Shutter Noise

SXSW Friday Night Pics

It’s a bit ridiculous, posting these over a week after it’s all done, but this is my website and I’ll do as I like.

Friday night was the Frenchkiss Showcase at the Galaxy Backyard, and the lineup was so kickass I decided to stay there all evening. So I had fun with Local Natives, was impressed and intrigued by Suckers and An Horse, fell in love with Peter from the Antlers yet again, and jumped in the mosh pit for Les Savy Fav.

I hadn’t really even heard of Local Natives before sxsw, and then in the usual southby tradition saw them twice in one day. They were a blast of unfettered enthusiasm: swapping instruments and vocals from song to song, jumping all around the stage, and seemingly untired from the daunting amount of shows they had already played. Loved ‘em, can’t wait to see them again next month.

About two songs into their set, An Horse blew an amp. I just remembered that now, because their professionalism made it a complete non-issue then… finding another to borrow, swapping them out, and beginning the song again took maybe two minutes. (anecdote, y’all!)

Suckers were another band added to my list of ’sxsw finds I’m excited about’.

Dear Peter (from the Antlers),

I know we’ve actually had a few conversations where I seemed a fairly normal person, but in reality I am just a gigantic fangirl for your music. Seriously, I got an advance copy of Hospice in February of last year, and wrote a ridiculously gushing album review. Next time I run into you, I promise I’ll stay cool, but you might as well know that afterward I will get all verklempt at a friend about how goddamn emotional your music makes me.

XO, and sorry about the slight bit of crazy,
Mary

Lesson the first: don’t look down during a Les Savy Fav concert. I briefly took my eyes off the stage to check something with my camera, and next thing I knew the guy pictured above was hurling himself over my head into the crowd.

Lesson the second: the mosh will happen. Prepare for the mosh. It will likely be congenial, and full of euphoric, endorphin-high wierdos. If you have a friend who is not in the mosh, ask them to hold your expensive camera equipment. This is a good idea.

Lesson the third: he likes to climb into the lights/on top of the crowd/any combination of the above and more. It will be insanity, but you will have an awesome story to tell people.

Lesson the fourth: Les Savy Fav is always worth seeing live.

The Antlers re-record ‘Sylvia’

When the Antlers came to town with Au Revoir Simone and Oh No! Oh My! a few months ago, the lineup got switched around and I only caught the latter half of their set. I was a little heartbroken, as Hospice is possibly my favorite album of this year. It is gorgeous, heartbreaking, hopeless and gut-wrenching; when you reach the end you feel emotionally drained.

The only quibble I had with it was with Peter Silberman’s enunciation: I loved his lyrics, but they were difficult to understand at times. The situation reminds me of Shearwater, and the crazy superiority of the remastered Palo Santo. The re-recorded tracks provided – along with new bombastic percussion – a lead singer’s voice tempered with much more confidence and practice.

So imagine how excited I was to hear that the Antlers recently recorded a new version of Sylvia, one of my favorites from the album. You can listen to it via NPR, and buy it on iTunes. It is stripped down, and Peter’s voice freaking shines.