrens - 4
Still didn't hear the songs I know, but it sounded good anyway. I reeeeally need to invest some time into listening to The Wrens more and getting into their whole catalog.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - 5
I had heard TRAA from one of my colleagues in Chicago, and had been anxious to hear them live. They have a sound like a more mainstream Neutral Milk Hotel, perhaps. Very nice.

Bishop Allen - 5
Bishop Allen is always a lot of fun - and definitely another person I really need to purchase more of so I can know more than a handful of songs.

Handsome Furs -5
Man, I had been anticipating seeing Handsome Furs big time! I was discouraged to see the HUGE line to get in (people already piling in for headliner the Hold Steady), but I got in without too much hassle, and had one of the most fun shows of my SXSW. Everyone dancing in the hot sun - just brilliant. Love every song. (also, I have to point out the hilarious promotion that Saucony was putting on with their game... pin the Crystal on the overused band name (and a picture of a bear, deer, and wolf).

Adam Stephens - 5
I was reeeeally looking forward to seeing Adam Stephens too. A singer from Two Gallants, I had downloaded a bunch of his solo stuff and LOVED it even more than Two Gallants - it was prettier stuff, with a bit of a Conor Oberst vibe. They were having some technical problems with the piano at the venue, Friends, and the sun was SCALDING my head, but it was worth it, just to see leaves showering down from the trees during favorite song "Lead In Our Lungs." Here is the video of that performance (check out the person's profile for the rest of the show too!) Too bad that later that day I insulted Adam's shoes... don't ask.

Ra Ra Riot - 5
I saw Ra Ra Riot a few years ago at SXSW and had really enjoyed them, but had only recently fallen head over heels for their most recent album. Upon arriving to the venue I was saddened to see the line stretching and stretching - but I waited anyway, and was rewarded by getting in near the beginning of their set. However it was INSANELY crowded and hot in the little tent, and I was at the very back. Still, a great performance where I heard basically every song I wanted to, capped off my one of my favorite songs - Dying is Fine.

Future of the left - 4
Fanfarlo - 5
Youth Group - 5
In a happy accident I wandered into a set by Youth Group at the Australian BBQ. I was amused at how the Australian and New Zealand BBQs were back to back - very Flight of the Conchords.

My Disco - 2
Ceci Bastida - 3
Hey Negrita - 3.5
This evening I decided to scorn my expensive badge and stick to one place all evening - Central Presbyterian Church. Waiting outside I even got to chat with the former manager of My Lastest Novel and current manager of a lot of other cool Scottish bands. However, after a couple of songs from Hey Negrita, which was okay, I decided to flee momentarily to see if I could catch a little Ed Harcourt at another nearby venue. Upon getting there I found that the schedule had been shifted a bit, so after a couple of tracks of so so other bands, I returned.

Fanfarlo - 5
Fanfarlo Fanfarlo Fanfarlo. Last year I was SO excited to see them and was so sad when I A) didn't get downtown in time to catch most of their early set one morning and B) saw only a very small set later that day because of techincal issues. I saw a couple of songs of their set early this day, but was ready to see a full set in this intimate venue. Other than the fact that there was some percussion reverb in the church to be sorted out, it was basically perfect. The lead singer, in his cute little boytie, may have been my crush of the week - Adorable. And all of their songs were GREAT. They had a number of their new CD in the back which everyone snapped up quickly. Luckily I got one before they sold out. My love of them was recently endorsed by Sigur Ros who sent out and e-mail blast telling people to buy the album... and that the cover features Sigurrós and her cousin Disa on the front cover in a pic by Jónsi's other sis Lilja! I love it even more now!

The Low Anthem - 5
I had just been introduced to the Low Anthem a couple of weeks prior in Chicago when they opened for Lisa Hannigan, and I had fallen in love. Okay, so in all honesty, this show tied The Decemberists (or maybe was secretly even better) for my favorite show of the week. It made me wish that I had said screw it and just saw every performance by the group all weekend. It was haunting, beautiful, uplifting, soaring - just one of the most beautiful venues to see one of the most beautiful shows ever. From the chill inducing falsetto of "Charlie Darwin" to the soul wrenching upright bass of "This God Damn House" there was not a note out of place. If I ever thought that I could never have a religious experience in a church again, I was wrong. And, according to twitter search, a LOT of other people considered this the breakout performance of the festival. It's not often as a music lover that I get to experience something this special.

Lisa Hannigan - 5
Lisa Hannigan is just beautiful, and both strong and fragile. This venue was the perfect spot for her and she was spot on - she has truly risen up from second fiddle to Damien Rice and holds her own and more. Sadly, a gentleman sat in front of me during this performance who was clearly pulled there by his friend and he DIDN'T want to be there - he was shifting and sighing, and shaking his fat fucking head with disdain right in my line of vision for the whole performance. Definitely the most aggravated I have ever been at a SXSW.

Laura Marling - 4.5
I have to be honest, maybe it was because she had to follow up a few of the best performance I have seen, but this performance from Laura didn't live up to my love of her album or even the other times I have seen her live. A bit boring and just a little off - but still loved favorites "Ghosts" and "Alas I cannot swim"

Jason Lytle -3.5
I stayed for a few songs from Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, and then headed off to see what else I could find. I stopped in to see Au Reviour Simone, but they were having some pretty serious techincal problems so I decided to leave... as I was walking out they started their set. Oh well. So I headed to see Cursive and was let into the venue before being shuffled off to some other room - apparently the Cursive room was filled to capacity. Well, thanks for telling me before I entered. So, just let me out? No... I couldn't even exit through the front entrance because they wouldn't let me back into the sold out room to leave. So I had to go through this back room, through another room where an AWFUL band was playing, and then down some sketchy back alley. There were other bands playing that I was considering checking out, but figured it was best just to turn in for the evening.

Keep reading to compare to 2008

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 3"

Yellow Fever - +3 - Red House Pizzeria
Instead of heading into town for the big day parties, I decided to try taking the bus out to Red House Pizzeria for their patio party. Austin's Yellow Fever started the day fine.

Slow Club - +5
The band I really wanted to see was Slow Club (who have opened for another of my faves - Tilly and the Wall, and have a similar disposition). I have been a fan since last year (and really had wanted them to play last year's SXSW!) I had seen the Because We Are Dead music video and was expecting a "We're From Barcelona" sized crowd to perform, but they were just a two-person group. After seeing them, I have to say, they are probably my favorite two person group (sorry Mates of State, Matt & Kim, Dresden Dolls, etc.) They also get an award for one of the cutest groups I saw! I felt bad for Charles, though, who was apparently "salsa drunk."

School of Seven Bells - +5 - Mohawk
I took the bus into town, and it let me off near Mohawk, so I decided to check in and see if I could get into the RSVP Rhapsody party and see Glasvegas, as all their other performances were conflicts for me. I got it, and was thrilled to see that I'd have a chance to see another band that I hadn't heard of, but were apparently playing every party this week. I was so happy I did, too, as they were one of my absolute favorite groups of the day.

Glasvegas - +4.5 - Mohawk
Glasvegas played a set pretty true to the sound of their album. It was enjoyable! I love a good accent

Trail of dead - +3 - Mohawk
I was already around for it, so I thought I might as well stick around and check out a couple of songs from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. It was okay, but the continue to just not do much for me.

Passion Pit - +4 - Radio Room
I had been told to check out Passion Pit, so I made my way to day to of the Paste party. After waiting in line I made my way to a very crowded performance. After standing for a couple of songs, I decided to sit down against the wall. Passion Pit gets the honor of this year's "good performance that I drifted off to" - an honor bestowed last year on British Sea Power. Regardless, they were good and unique.

Airborne Toxic Event - +4.5 - Bat Bar
Every year I find a couple of bands to see in the air conditioned, professionally light sound stages used to tape performances for Direct TV. The first year I saw a great performance of Peter, Bjorn and John there. I would say that Airborne Toxic Event reminds me a bit of this years Peter, Bjorn and John (or Vampire Weekend)....but I didn't like them nearly as much as those two groups. They were fun though, and if you see the Direct TV recordings, you'll see me in the front row bobbing my head like a total moron. Interesting fact - they played SXSW 2008 too. Guess that worked out pretty well for them :)

Guggenheim Grotto - +4.5 - The Rio
I stopped in to see a few songs from The Guggenheim Grotto at the Irish showcase - I do love them. Despite the fact that it was a chatty crowd, and the fact that the played some songs that I was so so about, the fact they played Philosophia made up for it!

Phosphorescent - +4.5 - Mohawk
I love Phosphorescent, and even though the crowd here was extremely obnoxious and blah blah blahed the whole time, and despite the fact that I only heard four songs, I still love love love them.

Ohbijou - +5 - The Ranch
There were so many great bands playing at this time, and I didn't know what I was going to do until the last minute. I really didn't think I was going to head down to this show, as it was crazy far away from the main strip, but I decided to hoof it out there, for some reason. It was a good choice. I really dug this seven piece Canadian group, plus the crowds were thinner in this part of town and everyone was much more respectful

My Latest Novel - +5 - The Ranch

As much as I liked Glasvegas, this Scottish band edged them out. Despite some technical problems, I enjoyed the sound of the new music they have on the horizon (although sad they didn't play my favorites from Wolves)

At this point I left before The Low Anthem played in order to try and catch a few other bands - this was probably a sad mistake

+/- - Prague - Only saw half a song, can't rate it, but it sounded good.

The Wrens - +4 - Prague
The layout of Prague left a lot to be desired, and standing in the basement behind a mass of people after a long day wasn't my idea of a good time. I left after a couple of good sounding songs (neither of which were the two Wrens songs I know really well).

I made my way to Radio Room to check out Handsome Furs and upon getting there was told "sorry dude, we're done" by the person at the door. So, Handsome Furs, the headliner, either started early or only played a half hour set. Very very sad.

Datarock - +4.5 - Emo's Annex
I started heading to Emo's to see Peter Bjorn and John were still playing, and as I passed Emo's Annex I heard the familiar strains for Fa-Fa-Fa, the Datarock single. There was no line, so I went in and enjoy the song (which is really catchy) and a couple of other songs before heading home. It was a pretty great end to the night, outside with a little bit of air blowing through and some fun music! Thanks Datarock!

Compare to Thursday 2008 below the break

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 2"

Anathallo +5 - Radio Room
Anathallo were a perfect way to open SXSW - they sounded great, the crowd was really into them, and I was happy to hear some of their new songs live, especially my favorite track "The River."

The River from this show:

Samantha Crain +4 - Radio Room
A bit sad I missed Greg Laswell, as he started late and played at the same time as Anathallo. I hadn't heard of Samantha Crain, but she sounded pretty good. I'd like to listen to some studio stuff from her.

From this show:

Amanda Palmer +5 - Radio Room
I was excited to check out Amanda Palmer's solo stuff, as a so-so fan of the Dresden Dolls. I'll be honest, I like her solo stuff more! Apparently Ben Folds produced her album, and even sang backup on a fun track about abortion! She ended the set with an unplugged and un-microphoned version of Radiohead's "Creep" on Ukulele, which ended up as a crowd sing-along. Amazing!

Here is a video of that Creep performance:

Port O'Brien +3 - Radio Room
A pretty unmemorable set, in my opinion. Not bad, I just wasn't super into it.

Here is a song from that show:

Heartless Bastards +3.5 - Radio Room
The Paste Party was the place to be today, so I just kept sticking around. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed what I heard of the Heartless Bastards.

A song from that show:

Loney Dear +4.5 - Radio Room
Loney, Dear is one of those bands I have been meaning to check out (both recorded and live) for quite a while. They were quite a bit weirder than I imagined they would be, but still but on a fun show!

Cut off Your Hands +4 - Maggie Mae's
I hadn't heard of this group, but enjoyed them! They were pretty loud, screamy, and crazy live, but I liked the melodies. Their recorded stuff sounds quite a bit smoother from what I've heard, and I like it quite a bit!

The Pains of Being Pure Of Heart +4 - Red 7
One of the big buzz bands this week - they were EVERYWHERE this weekend. I definitely enjoyed them and think they are worth checking out more!

From the show:

Beach House +3.5
I like Beach House - the low score here is because they started so late (they were apologetic). By the time they had started, I really only had time for two songs before heading out to see the next band I wanted to see (who, in fact, weren't scheduled for that time apparently, although it wouldn't have mattered as my RSVP didn't go through.) So, I could have stayed to seen more. Bummer. And I didn't get around to seeing them again the rest of the week. Double bummer.

From the show:

Toy Horses +3 - Latitude 30
Tonight's line up was a bit sparse for artists that I was interested in hearing, so I decided to chill for awhile at the showcase of my personal hero, Nic Harcourt. Toy Horses' live performance didn't do much for me.

At the show:

bonus: a montage of Toy Horses at SXSW

Fin +3 - Latitude 30
I can't comment much on Fin, as the lead singer had lost his voice and was only able to sing one song.

Rokhsan +3.5 - Latitude 30
Rokhsan stepped in for Fin and played a few songs to fill the hole. She sounded pretty decent - an artist who may have some potential as she hones her craft.

The Von Bondies +3.5 - Vice
The Von Bondies are a band whose name I have heard a lot but didn't know anything about. I popped into Vice and checked out 4 of their songs. Two of them I really enjoyed, and two I was not so fond of. I was thinking about staying for their whole set and checking out some Peter, Bjorn and John, but instead decided to take off and see some other things. Good thing too, PB&J's set was probably the most talked about blah show (technical problems) of the week - anyway, they are coming to Chicago soon. (P.S. I also went to check the line at the M Ward/St. Vincent/Camera Obscura show - yikes. Impossible to get into)

From the Show:

What Laura Says, Thinks, Feels +3.5 - Radio Room
or shortened to What Laura Says, for short. This was a band on my list about a million times last year, who I didn't see. I thought they were okay, but not as good live as the clips I had heard.

Red Cortez +3.5 - Radio Room
While here, I stuck around and saw Red Cortez, who was playing at the same time. I enjoyed what little I heard - I liked them just as much as What Laura Says, if not a little more.

Stoney +4.5 - Latitude 30
Back at Nic Harcourt's party, Stoney I caught some of Stoney, which was possibly my favorite totally random band of the week (ie. I didn't have them on my list to check out). They put on a really good live show, and I liked their sound. Side note: at one point during the show I noticed the lead singer of Aqualung standing next to me. I KNEW it was the lead singer of Aqualung My brilliant comment: "you look kind of familiar. Is there any reason for that?"

From the show:

Laura Marling +5 - Latitude 30
I had every intention of seeing Laura Marling on Friday, but wanted to catch at least a couple of songs of her here, just in case something came up and I didn't make it to that show. I stayed for four songs, which included two of my faves - Ghost and Alas I Cannot Swim.

From the show (sideways):

The Decemberists +5 - Stubbs
Leaving Laura early was hard, but I wanted to make sure I got into the main event at Stubbs. Lucky I did too, there was quite a line. Sadly I didn't get in for any of the Avett Brothers (nor did I get around to seeing them the rest of the week. Sigh.) The show was amazing. The Decemberists played their new album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety. The album was released for digital download the day before, and I had listened to it on the flight to Austin, so I had a slight familiarity with the songs. Seeing them live unlocked them for me. They were no nonsense as well - there was no commentary and no stopping between songs. The Rake Song, their first single, was jaw dropping live, with five people on stage banging on drums during the song. As an encore, Colin came out and played the Raincoat Song (one of my faves off of last year's EPs) and I Was Meant for the Stage. The show was nothing less than epic. You can check it out (as well as the Avett Brothers show, which I missed) at on the NPR Website.

From the show:

Dear and the Headlights +4.5 - Spiro's
Stopped in and checked out one of the song from Dear and the Headlights. I really really liked it. Sadly I missed them the other billion times they played this week, but the taste I had was enough to make me a fan.

Echo and the Bunnymen +4 - Emo's
Surprisingly, it was easy to slip into Emo's for the last few songs from Echo and the Bunnyman. I really wasn't familiar with them (shocking huh?) but I could definitely hear from their music the influences they passed down to a number of my favorite bands. A good experience.

From the show:

+1 = I hated it. I would do anything in my power to avoid having to endure this again
+2 = I adamantly didn't like this. I would be disappointed if this band were opening for a band that I wanted to see.
+3 = I was pretty neutral about this band. If I must see them again it wouldn't bother me, but it wouldn't tip the scales in a positive way either. I won't be looking the band up when I get home Also known as the "my mind is wandering" rating
+4 = I enjoy this band. I will check them out online, and if they were opening for another +4 or +5 that would be exciting.
+5 = I loved it. I will be buying their CDs and going to see them live again.

Compare to 2008, day 1, below break

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 1"

Visit http://www.twitter.com/DSig80atSXSW to follow my coverage of SXSW 2009!

This another one of those posts where I admit to the fact that I have encountered something big after the rest of blogosphere. That something big is Ra Ra Riot.

I'm a sucker for chamber pop as any person can attest to my love to old Matt Pond PA. Ra Ra Riot have something a little bit different though. Wes Miles' vocals have a different warmth to them and it complements the Alexandra Lawn's cello and Rebecca Zeller's violin vs. competing with them. I think that the production has something to do with that but the disc is impeccably mixed on every track. I wasn't sure how I would feel about some of the songs, as they were redone from their EP (which I enjoyed immensely) but they work.

THE RHUMB LINE is a great mix of poppy dance tunes and some lovely ballads that showcase the talent of the band (WINTER '05). One of the best things about the disc is that there is enough variety to keep your interest from the start to finish. Their isn't really a lull, which is common.

The group has gotten some headlines due to the unfortunate and tragic death of its drummer (who the album is dedicated to) right before they started really making it big. But they should be getting much more due to the talent.

They are opening for Death Cab for Cutie currently so they should be getting some exposure with them. If I could afford a Death Cab ticket now, I would go just to see Ra Ra Riot.

Stand out tracks: Winter '05, Can You Tell, Each Year

http://www.myspace.com/rarariot