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Melanie Walker's Top 10 Bands To See at SXSW 2011

Posted at 2:42 PM on March 14, 2011 by Melanie Walker
Filed under: SXSW

Too many bands, too little time. That's always the dilemma I have at the SXSW music Conference in Austin, TX. In years past, SXSW has been the place where I fist heard bands like The xx, Mumford and Sons, Janelle Monae, Peter Bjorn and John, The Ting Tings, and even The Avett Brothers. There will be quite a few established acts down there that I'd like to see too, such as The Kills, DeVotchKa, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Strokes, Lupe Fiasco, TV On The Radio, The Rural Alberta Advantage as well as local acts like Haley Bonar, Jeremy Messersmith, P.O.S., Doomtree, Solid Gold and Gayngs.

Here are my top ten new acts to check out while I'm strolling around SXSW this year...

Theophilus London
Soulful, eclectic and with a progressive style reminicent of Prince, I soon became a big fan of Theophilus London after hearing him on TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek's side project Maximum Balloon on a track called "Groove Me".

James Blake
Soulful, minimal and all about the spaces in between the notes, James Blake is one of music's most innovative new producer's.

MDNR
Amanda Warner, better known as MNDR is a self confirmed tech geek that's destined to become a star. After appearing as a guest vocalist on the Mark Ronson track "Bang, Bang, Bang", MNDR is finally coming out with her solo material full of IDM-informed pop tunes.

Twin Shadow
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in rural Florida, George Lewis Jr. aka Twin Shadow makes music that's dripping with a melancholic, weathered nostalgia.

Royal Bangs
Royal Bangs is an energetic, turbo pop group from Knoxville, TN that's a bit electronic with a whole lot of glam. They got their big break when Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney heard their music on MySpace and signed the trio to his now-defunct Audio Eagle label.

Dominique Young Unique
With rapid-fire raps set to high-speed electro club beats Dominique Young Unique of Tampa Bay, FL is youthful, raw and ready to drop kick you her brand-new mixtape, called Glamorous Touch.

tUnE-yArDs
Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-YaRdS, is a one-woman DIY workshop mixing tenor ukulele, digital loops, toms, and (most importantly) a powerful, shape-shifting voice.

Yuck
Great UK band. Bad name. But, don't let them fool you they sound anything but yucky. They sound like everything good from the 90's; a shoegazy sound reminiscent of The Pixies, Pavement and Sonic Youth.

Chapel Club
There's always one new batch of UK lads that go from obscurity to stardom after SXSW and I'm hoping this year it's Chapel Club with their epic dream pop sound.

Dom
I'm guessing Dom's track "Living In America" might be one of the big songs of the summer with it's lo-fi psych pop sensibilities. They are one of my wild cards for the conference to see if they've got more than just one hit under their belt.


See our schedule and more information on our SXSW page.

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