SXSW 2017 - OEB Spreadsheet #33
Late night listening for SXSW ears. Highlights:
Cold Specks (8) - Her debut is as much an exploration of space as it is of noise, which makes the jazzy doom of Neuroplasticity immediately surprising. Feedback rock melds into dream pop - a post rock influence hangs over the midnight-dark record.
Dawg Yawp (7) - What’s interesting about Dawg Yawp’s self-titled debut is all the different ways they are able to use the Indian instrument, one that forces the duo to intermingle Western and Eastern scales in a completely unique manner. The tone of the sitar gives all of Dawg Yawp’s excursions psychedelic air - notes have a way of floating in the air extra long.
Ciaran Lavery (7) - Ciaran Lavery’s 2016 record Let Bad In adds sonic depth to the Irish singer-songwriter’s tunes, both through full-band/orchestral instrumentation and some subtle electronic moments that go a surprisingly long way. There are still some sparse, emotional moments (“Sonoma”, “Let Bad In”) that highlighted much of Lavery’s earlier work, allowing greater musical sights to extend Lavery’s strong songwriting rather than inhibit it.
Communist Daughter (7) - Communist Daughter have evolved their sound a bit from the acoustic, campfire harmonies of their earlier work, not necessarily getting bigger, just more expansive. 2016 sophomore record The Cracks That Built the Wall matches the band’s uber-tender baritone vocals with sounds from ambient pop, indie rock and even a little synth action, a strong adventure that still keeps its heartfelt core.
Cotton Mather (6) - Psych-pop/rock veterans Cotton Mather return to SXSW in 2017 in support of last year’s The Death of Cool, a murky, airy dip that continues in an experimental, alt-rock direction. There’s a lot of creativity in Cotton Mather’s music, classic pop modes being recreated with homespun stamps.
DEM YUUT (6) - DEM YUUT’s premiere track “Dawn / Sea” is a distorted take on pop music, glitch-focused splicing and effects twisting electronic R&B into an underwater soundtrack. It’s a great taste of their original abilities, an expansion on the band’s remixes that take on a similar aesthetic.
Die Heiterkeit (6) - German band Die Heiterkeit specialize in dreamy rock/pop music, ranging from pure ambience to mid-tempo toe tappers. It’s interesting to here German cadences over the levity in Die Heiterkeit’s music, cooly delivered by the deep alto vocals of frontwoman Stella Summer.
