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Woods – “To Clean”
(MTV.com says “tight and beautifully lighthearted ghostly folkish songs”)
Future of the Left – “Arming Eritrea”
(ex-Mclusky)
Ear Pwr – “Future Eyes”
(Blistering thumpers with infectious melodies, Disco chants with wild-eyed electro anthems)
Ganglians – “Lost Words”
(pure naive headphone acid pop to drive to)
Phenomenal Handclap Band – “15 to 20”
(Rolling Stone says “summer’s first party jam… wildly catchy”)
The Silent Years – “Madame Shocking”
(dreamy keys and strings beside soaring melodies)
These United States – “Honor Amongst Thieves”
(unbridled rock and roll exuberance: ringing guitars, thundering drums, desperate yearning bordering on hope)
Steinbeck – “Possessions (Not the One By Danzig)”
(from Atom and His Package tribute CD)
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound – “By the Rippling Green”
(a soundtrack for strange days and futures bright and bleak)
Japandroids – “Young Hearts Spark Fire”
(Pitchfork says, “distortion-cranked garage-rock anthems about fleeting youth”)
Discovery – “Orange Shirt”
(Vampire Weekend / Ra Ra Riot side project)

Though I’m just now starting to spend time with all 3, each will be considered for my “Favorites of 2009” list.

Scott H. Biram’s Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever is now available on Bloodshot Records.

Monahan’s Dim the Aurora is now available on Misra Records.

Warbringer’s Waking into Nightmares is now available on Century Media.

The new Heaven & Hell CD, The Devil You Know, comes out at the end of the month (April 28). This is the first full album worth of new Dio-led Sabbath material since ’92’s Dehumanizer and you can check out samples of each of the 10 songs here.

PICK OF THE WEEK
It Hugs Back – “Work Day”, “Now + Again”

OTHER FREE DOWNLOADS
Papercuts – “You Can Have What You Want”
Camera Obscura – “My Maudlin Career”
Spain Colored Orange – “Who Am I”
1090 Club – “Itson”
The Atomic Bitchwax – “Revival”
Lewis & Clarke – “Petrified Forest”
The Veils – “The Letter”, “Killed By the Boom”
Anni Rossi – “Ecology”

The last day of SXSW was spent catching bands I’d missed the previous few days and hanging with old “friends” that I’ve made over my years of writing.

Started out at the Creekside Lounge to see Duquette Johnston and the Rebel Kings at the Birmingham, Alabama showcase. I met Duquette when he was in Verbena many years ago (’96-ish) and we’ve traded a rare e-mail or two every couple of years up until the last two or so years where he’s shown up on MySpace. His live show was more rocking than his debut Etowah – kind of Neil Young / My Morning Jacket / Drive-By Truckers-ish. Good ol’ rock from the South. Been listening to his acoustic CD-R that he gave me a copy of that afternoon – hopefully you’ll have a chance to hear it soon.

(Duquette Johnston on the far right)

Continue reading “SXSW 2009: Saturday wrapup”