Best Of SXSW A-Z: "D"

TheDeathSet don't believe in songs longer than 2 minutes, which means that each track they make packs a whole lotta punch. Originally from Australia, but now based in Baltimore, and signed to the hip sister-label of Ninja Tune, Counter (also home to Pop Levi and The Heavy), this track is a great example of the Death Set sound.

MP3: TheDeathSet - Negative Thinking

The Dodos are an early call for my top track at SXSW this year - It's certainly the one that I've listened to the most, and anyone I've played it to I've caught humming the verse days after. The constant shuffle of the drums gives the track a great sense of momentum, and the short stabs of electric guitar are effective by not being there for the whole track.

MP3: The Dodos - Fools

Dr. Dog played last year's Meredith Music Festival, when I had no idea who they were, and didn't really care. Having now listened to them, I'm kicking myself for not heading down to seem them live. A psych-rock outfit from Philadelphia, they've been compared to both The Band and The Beach Boys, and while you can see elements of those bands in there, the sound of Dr. Dog is something else.

MP3: Dr. Dog - The Girl

New CSS: "Rat Is Dead (Rage)", Tracklisting

It's the month of free single downloads! This time, CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy to their friends) are offering up the first single from their upcoming album, 'Donkey'. It's only available for the next month, so make sure you relatively attempt to hurry to download soon!

MP3: CSS - "Rat Is Dead (Rage)"

'Donkey' Tracklisting:
Jager Yoga
Rat is Dead (Rage)
Reggae All Night
Give Up
Left Behind
Beautiful Song
How I Became Paranoid
Move
I Fly
Believe Achieve
Air Painter

'Donkey' will be out through Stomp / Sub Pop this July

Nintendo Vs. Sega: Winner = RAC

The fine folks over at the remix artist collective, who've previously given artists such as Bloc Party and Justice stellar dancefloor-ready remix treatments, have turned their analog synthesizers on to remixing classic video game themes. You can get a hold of the results online now; prepare to be swept up in a wave of nostalgia.

MP3: RAC - Nintendo VS Sega EP

The fine cover art of this EP was designed by French Akutou - check him out here.

Coldplay Single - Very New! Very Free!

Coldplay have announced via their sparkling new website that the first taste of their new album, Viva La Vida (or Death And All His Friends), will be available free for a whole week starting tomorrow (April 29th).

In a move that smacks more than a little of Radiohead, the new single Violet Hill will be available download for an entire week before it's paying version comes along.

Not only that, but the website details a free 7'' vinyl single that will be made exclusive to the weekly music rag, NME. The single will contain Violet Hill on the A side, and the B side will be A Spell A Rebel Yell

The single: Violet Hill
& more details here: www.coldplay.com

Benicàssim 2008

You can keep your Glastonbury, your Carling, your O2 festival - I still maintain that Benicàssim is the best festival in Europe, and the lineup just gets better and better every year.

New Santogold - "Say Aha"

With her self-titled debut out very soon, Santogold (aka Santi White) is set to become the female Gnarls Barkley. Mixing a hundred different genres, Santogold sometimes channels Karen O, and at other times, M.I.A. - sure those references give you indie cred, but when you give the album some great pop production, then you're talking a huge crossover hit. And to get you hyped up, we've got the track "Say Aha" for you to download.

MP3: Santogold - Say Aha

M83 vs. Midnight Juggernauts

Yes, this is a visual pun. Enjoy!

I wouldn't normally endorse a track before even hearing it, but given the bands involved here, and the fact that my Mac hates Windows streaming audio, I think I can make an exception. M83 and Midnight Juggernauts, two of my favourite bands from France and Australia respectively, recently toured around Australia. I caught them at the Forum in Melbourne, and both acts delivered a stellar show - my only qualm was that M83's support slot wasn't long enough. As Midnight Juggernauts continue their quest to be friends with the entire French music industry, M83 has become their latest remixer. This time, the hit single "Shadows" receives the Francophone treatment, and since I haven't heard it, I'll make an educated guess that the remix is both swirling and epic, which, while diluting the original's dancefloor aesthetic, imbues it with something more beautiful.

Stream: Midnight Juggernauts - "Shadows" (M83 Remix)

Best of SXSW A-Z: "C"

Hailing from the Utrecht in the Netherlands, C-Mon & Kypski were originally a hip-hop turntablist duo, but have now expanded into a four piece with live instruments. Hailing from the Netherlands, they've described their sound as a mix of 'DJ Shadow, Beck, Gogol Bordello, Fela Kuti, Super Furry Animals and Justice'. To be honest, listening to their single 'Bumpy Road', I can't spot any of those bands, which makes these guys more original than they give themselves credit for. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have an insanely catchy hook, either.

MP3: C-Mon & Kypski - Bumpy Road

Bill Halliday and Gareth Jones, otherwise known as The Cansecos, remind me of two bands who were around briefly in the late 90s - Chakradiva and Arkarna. While that probably isn't the most helpful comparison, if you've heard of either of those groups, you'll know the sort of thing to expect - synth bass, beats and vocals, arranged in such a way that doesn't sound as sparse as you would expect. Smooth stuff.

MP3: The Cansecos - Raised By Wolves

Colour Revolt were one of my favourites from SXSW last year, so I'm glad they're back. This year, they've got their debut album entitled "Plunder, Beg, and Curse". I can't decide if I like their music more than the fact that they've spelt 'colour' correctly, even though they're from Mississippi, or vice-versa. In any case, they're music's fantastic - think of a slightly less bombastic ...Trail of Dead.

MP3: Colour Revolt - Naked And Red

Honourable Mentions:

Clare & The Reasons - Pluto - the harmonies and instrumentation make these guys from Brooklyn sound stereotypically New York-art. Lovely!

Collections Of Colonies Of Bees - Flocks III - possibly the longest track at SXSW, at 11 minutes.

New Video: Björk - "Wanderlust"

No doubt you've already seen this clip on Youtube, but that grainy picture quality simply doesn't do it justice. If you want to truly see what a great job Encyclopedia Pictura did with this clip, download the hi-res Quicktime right now. Keep your red & green glasses at the ready for the 3D version of the clip soon.

Björk - Wanderlust

And while you wait for the 145MB download, here's a little making-of doco:

New Video: Sebastien Tellier - "Divine"

As if the album art for Sebastien Tellier's new release wasn't odd enough, the bearded, sunglass-clad man turns the weirdness up a notch on his latest clip for "Divine".

MP3: Sebastien Tellier - Divine