3 albums I wish you were listening to

Ha Ha Tonka - Death of a Decade
























I've been interested in Ha Ha Tonka for a while, and have generally liked their stuff, but I have not owned a full album of theirs until Death of a Decade. This album brings it all around for me. Further proof that Bloodshot Records still knows what they are doing.

Songs of note: "Made Example of" and "Lonely Fortunes"



Dolorean - The Unfazed
























For one reason or another, Dolorean fell off my radar the past few years. They are back. Al James is simply brilliant. Partisan made a great decision putting this record out.

Songs of note: "Thinskinned" and "Hard Working Dogs"



Middle Brother - Middle Brother
























I approached the record as a big fan of Dawes & Deer Tick, but not a lot of familiarity with Delta Spirit. Thus, while the odds were in the record's favor, I still had reservations about how well they could pull off an entire record without drifting off into some John McCauley-led debauchery halfway through.

That said, I gave the record a couple of listens on the way down to SXSW, and while I liked a number of tracks, I didn't completely connect with the record as a whole. Enter the Partisan Party at SXSW, where Middle Brother & Johnny Corndawg brought the house down in one of the better performances of the festival, and I grabbed a spot on the Middle Brother bandwagon. This album is strong all the way through.

Songs of note: "Mom and Dad," "Blood and Guts," and "Someday" (and basically every other song)

SXSW preview - 2010 Filter Magazine showcases

I generally don't have a huge amount of concern for promoting the bigger parties out there, but I was impressed by the line-up that Filter Magazine has put together. As best I can tell, the afternoon shows are free, but (maybe) requiring an RSVP (found here) to get in. Maybe they are serious about the RSVPs, but typically things are so disjointed they don't have time to check. The night shows, however, most likely require a badge or wristband unless you are a really smooth talker. Just act like you own the place and you might get in.

As for getting in to the afternoon shows, it all comes down to how popular the shows turn out to be, and how much money the sponsors have put in, because even with an RSVP, there is still there is no guarantee on getting in for non-movers-and-shakers such as myself (and you too). If someone is hassling you about getting in, then you probably don't want to be there anyway.

However, a number of bands on this list caught my eye, some I know, and others I would like to see. Thursday, I would definitely like to see Dawes and Delta Spirit, and Saturday, This Will Destroy You and Sondre Lerche should be worthwhile. Lots of others that probably would be good, but I'm already nearing overload on new band research and don't have that much time to look them up. Further, I don't really expect to be sticking to my schedule by Saturday, as I'll more likely be wandering listlessly at a site TBA.