Dirt Cheap Guide to SXSW 2013

Yes, it's THAT time of year again. RSVP links are hitting Twitter, inboxes are filling up with releases from PR companies you've never heard of and wistful think pieces are beginning to crop up all over the web. It's the week before SXSW and if you're a fan of music (or popular culture in general), you've been hearing about the year's biggest music orgy with increasing regularity for the past two months. Hopefully you've made up your mind about whether or not you'll be heading down to Austin, TX next week (if not, you better hurry up and request a few days off from work, and a few more to recover from the resulting hangover).

This year marks my third trip down south and, as usual, I'm heading into the city-spanning festival without an official badge or wristband. Unless you're an industry type who needs access to every single showcase or want to see Justin Timberlake perform an intimate show in an abandoned tortilla factory, you simply don't need those exorbitantly priced credentials. And get this: even if you do pony up for one, you'll probably still have to wait in some lines (which will transform you into one of the grumpiest assholes in all of Austin).

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Albums of 2012

I'm a bit late on the delivery of my list of favorite albums this year, but the list itself was one of the easiest I've ever made. That's not to say that 2012 was so devoid of quality music that only a select few records made themselves worthy of inclusion. Rather, it felt as if there were loads of great records released over the past year, but only a few of them truly amazed and inspired me. So, roll up your sleeves, pour yourself a beverage of your choosing and join me as I attempt to explain to you why I liked these albums more than all those other albums. For variety's sake, they're in reserve alphabetical order this time around.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2012 (Pt. II)

The year is almost over, so there's no point in wasting any more of your precious time. Here is the second half of my 40 favorite tracks of 2012:

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2012 (Pt. I)

Can you feel that chill in the air? It must be time for the annual flurry of year-end lists. Following the precedent I set forth with last year's volley of meticulously annotated inventories, I'll be presenting my 40 favorite tracks of 2012 in two parts, followed by a list of my favorite albums released over the past year. I'll also be including the obligatory Spotify playlists for those of you who would prefer to listen to music instead of reading about it.

Initial Nelsonville Music Festival 2012 Lineup Revealed

In the few years I found myself sequestered in southeastern Ohio, I witnessed the exponential growth of the Nelsonville Music Festival, culminating with last spring's performances by the Flaming Lips, Neko Case and Yo La Tengo. Though my stomping grounds have shifted within the past year to a city with no shortage of music festivals, the lineup revealed today for the 2012 edition of the Nelsonville Music Festival will definitely warrant a trip back to my home state.

Leading today's roster was Iron & Wine, the constantly evolving folk-rock project of Sam Beam who will be an absolute pleasure to take in amongst the Appalachian foothills. Virtuosic guitarist M. Ward and psych rock legend Roky Erickson have also been confirmed for the festival, the former touring behind his newest record and the latter likely sifting through his extensive back catalog. Americana purveyors Dawes will bring their intricate harmonies to Nelsonville, while Charles Bradley will provide the Daptone Records-endorsed soul. Those with a desire for rock and roll will be satiated by Philly noisemakers Kurt Vile and Violators and the Sonic Youth-derived Lee Ranaldo Band. Other notable groups on the bill include experimental Minneapolis folk collective Dark Dark Dark and fellow veterans of the Portland music scene Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside and Horse Feathers.

It's looking like another banner year for the Nelsonville Music Festival, and with months to go before the event, we're liable to see several more exciting additions to the lineup. This year's festival takes place May 18-20 in Nelsonville, OH and tickets are already on sale.

Album Review: Errors "Have Some Faith In Magic"

If the veritable fanfare of grandiose guitars and synth which open "Tusk" make one thing very clear, it's that the Glasgow post-electro purveyors known as Errors have arrived. Or perhaps they've been here all along? The quartet's third and latest record, entitled Have Some Faith In Magic, is hardly their first foray into melding synth-pop inclinations with more progressive tendencies. Unheard here are the stylistic disparities which made their sophomore effort Come Down With Me an exciting, though often haphazard listen. Still stuck somewhere between the dance floor and the rock hall, Errors have crafted a strikingly singular sound that is equally at home in either venue.

Early single "Magna Encarta" grinds to life as varying electronic tones merge to form a moody, neon symphony, pierced by comparatively organic percussion and guitars. Distant vocals enter the piece as it descends into an 8-bit dungeon, with a stuttering chiptune lament punctuating the track's final crescendos. Elsewhere, the mechanized shoegaze of "Blank Media" wallows in woozy keyboards against a persistently shifting bass line. By the time the glittering intro to "Pleasure Palaces" kicks in, the record's dense, atmospheric course has been all but set. Fuzzed-out guitars wail as spectral voices rise amidst the sea of digital swells, all set against a relentless, pulsing beat.

While the album's first half is far from conventional, its latter portion seems even more intent on maintaining an off-kilter sentiment. From the faltering detuned chords of "The Knock" to the alternately eerie and anthemic strains of "Cloud Chamber," the Scottish ensemble continually showcase an ear for strange yet tuneful compositions. These ethos are beautifully summed up in "Earthscore," a track which unfolds itself gradually as bubbling synths rubbing up against deftly manipulated vocals and thunderous stabs of bass. There's a palpable sense of experimentation present, certified by some truly strange musical moments which find inspiration in retro video game soundtracks and prog-rock indulgence.

Have Some Faith In Magic is a record that feels unified by a group that has comfortably grown into a unique and innovative sound. Shepherded by post-rock forefathers Mogwai, the fellow Scots have managed to transcend preconceived genre classification and forge their own path. These electro sorcerers have delivered their finest effort to date—a record brimming over with hooks, intelligence and more than a little indescribable magic.

Album Review: The Black Swans + The Fishermen Three "Knives / Up Here"

In a rare case of Midwest meets East Coast by way of the West Coast, Ohio-based folk-rockers the Black Swans have put out a new song on a split 7-inch with Brooklyn's the Fishermen Three, released by upstart Berkeley, CA label Shelved Records. The connecting tissue in this unlikely union is Raphi Gottesman, a drummer who has played with both of these bands and is now fostering his own small record label. This inaugural vinyl release suggests that Gottesman has an ear for pleasantly askew, forward-thinking artists.

In their typically understated fashion, the Black Swans' contribution finds frontman Jerry DeCicca leading the group in a slow-burning track called "Knives." Harnessing a sparse, oftentimes haunting arrangement, DeCicca details the myriad uses and inherent danger of the titular cutlery in his calm, calculated drawl. If the quiet, unsettling nature of the song's opening moments acts as a proverbial stab at the listener's gut, then the chorus' major key modulation replicates the twisting of the blade. The song's sharpest moment comes as DeCicca's poignantly distills the inescapable personal quality of the age-old weapon, "You kill with a knife / You've got blood on your hands."

On the other side of the record, the Fisherman Three contrast the Black Swans' grounded lament with an interstellar ode, entitled "Up Here." Singer Simon Beins takes on the guise of a solitary explorer of the final frontier, in search of an inhabitable planet and the remedy for his broken heart. The group's stark arrangement evokes the vast emptiness of space, with an inky, black acoustic strum joined by shining pinpoints of Rhodes and electric guitar. Pondering the emotional repercussions of a gravity-free environment, Beins sounds like a veritable cosmic psychoanalyst. With the avoidance sci-fi music tropes, save for a single synth-like interlude, the Fisherman Three craft a surprisingly down-to-earth track concerning post-apocalyptic life among the stars.

The split 7-inch is available via Shelved Records. The Black Swans and the Fisherman Three will set out on a West Coast tour in support of the record on January 20— dates can be found here.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Albums of 2011

In compiling my favorite albums this year, I tried to think back and include records that deserved to be heard in their entirety. It's been interesting to observe how the music business has slowly slipped back towards a single-driven mentality, precipitated by on-demand listening and fragmented purchasing options. Increasingly, there aren't a whole lot of reasons to put much thought into crafting a cohesive, long-playing listening experience. Which is why it's all the more impressive when a group is able to make their entire record mesh in the kind of way that almost forces you to take it all in at once. Assembled here are the albums of 2011 that pulled me in and didn't relinquish my attention until the conclusion of their running time.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2011 (Part II)

I hope you caught the first part of my favorite 40 tracks of 2011, because we're on to the second half of the list. If you'd like to listen along, check out my Spotify playlists which contain all but a few of the tracks from both the first and second parts of the list. Let's finish this off— here are the rest of the songs from the past year that caught my ear and didn't let go.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2011 (Part I)

Every year when I sit down to write these lists, I find myself enjoying the process of compiling my favorite tracks more and more. Originally I started making this list as a sort of consolation for my inability to include each and every record I enjoyed on my favorite albums list. Now, I almost feel as if it's the more important and rewarding list—the outlet for my inner DJ, intent on sequencing hour after hour of exemplary music. These are the songs that serenaded a year of intense upheaval, as I left my home state for the bustling city. Each of them are something more that the sum of their chords, melodies and lyrics. They are the 40 songs that accompanied cross-country drives, late night train rides and walks through the neighborhood. In the year 2011, these are the tracks that meant the most to me.