SXSW 2008 Day 4/Wrap-Up

Ok, I promise this is our last SXSW post. Most Likely. Anyways, the last day of the fest started with us sleeping in a bit later than normal, but we made it in time to catch Plants And Animals at an Urban Outfitters next to UT campus. They rocked it out:





After a long hike back to the main strip, Biggie C and I split up. He went to catch Dead Confederate, who ended up using almost all of their set doing cover of Sonic Youth's "Diamond Sea". I went and caught Sea Wolf:











After that we met back up and went down to Waterloo Park where they had a free concert with three stages packed full of the big names at SXSW. It was like a mini festival in itself. We caught a bit of Yeasayer's set:



After that we sort of chilled out on 6th Street and did some resting and people watching. Fatigue finally caught up to me on my last day of the fest, so we balled out on a nice steak to get my mojo back and then went to one of the Emo's joints and caught Maps And Atlases. They brought a full finger tapping assault:





By the end of that set, everything on the main strip was packed out like crazy, and we weren't really feeling the vibe, so we headed down the street to catch the last Todd P event of the weekend. Todd P is a party thrower from Brooklyn, New York that is a champion of DIY shows and had put togther the acoustic show on campus we caught the first night, so we figured it would be cool. Here' a little vid about him:



The party was at a tiny dive bar called Ms. Bea's. Behind the building, a huge crowd of folks were chatting about, drinking, and catching good music on some make-shift stages. A band I discovered at the show who put on a really cool set was Sian Alice Group. At the end of the night we were waiting at the merch table for someone to sell us a CD, and we totally busted some dude trying to steal the bands' merch. It was a funny and surreal occurence, but we ended up meeting the Social Registry folks because of it, and they were really nice.

The last act we caught of SXSW was Atlanta's Atlas Sound. I tried not to see too many local acts I could catch here while in Austin, but as we are Bradford Cox super-fans around here, we couldn't resist. I thought he was at his best for the perfect way to end a great week:







All in all, SXSW was one of the most enjoyable fests I have ever been to in my life, and if you have been seeing all the ludicrous amount of coverage over the Internet for the last month and feeling jealous, just remember that when tickets go on sale next year and know that the huge price tag is well worth it in my opinion. Especially considering the big time fests like Bonnaroo and Coachella have upped their prices significantly now. Taking into account the enormous amount of free and unofficial events going on all weekend, you could have a stellar time without dropping a cent for tickets.

Also, The weekend in Austin was the greatest physical incarnation of the music revolution going on that I have ever seen. There were enormous choices. There were super exclusive industry parties and the best DIY shows in the US all within walking distance of one another. If there was one theme I took from the weekend, it is that art is alive and well in our culture and becoming more prevalent every day. It is rare a festival really inspires me, but SXSW turned to be a rather transcendental experience for myself. I'll have some long-winded discourses about various items the fest made me ponder about soon, but here's a final best-of-guide to SXSW 2008:

Ohmpark at SXSW:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Biggie C's photos:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Largehearted Boy is keeping an archive of all downloadable or streaming performances from SXSW 2008 here.

Most over-hyped band of the fest: Vampire Weekend

Best blog showcase concerts: Brooklyn Vegan

Best blogging of SXSW: Passion Of The Weiss (READ THESE:)

"SXSW Day 4-Pitchfork Party Gets a 6.4, Due to Highly Derivative Partying"
"SXSW Day 5-The Triumph of the Blogosphere…High Times at High Times…Why in God’s Name Am I At The Perez Hilton Party?"

Brooklyn Vegan got some great photos of Todd P's unamplified campus show we caught the first night here.

Photos: SXSW Day 4 - 3-15-08 in Austin, TX

Plants & Animals












Dead Confederate

What The Hell Am I Listening to?!?

SXSW Bands are invading my Ipod and CD players now that I am back. There are so many to look into, but a few albums from the bands I managed to catch have stood out as some of the best of 2008 so far:

Kaki King



Originally from Atlanta, Kaki King is singer/songwriter/guitar player Katherine Elizabeth King. Her guitar work is an interesting style that is very percussive using slaps and taps. Her newest album, Dreaming Of Revenge, has been in my heaviest of rotations since catching her in Austin. It is about half instrumental ethereal post-rocky stuff, half fascinating and alluring pop songs. This release seems to be a little under the radar right now in hype-land, but it is too good to stay that way for long:

Life Being What It Is


So Much For So Little


Buy Dreaming Of Revenge here

Kaki King Myspace


Plants And Animals


photo by: Caroline Desilets

While doing my 2007 year end research and digging, Plants And Animal's With/Avec EP was one of the best discoveries I came across. One of the things I love about this band is they attempt to make each and every song a monumental event. Their debut LP, Parc Avenue, takes everything great about their short release and expands it on this tremendous album.

Mercy


Good Friend


Buy Parc Avenue Here

Plants And Animals Myspace


Bon Iver



Since everyone on the Internet has rightfully fallen for this album and sung its praises for ages now, I won't go on a tirade about, but just make sure to check it out if you haven't because it lives up to the hype:

Flume


Lump Sum


Buy For Emma, Forever Ago here

Bon Iver Myspace

Ohmpark's Top 10 Best EPs Of 2007

An EP, or Extended Play, is the sweet spot between a full album and a single. Typically between 10 and 25 minutes, although what has come to define the difference between EPs and LPs can sometimes be blurred. Usually EPs get a bad rap, as it carries with it connotations of being "less-than" and not good enough to be a proper album, but I like seeing variations in the art medium. There are EPs like Alice In Chains' Jar Of Flies and Radiohead's Airbag/How Am I Driving? that beat most full lengths. Also, EPs afford an artist the chance to showcase things that don't fit in the context of a larger piece of work, or explore a different sound without moving fully in that direction. Anyways, I'd take an EP of nothing but the goodness over a full-length comprised mostly of filler surrounding a few good songs any day.

In 2007 I actually heard many great EPs. A few of which I'll give honorable mentions that just missed this list that are worth-while include Joanna Newsom And The Ys Street Band, Vampire Weekend, and Black Kids' Wizard Of Ahhhs, of which I've come around a little bit on now that I've listened to it more. Here are the 10 most essential short-length albums of 2007:


10. Animal Collective : People



This EP feels more like a single, but the title song is so good that it makes this short release something special. The two songs that lie between the studio and live versions of "People" are both really cool too. People was the prologue to a banner year for the Collective.


9. Illinois : What The Hell Do I Know?



A collection of simple songs that touch on everyone from The Flaming Lips, to Beck, to Wilco in sound. There is nothing groundbreaking on this seven track collection, but Illinois do what they do well, and that's write some really sweet jams. I'm excited to see what this Pennsylvania band will do next.


8. Elevado : This World Is On Fire



On the bigger and longer side of the EP spectrum, Atlanta's own Elevado put forth one of the better local releases of the year. This self-produced effort bounces around stylistically while retaining a very connected whole piece of work. Standout songs like"Postcard From Four Walls Down", "Song of A Purple Man", and my favourite, the early-Floydy "Hypnopaedic Sunshine", kick ass and anchor this sonic journey.


7. Parade : Answer Me



I've found over the course of the year that every time I revisit Answer Me I fall in love with a different song. It seems no matter what mood or state of mind in, something on this 5 track release speaks to me. Parade are one my favourite bands in Atlanta and if you read this blog, they are mandatory listening.


6. Deerhunter : Fluorescent Grey



The local hype-monsters followed up the epic Cryptograms with this four song EP, of which the two pieces are inextricably linked and many are treating the two as one whole. I tend to treat Fluorescent Grey as Deerhunter in its most accessible and "poppy", which they also do really, really well, and more a short sequel. Either way, it's over 16 minutes of pure gold.


5. Plants And Animals : With/Avec



I've just recently gotten hip to this Montreal group and have fallen in love with this EP. At 4 songs and 25 minutes, this band can jam with the best of them while never ambling to something that doesn't feel deliberate. They do rootsy yet epic folk soundscapes that remind me of Jim O'Rourke, Sufjan Stevens, The Grateful Dead and Jeff Buckley at times, and make this release feel bigger than a full-length as you immerse yourself in it.


4. Porcupine Tree : Nil Recurring



This 28 minutes-plus spanning prog-jam fest is a collection of 4 songs from the Fear Of A Blank Planet recording session. I tend to treat it as an epilogue to FOABP, mostly because i like the ending to Nil Recurring better. It has guest stars like King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp and FOABP songs completely redone into new songs. If you have yet to look into this band, now is the time.


3. Portugal. The Man : It's Complicated Being A Wizard



Before going in a blues-rock direction with Church Mouth, Portugal. The Man released this electronically driven piece of work, comprised of a first 23-minute song and then followed by the same song broken up into a track for each movement, creating an endless loop of music. In addition to the gimmick of the EP's structure is some of the best tunes this young and talented Alaskan outfit have done. Don't overlook this album.


2. Grizzly Bear : Friend



Grizzly Bear's follow-up to last year's mind-blowing Yellow House is longer than many full albums and packed full of redone songs, unreleased gems, and guest appearances from all sorts of indie superstars, most notably to us ATLiens is Deerhunter's Bradford Cox (Atlas Sound). Despite the jumbled mess of sources, the album itself is a fairly cohesive listen and musically it is top-notch. With this latest installment, this band is fast becoming one of my favourite of the decade.


EP Of The Year:

Moorish Idols : Moorish Idols



At less than 17 minutes, Moorish Idols make the most of it in their debut release, just pure sonic euphoria from start to finish. Lyrically the stories and characters pull you into a beautiful piece of work that is an aesthetically pleasing experience on every level. While the sound is fairly conservative relative to most of what I love, they do what they do perfectly, and it's hard for me to think of a four song succession from this year that I enjoy more. I'm looking forward to seeing what these guys do with the vast amount of potential they possess.

Friday Night Free-Style

So the big local fiasco that happened last week that we hadn't talked bout yet was the MF Doom show. Apparently MF Doom came out way late in the morning, lip-synced to 20 minutes of a CD, and a bunch of people don't even think it was really him (he always wears a mask). From the MJQ promoter via myspace:

Many apologies go to all of you who came out to the MF DOOM show last night at MJQ and paid $30 of your hard earned money only to watch him lip sinc for 20 minutes at 1:30 in the morning. This was by far one of the single worst experiences I’ve had as a club promoter and I sincerely apologize if you walked away feeling cheated. To make matters even worse MF DOOMS appointed doorman took off with all the money from the door after the show! As soon as we realized the money was stolen we decided to help ourselves to all of MF DOOMS merchandise which included a bunch of T shirts and posters. So, in an effort to make it up to everyone who walked away feeling cheated, we’re giving away all the merchandise for free so come and get it while supplies last!! And if that’s not enough, feel free to let MF DOOM aka Daniel Dumile know how you really feel by calling him at his home in Kennesaw Georgia.

DANIEL T DUMILE
4038 MAXANNE DR NW
KENNESAW GA 30144-2147
(678) 445-0992

All the best,

Randy Castello / Tight Bros Network

Damn.

Ruby Isle have decided to start covering whatever song is #1 on the blog mp3 aggregator Elbows each week and releasing it for free. This is such a cool idea. Here's their cover of Beach House's "Gila" (you can listen to the original here):

Ruby Isle : Gila (Beach House cover)


So, Xiu Xiu and Fucked Up have filed a lawsuit against RJ Reynolds Tobacco for using their names, plus tons of other indie groups, in a Camel cigarettes add in Rolling Stone magazine without their permission. Add this douchiness to running Bob Dylan cover stories every three months and having no clue what the best music of 2007 was, and Rolling Stone may be more out of touch than MTV.

Lou Reed will be the keynote speaker at SXSW.

Beck's Odelay is getting the "Deluxe Treatment" and will be available with lots of extra goodies at the end of next month.

David Byrne interviews Thom Yorke on In Rainbows.

The Long Blondes have a new album out in April.

The Smashing Pumpkins are digitally releasing an acoustic EP called American Gothic on January 2nd.

Snowden is so hott the television show CSI Miami has used their cover of "Time Of the Season":



If for some reason you read this in time to check it out, Snowden are DJing tonight at DSC.

A cool show I recommend checking out tomorrow night:



I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time listening to albums from this year i hadn't got a chance to listen to until now to make sure I leave no rock unturned for my Top 50 albums list. I'll try to update my "heavy rotation list" sometime over the next few days, but until then, listen to these tracks of the stuff I've like best and then go get the album:

Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew : Spirit If... : Gang Bang Suicide


Plants And Animals : With/Avec : Lola Who?


Yeasayer : All Hour Cymbals : Sunrise


Jesu : Conqueror : Conqueror


Cloud Cult : The Meaning Of 8 : Chemicals Collide


Illinois : What The Hell Do I Know? : What Can I Do For You


I 'm chilling at Octane coffee shop right now because Comcast is horrible and my internet service through them basically doesn't work, so between that and me chillaxing for the holidays, posts will be sparse. My year end lists are taking a little longer than expected because i take them very seriously and i don't want to miss anything. I would anticipate my best EP list up around Christmas and my best LP list up right before New Years. Happy Holidays and Thanks for reading Ohmpark!