The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart"

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart": "From Slumberland, the label that brought you the Aislers Set and Velocity Girl...
This is the song where The Pains of Being Pure At Heart hit that Jesus & Mary Chain, that Vaselines, that twee-pop-but-rockin' sweet spot that all the reviewers anoint them with generally. This is the song where it really all happens - and it's already named after them. (Imagine if they had actually put this self-titled song on their self-titled album...)

I also meant to include them in my SXSW `09 recap. So, better late than never:
It took a while for them to really amp up (no wonder, since they were playing a million shows down there) but once they hit a groove, it was good, sweet-n-buzzy fun, as one would expect from their record."

Yelle - "Dans Ta Vraie Vie"

Yelle - "Dans Ta Vraie Vie": "Her set started late, so I could only stay for two songs, and I don't know what she's singing about (it's all French), but her music sure is fun. She played with only a drummer and a DJ, but she made sure to bounce around the stage like she was having a bigger party than you would have expected from 230p on a Wednesday afternoon."

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "Lights"

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "Lights": "I hadn't seen these guys in a while, so I was glad to find they still sound great. Songs like this still melt my panties and they did them in style. The new songs sounded good too and I can't wait to hear them on record. Don't take too much longer, guys, it's been long enough!
(Their show was also a bit of SXSW nostalgia - I first heard them at SXSW in `04 (or was it even earlier?) with my friend Julie - so this felt a bit like coming full circle.)"

Cut Off Your Hands - "Happy As Can Be"

Cut Off Your Hands - "Happy As Can Be": "I'm wondering if I was just cranky when I saw these guys play at Emo's last week, since I didn't really dig their set - but when I go back to songs like this, I really like them. I wish I had given them a second chance during SXSW, but at least I can still appreciate the album. Points to Michael Bertin for committing the 'Cut Off Your Hands (Say Yeah)' joke to print in the Austin Chronicle."

School Of Seven Bells - "Half Asleep"

School Of Seven Bells - "Half Asleep": "I know I'm biased, but our Rhapsody Rocks Austin party at SXSW (more here) was off the hook. I was particularly psyched with School of Seven Bells, whose set took the dreamy electropop of their album (as heard here) and amped it up with more volume and intensity, blending a powerful shoegaze element with the pretty melodies. I'm sorry I only got to see them once!"

The Homosexuals - "You're Not Moving The Way You're Supposed To"

The Homosexuals - "You're Not Moving The Way You're Supposed To": "A band I had heard about for a long time, but had never actually seen or heard - making SXSW a perfect time to check out and I wasn't disappointed. The singer has a on-stage charisma missing from most front-men and the music occupies the same great space in British post-punk between Wire and Gang of Four - sloppy in concept, but executed tightly. Their set climaxed with an extended version of this tune that was far more aggressive than you'd expect from this version, but that worked to their advantage."

We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Ships With Holes Will Sink"

We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Ships With Holes Will Sink": "Saw these kids at the IODA Day party today - my SXSW/Wednesday tradition. The vocals are so heavily Scottish that they approach the "If It's Not Scottish, It's Crap!" sketch from SNL (not unlike The Twilight Sad, also on the same label). Once you get past that, it's just a rocking tune any indie rock fans will love. Bonus points to the band on their live set today - they looked like intimidated 18 year-olds (which they might well be) in front of the large crowd, but rocked it as hard as they could anyway. Good for them!"

Michael Penn - "I Can Tell"

Michael Penn - "I Can Tell": "Today, I attended a SXSW panel with Michael Penn. It was largely an interview with him about his film soundtrack work (as part of the SXSW Film Festival), but they had a Q&A at the end and I got to ask a question. I inquired about his re-occurring references to Los Angeles in his work - the L.A. of yesteryear, in particular. It turns out his affection for the less stereotypical Los Angeles and its history is not unlike my own, which is what I had always expected.
Here, in "I Can Tell", the narrator crosses Pico (a street in L.A.) as part of a relationship song that feels like it's a part of a larger cinematic story. The dramatic crescendo in Michael's vocals, after the narrated interlude, is one of my favorite moments in his work."

American Analog Set - "Hard To Find"

American Analog Set - "Hard To Find": "SXSW coverage starts now! Technically, SXSW Music hasn't even started yet, but since bands are starting to play in Austin, I might as well start too. I just saw Andrew of American Analog Set's new band, the Wooden Birds, at the Onion A.V. Club party at the Mohawk. Their sound was mellow (not unlike AmAnSet), but more twangy than dreamy, but still very solid. Wooden Birds don't have any music out yet, so I'm instead tipping my hat to one of my favorite AmAnSet songs, which is propelled by a mellow, shaker-driven groove, not unlike the Spinanes' "Azure"."