Derek Moore
This one’s a doozie, LI$TNRS. Since I was in the process of moving to a new house during the vicious onslaught the Polar Vortex brought down upon us last week, I was unable to submit my weekly piece. This week, I’m in Austin playing some shows with my band DEERPEOPLE for this tiny, hardly established, semi-cool festival called South by Southwest.
Now that you’ve read my excuses and feel sympathetic toward my desire to hustle through the writing of this LI$T, I’ve got a surprise for you. This week, you’re receiving TWO, count ‘em TWO playlists (that’s 18 whole tracks), and I’m not even hardly going to rant about the groups. This is all for your benefit, LI$TNRS. Everything I do is for you. Kind of. Here are my highlights:
- St. Vincent’s new self-titled album is great, as expected. I give it five $’s. (Yes this number of dollar signs rating thing is something I just made up. We’ll see if it sticks.)
- Accordion, screaming slide guitar, Balkan-influenced drums, and a heavy dose of rock. Welcome to the weird world of KONGOS.
- Tacocat, along with a hilarious name, has some hilarious lyrics. If this track doesn’t do it for you, check out “Crimson Wave.â€
- Beck’s new album is pretty good. I got bored at times. Feel free to yell at me for my lack of depth in the comments.
- Mimicking Birds is a group out of Portland that will be gracing the historic stage of Oklahoma City’s Blue Note along with some other talented out-of-state acts for a post-SXSW celebration this Sunday, March 16th. To see who else is playing and why you should go, check here.
And now for the highlights from the next LI$T:
- The opening track from The Family Crest’s latest album sounds like some crazy hybrid of Lost in the Trees, Muse and Villagers. It’s epic. Beneath the Brine showcases some serious musical chops.
- Inner Fire, The Souljazz Orchestra’s latest record, is SO SO SO GOOD. Guaranteed to make you groove, bump, dance, boogie, etc., I give it five $’s as well.
- Ava Luna is one of my favorite underrated bands. They’re energetic, funky, soulful, unique and most of all, an experience. Recently released Electric Balloon (as well as 2012’s Ice Level) is a must-listen for avid music seekers.
- If you like electronica, you HAVE to listen to Moodyman’s recently released self-titled album. End of story. If you don’t typically like electronica, I’d still recommend that you listen to this album. That’s it from my end. If you’re not in Austin for SXSW too, then enjoy your mega-extra-extended dose of music via these LI$TS. If you are in Austin, then enjoy your mega-extra-extended dose of music via basically anywhere that you can stand.