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Because nothing is more happening at SXSW than Twitter right now — or so we can only assume by all the people we’re seeing with eyes fixated on their cameras instead of their phones — we present to you reviews of the shows we caught last night, in standard, 140-character form.
In all, we caught some good shows — some that lived up to the hype (see: Yuck) and some that didn’t (see: James Blake) — but, enough dilly-dallying. Hit the jump for our takes on Wednesday night showcases from Yuck, James Blake, Josh T. Pearson, John Vanderslive, Sun Airway, The Cave Singers, Small Black and Okkervil River.
Yuck at Stubb’s
Proof that everything goes in 20-year cycles and the 90s are back, Yuck’s whirring guitars and somber bass score, though fairly mellow live.
James Blake at Stubb’s
OMG THE VOICE! OMG THE LOOK! OMG, EVERYONE’S SO EXCITED! OMG, OMG, OMG! OMG — wait, actually, this is all pretty boring. Auto-Tune? Really?
Josh T. Pearson at Central Presbyterian Church
Meandering acoustic songs from a Denton space-rock legend gone folk are heavy, not especially pleasing listens. But, man, are they powerful.
John Vanderslice at Red 7 Patio
Once a rather eccentric pop musician, now he’s more straightforward. But the ol’ oddball spirit remains in flourishes. See: Robyn Hitchcock.
Sun Airway at Red 7
Spurts of chillwave within an otherwise rather direct, highly danceable, synth-pop offering from Philly act. Dare we call it post-chillwave?
The Cave Singers at Red 7 Patio
Three-piece’s singalong roots-rock offerings are gritty and enjoyable — not unlike Akron/Family, but without all that tired, hippie bullshit.
Small Black at Red 7
Former Washed Out backing band breaks out with own, far more spastic offerings. Who knew chillwave could be so LOUD? A good thing, for sure.
Okkervil River at Red 7 Patio
Hyper-literate Austin heroes share new material that sounds just like their old material — exactly what the superfans in their crowd want.
