SXSW Recap Part II

The point of SXSW is to hear the bands you’re not all that familiar with. This is what I keep explaining to the people inquiring about the acts I saw this past weekend. Sure, R.E.M. was there and so was My Morning Jacket. Yo La Tengo even showed up for a couple of performances, but what’s the point? (Although I do understand the curiousity that would drive someone to attend the 2 Live Crew reunion.) Time was better spent stepping out of my listening comfort zone to experiment with metal, noise rock, ambient pop and a wild young man named Jay Reatard. Below you’ll find the second part of my weekend, solely devoted to unfamilair discoveries.

She & Him – As mentioned yesterday, there were 2,000+ bands in Austin but only one has Zooey Deschanel. The impossibly cute actress has collaborated with folk singer M. Ward as the group She & Him and produced a truly disarming debut titled Volume One. The duo commendably trades in their notable brand names for the understated pronouns which should tell you right from the start that this act has unpretentiousness intentions. On Saturday night, Zooey and M. took the stage escorted by a large hulking bodyguard (perhaps hipster boys are more threatening that I thought), and despite my initial skepticism (another goddamn actor with a guitar?) Zooey is a consumate frontwoman, albeit a reserved one. The sound is twangy retro-folk not unlike her peer Jenny Lewis and influence Dusty Springfield, and secret weapon Ward takes the backseat as the supportive wingman. Honestly, this isn’t a vanity project. Zooey, call me.

Jay Reatard – The dude’s last name is Reatard. His MySpace page is wallpapered with splatters of blood. Some purport that he has Down Syndrome, and is a high school drop-out. All the insanity aside, the prolific songwriter born as Jay Lindsey cannot stop writing music. Check out his Wikipedia page and you’ll notice that for a guy no one cares about yet, he’s been recording a lot of material. But his music is raw and frenetic garage rock with a true, sloppy punk spirit. Better yet, there’s not an ounce of irony present. This dude has it turned to 11 on a permanent basis and you’ll see him once, like I did, and wonder what it was that just hit you. The faint of heart be warned.

Lykke Li – Songwriter Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson is only 21 years old but her sophisticated talent is beyond her years. Combining elements of electro-pop and folk music and recommended to fans of Feist and Robyn, the Swedish songwriter will release her debut record Youth Novels this year with the label that outbids the others. You’ll have to wait a couple of months to see her live—she returns to the U.S. in May—but in the meantime, Lykke is generously streaming her confident full length on her MySpace page. This is your opportunity to discover a new talent before it’s featured in an Apple commercial.

[Part III on Thursday]

What do you think?