04Are You With Me?
1:50
THICK
- Song: Are You With Me?
The Brooklyn trio THICK’s “Are You With Me?” is a raging, tightly-wound sonic boom that punches far above the “postage stamp-sized” venue the band played in.
By Bob Boilen
Clockwise from upper left: Sudan Archives, THICK, Gato Preto, Saint Sister, Surma
Courtesy of the artists
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Courtesy of the artists
Our bleary-eyed, ear-ringing week of seemingly non-stop live music in Austin, Texas has ended and we’re back one last time to reflect on the 2018 South by Southwest festival and play some of our favorite discoveries.
Hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton, along with NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson and Rodney Carmichael, convene in the NPR studios to share the most memorable stories and songs of the festival, from the gritty rock of Brooklyn’s THICK and Afro-electronic soundscapes of Sudan Archives to the mumble rap of Tierra Whack, the soaring pop of G Flip and much more.
You can find a whole lot more from the festival here, including South by Lullabies (from Stella Donnelly, Natalie Prass and more), live concert videos and more.
The Brooklyn trio THICK’s “Are You With Me?” is a raging, tightly-wound sonic boom that punches far above the “postage stamp-sized” venue the band played in.
Greek musician Theodore’s song, “Are We There Yet?” brings to mind the aural largess of Pink Floyd’s “Us And Them,” but its title belies just how satisfying the slow-building journey can be.
Australian singer-drummer G Flip emerged from behind the kit for a star-making turn on “About You.” It’s a soaring pop smash that helped make her one of the most buzzed-about acts at this year’s South by Southwest festival.
Aisha Badru transfixed NPR Music’s Robin Hilton with her bare, heart-rending SXSW set, despite the sterile hotel lounge where she played.
The music of Sudan Archives was the definitive favorite of the festival for NPR Music’s Bob Boilen and Rodney Carmichael. She’s inspired by Sudanese violin music, but branches off into minimal vox-and-violin clinics (“Come Meh Way”) and dizzying electronica (“Water”).
<iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/594982393/595044477" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael compares Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack to the inimitable Missy Elliott for Whack’s imaginative concepts and jagged-edge lyricism.
Compton rapper Buddy, who was born to a devout Baptist family and avoided gang life, carves out his own space with this track featuring A$AP Ferg.
Big, bold guitar rock isn’t dead quite yet, and this Australian export is proof. Gang Of Youths makes bellowing, grandiose rock music. “What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out,” as NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson puts it, would blow the roof off a stadium or the moon.
Xylouris White, the duo comprised of Jim White from The Dirty Three and Greek lute player George Xylouris, soothed NPR Music’s Bob Boilen’s weariness. The expert interplay and improvisation in “Call And Response” proved to be a balm amid a sea of artists and groups still honing their sound.
From the land of left-of-field instruments comes Saint Sister, an Irish duo whose spacious electropop is anchored by a Celtic harp.
The Dusseldorf, Germany-based duo behind Gato Preto — producer Lee Bass and singer Gata Misteriosa — merged Afropop riffs, Portugese rapping and an infectious four-on-the-floor house stutter to create a small frenzy in the Convention Center room they shared with twenty or so people.
Surma’s “Hemma” feels like a study in contrasts. A brutal, bass-heavy undercurrent is pushed against starry overtones and the Portugese multi-instrumentalist’s childlike timbre.
NPR Music’s Robin Hilton says Weird Bloom sounds like Tiny Tim collaborated with T. Rex, making this quirky Italian rock band one of the stranger and more memorable acts he saw this year.
Closing the episode off the way we started is Thunderpussy, the Seattle rock band that gave a thrashing, charismatic performance fronted by the incredible singer Molly Sides.
