This is fine.
Yet another SXSW Festival is behind us and the ATH team covered a whole lot of ground during our week of music and fun. You may have seen some of our collected thoughts via daily recaps or maybe you even read some of our interviews leading up to the festival. Either way, we’ve gathered everything we have and dropped it all into one huge post for you to peruse at your convenience. Top bands, tons of interviews, daily recaps, photos; you’ll find it all after the jump.
I find it strange that there’s so much complaining in the “industry” about SXSW. Sure, the payment issue is a real thing, and I stand with the artists on that issue, but that LARGE fact aside, it’s a pretty unique experience. Almost every performance feels more intimate than your average festival, and you get a chance to run into friends from all over the world who you might never otherwise see. Oh, and you never know when you’ll stumble into your new favorite band, so I call that a win! Anyways…here’s some photos and stuff after the jump!
We covered a whole lot of ground last week, as there’s always tons of music spilling out into the world. I was really high upon the new track from Daisies, which is why its leading our playlist. There were also tons of ATH regulars like the Reds Pinks and Purples, Lachlan Denton, Jana Horn, Dippers and the High Water Marks. Plus, with SXSW on the horizon, we did tons of little meet and greet posts with the bands: Blondeshell, Meernaa, Foamboy and more. So find a song you love, and go check out what we hit up last week!
Joel Johnston is on his way to SXSW with his project, Far Caspian, and if we’re judging by the response to his latest single, then there’s certainly going to be a lot of buzz swirling about here. This new single hits somewhere in the vein of modern acts like Dummy and Peel Dream Magazine, building in these synthetic layers that mingle with driving guitar notes, all of wrapped tightly around this delicate melody at the core of the track. Me personally, I love the brevity of it; it’s like a quick little taste of what Joel has in store when a full-length is finally in the works.
I’m a sucker for little guitar notes that add some pep to my step…and the lads in Far Caspian are doing just that. They offer a brand of guitar pop, bordering on moving into the dream pop region with the effects that shine in the mix. But, it’s not all about the beat here, as the group have a really strong vocal presence. It’s gentle, and emphatic where needed, but never really reaching for the top…I like a voice that knows when you can just sit down and chill in the middle of the goings-on. Go ahead, enjoy yourself.
