Music Blogs

The sound of chipmunks playing Carter Family songs shakes us out of our slumber. We pull ourselves off the floor and kick open the front door, shocked by the sudden appearance of a South-by event that has assembled on the front lawn. The chipmunks turn out to be twin girls (at right) well-trained in the art of bluegrass music, with matching outfits and ukeleles. The lingering feeling that there’s way too much music at SXSW is growing stronger. Every coffee shop, street corner--even the Thai restaurants are featuring a showcase. Bluegrass gives way to jazz-funk and we start the day running.

We’ve seen the image of Lightspeed Champion (at right) for months now but hadn’t gotten around to hearing it. So we're pleasantly surprised by this new group led by Devonte Hynes, formerly of the disturbingly named Test Icicles. Serenading a packed house at the French Legation Museum, Hynes sings lilting tunes with just the right balance between force and sentiment. He has a powerful British-inflected voice and the songwriting skills to cut through the dull multitudes of singer-songwriter types sprouting up everywhere, With a hint of the Smiths (we’re sensing a Lightspeed Champion-Jeremy Jay throwdown), even the 10-minute set-closer maintained its energy and interest. And you have to give him props for wearing a giant wool cap on the hottest day of the festival.

New York’s Social Registry label are hosting an impressive line-up at the East Side bar Ms. Bea’s. Heavily attended and sprawling from their back patio out through the neighborhood alleys, two stages keep the sonic buffet going from afternoon to past midnight. L.A.’s HEALTH (at right) begin their set in a group huddle, chanting to a tribal beat before exploding into their fierce noise collages of feedback, amplified vibration, and guitar wreckage. Drum/synth combo Wizardz–or is it Wizardss?–merge Silver Apples with Alice Coltrane, and play a rare SXSW encore at the crowd’s command. (below right)

Psychic Ills (at right) from New York slow heartrates after No Age’s set with their trancey tunnel dub that soothes our eardrums back into shape. White Rainbow (below right) wastes no time in keeping the drone going, building up a thick syrup of sound layer by layer until beer bottles begin to spontaneously combust.

London sextet The Sian Alice Group (at right) play an abbreviated set due to singer Sian Ahern’s diminishing vocal cords, not surprising given the number of bills this much-buzzed-about group has appeared on in the last four days. Without a full set, we’re a little hard-pressed to offer opinions but we’ll just say that the hordes of Spacemen 3 devotees may wish to give these guys and gals a spin.

A few blocks away at the Longbranch, Atlanta’s Carbonas (at right) bring it back to Earth with their blunt two-minute stompers. As we approach the swaying moshpit of exceedingly large men, someone is making a cautionary announcement having to do with broken glass. Without a stage, singer “Greg” merges in and out of the drunken horde as the rest of the band keeps it in the red with amused anticipation of what might happen next. For those of us who walk away without significant bodiy damage, it feels like a proper conclusion to the festival. This concludes tonight’s serving of our Lu Ann Platter of music journalism.

Molly Frances and Mark Frohman are the genius art directors of Arthur Magazine, as well as being major editorial contributors to the hippie rag. They are filing daily reports from SXSW.