Words – Jordan Shertock

So it’s been pretty quiet this month on the music front – except for that little SXSW thing in America or wherever it is, it’s been a dead March. (The Interweb has never been able to convey my shitty sense of sarcasm too well.) With what has been a massive showcase as it is every year, there are a certain number of bands that came out of it smelling/sounding like roses. These hyped-up artists include The Morning Benders, Washed Out, Frightened Rabbit and Miike Snow. Australia was well-represented by surf rockers Goons of Doom, fronted by Ozzie Wright, as well as Melbourne indie favourites Children Collide. SXSW is also a great opportunity for independent showcases to be put on in various places in Austin, Texas. These showcases included Pitchfork and Gorilla VS Bear, which gave rad bands like Sandwitches and Best Coast the chance to present their aural wares. Listed below are my favourite tracks and videos of March. Enjoy.

Unkle featuring the Black Angels
It is fair to say I have never been a huge Unkle fan, but with the assistance and psychedelic styling of Austin rockers, The Black Angels, Natural Selection has become my top track of the month.

UNKLE – Natural Selection

Sleigh Bells
These guys are easily my favourite newcomers this year. Former Poison The Well guitarist Derek Miller and previous RubyBlue teenybopper, Alexis Krauss came together to form noise pop duo Sleigh Bells. The sound created by Sleigh Bells is a conflict of aural interest, in the best way possible. The heavy bass makes you want to crank the speakers to 10 until Krauss’s sexy vocals kick in, at which time you turn it down to a more sensible volume, at risk of being called a pussy. Ring Ring is an amazing track and is a good indication of what everyone will be seeing at Pitchfork Festival in July.

Sticking with the beachy dream pop (Beach House, Washed Out) sound of this summer, Memoryhouse have released an EP that has made a pretty solid impact on music critics worldwide. The Years EP is four tracks of nostalgic, sombre reflection. The Million Young Remix of To The Lighthouse is an intelligent edit, giving the track an upbeat pop feel without intruding on the theme and vocals of the original. Great Album. Great track.

Sleigh Bells – Ring Ring

And to conclude, here are a couple of the better music clips of the month past:

Stature: Statue – Rumors

Beach House – Walk in the Park