SXSW Music Festival SXSW: Where the Strange and Soothing Collide March 17, 2008 • Last week, 1,700 bands converged on Austin, Texas, for the annual South by Southwest music festival. From a Chinese woman who sings AC/DC covers to a singer whose songs are like foot rubs at the end of a long night out, the music brought out power and beauty in unexpected places. SXSW: Where the Strange and Soothing Collide Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88362941/88382438" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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All Songs Considered Hear What I Hear March 16, 2008 • My mischievous old laptop picked SXSW as the time to commence its long-anticipated death rattle. And, as if faced with the imminent passing of a wealthy relative, I'm both crestfallen over the looming loss and hoping against hope that it leaves me...
All Songs Considered Straining to be Heard March 16, 2008 • From now on, if I want to see a understated and under-promoted singer-songwriter perform at SXSW, I'm going to record that person playing in an alley and post it to the site. I just saw two of my favorite young singer-songwriters in separate conce...
All Songs Considered Scoop! March 14, 2008 • I ran into Carrie at the Spin party this afternoon — where lots of fans skipped the headliner, X, once
All Songs Considered Unleash the Blogging Beast! March 14, 2008 • I'm typing this from the party WXPN is hosting with Paste magazine, Stereogum, and the usual gaggle of energy drinks and technology concerns. I'm enjoying the music of
All Songs Considered Adventures in Public Speaking March 14, 2008 • In my years at NPR, I've been called on to read essays on Morning Edition, speak extemporaneously in
Review Song Of The Day Sera Cahoone Gives a Slow-Moving Pep Talk March 14, 2008 • Cahoone has been playing warm, easygoing, country-tinged roots music ever since shedding her role as Band of Horses' drummer a few years ago. In that time, she's come to suit a specific mood to perfection: Her songs are about comforting the weary — acknowledging exhaustion while offering reassurance. 'You're Not Broken' by Sera Cahoone Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88081581/88050696" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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All Songs Considered Of Shearwater and Stains March 13, 2008 • If I'm asked to name the best shows I saw at SXSW in 2008, I'll rattle off the URLs for NPR Music's streams, because those shows are great and I'm nothing if not a craven self
Review Song Of The Day Casey's 'Fear' as Universal as Fear Itself March 13, 2008 • Paddy Casey may lay out a grim recitation of society's ills in "Fear," but he wisely keeps hope at the forefront of the mix, rooting his fears in parental love and letting a whiz-bang arrangement bury the dark subject matter in bright strumming and zinging synths. 'Fear' by Paddy Casey Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88081105/88050697" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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All Songs Considered SXSW by Day March 12, 2008 • As the NPR Music brain trust prepares for the big R.E.M. showcase tonight, I actually got the opportunity to sneak off and take in some of SXSW's daytime shows. Beats working in the mines, I'll say that much. Here are a few highlights:
Review Song Of The Day Bondy Finds New Life in Death and the Devil March 12, 2008 • A.A. Bondy has a real talent for hard-bitten blues-folk music, as well as an impressive arsenal of sneakily grabby guitar lines. "How Will You Meet Your End" falls back on bluesy boilerplate at times, but he sells it, thanks in large part to guitars that shimmer, slither, slide, and sing. 'How Will You Meet Your End' by A.A. Bondy Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88080339/88050126" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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SXSW Music Festival SXSW 2008: Three Artists to Watch March 12, 2008 • This week, the South by Southwest music festival brings more than 1,700 bands to Austin, Texas, for a weekend that's all about volume in more ways than one. Narrowing down the seemingly limitless options isn't easy, but here are three acts likely to win some new fans in the coming days. SXSW 2008: Three Artists to Watch Listen Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88113130/88132800" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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All Songs Considered Cast Your Vote Now! March 12, 2008 • In the next few days, you can use this space to discover a diverse assortment of new bands — for starters, here are three of my recommendations — and read our sundry musing
Review Song Of The Day Band of Horses: Loveliness for Its Own Sake March 7, 2008 • For all its impeccably timed swoony grandeur, Band of Horses' Cease to Begin peaks during its subtlest moment: a sweetly lazy ballad with the inexplicable title "Detlef Schrempf." The song is a study in rich, friendly atmosphere. 'Detlef Schrempf' by Band of Horses Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/15648099/15645950" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Review Song Of The Day A Grimly Lilting Ode to Loneliness February 29, 2008 • A sense of bittersweet resignation envelops The Everybodyfields' "Lonely Anywhere" like a fog, but the song is no mere downer. The song builds at a pace that seems almost glacial, until it swells into an affecting rumination on the ways a bad relationship is worse than no relationship at all. 'Lonely Anywhere' by The Everybodyfields Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/87796328/87795870" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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