I finally 
managed to add some notes to the 75 or so personally selected songs of SXSW 2011 (out of 1200 or so: earlier). I’ve not ranked anything in this list as ranking is so subjective: I think together all the songs form a solid and enjoyable list of songs. The songs that sprung out I marked as ‘recommended’: ‘recommended’ as in ‘this band has a future’ or ‘the song is just plain simple subjectively good’. Personal side-notes were written up to be as brief as possible, more or less to provide a mental anchor to distinguish the artists and/or songs
I’m fairly happy with the fact that even some dance/hiphop songs made it to this list: artists like K.Flay and Ancient Astronauts obviously surprised me because of either a smart delivery of lyrics or a highly inventive use of samples.
What else? Most of the bands listed below are independent: to support them, please find their websites or buy their songs from their preferred digital music distribution system.
Over time I hope to be able to add proper linkage to the artist’s websites. In the mean time, enjoy:
| Band/Artist | Song | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Arcuragi & The Lupine Chorale Society | She comes to me | Catchy and easy listening Americana/folk with full supporting band and choir |
|
| Agent Ribbons | I’m alright | Everytime I hear this song I think of Kill Bill. At times monotonous, but with a fairly well executed end |
|
| Aislyn | Nail biter | recommended | Electro pop. While not featuring the best voice I’ve heard, the chorus is oh-so innocent and an outtro that is unrelated to the song |
| Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys | Get Yourself Free | Soul, luscious soul. Predictable female lead vocals but excellent accompanying music with traditional musical break. |
|
| Allie Moss | Late Bloomer | recommended | Folkish song with excellent up-tempo percussion, with unusual musical arrangement during intro. Great control of voice. |
| Alvarez Kings | Patience is strength | recommended | Typical British pop song with catchy melody and intro |
| AM & Shawn Lee | Dark into light | Synthpop. Why is this in my list? It’s fairly boring. | |
| Analog Rebellion | A Real clever trick for a bear | Synthpop. Catchy intro and chorus. Not for all, but reminds of Vega’s synth period |
|
| Ancient Astronauts | Worldwide | Instrumental mix of hiphop, synth and untraditional sampling. Features KRS-one sample |
|
| The Apache Relay | Home is not places | U2-like song with well executed outtro | |
| Aphasia | Metal Tank | Instrumental/guitar rock | |
| April Smith & the great picture show | Colors | Folkish cute. Maybe more western. Maybe Swing. Or maybe all of it. |
|
| ARMS | heat and hot water | 80s sound-a-like, starts slow with excellent tempo change | |
| Balmorhea | Clamor | Instrumental; good execution and production | |
| Bear Driver | Wolves | recommended | British pop band with potential: catchy backup vocals and melody. |
| Beats Antique | Junktion | Instrumental, featuring hip-hop, violins and a genuine belly dancer, apparently. Fun, but personally not sure of bands future. |
|
| Bhi Bhiman | Guttersnipe | recommended | Soul, with hints of US and Sri Lanka. Excellent stuff. |
| Botany | Waterparker | recommended | Dance? Yes, sure as long as it has got a fun chorus and sampling. |
| Braids | Lemonade | recommended | Electro rock/pop/dance from Montreal, Canada: musically sound. |
| Brandi Emma | Let it go | Folk: melodious but predictable. | |
| Brooke Fraser | Something in the water | Folk from down-under: crazy fun intro to chorus. | |
| Chappo | Come home | Rock/Psych, with hints of 80s pop music. Uptempo. | |
| Chiha | I was in love | Tunesian/German traditional music. Obviously it rocks. I think. Hey, it’s catchy… |
|
| Christine Fellows | Lets get started | Folkish, with layered music. Enjoyable. | |
| Clock Opera | Once and for all | recommended | Excellent and best of SXSW 2011: falsetto and that. Plus: based on popular play |
| Consortium Musicum | Mechanical Mammoth | recommended | Hahahaha. Reminds strongly of Antheil. |
| Cults | Go Outside | Cute song but gets monotonous. Good, but strongly backed by Sony Entertainment |
|
| Darren Hanlon | All these things | Folk with whimsical lyrics | |
| David Berkeley | George Square | Well produced, lyrical and melodious | |
| Delicate Steve | The ballad of Speck and Pebble | Excellent produced instrumental by one man band Steve. Or something. |
|
| Dizzy Eyes | Lets break up the band | recommended | Fun Punk/Rock from Vancouver: slightly reminding of the Cure |
| DJ Chicken George | Overthrowed | Funk/Soul with a touch of hip-hop | |
| The Eastern Sea | The Menu | Catchy marriage of folk and traditional music | |
| Edwyn Collins | Losing sleep | recommended | Simple rock no hooks no nothing; knocks the ball out of the park |
| Eli Paperboy Reed | Come and get it | Soul, by white guy with an excellent voice but… yeah. | |
| Emanuel and The Fear | The Rain becomes the clouds | recommended | Excellent music/composition and lyrics |
| Emilie Clepper | Wearing you | Folk, with strangely attractive voice and good arrangement | |
| Estados Alterados | Contenme | Uptempo Spanish electronic rock from Colombia | |
| Experimental Aircraft | Paintings in the attic | Experimental guitar rock (instrumental) that turns into a bittersweet song |
|
| Fared Shafinury & Tehranosaurus | Matarsak | recommended | Iranian music intermixed with western music. |
| Feathers | Water Music Treadmill | Instrumental guitar rock, monotonous but easy listening if you’re in that mood |
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| For a Minor reflection | Flod | Instrumental popular, changes tempo over time | |
| Friska Viljor | If I Die Now | Scandinavian rock, with hallmark Swedish sound | |
| A great big pile of leaves | We don’t need our heads | Pop Rock with catchy chorus | |
| Great Lake Swimmers | Pulling on a line | Rock, tangy and slow | |
| Gustavo Galindo | Banco de Papel | Spanish tear jerker but good | |
| Ha Ha Tonka | Usual Suspects | recommended | Excellent song with good flow that is hard to categorize |
| Hotels and Highways | Train whistle | Poppish Folk, slightly reminds of early works of the Stones |
|
| Houses | Soak it up | recommended | Electropop, excellent |
| In-Flight Safety | Model Holmes | recommended | Rock, typical, predictable but good voicing and melody. |
| Ivan and Alyosha | Fathers be kind | Slow rock excellent with Spanish sounding guitar accents | |
| Joey Cape | A song for the missing | Folk, melodious and excellent inversion | |
| Jonathan Edwards | Sunshine | Uptempo folk, no frills, no nothing | |
| K’s Choice | Come Live the Life | recommended | Surprisingly, excellent song, as I expected the band to have burnt out |
| K.Flay | So Fast, So Maybe | recommended | White, Female, HipHop? You betcha! |
| Kina Grannis | Valentine | recommended | You know, hats off for combining excellent music with predictable lyrics |
| Lady Lamb the Beekeeper | Penny Licks | Pop music with plenty of variation | |
| Laura Jansen | Single Girls | Folk/Popular. Boring lyrics, but interesting combination of vocals and piano |
|
| Lava Children | The Green word | recommended | I have no words for this.. atonal, not in tune excellent mastery of vocals and instruments |
| Letting up despite great faults | In steps | Syntpop: Predictable, uptempo, slightly reminding of 80s electro pop sound |
|
| Lex Land | Havana | recommended | Excellent voice and lyrics, accompanied by synth |
| Little Scream | Heron and the fox | Folk, with strange hooks | |
| Little Tybee | Design | recommended | Jazzy, folkish sound: excellent all round music with a pretty chorus |
| Lucy Schwartz | My Darling | recommended | Professional sound, excellent voice and catchy tune |
| Marcia Ball | Watermelon time | Plain jazz. | |
| Marco Benevento | It came from you | recommended | Classical trained pianist goes pop. Does that ring a bell? |
| The New Mastersounds | Thermal Bad | Funk. Boy. Live. | |
| Go North | The Pauses | This was fun until it was adopted by Guitar Hero | |
| Richard Barone | Glow | recommended | Poppish and highly predictable, but easy listening |
| Sarah Jaffe | Clementine | Uptempo folk/pop – predictable | |
| Silje Nes | The Grass Harp | Norwegian folk. Good, for the appropriate occasion | |
| Tracy Bonham | Big red heart | recommended | Good. Rock. Of. Course. From. Tracy. |
| Two Star Symphony | Goblin attack | Instrumental with cello/drums and violins. Good but too long. |
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| Vanaprasta | Healthy Geometry | recommended | Movie music. |
| Xylos | Daring Dearest | recommended | Excellent synthpop, vocals and production. |