SXSW 2015: Monica Heldal

Some mellow folk to counter the electronic.  Trying to catch up on posts after a lull.  This is a Norwegian folk singer signed to Warner Brothers so expect to hear more soon.  Reminds me of First Aid Kit mixed with, dare I say, Patty Griffin.  Haunting.  Beautiful.

Boy from the North

SXSW 2015: East India Youth

We'll stick with mellow electronic today.  This is the moniker of William Doyle from Bournemouth, England.  This album was on the shortlist for the Mercury Prize last year and received universal acclaim on Metacritic.  Eclectic sound.  Minimalist like Kraftwerk to start but builds up to a fast beat. Prettty cool.

Heaven, How Long

SXSW 2015: Bob Moses

This is a duo originally from Vancouver but now in NYC.  Electronic/R&B.  This song sounds like a mix of Dire Straits and Zero 7 (maybe?).  Nice mellow stuff.  I like it.

I Ain't Gonna Be the First to Cry

SXSW 2015: Mansionair

Might as well finish off Next Big Thing week with this trio from Sydney.  Their EP was released on Chvrches label, Goodbye Records.  Lots of buzz for them.

This is their main single.  Really good vibe.  A little Jungle, a little Temper Trap, a little Morcheeba.  If you're old school think Jimmy Somerville.

Hold Me Down

SXSW 2015: Ryn Weaver

Here's another Next Big Thing.  The moniker of San Diego native Erin Michelle Wüthrich, she was on Letterman last week and is poised to breakout big this year.  She's playing Bonnaroo and hasn't even released an album.  It comes out soon.

Kind of a mix of Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding.  This song blew up on the Internet.  Only a sample on Soundcloud.

OctaHate

SXSW 2015: Leon Bridges

Soul/R&B from Fort Worth.  This will be the next big breakout so expect to see him on Letterman or Fallon once his album is out this year.  This song is a demo but has 750,000 listens on Soundcloud.  Wow.

My go-to source for tips, Operation Every Band, compares him to Michael Kiwanuka and Sam Cooke.  I agree.

Coming Home

SXSW 2015: Circa Waves

Indie rock/pop band from Liverpool.  A little bit Strokes, a little bit Jake Bugg.  Could be fun.

Young Chasers

SXSW 2015: Roger Sellers

This is an Austin-based musician that we need to watch out for.  He released an EP last year that received lots of positive reviews, even landing on some KEXP DJs best-of lists.  A nice mellow sound.  It's described as  "folk-dance-americana-electric-symphonic fusion where Philip Glass, Sufjan Stevens, and Joanna Newson all groove to late night ambient house music in George Martin’s livingroom."  He's playing SXSW but hopefully we can catch him around town.

Sincere

SXSW 2015: Cathedrals

Another electro-pop duo, but this one is from San Francisco. A "breakout act" at CMJ, they are also on Spotify's Emerge shortlist.  Lots more on the band in this Paste profile "Best of What's Next".  So expect more hype for SXSW.

This song has some bits of Tune-Yards, Chvrches, and Phantogram.  It starts rocking towards the end, though.

Harlem

SXSW 2015: Blue Hawaii

A mellow song to start.  This is a duo originally from Montreal.  They played CMJ and are now making their way down to Austin.  I like this one.

Get Happy

SXSW 2015: BØRNS

Here's a future hit. BØRNS is the moniker of Garrett Borns, a Michigan-born, currently LA artist.  The EP is out on major-label Interscope so expect lots of PR behind him.  Radio airplay soon to come.

A nice summertime song to get us through this cold snap.

10,000 Emerald Pools

SXSW 2015: Ballroom Thieves

Here's a band out of Boston on the road to try and make ends meet.  It's two guys on guitar and drums with a female cello player.  No, not the Lumineers.  Yes, they sound like a cross between them and Civil Wars (and Shovels and Rope). But totally different.  Maybe.

Down by the River (Not a Neil Young cover)

SXSW 2015: Alvvays

The third list of bands has come out which means it's time for me to get going on band discovery.  This always starts as a trickle since we don't know the showcase or day party schedules yet.  I'll start with some of the bands I've already come across that could have a big SXSW this year.  Might as well go alphabetically to start.  First up:  Alvvays.

This is a band out of Toronto that has toured with Peter Bjorn and John and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.  Poppy indie-rock.  Their album came out in August and went to #1 on the college radio charts and is on a few top-10 of 2015 lists.  Her voice is really nice.  Reminds me of Kathleen Edwards if she fronted Real Estate.

This is a great song.  The whole album is good.  It's on the server if you want to listen.

Archie, Marry Me