The list of attending artists at SXSW can be a little intimidating. There are so many different acts out there that it’s almost impossible to make time for every genre that strikes your interest. If you want to try something new (or simply download some free tracks), here are a few artists that you should get to know if you’re attending SXSW this year:

A Classic Education: Classic (no pun intended) indie rock from Italy.

Preview: “What My Life Could Have Been”
First Impression: An upbeat track with quick arrangements.
Listen To: When public transit needs a soundtrack.
»Save It: “What My Life Could Have Been”

Dana Falconberry: Beautiful folk music from Austin, Texas.

Preview: “Crooked River”
First Impression: A simple track with amazing vocals. Very impressive harmonies.
Listen To: When your friend bets you that a human voice can’t resemble the sound of a bell. (If you bet against them, you will win.)
»Save It: “Crooked River”

And So I Watch You From Afar: Powerful instrumental rock from Ireland.

Preview: “The Voiceless”
First Impression: Interesting instrumental arrangements with great momentum throughout the track.
Listen To: When you can’t find the right thing to say.
»Save It: “The Voiceless”

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For more free music, visit our archives.

After finding some inspiration in lead singer Luke Temple’s solo recordings, the group put their heads together to create some interesting arrangements for the new album. In exchange for one measly e-mail address, Secretly Canadian will send you a download link for “Collector,” a track from Pigeons which showcases a carefree spirit with endless layers.

Track Listing

Pigeons
Release Date: June 8, 2010

01. Hibernation
02. Collector
03. Casual
04. Surprise
05. Bottom Feeder
06. Moon
07. Old World United
08. F.F.A.P.
09. Land of Feeling
10. Vegetable or Native
11. Herbie I Love You, Now I Know

If you want to hear Here We Go Magic’s new tunes live, then be sure to catch them on any one of the following dates:

03.13.10 Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
03.14.10 Carrboro, NC @ Local 506
03.15.10 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
04.05.10 Jefferson Theater, Charlottesville, VA
04.06.10 Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC
04.09.10 The Social, Orlando, FL
04.10.10 Jax Live, Jacksonville, FL
04.11.10 Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
04.13.10 Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
04.14.10 Austin, TX @ The Independent
04.16.10 Phoenix, AZ @ The Clubhouse
04.20.10 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
04.21.10 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
04.24.10 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
04.25.10 Chicago, IL @ Metro
04.26.10 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
04.27.10 Toronto @ Lee’s Palace
04.28.10 Montreal @ Petit Campus
05.01.10 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

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For more information on Here We Go Magic, visit myspace.com/herewegomagic.

In the video for their lead single, “Sea Change,” Harry Dwyer directs a musical journey equipped with toy army men who are talented enough to synchronize their guns to the beat of the song (around the two minute mark):

Outbursts is released on April 20th and in support of the album, Turin Brakes will be touring the U.K. this March. Don’t fret, America! U.S. tour dates are coming soon.

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For more information on Turin Brakes, visit turinbrakes.com.

In the new video for “Talamak,” Toro Y Moi puts a new twist on NSFW (because is shooting bottle rockets at your friends really safe anywhere?). “Talamak” is an exceptionally vibrant song, so it’s comforting to see a video’s cinematography (hats off to Jon Casey) sync up with the vibe of the track itself. Not the destructive, pyrotechnic sort of vibes. The colorful ones.

Be sure to catch Toro Y Moi live in concert on any one of the following dates:

03.12.10 Santa Barbara, CA @ Muddy Waters *
03.13.10 San Diego, CA @ UCSD *
03.14.10 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room *
03.15.10 Tucson, AZ @ Plush *
03.17.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Austinist / WOXY @ The Mohawk – 1:15PM
03.17.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Force Field PR / Terrorbird @ Red 7 – 4:25PM
03.18.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Urban Outfitters In-store – 12:00PM
03.18.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Carpark / Paw Tracks Showcase @ The Wave – 1:00AM
03.19.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Other Music / Dig For Fire @ French Legation – 3:30PM
03.19.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – I Guess I’m Floating @ Lovejoy’s – 6:00PM
03.19.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Noise Problem Party @ Vice – 9:15PM
03.20.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – End Of An Ear In-store – 1:00PM
03.20.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Force Field Party @ Cheer Up Charlie’s – 5:00PM
03.20.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Grandlife / NYLON Party @ Lanai – 10:45PM
03.21.10 Monterrey, Mexico @ MtyMx Fest
03.22.10 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn *
03.23.10 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *
03.24.10 Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
03.25.10 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie *
03.26.10 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl *
03.27.10 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East *
03.28.10Winooski, VT @ The Monkey House *
03.29.10 Montreal, Quebec @ Il Motore *
03.30.10 Toronto, Ontario @ Drake Hotel *
03.31.10 Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
04.02.10 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
04.03.10 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Saloon *
04.05.10 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive *
04.06.10 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
04.07.10 Nampa, ID @ Flying M Coffee *
04.08.10 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey *
04.09.10 Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
04.10.10 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
04.12.10 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill *
04.13.10 San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Arts Center *
04.14.10 Los Angeles, CA @ Echo *
04.16.10 Swarthmore, PA @ Olde Club / Swarthmore College
04.17.10 Toronto, ON @ Wrongbar
04.24.10 Charleston, SC @ Eye Level Art Gallery

* = w/ Ruby Suns
# = w/ Quasi
% = w/ Explode Into Colors

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For more information on Toro y Moi, visit toroymoi.blogspot.com.

Premiered over the span of nine different websites, eight Hall & Oates covers and one original song, “Heard It On the Radio,” can be previewed from a wide array of websites, from Brooklyn Vegan to Perez Hilton. (Opposites!) It even gives you a reason to maybe log back into your MySpace account again! Who knows?

You can find all nine tracks on the websites listed below. (But remember, if you can’t get enough of that “Maneater” cover, your browser history may paint a very false and possibly even unsavory picture of you, so get the latest info on Robsten and then clear that browser history!)

the bird and the bee’s Hall & Oates tracklist rundown:
1. Heard It On The Radio – MySpace
2. I Can’t Go For That – Brooklyn Vegan
3. Rich Girl – SPIN
4. Sara Smile – Entertainment Weekly
5. Kiss On My List – Idolator
6. Maneater – PerezHilton
7. She’s Gone – AOL Spinner
8. Private Eyes – USA Today
9. One on One – Prefix

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Learn more about the bird and the bee at thebirdandthebee.com.

Unfortunately, the video was premiered in un-embeddable form on the Rolling Stone website, so you have to make a one-click trip to watch it. But please do not let that stop you.

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For more information on Yeasayer, visit yeasayer.net.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 03.09.10
by Joshua Krage

Experimentation is the key word for this week’s cream of the crop, from producers known for flipping conventional ideas on their ear, to mainstream savants with a jones for genre-splicing, to established artists finding renewed rock-and-roll vigor, to newly unearthed material from one of music’s most incendiary innovators. If you don’t find something to rock your world from this week’s new releases, you’re not listening hard enough:

Gary Allan

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Beat the Devil’s Tattoo – the Black Rebel Mary Chain are still running strong and loose after temperamental timekeeper Nick Jago’s departure, revving up their sprawling, shoegaze melodies into high gear with former Raveonettes drummer Leah Shapiro manning the kit and Peter Hayes’ shadowy guitar drones and vocals painting echoes all over the grimy, back alley feel that they do best. Thankfully less electronic than their previous LP, the fuzz is back in full force, packing serious muscle and dangerous vibes all around.

Miguel Bose
Sarah Brightman

Broken Bells, Broken Bells – guerrilla-ish collab between The Shins’ James Mercer and Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, this project seemingly came out of nowhere and neither party holds back on the experimentation. Danger Mouse has kind of settled on a sound over his last few productions and I call it “Modern Throwback”: a stripped-down retro vibe (particularly favoring vintage keyboards and organs) with twitchy electronic flourishes filling in the corners. Of course James Mercer has a sound too, but he melds his psychedelically cryptic songsmithing seamlessly with Burton’s kitsch/classic sound to create some interesting tracks here, going a bit off the rails at times but overall ending up memorable enough. I get the feeling this is a record which will reveal itself through further listening…

Enrique Bunbury

The Chieftains/Ry Cooder, San Patricio – this vanguard of both popular and traditional Irish music always pushes boundaries and ropes in the best collaborators (such as Lila Downs, Linda Ronstadt, Los Tigres Del Norte and more on this go-round), and with Ry Cooder on board you know quality is guaranteed. The new LP is a rather fascinating musical recounting of a rogue band of Irish soldiers during 1846 in the Mexican/American War, with astonishing historical depth and deft story delivery, building a surprising bridge between Mexican and Irish history and doing so through some solid songs.

Jason Collett
Dark Tranquility
Demon Hunter
Frightened Rabbit

Gorillaz, Plastic Beach – Four to five years between albums is a long wait, but when the results are as consistently amazing as the material served up by this “virtual supergroup,” it’s well worth it. Damon Albarn once again outdoes all previous efforts by employing a clever mish-mash of hip-hop, symphonia, electronic dub layers, and genius guest-spots from the likes of Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, the Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, and electro-soul group Little Dragon, among many others. Expert orchestration (of beats as well as a variety of world-savvy ensembles) accompanies a bevy of eclectic melodies and conceptual wandering. It’s a strange assemblage, but it’s executed so well it rises well above reproach. Easily the best thing out so far this year.

Ben Harper & Relentless7, Live from Montreal International – if you’re a Ben Harper fan, you’ve already heard at least a couple of his live albums, but this entry into that category is an entirely different beast, as Relentless7 is an entirely different backing band than his usual Innocent Criminal collaborators. This is basically a capsule from their tour behind last year’s stellar White Lies For Dark Times LP, and Harper is as reinvigorated on stage (and more, on most tracks) as he is on that record. Unassailable rock vibes permeate these performances, and the electricity is palpable. This is a must for fans of Ben Harper, and if you want to hear a near-perfect example of artist/band interaction, check their interplay for a mastercourse. Really, really good.

Jimi Hendrix, Valleys of Neptune – released in conjunction with Sony Legacy reissues of earlier albums all featuring DVD “mini-documentary” accompaniment, this is a newly unearthed set of recordings and alternate studio takes of some tracks which have only been commercially available on live and bootleg releases up to this point. Recorded with his Experience rhythm section of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell soon after his benchmark Electric Ladyland double LP, Hendrix uses many of the same production and recording tricks on these tracks as he does on that album, and his guitar playing is equal here to some of his best work, particularly in the rhythm/lead of “Hear My Train A Comin’” and his blistering instrumental sprint through Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” Some of the alternates offer interesting divergences from their original, well-known versions as well, such as the slower pace of “Red House” and the different back-up vocal on “Fire,” but it really comes down to the guitar playing (of course), and Jimi Hendrix has never been equaled, so this album is all treasure for your six-string pleasure.

jj, jj nº3 – a fascinating and soothing convergence of indie pop savvy, electronic rhythms, and floating, breathy vocals. Danceable in a Postal Service sort of way, but more likely to console heartbroken pre-teen pre-scenesters in their bedrooms than to get their honeys dancing at the school prom. Oddly mature, mellow and very well put-together.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Liars
Ludacris
Mr. Big – Back to Budokan (live)
Smokie Norful
Passion
Pavement – best of
Josh Rouse
Sanctus Real
Savath y Savalas
Stellar Kart
Serj Tankian

Titus Andronicus, The Monitor – this band made many critics’ best-of lists last year with their debut (which was actually from 2008), and this followup full-length certainly delivers on the ambitious punk rock promise of that album. Clocking in at over an hour and with many tracks passing the seven-minute mark, this is a scholarly and scathing statement of anti-authority and non-conformity, told through some solid instrumental showmanship and a heaping dose of acidic wit. Kind of long to be called punk, kind of rough-edged to be called indie, this entry ends up being a rare middle-ground between the two.

Violent Soho
White Hinterland
ZeroDB – rarities

Yeah baby, you’ve got Danger Mouse, Blur’s Damon Albarn, Ben Harper, Jimi Hendrix, Irish experimental folk rockers, modern shoegaze icons… all that’s missing from this week is a Muppet album and maybe somebody from Iceland or something. Enjoy the variety, not sure next week can top what’s on this list (or next month, or all year, for that matter). Until next time, listen well.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

If you need to sample a track before you add them to your schedule lineup, give “The Fury” a listen:

Preview: “The Fury”
First Impression: A mellow track with no inconsistencies.
Listen To: When you take the long way home for no good reason.
»Save It: “The Fury”

Be sure to catch Middle Distance Runner on any one of the following dates:

03.11.10 Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
03.12.10 Charlotte, NC @ Evening Muse
03.14.10 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
03.15.10 Shreveport, LA @ Hayride Diner & Venue
03.18.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW (Sonny’s Vintage)
03.20.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW (Lovejoy’s)
03.21.10 Austin, TX @ SXSW (Austin’s Moose Lodge)
03.23.10 Oklahoma City, OK @ The 51st Speakeasy
03.24.10 St. Louis, MO @ Cicero’s
03.27.10 Grand Rapids, MI @ Founder’s Brewing Co.
03.28.10 Detroit, MI @ PJ’s Lager House
03.31.10 Philadelphia, PA @ M Room

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For more information on Middle Distance Runner, visit middledistancerunner.com.

Metric have joined Music for Relief in their efforts to help raise money for disaster relief in Haiti. The organization has gathered a handful of artists who have donated original songs to the cause. You can download the collection of songs for free here (but you should donate whatever you can to the cause because if you don’t, you’re liable to lose big karma points). In addition to the Mike Shinoda remix of Metric’s “Gold Guns Girls,” the compilation features music from mainstreamers such as Weezer and Alanis Morissette. Music for Relief have already raised over $150,000 for the people affected by the catastrophes in Haiti, and 100% of all proceeds will go directly to Haiti relief efforts.

In addition to their contribution, Metric will be looking out for numero uno by heading out on a short tour to continue supporting their latest album Fantasies. You can catch them live on any one of the following dates:

03.17.10 Tempe, AZ @ St. Patrick’s Day 2010 / Tempe Beach Park
03.21.10 Seattle, WA @ Showbox
03.22.10 Portland, OR @ Roseland
03.24.10 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
03.25.10 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
03.26.10 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
03.27.10 San Diego, CA @ Indiefest / North Park

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For more information on Metric, visit ilovemetric.com.

Though the show ended up being one collaborative effort between all three acts, Todd Carey was the first to hit the stage and loosened up the crowd with “Back Off Baby,” a song about stalkers. After proving himself to be a bad-ass guitarist by playing the Super Mario Brothers theme, Atlanta’s Nathan Angelo surprised us by making an appearance and playing piano for one of Carey’s songs.

Directly after Todd Carey’s set, Joe Firstman jumped right into a few songs. The live acoustic setting offered Firstman the opportunity to play a stripped down version of his music, creating a Jekyll and Hyde complex when compared to his produced work. His set also included “Pretty Things,” (a song he co-wrote with Tony Lucca) with some help from Todd Carey, and Ernie Halter played piano for a song before taking the stage for his own set.

“It’s kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure,” is how Halter described his performance throughout the night. Relying on the crowd to create his set list for him, he began with “Gone” and continued taking all requests (except for a cover of Clapton’s “Layla“). Regardless of who chooses the set list, “Cyclone,” “Whisper” and “Love in LA” are going to be played. Carey and Firstman made their way to Halter’s side throughout the night to collaborate as one functioning band. Check out that awesome ukulele Halter has been swooning over!

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For more information on Ernie Halter and Joe Firstman, visit rockridgemusic.com. For more information on Todd Carey, visit toddcareymusic.com.