SXSW FEATURED: THE ISLES

With South By Southwest right around the corner, I have spent most of this week trying to figure out my schedule for both the movie & music portions of the festival, while also trying to figure out how I’m going to balance my volunteer shifts with my actual job. I’ve decided to add another task to my load for the next few weeks by posting a series of SXSW specific blogs.

Looking at the Lineup for this year, it’s not the usual crop of "in-the-moment-hipsters" that’s got my attention, but rather, it’s the slew of bands that have been on my radar for years now, but for whatever reason never seem to actually travel to Texas. Bands such as The Forms, Rockfour, 31 Knots, & The Isles are perfect for an event like this, essentially giving me an opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. Part of the fun of SXSW is having the freedom to walk from venue to venue and still be able to get in and see what you want. Clubs like Emo’s & the Parish, which will no doubt be housing some of the bigger named acts (Blonde Redhead, Mountain Goats, and whatnot) are harder to get into, unless you’re willing to commit your whole night to it. With this in mind, these lesser known bands should really be the ticket for me this year.

Our first post is about The Isles from New York. I first heard their "Back to Terrific" EP in 2005, and immediately thought to myself, "why aren’t these guys huge?" Their sound, a mix of Sunny California & Dreary British Pop, felt unusual, yet familiar at times and the recording seemed near perfect in it’s balance of emphasis. The vocals were clear, pretty, but not too sugary, while the drums were light, but diligent pops. A friend of mine recently described their vocalist as sounding like what might happen "if Interpol & Death Cab for Cutie had a baby and peed on it," which he said was a compliment. I can see where he’s coming from on that, but I think they’re better than the sum of those parts. Since their 2005 EP, they have released several singles, and a rather impressive full length entitled "Perfumed Lands"

They will be headlining Wednesday March 14th at Habana Calle 6 Annex (708 E. 6th St) at 1:00AM, and I will be there.

Fuck (mp3)
Eve of Battle (mp3)
True South (mp3)
Pills From Mexico (mp3)

-Popkoff