More, More, More: Every Band That’s Playing at SXSW, Pretty Much

                 

This playlist is a leviathan, it is a behemoth of music. I’d like to invite you to take a trip down the rabbit hole that is the massive sxsw comprehensive-ish playlist ‘13. It is 1,325 Tracks from the 1,325 artists that are going to be gracing the music festival with their presence.

It’s what you want right? You’re not afraid?

Yes it’ll be rigorous - just like the sxsw is rigorous. I have faith in you. You can listen to all of this music. You can go to all the shows. You can be a champion.

Good luck!

Mosh Pits: Where Semi-Able-Minded Humans Act Like Gas Particles

Important research: According to scientists, people act like randomized gas particles in a mosh pit. Whatever you do don’t miss the simulator.

I was a part of the hardcore crowd in the mid-aughts. I went to a Brand New show and my friend had half of his tooth punched out. I might have been the one to punch him in the face (I certainly don’t claim it but we have our suspicions - also I was his best man at his wedding). He was bleeding and my fist was swollen up. He had to go to the dentist and I had to get an x-ray. I had to get surgery on my hand to fix it and Rob now has a fake molar. We saw Thrice and mewithoutYou shortly after and I wrapped my cast styrofoam.

Does that sound like the kinda scene to act like random gas particles?

REM Gets Positive

Major Scaled #2 : REM - “Recovering My Religion” from major scaled on Vimeo.

I’m glad someone fixed this song - It was really just way too depressing before the scale was shifted.

Beck’s Next Album Will Only Be Sheet Music

“80% awesome and 20% ridiculous.” - Andrew Sherman

Stereogum is reporting the newest effort to push boundaries concerning the perceived limitations of listener experience in music. Beck’s idea is surprisingly endearing and feels more genuine than most attempts of pop music spectacle. Sure - it lends itself to terrible, terrible covers - but even if it has 10 success stories and 10,000 duds - it’ll still be a lot of fun to see listener engagement on this level.

Song Reader is due out in December!

Fortunately for you - you’re probs not going to hear any Beck Covers from me - all I got is two turntables and a microphone and the song above requires a ukulele.

Kishi Bashi’s Tiny Desk Concert

This is Kishi Bashi’s live performance ya’ll. It’s like you get whole different set material from what you hear on his album - which is out now by the way - and it’s just exactly what I want out of a live performance. I especially like the unexpected twists and turns he takes with Bright Whites. He breaks it down, then builds it up and we’re left with some kind remix of Bright Whites.

It might not come as a shock for you out there who read this - because we work with Kishi Bashi and obviously love his work! Then again I don’t feel like I see a lot of improvisation and straight up joy in live performances any more.

Perhaps I need a new place to look! Anybody out there got an artist that can lay it down like this?

Every band that is playing at sxsw - pretty much

Listening to this playlist is like drowning for your ears. Be careful when listening to this playlist. The worst part of me wants to start a tired argument to be had about gatekeepers and the vice and victory of the internets - but really this just a playlist with every band that is playing at sxsw - pretty much!

On the sxsw website there is a list of bands and artists that are going to be playing shows at the festival next week. That is a long list and it’s not even that comprehensive! So using the mighty powers of Spotify - I put all the performing bands going to sxsw into one gigantic 24 Hour playlist of music:

sxsw comprehensive-ish playlist

In a way this playlist is indicative of the sxsw experience. There are so many bands buzzing around that you’re pretty much inundated into a music coma. This playlist will be good exercise for your ear muscles - when you’re taking a white cab alongside the cab driver’s girlfriend and teenage daughter to a Diplo concert at 2a in the morning you’ll be happy that you did!

cmj week suggestions

This year is my first year attending CMJ. It seems totally nutzo. There are free shows at 10a in the morning with artists like Zola Jesus, as if I don’t have to work people! Teen Daze is playing about 500 shows between Tuesday and Saturday. Venues are stuffed with artists from dusk ‘til dawn. Good artists, too!

As always - Oh My Rockness is my go to concert guide. They have a little bit of a Pitchfork-esque leaning towards the hip acts, but they do have great taste. The site is really easy to scroll through and click to the concerts you want to go to. The only problem might be is their showlist might be TOO extensive.

You could narrow down your options and only go to the free concerts, but that’s no fun. You need someone like me to tell you what to see.

A good place to start is with some good listening: cmPlay

Butter Music Friends St. Lucia are going to be playing two shows this week. Wednesday night 9p at the Dominion and Friday night 8p at Santos Party House! They’re slick so you should see them before they blow up. Butter Composer Ryan Lott is going to be playing a short Son Lux set as a part of the Sonic Festival Friday at the Roulette 10p.

More after the jump!

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Butterlist 10.14.11

Butter Music + Sound loves Shara Worden. Not just me, but the collective identity of Butter Music + Sound loves Shara Worden and My Brightest Diamond. Her voice is singular, delicate, strong, fun and flirty. I could probably use every adjective to describe her voice. I once heard her wail rock vocals a la Karen O in a collab with Butter’s own Ryan Lott. She can do it all. She’s classically trained you know.

And then there are her collaborations with yMusic. She’s got composer chops! Speaking of collaborations, Here is Son Lux’s remix of Be Brave.

Her album, All Things Will Unwind, is up for streaming on NPR this week. You should give it all a listen, all of it!

And so the opening track on All Things Will Unwind, We Added It Up, is available in this weeks internet roundup playlist after the jump!

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yMusic: Beautiful Mechanical

yMusic’s Beautiful Mechanical is out today! yMusic has been on the scene collaborating with the likes of Bon Iver, Antony and the Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond and, my personal favorite, Son Lux.* It’s great that they’ve finally released an album by their ownsomes. They’ve got the knack for having classically trained virtuosity alongside the charisma and excitement of an indie rock band.

You can listen to Anne Clark’s (of St. Vincent) track at Pitchfork, now. Get the album at your nearest (ie the internets) music retailer!

*Of course Son Lux is my favorite, he is a composer here! Also! yMusic has been one of our favorite collection of people for a while. They hang out with us at the studio sometimes.