Who lived up to SXSW hype? MGMT, Felice Bros, White Denim, Santogold, et al.
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SXSW has 1700+ bands this year. So this list doesn't include even 10 percent of what I liked and doesn't even begin to harp on the hand-full of bands that disappointed. Regardless, it's a good taco-sized summary of the cornucopia of music at SXSW this yr. BANDS WORTH THE HYPEMGMT. My new saints of sound. Little kids who cultivate a lot of sound. It kinda sucks that I know have to share my fondness of their music with the whole freaking nation. Regardless, I saw them at the C3/Playboy party on Thursday and their brand of rock psychedelia rocked the spirit back into my exhausted bones. I talked to others and they all agreed. These guys aren’t another over-hyped Vampire Weekend. If they can keep up this sort of run, we will be smiling fondly about their talent for years to come.
FELICE BROTHERS: These three brothers from the Catskills are re-birthing this American terra firma with the type of meat-and-potatoes comfort barn folk blues that sinks into your soul and makes you want to grab a pot and jam along too. They light up a stage- interact with the audience as though we are part of the family too- AND have great, catchy lyrically rich Americana songs.
WHAT LAURA SAYS THINKS FEELS True these cats need to change their names to something that we can easily remember. But their sound is pretty stellar- their electric guitar riffing monumental…and they manage to incorporate a tambourine so that it adds a rusty edge to rock blues beats- instead of something cheesy and overly saccharine.SANTOGOLD: She sold me for the first time at CMJ this past fall but now she’s got two sweet robotic background dancers. This past Saturday at the Fader Fort, she performed with Diplo DJing and special appearances by Spankrock and Amanda Black. It was riotous.
THE GRAND ARCHIVES. Refreshing soulful folk-rock. It’s Matt Brooke’s baby, after he’s been lying in the Band of Horses shadow. I’ve yet to check out their full CD but they put on a peaceful, relaxed show on Friday Night.
WHITE DENIM. The Austin trio knows how to rip it- especially in their hometown. They were the first gig I caught in Austin- and I’ve been digging their furious noise rock. I also respect any band that has the gall to put their drummer front center-stage. Why doesn’t that happen more? It makes the energy infectious. PLANTS & ANIMALS. Quirky as hell, these Montrealites pull of a South Tex-Mex feel- and yet sing of bizarre dream-like adages about various animals and characters. The lead singer especially is vibrant and audacious onstage- plus the lead guitarist has a wicked finger-plucking method. 
CUT COPY. Saw these sexy hipsters at the Texas Garage and the tracks they played from their new album sounded fiery- I agree with how Pitchfork described the track “Lights & Music” as synth-pop shimmer. Regardless, it gets the whole audience pumping consistently. Go Aussies ☺
The Cool Kids. Yes- The Cool Kids are that cool. The chicago rappers brought down the house at the Maxim/Blender Party (in fact it was by far the best aspect of the whole fete)- sharing their comedy (i.e. singing Fresh Prince of Bel Air rap to start) as well as slow-tempo-ed rap jams. 
(All photos copyrighted by Faith-Ann Young; www.faithannyoung.com)
FELICE BROTHERS: These three brothers from the Catskills are re-birthing this American terra firma with the type of meat-and-potatoes comfort barn folk blues that sinks into your soul and makes you want to grab a pot and jam along too. They light up a stage- interact with the audience as though we are part of the family too- AND have great, catchy lyrically rich Americana songs.WHAT LAURA SAYS THINKS FEELS True these cats need to change their names to something that we can easily remember. But their sound is pretty stellar- their electric guitar riffing monumental…and they manage to incorporate a tambourine so that it adds a rusty edge to rock blues beats- instead of something cheesy and overly saccharine.SANTOGOLD: She sold me for the first time at CMJ this past fall but now she’s got two sweet robotic background dancers. This past Saturday at the Fader Fort, she performed with Diplo DJing and special appearances by Spankrock and Amanda Black. It was riotous.THE GRAND ARCHIVES. Refreshing soulful folk-rock. It’s Matt Brooke’s baby, after he’s been lying in the Band of Horses shadow. I’ve yet to check out their full CD but they put on a peaceful, relaxed show on Friday Night.WHITE DENIM. The Austin trio knows how to rip it- especially in their hometown. They were the first gig I caught in Austin- and I’ve been digging their furious noise rock. I also respect any band that has the gall to put their drummer front center-stage. Why doesn’t that happen more? It makes the energy infectious. PLANTS & ANIMALS. Quirky as hell, these Montrealites pull of a South Tex-Mex feel- and yet sing of bizarre dream-like adages about various animals and characters. The lead singer especially is vibrant and audacious onstage- plus the lead guitarist has a wicked finger-plucking method. CUT COPY. Saw these sexy hipsters at the Texas Garage and the tracks they played from their new album sounded fiery- I agree with how Pitchfork described the track “Lights & Music” as synth-pop shimmer. Regardless, it gets the whole audience pumping consistently. Go Aussies ☺The Cool Kids. Yes- The Cool Kids are that cool. The chicago rappers brought down the house at the Maxim/Blender Party (in fact it was by far the best aspect of the whole fete)- sharing their comedy (i.e. singing Fresh Prince of Bel Air rap to start) as well as slow-tempo-ed rap jams. (All photos copyrighted by Faith-Ann Young; www.faithannyoung.com)
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