So I first discovered The Drums last summer and they made quite the impression on me. Well now… I must say, I’m digging the new tracks too! They just have a way of capturing the summer spirit in their music. Their full-length album The Drums just dropped today and it’s already a contender for my album of the year accolade.
I’m also digging their latest music video and its quirky, nostalgic fun. If anyone knows who produced/directed this please send me a shout.
So here’s my annual retrospective of sorts… Coupled with the live postings, this should be sufficient. Be sure to check out all of my previous retrospectives too… 2007, 2008, 2009 .
It seems that SXSW was shorter this time around and I feel like I missed so much… arriving on Thursday rather than on Wednesday is likely the reason. I’m hoarding as many vacation days as possible and since last year felt exhaustively long at times… shortening the trip by a day seemed like the right move at the time. I guess I was wrong.
Also, compared to last year, the parties seemed much tamer as it seems like there were fewer good DJs in town, and the few decent ones were playing out door venues. (Not ideal for ragers in my opinion).
Now with all of that said… lets jump right into it!
WINNERS:
The Drums - Wins the best band award for 1) an awesome performance and 2) for their strangely erotic stage presence.
Bad Rabbits - Cramped, sweaty, and out of control never felt so good!
The Chrystal Method - Surprise Surprise… I didn’t even know they were on the bill!
Delta Fiasco - A 3piece from the UK that makes catchy dance tunes while looking as fuck!
Les savy fav - The dude is insane! nothing else really to say… if Vice takes credit for saving Texas… then Les Savy gets a metal for Saving Vice!
Fader Fort: consistently delivers! internet + power outlets, great atmosphere, good bands, free booze!
Chain Drive: Crappy punk music in a gay bear bar needs no explanation.
The Music Gym - This year’s official… when all else fails, after hours spot. Free booze and good under the radar bands.
Hypem Out of Control 2 - barely made the list because of its absurd drink prices… but i never had to wait on a line and the bands were pretty decent too!
LOSERS:
Weather - Highs in the lower 40s… In Austin? WTF!!!
Emo’s - I hate to add them to my losers list because i love em to death… BUT the lines were just ridiculous… how about a 21+ admission policy to shorten the lines?
Oh, this year’s most elusive prize goes to Frightened Rabbit… I guess I’ll have to catch them next time. And with that I’ll say “See you in 2011 SXSW”.
SXSW did not disappoint this year. It seems each year I go it takes on a entirely different feel, or at least I tend to find myself in new territory, which fortunately keeps it fresh. This year was no exception. It was definitely my shortest and tamest sxsw… (am i getting old?) I still a great time! Below you’ll see the live blogging feed pulled for twitter, scribblelive, and foursquare. I cleaned up the original post for formating and to eliminate redundancies, but forgive me for the gaps and non sequiturs… live blogging in sxsw conditions of (spotty network coverage, limited power access, free booze, audible and visual distraction) is pretty tough. If you prefer… wait a day or so for my SXSW wrap/summary. Also… Check out last year’s coverage.
So if you’re into good music, which you are if you’re reading this, then you’re going to enjoy The Drums. This brooklyn band is poised to make a name for themselves this year and I believe they’ll do just that. They’ve been able to successfully meld genre influences from several decades together to create wonderfully fresh pop music.
The Drum’s EP drops next month on August 4th (Sept. 15) on Twenty Seven Records. I’m already predicting they’ll be on many a Best of 2009 list come the end of the year. Their track ‘Down By The Water’ is available at their Myspace Page. (Sorry, I looked high and low for an mp3 but couldn’t find one). I’ve posted another terrific track here instead.
