I began writing this report from the lobby of Austin’s downtown Hilton Hotel where gangs of lanky, skinny jean wearing music aficionados prepared to storm the well-worn streets of Austin for day one of SXSW 2010. As I sat there among all of the bloggers uploading like crazy, I couldn’t help but think about how much things have changed for me since my first go-around. If you happen to remember my SXSW diary from last year, I took to the festival like a true punk, i.e.: without any credentials, aimlessly wielding a flimsy point and shoot, and alternating crash pads between an air mattress and a dog hair-infested couch. Despite the less than official digs, I still managed to charm my way into enough private showcases and late night parties to make the trip a win. This time around, I hoped to have the same sort of magic, but with a lot more game. With some official credentials, a penthouse crash pad that I got to share with a few of my favorite people, and at long last, a legit camera set-up, Southby this time around was nothing short of mind-blowing.
Scrolling through the hundreds of shows I had scheduled on my fancy SXSW iphone app (note: last year I still rocked a flip phone) I tried to narrow down my picks by making a little pact with myself: try to see bands that I don’t get to see all the time. She and Him and Broken Bells will hit New York soon enough. It’s the smaller, fledgling unknowns who tour tirelessly, backpack and conversion van style for months on end that should be my focus, right? SXSW is about discovering new music and from what I learned last year, to find those gems, you have to drop the schedule once in awhile and be spontaneous. So, on that note, I christened my second Southby by checking out Cocoon, an adorable French folk duo, Mark and Morgane, from Paris, who create a warm hybrid of sweet, airy folk-pop. With aspirations to be folk music’s answer to Jack and Meg White, Cocoon signed to French indie label Sober & Gentle in 2006. If you’re interested in a comparison, the band claim artists like Devendra Banhart and CocoRosie as American peers. Cocoon nestle nicely into the new canon of folk, one that honors it’s earthy past while incorporating contemporary sound and sentiment.
While contemplating the endless lines snaking Austin’s famous 6th street, it didn’t take long to break my new festival rule and I soon ended up at the closest Tigercity show that I could find. Remembering what I learned last year about good times bringing good music, I felt a Tigercity drive-by was in order. My New York City go-to band for funky, electro-pop doesn’t get the attention they deserve. There’s something to be said for having the ability to inspire the kind of intergalactic dance party that TC is known for. I quickly dropped my rigid schedule and let Bill Gillim’s shaman spirit show me the way.
I ended my first night in Austin with a huge score by catching the super crowded, highly anticipated Miike Snow set from the photo pit at The Galaxy Room Backyard, home to some of the best line-ups that the festival offered this year. I was curious to see how the elusive Grammy-toting Stockholm quintet, best known for producing pop hits for artists like Britney and Madonna, would translate their masterfully produced synth-pop to the stage. No worries, folks. I can, without a doubt, say that Miike Snow absolutely destroyed my expectations in the best way possible. Putting on one of the heaviest sets I’ve ever heard, the boys, clad in matching black silk bomber jackets and rocking Cheshire cat-sized grins as they beasted over their keyboards and mixers, took electronic music to a new and avant level; one that’s faster, more intense, and sonically expansive. Citing Aphex Twin, Peter Gabriel, and Kate Bush as influences makes perfect sense. The combination of American lead singer, Andrew Wyatt’s infectious falsetto and Swedish producing duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, a.k.a. Avant and Bloodshy, is actually less hipster and more art than you might think. At it’s core, Miike Snow makes dance music for metal heads, which should really come as no surprise considering that some of the best metal I’ve ever heard (what’s up Katatonia?) comes from Scandinavia. If their keyboards could scream, they’d look like Lemmy. That’s all I’m saying. Despite their commercial success, this wasn’t “ipod music” by any stretch. They were far better. In fact, Miike Snow put on a set that left my skin buzzing for hours.
Stay tuned for more from Reni’s SXSW Diary…
