Hard to believe it's already February. That means we're only about a month away from South by Southwest 2013. At SXSW Music, over a thousand bands will be showcasing. With that sort of roster, there's no realistic way to perform thorough sonic due diligence on your own. So which bands are generating buzz? Well, according to our very scientific Google search on the words "SXSW" "2013" and "Buzz," here are a few contenders:
Noise11's Paul Cashmere is liking The Rubens: "Following their signing to Warner Brothers in the USA, The Rubens are set to be the Australian buzz band of 2013 at SXSW in Texas next month. Last month, Mushroom Music, the group’s publisher in Australia, announced that The Rubens had signed a record deal with Warner Brothers Records for a worldwide release (excluding Australia and New Zealand) of their self-titled debut album. The album will be released in the United States in June following a showcase by The Rubens at South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas next month."
What's with Australia? Glide Magazine's staff posted a short list of five acts to check out at SXSW, including Australia's Atlas Genius: "This band ... has already caused quite a bit of buzz over the last year, initially from the release of their single 'Trojans' on Neon Gold, but more recently in the wake of a strong first US tour and excellent EP, Through The Glass, which was released earlier this year. They’re in the process of finishing their debut album, which will come out in early 2013 via Warner Bros Records. Be sure to check out the way they mix electronic elements with their acoustic-pop flourishes." The other four artists? That would be Alt-J, Suun, Haim and Sarah Jaffe. Footnote: According to this post on Big Pond Music, 40 Aussie acts have been confirmed for SXSW 2013.
Staying with the international theme, Andrew Carew of About.com names 10 international acts to watch at SXSW 2013, including Chile's The Holydrug Couple and related act Föllakzoid: "Chilean duo The Holydrug Couple are -- fittingly -- a couple of dudes from Santiago playing mellow, daydreamy, blissed-out psychedelia. Yet, it's not all wafty atmosphere and stoned ambience: there's a love of songcraft at play that keeps things from drifting too far off into the ether. Instead, the chilled vibes and good grooves will appeal to fans of everything from Brightblack Morning Light to Tame Impala. The Holydrug Couple's Ives Sepúlveda also plays in Föllakzoid, another crew of Santiago bros, whose take on psychedelia is far more stretched out and instrumental, touching on the most cosmic reaches of kosmische. Both bands are signed to Sacred Bones in the US, and will be making their first-ever pilgrimages to the Northern Hemisphere for SXSW." Carew also gives nods to Cate Le Bon, The Deer Tracks (yet another "Deer" band), Fakuta, Fear of Man, Girls Names, Sea Pinks, Holy Balm and Kirin J. Callinan.
Another About.com post by Carew gives us "a bunch of budding bands due to stir up some brand new buzz. And also Vampire Weekend." His write-up of Phèdre made me giggle a bit: "Semi-mysterious Canadian combo Phèdre were one of the most memorable new bands of 2012, coming out of nowhere with myth-making mystery and an awesome debut LP. Though they billed themselves as 'lovers from Monaco, raised in a cave of gold,' they were the recording project of electro bro Doldrums and two members of indie-pop combo Hooded Fang; their fuzzy, synth-pop songs sounding like jukebox standards through a malfunctioning video-game, with three bizarre, contrasting voices singing out over the top. Though conceived as a one-off, Phèdre is now inching towards fully-fledged rockband status; with a host of live-shows planned, and a second LP in the works." Carew also calls out Bleached, Diana, Empress Of, Merchandise, Pacific Air, Waxahatchee, Wax Idols and White Lung.
If you're feeling a bit overloaded on the indie rock front, Michael A. of Mischief provides a good alternative with Top 10 Must-See Hip-Hop Artists at SXSW 2013. The list is loaded with hot names. Among the more obscure and interesting choices is Iggy Azalea: "This is the only artist on the list who has never performed at a sx event. Seems like she’s been all over the Internet as of late and her new album The New Classic, is one of the most anticipated for 2013. On twitter before last years sxsw Iggy and I exchanged DM’s after reading that she would be at a karmaloop event. Unfortunately she had problems with her work visa and was unable to come. Lets hope this year will be different." The other nine: Childish Gambino, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Big Krit, Kendrick Lamar, Theophilus London, Wiz Khalifa, OFWGKTA, A$AP Rocky, and Kanye & G.O.O.D. Music.
5? 10? Bah! The Blue Indian's Sean Pritchard wouldn't settle for less than 25 Bands to Watch at SWSX 2013: "Compiled by staff writer Everett Verner and contributing writer David Dorer, this list will give you a glimpse of the party we plan on having. See you soon, Texas." The post includes a video for each of the 25 acts: Allah-Las, Ben Sollee, Capital Cities, Cherub, DRGN KING, FUCK ART, LET'S DANCE!, He's My Brother, She's My Sister, The Hood Internet, Indians, Ivan & Alyosha, Jackie Chain, The Last Royals, Metz (a band I've been hearing a good amount about lately), Mitzi, Nobody Beats the Drum, Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, Royal Canoe, Star & Micey, Swear and Shake, Tall Ships, The Warlocks, Wild Cub, Zion I, and Austin's T-Bird & the Breaks and The Rocketboys. I watched every clip, and at first glance I'm intrigued the most by Allah-Las, He's My Brother ..., and the old-timey sounds of Pokey LaFarge. The simply-shot Star & Micey video is cool too.
I really like reading recommendations from more obscure blogs and sources. Here's one from Sinclair here in Austin, who gives us her SXSW 2013 Must See Bands (Part 1) on her blog, We Are (Standing) On the Edge. In addition to Local Natives and Thee Oh Sees, two bands we discovered as opening acts for other artists we saw in concert, she likes Stagnant Pools, Dusted and Houses: "Well, these Chicago fans seem kind of nonplussed in this video, but
Houses' deliberate, mellow, electronic jams are catchy as hell and
demand at least some mild head bobbing and non-aggressive hip swaying. I
plan to see them immediately after getting ravaged by some doom metal." Sounds like a plan! Part 2 is allegedly coming soon.
Stairwell Baby divides its band recommendations into parts one and two. Each recommendation comes with a short list of "RIYL" artists ("Recommended If You Like"), plus a "pseudo-genre." Like this for ZZ Ward: "We wouldn’t be surprised if ZZ Ward has some commercial success in 2013. We love her voice and her blend of music genres. Now is your chance to listen to her and tell your friends about her. RIYL: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Adele, Allen Stone. Pseudo Genre: Countrified Neo Soul."
Sxpicks.com lists 30 acts to catch at SXSW 2013, videos only, plus a link to a Spotify playlist. Credit to Matthew Averkamp. Several repeats from above, if that means anything.
