It’s that “special time of the year” when the world’s indie EDM glitterati descend on Austin Miami for SXSW the Winter Music Conference. Avicii’s playing the Ultra main stage tomorrow night and he’s got a little (if not the only) something special to drop into his headlining mix, it’s a brand new tune and it’s called “Last Dance”. Get it girl.
Avicii 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
By Bruce Rave
As Day 3 of SXSW gets under way, Pond are by far my most pleasant shock. Maybe pleasant isn’t the word because these guys simply blew us out of the state. The last thing you would expect is that this is a side project for the drummer and bass player of Tame Impala. This fave track makes you expect a hard garage live feel, but they blend that with the power and instrumental parts of the best 70’s and 80’s metal bands. They came out so intense that many of us initially wondered whether it was the same band. The music shredded, there was always something happening visually, including singer Paisley Adams literally hanging from the rafters. See them when you can.
POND. 
(Facebook)
Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
So we’re big fans of New Zealand act The Black Seeds’ fellow Kiwi soulmen Electric Wire Hustle (one of our standouts from SXSW, most definitely); and while The Black Seeds maybe have not reached the acclaim in the States (except maybe former Seed Oscar-winning! Bret McKenzie, who’s probably best known for his work on Flight of the Conchords) that EWH has, the Wellington dub act is no doubt a force to be familiar with. New track “Pippy Pip” is a great islands-tinged halfstep tune that while heavy on the reggae feel is light on any weird works-against-the-song white dude reggae wanking (you know what we’re talking about). It’s a really soulful track that while powerful grabs at you subtly; the sort of track that seeps in slowly. Soul business.
The Black Seeds 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Wildcat! Wildcat! first caught our attention back in February, and since a flurry of buzz has ascended on to this band and their early best tracks of 2k12 contender, “Mr. Quiche”. The LA based trio will be performing live this Wednesday, 3/14 at Central S.A.P.C. with support from The Neighborhood, Hearts and Minutes, The Echo and The Sound Live. We’ve got a pair of tickets to this can’t miss show for all of you kicking themselves for not being in Austin for SXSW this week! To enter just email us here and tell us that you want the hook up! We’ll be picking our winners at random on Wednesday, day of the set. Get additional details on the show at Central S.A.P.C.
Wildcat! Wildcat! – Mr. QuicheThe Central S.A.P.C. 
(Info)
By Bruce Rave
B3SCI readers know me as the dude who posts a “Rave’s Fave” every week, and you might also know that I have 2 weekly new music shows on Moheak Radio. For music lovers in LA that miss Indie 103.1 FM, you can catch up with most of the station’s original on-air personalities on Moheak including TK, Dave Navarro, Darren Revell and many others. Moheak Radio is working with The Satellite LA to bring 4 nights of great bands for people in LA who won’t be in Austin for SXSW. It’s also our first annual LAxLA event! A $10 wristband will gain you admission to all 4 nights. See the lineup at either site. Even the DJ’s will be stellar with the likes of Adam from She Wants Revenge and Blake Miller from Moving Units taking turns on the decks. It’s a grand time for all and a fundraiser for a very cool radio station, so how can you go wrong?
Email B3SCI here with your interest to win a pair of wristbands to the week’s event. Winners will be picked at random on 3/13. Good luck and #RAVEON!
By Stephen Dobrinich
I was hooked on ‘If Not For You’ from the outset and this lo-fi version of a great Dylan track definitely delivers. Tashaki Miyaki is an LA based duo which between the echoing vocals and rhythmic guitar brings to mind The Velvet Underground and the likes of other shoegazing noise rock. If you happen to be at SXSW make sure to check them out at Latitude 30 Friday night at 8pm.
Tashaki Miyaki (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
All of you avid b3(mad)scientists out there should know that The Velvet Teen is one of our favorite (and most underrated) bands of ALL TIME. The band’s commitment to challenging themselves with new sounds, styles, and writing approaches (and absolutely nailing them) is really unparalleled. The band is playing select dates through the month of March, which not only includes sets at SXSW (we will be there!), but also a gig at the The Satellite in LA tomorrow March 9… and we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the show! Catch the band as they play songs from the forthcoming full length expected later in 2012 as well as gems from the deepest reaches of their archives. Just email us here and ask for the pair of tickets to the show. Our winner will be picked at random and contacted Friday morning, day of the set.
The Velvet Teen – RadiapathyBy Chris Gedos
“Let Me Try”, a hot-off-the-presses dittie from Fast Years, is some perfectly saccharine surf-pop in anticipation for their SXSW premiere and debut EP later this spring. For a brand new band, they know their sound. It serves them very well that the two most well-known bands they’ve opened for, Howler and The Vaccines, are perfect compliments for their style of play (better than Metronomy or even Wu Lyf, for instance). Stay tuned for an interview from b3sci HQ with the contagious four piece.
Fast Years – Let Me TryFast Years 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.43
By Chris Gedos
So Cal four-piece Mrs. Magician is in the midst of a cross-country jaunt with fellow San Diegans, Cults. They’re less influenced by the NYC girl groups, instead taking cues from Don Van Vliet and a whole lot of jangle pop. Fans of irreverent, Rivers Cuomo / Stephin Merritt style songwriting should wake up early this Tuesday, March 6th, and purchase a digital copy of their debut LP, Strange Heaven, out via Swami records. The Prescription Vision 7” was released this past November, but the album version of “There is no God” is an anthem for atheists. Love this shit before a mini-encyclopedia emerges post-SXSW.
Mrs. Magician – There Is No GodMrs. Magician (Facebook)
Rating 8.49
The Pacific breeze was negated by FIDLAR’s fiery set Thursday night for the Filter Issue 47 release party at Vita Hill Social Club in Santa Monica. For those exiled from the scene, FIDLAR (Fuck it dog life’s a risk, what a name!) is the next great LA band. Or so they’ve been hailed by many a tastemaker over the past six months. I was highly entertained but not entirely convinced of their staying power after watching them at The Smell on Jan 10th; however, I’m officially a convert after Thursday’s set.
FIDLAR know how to conjure a state of hysteria, with twenty zealots moshing violently in front, as though the mosh were invented yesterday. In other words, the band has been playing some of the rowdiest sets in recent rock memory. Photographers clutched onto their equipment for dear life. Someone flew into me and I spilled my screwdriver all over my sweater. FIDLAR plays with a raw energy which is terrifying but also joyous at the same time. To call them a crossover band is a disservice; they rise above the punk distinctions and the Blink-182 comparisons.
The DIYDUI EP has a phenomenal replay value, and the success of an LP depends largely on its production. I wouldn’t mind hearing someone like Ric Ocasek step in and guide through sixteen songs in thirty-four minutes. Especially when you hear new song “No Waves”, the pop potential is readymade. And few bands have more at stake than FIDLAR. Their trajectory will be more clearly defined after their eight! SXSW shows next month. Until then, FIDLAR will be getting fucked up, having a good time, and playing the fast, fun, abrasive music they want to play in the overarching Bill Haley tradition. Fuck it dog, life’s a risk. *by Chris Gedos
FIDLAR – No Waves
Rating: 8.9
By Bruce Rave
Howler’s America Give Up album might be the first 2012 candidate to make my year-end list. The album isn’t yet out in the States, but this Minneapolis band is blowing up in the UK and currently touring all over Europe with their dirty rock sound. They’ve got the energy and enough hooks, where there are 7 different tracks I’d like to play on my new music show. Europeans are saying that 19 year old Jordan Gatesmith is a star. We in the US will be finally able to see them at SXSW in March, and at other venues around the country.
Howler – Back to the GraveCheck out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
Contributed by Chris Gedos
Industry bees were buzzing Thursday Night, December 8th, for Caveman and Races at the Echo. Sponsored by Stereogum and the 2012 Chevy Sonic, there was a certain excitement for the free show w/RSVP, held on the eve of the Echo’s 10th anniversary.
Caveman capitalized on their CMJ momentum with the triumphant CoCo Beware, sure to make many a year end list, that increasingly rare LP which actually requires a wire-to-wire listen in order to uncover its nuance. By switching the set list dramatically from the album sequence, Caveman was able to create a live experience which was no less enjoyable and gave everyone in attendance a greater appreciation for the Brooklyn five piece.
With All Things Must Pass as the DJ preset, Races started their soundcheck. Their demurely rebellious style is KROQ ready with a San Fernando stamp of approval. “Can you pull the guitar out of the monitor? This vocal isn’t right.” Wade Ryff, the band’s vocalist, knows that there’s a lot of potential converts in attendance, and the LA industry contingency always lurks in the shadows. Eventually they get into their first song. It’s an instrumental with a great 60’s sensibility, not from their current EP, and possibly the opener on their upcoming LP, slated for March to coincide with the SXSW season. After about two minutes of guitar solos over bass, drums and red nord electric 3, everyone in the joint was fucking slayed by the majesty of the shredding. We applauded as the vocals commenced.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Races. They’re worth every droplet of it. I went in with high expectations and was still blown away by their set. They can go big and emotive like Arcade Fire (their most immediate influence), a quality that not even Arcade Fire continuously possesses. The mic for singer/percussionist Devon Lee was only at 50% capacity, but her back-up vox on “Big Broom” were magical. And I even love “All for You” and its moog filched from a still lost Pinkerton b-side. Like, love and follow Races before 2011 punches its time card, because these cats might be the ones to watch for 2012.
In between sets: I stared at the Chevy Sonic light projection on the wall and contemplated the infamous “Pink Moon” Cabrio ad, the first time a compact car married an “indie” sound and aesthetic. “Some of Them Are Old” by Brian Eno also played (no more Quiet Beatle) as a perfect prelude to Caveman’s set. However, during the second soundcheck, it was revealed by the sound guy that the backing mic would only continue to work at 50%. As a result there were mic problems later on during Caveman’s set, somewhat on “Thankful” and especially during “Great Life”, where the mic feed was especially unfortunate. Other snippets sounded grainy and distorted. So much of Caveman’s music is defined by its gentle undulations, which sounded perfect through the amps for about 87% of the set.
The fact that Caveman was able to rise above these minor sound snafus speaks miles about their innate professionalism. From the set’s first song, album opener “A Country’s King of Dreams”, one of the only songs played in order, with its “There There” hyper percussion techniques, it became apparent that Caveman‘s uniqueness is their most impressive quality. Even “My Time”, a single if there could be one, is a song driven by its uniqueness, a downbeat Feelies for the 21st C. I’d rather not rack my brain to come up with another apt comparison. CoCo Beware sounds so 2011, but it’s one of the least representative LPs of the year. They’re louder than most bands and they’re softer than most bands as well. They played the entire album and one new song with a slightly more populist vibe.
I left the venue equally impressed with both Caveman and Races. Walking out, The Kink’s “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” plays over the PA, originally the B-side to “Sunny Afternoon.”
Caveman – Thankful (Facebook)
Races – Big Broom (Facebook)
Rating 9.0
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