song

Best of SXSW: AA Bondy

He's from upstate New York, but he fits right in here in Austin, Texas with his could-be-from-the-south songwriter style. This is a live shot of AA Bondy at the Creekside Lounge on Wednesday. There was a drunk heckler in the crowd who claimed he was "feelin' it" but his sincerity was questionable. Other fans (like myself) kept our comments to ourselves and quietly enjoyed his heartfelt performance, which was nice mellow break from all the chaos and "butt rock" blaring nearby on 6th street.

We've selected AA Bondy for our Best of SXSW feature, … Read more

Best of SXSW: Yeasayer

Here's a live shot of Yeasayer at Emo's IV in Austin, Texas late Thursday night (early Friday morning). This is just one of many showcases they're playing this week and despite having an on-the-fly "SWSW style sound check," they sounded amazing.

We've selected them for our Best of SXSW feature, which will feature all of the best (of the best) bands we see this week. For now enjoy our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of Yeasayer:

"In the pre-Vampire Weekend era (i.e., last month), indie … Read more

Best of SXSW: Cut Copy

Here's a live shot of Cut Copy at The Mohawk in Austin, Texas today for the Rhapsody day party. They get the dance party started early with their 2:30 P.M. set. They're a lot of buzz about them on the streets (literally) and their set was so good that we've selected them for our Best of SXSW feature, which will feature all of the great bands we see this week. For now check out our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of Cut Copy:

"Hipster bands have a … Read more

Best of SXSW: The Most Serene Republic

Here's a live shot of The Most Serene Republic at Emo's in Austin, Texas today (March 13th) for the Arts and Crafts Records day party. They rocked the early set at 12:30 P.M. and were so good that we've selected them for our Best of SXSW feature (coming soon), which will feature all of the great bands we see this week. For now check out our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of The Most Serene Republic:

"Even by Ontario standards, the latest from the Arts & Crafts … Read more

Best of SXSW: These New Puritans

Here's a live shot of These New Puritans at Emo's in Austin, Texas today (March 12th) for the Terrorbird day party. They were so good that we have selected them for our Best of SXSW feature (coming soon), which will feature all of the great bands we see this week. For now check out our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of These New Puritans:

"In '08, the Arctic Monkeys are practically pensioners. Time for a new round of smart-aleck young Brits! These New Puritans smartly fit the bill of Latest … Read more

SXSW begins!

Today is the first day of South by Southwest 2008! And while many people who aren't in Austin could care less, music lovers and industry folks consider this event the real "March madness." A projected 1,600 bands will be in and out of Austin over the next four days, which will create a seemingly endless wall of sound which begins around noon each day and ends after last call. Yeah, sure it's a lot of fun but if long lines and Mardi Gras-size crowds aren't your thing, you can experience the bands of SXSW … Read more

Free SXSW 2008 playlist

Whether you're going to Austin, Texas, next week or not, it's always good to update your music collection with bands appearing at the annual South by Southwest music conference and festival. There are a few big names like R.E.M., Paramore and Talib Kweli playing this year, but this isn't Lollapalooza (or Austin City Limits for that matter). SXSW is all about discovering new music, and with more than 1,600 bands booked this year, you may need a bigger iPod.

To see a list of bands that we're excited about this year, check out … Read more

Once Soundtrack wins an Oscar

The story of how Once went from a low budget indie film to an Oscar nomination (and win!) is arguably more compelling than the movie itself. But its simple storyline and amazing soundtrack is why it deserves such praise. Last night, Glen Hansard and girlfriend, Once co-star, and singing partner Marketa Irgl?va (a.k.a. Swell Season) took home the Oscar for Best Original Song. If you haven't heard "Falling Slowing" yet, it's only two clicks away. Here's our review:

"Ireland's Frames have built one of the more lovely and melancholy pop … Read more

Birdcall scanner is nothing to squawk about

We have a theory: At some point in the universe there's a convergence of birding and technology, along the lines of math and music. It's the only explanation we can come up with for so many avian gadgets that seem to come our way, which often indicate a particular demand for technologies that identify birdcalls.

Not all of them are the most practical, however, as underscored by the unwieldy size of such products as the "Sound Sleuth" weighing you down, fittingly, like an albatross around your neck. But the "iFlyer BirdSong Wand" seems like … Read more