Ok, this is when it gets crazy. Today I’m going through the Music portion of SXSW 2011, which happens Wednesday, March 16 – Saturday, March 19. Â Keep in mind there’s always gonna be pop-up shows and last-minute party announcements like every year, so follow me on Twitter and I’ll try to keep everyone abreast of anything awesome. Â Also: on Monday I will post my picks for multi-day parties, like Fader Fort, Waterloo Parking Lot Shows, etc. so look forward to that. Today’s list only includes my picks for single-day parties.
Some of the things I love come under intense fire and scrutiny, and I am forced to intensely defend them. Conversely, there are things that I am done defending – they have crossed a certain line of mediocrity that I cannot follow. And then there are a few things that certainly have made mistakes, but I have not given up on yet.
So, because, as you know, I love lists, after the jump you will be treated to five things I constantly defend, five things I’m done defending, and five things that I feel still deserve defense, even if they’ve slipped up recently.
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
80. Nickel Eye – Brandy of the Damned
Seems like all last year, the Strokes were running around doing all kinds of different things unrelated to their core band. Julian and Albert pursued solo projects, while Fabrizio started Little Joy. The only one that sat around and counted money was Nick Valensi. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture started the Nickel Eye project, churning out a debut album in January of 2009. While I was mostly underwhelmed with the majority of the disc, “Brandy of the Damned” is the ultra-repetitive, ultra-catchy standout.
Bella Union x Yours Truly @ SXSW
Queens of the Stone Age @ Rolling Stone Showcase at LZR – If you don’t have a badge, it’s likely you’re not getting in. Â But best of luck to ya!
