speed of dark

The Duke Spirit - photo
As this year's SXSW Festival draws nearer, we'll be bringing you some highlights of a few of the many bands to look out for. Put these bands on your schedule if you're going, or on your radar if you're not.

Delorentos are an impressive group of four young men from Dublin. The band have released a number of EPs and singles since 2005 but debuted their first full-length album, In Love With Detail last April, and followed up with a 4-track EP, Do You Realise in November. The songs make me think of the 80's, a little new wave, fun and energetic. I loved the tracks available on their myspace page, and you can stream more on their official site. See them at SXSW on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

We last saw Oppenheimer in October and really enjoyed this playful band, a duo from Belfast on the Bar/None label. Rocky, Shaun, and their airhorn are currently enjoying the rest of their tour with They Might Be Giants before heading to SXSW on Friday and Saturday, then to L.A. on March 17 at The Viper Room. The band will release their second album, Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It on June 3. See the rest of their tour schedule on their myspace and check out the band's recent set on WOXY.

The Duke Spirit are a five-piece from the UK with a mighty female vocalist and lovely, dreamy songs. The band was featured on "May Day", my favorite track from UNKLE's 2007 release, War Stories. Neptune, their new album, will be released on the Shangri-La label on April 8. Their tour schedule starts with a show at The Echo on March 5, shows at SXSW on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and meanders over the UK and the midwest before concluding at the Isle of Wight Festival in June.

We last saw Johnathan Rice with Ben Gibbard in May, where his acoustic set wooed us with his quiet humor and quirky, heartfelt lyrics. See him at SXSW on Wednesday and check out his myspace to stream songs, see videos, and check out the rest of his tour, which culminates in a residency at Spaceland every Monday in April.

Seattle's J. Tillman will be at SXSW on Thursday. Tillman's album Minor Works was finally released in the US on Undertow in January, and he is working on his new album Vacilando Territory Blues, to be released in 2008. Check out his myspace to see more tour dates and hear more music.

oppenheimer: straight out of comp'in' [buy]
j. tillman: steel on steel [buy]
UNKLE: may day (featuring the duke spirit) [buy]
delorentos: basis of everything [buy]