SXSW 2013: Phosphorescent’s epic glow, Gliss’s bliss and (another) fresh-faced U.K. guitar band

0

[Between hosting Buzz Bands LA’s party and running into lousy luck with oppressive lines, my South by Southwest adventuring was limited. No Thermals, or CHVRCHES, for instance. But …]

@KRBronson on Wednesday at SXSW:

sxsw13-phosphorescent1

Matthew Houck favors folk music that makes grand, sweeping statements, and as Phosphorescent his late-arriving set at the Hype Hotel nearly possessed healing powers. He makes epic sound easy – he turns the simplest of chord progressions into densely forested arrangements and rich narratives – and he’s done so on seven full-lengths over 10 years. Phosphorescent’s latest, “Muchacho,” was spotlighted Wednesday night; from the opening song, “The Quotidian Beasts” (which nicks the often-nicked chord progression of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”), the new material was at once riveting and pastoral. You’d have never known a chain restaurant was giving away free tacos in the back of the hall.

Two-minute drill …

sxsw13-chinarats1

It only took about 2 minutes to fall for fresh-faced China Rats at the Beautiful Buzzz Party at the Brew Exchange. That’s how long it takes for the hook for the title track to their debut EP “To Be Like I” to worm its way into your head. The young Leeds quartet plays vaguely vintage but decidedly fist-pumping guitar pop – British Invasion charm, punktastic energy and a little ’90s Britpop snarl. China Rats got some attention last year when, at the last minute, they filled in for a stranded Bat for Lashes as a second-stage headliner at a big European festival and wowed everybody. A far cry from the three-dozen people at Wednesday’s early-evening set, but it’s not hard to imagine China Rats inspiring festival-sized mosh pits.

The case for Gliss …

sxsw13-gliss1

I have this theory: If Gliss were a “new” band, people would be packing concert halls to see them. That’s how good their new album “Langsom Dans” is; it’s the kind of intelligent, dreamy and polyrhythmic electronica that certain tastemakers anoint Best New Music. But in these days of short attention spans and newbie-mania, an act that’s been around for eight years will hardly ever get credit for a steady career progression, or for artfully reinventing themselves. Having abandoned the guitar-heavier shoegaze of their first three albums, Gliss has kind of turned the personality of the band over to Danish singer-multiinstrumentalist Victoria Cecilia, whose Euro cool is perfect for the trio’s melodic mood swings and lovestruck neuroses. File “Langsom Dans” along with the likes of the Raveonettes, Cocteau Twins and Purity Ring – all came to mind during Gliss’s set at the Modern Outsider showcase.

Locals only …

sxsw13-theneighbourhood1

Only a month or so away from releasing their Columbia Records debut, the Neighbourhood delighted devotees at Club Deville with a loose set of their hip-hop flavored rock. The big attraction: 21-year-old Jesse Rutherford’s pillow-talk croon, executed like a rapper’s flow. (Though fans of a certain gender might also be attracted to that James Dean thing he has going on.) In under a year, the Neighbourhood’s live show has come a long way, now more rock show that rap rave, and his black-dressed bandmates play brooding foils to the hilt. Coming soon to a Coachella near you.

And speaking of DIY …

sxsw13-mrjojangles

Live, from the middle of 6th street, “Mr. Jojangles” plays all the classics.