A few things have changed since I last wrote a music or
movie review on this site: I now have a beautiful and loving girlfriend, I have
a new full-time job, and I no longer see over a hundred movies in the theater
every year. And if I have any hopes of holding on to the first two, I can no
longer be found crying in a dark corner somewhere shot gunning the champagne of beers and taking Fireball shots because the bassist of (insert band name here) won’t marry me.
This stupid invention called social media will no longer allow me these
private therapeutic moments. I hate the interwebs!
But I felt as though I had to write at least one more SXSW
preview because of all the wonderful experiences I’ve had over the years. I was
able to see Run the Jewels beat the snot out of some random scrub who ran on
stage and tried to fight them for some unknown reason, I waited three hours in
line to see Muse play a small venue while debating with everyone who was within
earshot of me where Daft Punk was going to play their secret show that weekend;
which of course never actually happened, and I witnessed Vince Staples make
every white person in the crowd nervous when he compared the stage he was
performing on to an auction block at a slave trade. Ah the good ole’ days.
Well after sifting through the 2,000 bands that are slated
to play this year’s festival, I came across what I believe to be the clear
highlights of the up and comers or the artists who will be headlining festivals
for years to come. And for those who are new to this site or to SXSW itself, I
suggest that you pick three or four of these acts and try to follow them around,
this is the easiest way to do this festival and, in the process, you’ll
discover dozens of new acts (who are playing either before or after) that you would have never otherwise come across.
Let’s start off with the sure things:
Cautious Clay –
he brings a healthy balance of electronic and natural sounds to his beats which
are accompanied by lyrics that are for the most part, streams of consciousness.
At one point he’s singing about his insecurities that creep up when he’s
entering a new relationship and the next, he’s talking about the pressures of
paying off student loans; so basically a direct line to my brain. I rate him as
very FRESH as he’s clearly going to
blow up.
TIERRA WHACK – her
intro album Whack World is truly some weird ish! The way that she is able to
combine her mix of RnB and Rap with her prowess as a visual artist makes you
truly believe that you are witnessing a real-life Black Willy Wonka. I can’t
help but laugh whenever I hear her say “ABC (all boys cry) …MTV (men touch vaginas)
…BET (bitches eat tacos)”. I give her and her creativity a rating of very FRESH.
LEIKELI47 – some
of you may remember her from my SXSW recap last year. She was the clear
highlight for me back then and I honestly believe that she may be this year’s
highlight for me as well. She is the closest thing we’ll ever get to having another
Missy Elliott as she delivers both the fierceness and confidence that comes
with being a badass female in a male dominant genre as well as exposing her
vulnerability when it comes to falling in love. Trust me, you will not want to
miss her this time around as she is FRESH.
NADIA NAKAI – While
I like her potential, I think she’s going to wind up more towards the pop side
of things more so than that of a true hip hop artist as songs of hers like Yass
Bitch and Naaa Meaan have garnered the most attention. These certainly aren’t
bad songs, they are in fact club bangers but the second she gets signed to a
label they are going to want more of the same. And you know what, good for her!
I rate her as sort of FRESH.
TOBI LOU – to me
he sounds like the male version of Noname. His songs are mellow grooves that
aren’t really about anything; at one point he’s singing about love and the next
he’s singing about video games. And yes, I know I just gave Cautious Clay
respect for doing something similar, but his beats are doper and his lyrics are
deeper and actually wind up telling a narrative when look at the whole. I rate
Tobi as sort of WEAK but he’s definitely
worth checking out.
PINK SWEAT$ - mellow
RnB with stripped music as his background. This is super chill and will more
than likely put you to sleep live but I wouldn’t be against using his tunes for
a “Getting Laid” mixtape. He’s kind of WEAK.
HONORABLE MENTION –
DRAMA – chill electronic Rnb and KOFI
BLACK – his vocal range is solid and he has good production but he will
need the right collaboration to take off.
Now on to the Rock n Roll acts
THE BLINDERS –
They remind me of when the Arctic Monkeys were young and actually making rock
music. Their lyrics are nowhere near as clever as the Monkeys’ but they are
angry and that’s all that really matters when you want something to scream and shout
to while listening to blaring distortion and groovy baselines. I give them a
rating of FRESH.
SQUID – I hate to
give SXSW credit but they actually hit the nail on the head when they said this
band was the perfect blend of Television and LCD Soundsystem. They have quirky
songs that are sometimes atmospheric and other times dancey. They are a little
more Rock n Roll than LCD but no one can be LCD so I’m glad to see that they
are trying to make their own way. They don’t have many songs out but what they
do have is very solid. I give them a rating of FRESH.
BAMBARA – this band
is self-described as Western gothic post punk. Just imagine a dark cowboy
playing in the corner of a bar in Marfa, TX and that’s what you’ll get in this
band. They are loud, energetic, and at times chaotic. What more do you want?
They also get a rating of FRESH.
PRIESTS - I’m so happy they’re back and keeping the D.C.
punk scene alive with their ear grabbing drumbeats and lead singer who gives
you a glimpse of what Janis Joplin would sound like if she were in a punk band.
You can tell that she puts every part of her being into every note she belts
out and I can’t help but respect that. I give them a rating of very FRESH.
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
– this is high energy punk rock that makes you want to throw on some tight
leather and spray one another with liquor as you jump around a mosh pit. Enough
said. They are barely FRESH.
CHERRY GLAZERR – I
was hesitant to put them in this review as I can’t imagine anyone not being exposed
to them at this point but they are an L.A. rock band who remind you of the girl
grunge bands from the 90’s. They have a high energy sound and that certainly
comes across in their live performance. Be sure to check them out as they are FRESH.
HONORABLE MENTION –
SASAMI – she is the former keyboardist for Cherry Glazer and she branched
out to form her own pop/rock band. DRAB
MAJESTY – they sound like a sadder version of The Smiths. The problem with
them is that every song literally sounds the same but its good for nostalgia
purposes.
good work! Can't wait to catch Leikeli47 again!
ReplyDelete