Show Preview: Brackett & Co., Real Estate
J. Tillman at the Mohawk - Giveaway
What’s the Deal: South by Southwest always brings some pretty eclectic artists to town, and this year’s roster includes New York’s DeLeon, which has a very different indie-meets-international sound that’s both new and very old. DeLeon mixes modern indie rock with 15th Century Spanish folk songs and the mysterious melodies of ancient Sephardic Judaism. Their new self-titled full length came out in 2008 on a label that also puts out groups ranging from gypsy punk to Israeli hip-hop dancehall to afro-pop/Cantorial blues.
“Be Still Angelino” from the self-titled album is one of the first songs you should hear from the quintet fronted by Dan Saks. From the start of this song featuring crisp, folky, sentimental vocals, the ancient Spanish influence is clear. The beat, guitar and haunting trumpet blasts are soaked in deep, timeless stories and traditions.
Something Interesting: Their record label, JDub Records, is the same label responsible for discovering Matisyahu.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Adio Querida” and “La Serena”
What’s the Deal: Austin’s Golden Arm Trio is bandleader Graham Reynolds on piano and drums with a rotating cast of very talented musicians. The trio, which is kind of a misnomer, occasionally consists of musicians on the sax, violin, vibraphone, trombone and others. But, the list of previous collaborators is practically a mile long. The instrumental tunes range from bizarre and quirky jazz to sweeping, emotional classical. The list of Graham and company’s accomplishments is more than a little impressive. He’s a busy man. He has composed four symphonies, two operas, a violin concerto and various chamber music pieces. He has also done extensive work on films, scoring short films, animated shorts, silent movies and even some feature films including A Scanner Darkly.
Dreamy symphonic bliss is a good way to describe the sound of “Dsch,” which is a gorgeous string composition that would fit well in any dramatic, introspective scene and would be great in a silent film. Then, songs like “The Duchess of Parma” are much more in the Raymond Scott camp, with playful jazzy songs that were meant for cartoons like Looney Tunes.
Something Interesting: Golden Arm Trio will be playing South by Southwest this year, and hopefully they’ll be in a more upscale venue where you can really soak in the sound.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “The Tick-Tock Club” and “Dmitri Dmitryevich”
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