Tuesday Music – Seven Standouts from SXSW 2006

Here’s my second set of favorites from the 2006 SXSW BitTorrent, 7 this time. A little background on the process: I’ve got all the songs in an iTunes smart playlist – anything with the album of ‘SXSW 2006 Showcasing Artist’, playcount less than 1, and shuffle is on.

Today’s a pretty serious heads down work day, so the songs listed here break through the din of background music in the first listen.

  • Under the Bed by Stephen Clair
    Coincidentally, Jen’s had “Working 9 to 5” stuck in her head for a week now. This is an updated version of that song, not sung by Dolly Parton.
  • St. Patrick’s Day by Neck
    I didn’t realize how much I missed the House of Pain, until this track came up.
  • What if She’s an Angel by Tommy Shane Steiner
    Like any genre of music, country can be trite, clichéd, sappy, and sentimental. Sometimes this works – my favorite example is Hank Williams III. Other times it’s just plain awful. On our longer drives (>3 hrs) for entertainment, Jen and I regularly tune to a country station in hopes of finding that one awful, trite, sappy tune. Well, no need to scan the FM dial this summer – this is that song.
  • Shimokita Dream by The Emerald
    This song reminds me of the time David Carson typeset a interview in dingbats for Ray Gun magazine. It doesn’t matter what language (or typeface) the words are in, the song’s the same as a thousand others. It’s a catchy, driving, poppy punk tune.
  • Poison Control by Old Haunts
    A quick dose of Olympia, WA – a little grungy, a little Ramones, and the voice – what a voice.
  • She’s Gone by P W Long
    There’s very little better in this world than a man singing to his whiskey glass about a love lost. This tune wins best lyrics of this collection with, “She’s not going – she’s gone”. Honestly, I’m not sure if PW’s referring to his woman or ordering another shot. I envision PW being on one end of a bar in El Dorado and Robyn Ludwich on the other, after recently parted ways.
  • Nice Day by Persephone’s Bees
    I’m a sucker for a seductive female singer telling me what a fabulous day it is. Especially on an overcast March day like today.

1 comment

Comments are closed.