SXSW 2016 Music Preview
Clockwise from upper left: Dirty Dishes, The Overcoats, Gallant, Billie Marten, KAO=S Courtesy of the artists hide caption
It's that time of year again! This week is March Madness for music lovers: South By Southwest. The annual music festival in Austin, Texas is a treasure trove of exciting new music to enjoy and brilliant artists to discover. For this week's All Songs Considered, our hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Saidah Blount to talk about which bands they are most excited to see for the very first time at SXSW this year.
They listened to around 1800 songs by bands performing in the multi-day music spree and whittled the list down to 17 for this week's show, including the annual "Secret SX Santa" round, where each host gets to take control of one other team member's schedule and assign a band they have to see while in Austin.
Head over to our SXSW page for NPR Music's full coverage of this year's festival. And stay tuned to our social media for updates, announcements and late-night dispatches from Bob, Robin and the All Songs team at SXSW.
SXSW 2016 Music Preview
The Regrettes, Hey! Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The Regrettes
- Song: A Living Human Girl
- from Hey!
Regrettes is a garage pop band from California made up of two teens, singer Lydia Night and drummer Marlhy Murphy, who were both seasoned musicians when they met at a School of Rock in 2002.
Exploded View
- Song: No More Parties In The Attic
- from No More Parties in the Attic
Exploded View's members are based in both Berlin and Mexico City. The group's lead singer, Anika, conjures the specter of Nico with her ethereal vocals.
Dodge & Fuski, Killer Bee Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Dodge & Fuski
- Song: Killer Bees
- from Killer Bees – Single
Dodge & Fuski is a dubstep production duo who mix samples from films and television into their beats, in the spirit of bands like Public Service Broadcasting and the Avalanches, except with exactly zero subtlety.
Kao=S
- Song: Chaos
- from Dawn Of The Planet Chaos
Japanese art rockers Kao=S are led by a performance artist known for dancing with swords in the middle of shows.
01Golden (Demo)
Mercury Girls
- Song: Golden (Demo)
- from Demos & Live Songs
Philadelphia-based Mercury Girls have a sound that is a little jangle-y, a little pop-y and guaranteed to make you bounce.
September Girls
- Song: Love No One
- from Age Of Indignation
The powerful rock of Dublin-based five piece September Girls is soaked in reverb.
The Quebe Sisters Band
- Song: It's a Sin To Tell a Lie
- from Every Which-a-Way
The Texas siblings in The Quebe Sisters Band play Western swing and fiddle music, complete with compact vocal harmonies.
Billie Marten
- Song: Bird
- from As Long As
Billie Marten is a 16-year-old from North Yorkshire, England with a beautiful voice who began posting videos to YouTube when she was just nine years old.
Wall
- Song: Cuban Cigars
- from Wall EP
New York post punk outfit Wall sounds a bit like Wire if the group was fronted by Kathleen Hanna.
Mal Blum Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Mal Blum
- Song: Better Go!
- from You Look A Lot Like Me
Robin can't imagine a person on the NPR Music staff, or who follows our programming, who would not love the throwback-'90s sound and deadpan humor of Mal Blum.
01LA Dream
Julia Jacklin
- Song: LA Dream
- from LA Dream – Single
Equal parts Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, Julia Jacklin hits Stephen right in his heart.
01The Corner Of My Mind (Bedroom Demo)
Holly Macve
- Song: The Corner Of My Mind (Bedroom Demo)
- from The Corner Of My Mind (Bedroom Demo) - Single
Bob Boilen's Secret SX Santa gift for Stephen Thompson is Holly Macve, and he's putting money down that her haunting voice will make Stephen weep in the streets of Austin.
toyGuitar
- Song: Is It True?
- from In This Mess
Stephen Thompson's Secret SX Santa gift for Saidah Blount is toyGuitar. The group's "Is It True?" is a summer-y pop punk song that would sound great blasting out of a car with the windows down.
Gallant
- Song: Skipping Stones feat. Jhené Aiko
- from Skipping Stones - Single
Saidah Blount's Secret SX Santa pick for Robin Hilton is the D.C.-born R&B singer Gallant. Now based in L.A., he makes music that goes all over the place, but retains a strong, soulful core.
Judah & the Lion
- Song: Kickin' Da Leaves
- from Kids These Days
Robin Hilton's Secret SX Santa for Bob Boilen is Nashville four-piece Judah & The Lion, whose live show is all about getting the audience involved, but whose earnestness comes across in their records.