Hello from Florida. New Stuff from a Pair of SXSW Triumphs.

Jessica Weiss (Fear of Men) and Mish Barber-Way (White Lung) at SXSW 2016.

Florida / Fear of Men / White Lung

We're big picture thinkers, CoolMom and me. She's a brilliant PhD economist, and I like to think of myself as being kind of on the ball. Details, though, sometimes aren't our strong suit. Remember how I told you that we had this big Paris / London adventure planned? Well...

As we prepared to leave for the airport on Friday, CoolMom noticed that CoolDaughter #1's passport had expired. Change of plans. We ended up piling in the van at that very moment and driving down to Florida to visit my parents for the week. We picked up CoolNiece on the way and made the 18 hour drive to Bradenton.

The Universe works in mysterious ways. We're out a few bucks in change / cancelation fees sure; but, so far, things have been great. Sun, beach, pools, baseball, family, and theme parks. The cooldaughters are having a better time than they ever would have had traipsing around cold European cities. Not bad.

That means some light posting for this week, but I'm always game to share stuff that quickly catches my eye. Going through my email today, I found two new things from bands who were primary draws for me at South By Southwest and who delivered amazing sets when I saw them.

Fear of Men, "Island" Video

Brighton's Fear of Men were nothing short of brilliant at Sidewinder on the Friday night at South By Southwest. I shared "Island," the first single from their upcoming Fall Forever a few weeks back; and the band have just released a video for the song. In it, Jessica Weiss channels her live performance, this time in a grey, natural, clearly British setting.



White Lung, "Kiss Me When I Bleed"

White Lung played their first set at the Ad Hoc day party at Cheer Up Charlie's on the Wednesday afternoon. Frontwoman Mish Barber-Way is another revelatory performer. On "Kiss Me When I Bleed," her voice combines with the high-pitched buzzsaw of Kenny William's guitar to create something that slices and cuts at high velocity. White Lung's new sound retains the intensity of their past work, while setting them up for what could be a big breakout. The band come to Brooklyn's Baby's All Right on May 7th.



Until next time. I think it's almost time for happy hour at the tiki bar.

CoolDad Does Austin: SXSW Day 4

It's been three years since I could see Fear Of Men again.

Mitski, Protomartyr, Tacocat, Fear Of Men, Beach Slang (again)

I was beat when I got up on Friday morning. Thursday was one long, hot, humid day; and I may have overdone it a bit. On Friday, then, I decided to take things kind of easy and see some of the acts I'd come to see but had missed so far. The Pitchfork Day Party at Barracuda had a few, so that's where I made my first stop.

Mitski has been to Asbury Park a few times; but, for various reasons, I missed her every time. I resolved to catch one of her sets at South By Southwest, and I'm happy I did. The crowd was quite attentive and quiet during her set, which Mitski appreciated. That quiet attentiveness would change as the place filled up.

I made my way over to the outside stage and set up for Protomartyr. They're probably one of the main reasons I was so excited to come to Austin. Their last two albums, Under Cover of Official Right and The Agent Intellect, are two of my favorites from the last several years. Singer Joe Casey snarls the lyrics like he's just about to burst into a rage, remaining precariously calm as the band lets loose around him.

Protomartyr

Katie Crutchfield was finishing up her set inside as I made my way towards the door. By this time, the crowd had swelled, and the attentiveness from earlier in the afternoon had disappeared.

Not wanting to overdo it again, I decided a sit down lunch was in order. I made my way over to Iron Works Barbecue and was thrilled when I found no line and plenty of seats. Amazing what walking a few blocks can do. Brisket, a beer, and just some sitting. Then it was time for Tacocat over on Rainey Street at Container Bar.

Tacocat took the stage to the strains of The Everymen's "Spain" and powered through some sound issues to deliver a set of smart, funny, and subversive pop. They'll be at Mercury Lounge on April 12th, and you should try to catch them.

Back out to my hotel for some R&R.

I made my way back downtown to Sidewinder for the Flowerbooking / Polyvinyl / Topshelf showcase where I'd get to see Fear Of Men and Diet Cig, both of whom I'd been trying to catch all week, along with Beach Slang. The two surprises of the night for me were Palm and Wildhoney. Philly's Palm are mathy and complex. Wildhoney from Baltimore are dream pop in the vein of, well, Fear Of Men.

I've waited to see Fear Of Men again since catching them at FYF in 2013. Since then, their sound has moved from jangly post punk to something more synth driven. The songwriting and singing of Jess Weiss, though, still carry things; and, freed from her guitar, she's able to lose herself a little bit more in her performance. They were great.

Diet Cig guitarist / singer, Alex Luciano, is some combination of a kid on a sugar high and an aerobics instructor. From the opening chord of Diet Cig's set until she made her way down into the crowd for the end, she was non-stop high kicking, bouncing, and smiling. A few folks down front were right there with her. Drummer Noah Bowman gave some heft to the band's poppy bounce.

Diet Cig

It was time for Beach Slang again. Compared to the set at Frank the day before, both the audience and the band were a little more ramshackle. A few folks up front decided that they would try to direct the show, and frontman James Alex took the band well past their time limit, repeating "Noisy Heaven" as requested and throwing in covers of songs by Jawbreaker and The Replacements (2). Another great set for totally different reasons. Watching the band absorb and adapt to the crowd was pretty amazing.

That took me right up to 2am. I made it back to my hotel and tried to get enough sleep to collect my energy for one more day. I can barely walk anymore, but I'll dig deep. Until next time.

New Single and Album from Fear Of Men

Fear Of Men's Jess Weiss at FYF in 2013.

"Island"

I develop connections to bands. When I took my big journey out west to FYF in LA a few years ago, I was hanging between stages in the middle of the huge, dusty field and happened upon the set by Brighton UK's Fear Of Men. The haunting voice of Jess Weiss and the band's chiming guitars recalled some of the post-punk sounds of my youth, and I was hooked. Their debut full-length, Loom, was one of my favorite albums of 2014.

The other day, the band released the first single from their upcoming Fall Forever (due June 3rd via Kanine). On "Island," the bell-like guitar tones of Loom give way to something more electronic and effects-pedal driven. Fear Of Men retain their post-punk DNA but take things in a less traditional, more modern direction. Things are still anchored by Jess Weiss's vocal, and when she sings, "I will be what I want," it comes in the form of a calm declaration instead of an explosive epiphany.

Fear Of Men will be heading to Austin for some shows at this year's South By Southwest, and I'm going to try and stumble across them again while I'm there. They play closer to CDMHQ when they hit Brooklyn's Rough Trade on 3/22.

Fear Of Men on Tour

3/16 @ 12:25 PM - Spider House (SXSW ATX Pop Fest / Austin Town Hall Party)
3/16 @ 2:25 PM - Flamingo Cantina (SXSW Under The Radar Party)
3/16 @ 11:00 PM - Valhalla (SXSW Kanine Records Official Showcase)
3/18 @ 1:30 PM - Container Bar (SXSW Culture Collide Party)
3/18 @ 11:00 PM - Sidewinder (SXSW Flowerbooking Showcase)
3/19 @ TBA - Cheer Up Charlie's (SXSW Brooklyn Vegan Party)
3/22 - New York, NY @ Rough Trade

Fear of Men, Loom, 2014

Album Review

One of the craziest things I did in 2013 was head to LA for FYF Fest alone, the morning after CoolDaughter #2 got her tonsils removed. My Bloody Valentine were one of the headliners; and, at the time I made my arrangements, FYF was their only US date. CoolDad Music doesn't generally merit press passes, so I was there just as a fan for my first festival experience since the one-day Lollapalooza stop in Stanhope, NJ back in 1992. I had a pretty good time. Lots of my favorites -- old and new -- were part of the lineup.

Anyway, thinking that it might be nice to have a place to sit and have a drink during the downtime, I sprung the extra not very much money to gain access to the fest's "VIP" sections. There wasn't much to them other than smaller crowds, some seating, and expensive drinks; but there were definitely times when I was happy to have them as an option. One of the VIP sections sat between the outdoor Charlotte stage, which seemed like the second "main" stage after Carrie, and Samantha's Tent, which hosted comedy, smaller acts, and EDM in the evenings. It was in that section, as I sipped a $14 cucumber-y margarita thing, that I first heard Brighton, UK quartet Fear of Men over on Charlotte.

Their set impressed me. I chugged the rest of my drink so that I could leave the VIP section and get closer to the stage. I've been into things more rock-y or punk-y lately, but Fear of Men's Smiths via The Sundays-inspired sound is something that I've always loved. Songwriter / vocalist Jess Weiss has a voice that floats and swirls over Daniel Falvey's chiming guitar lines. I went home and bought their Early Fragments compilation.

Today sees the release of the band's first proper LP in Loom. It comes amid quite a bit of hype, including an exclusive Record Store Day 2014 "deluxe" release over which at least one person got very excited. Fear of Men do have a sound that I think translates very well to mainstream outlets like Sirius XMU, and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot from the band throughout the summer and the rest of 2014.

Album opener and early single "Alta / Waterfall" showcases Fear of Men at their best. The shimmering, meticulous post-punk pop wraps around Weiss's dark lyrics like, "You will never leave me / As long as I inter you with my bones." The themes of distance, drifting, and floating on songs like "Green Sea," "America," and "Luna" pair well with the band's cold yet dreamy sound. Early Fragments standout "Seer" gets a re-release here, and acoustic-only closer "Atla" is a hauntingly simple backhanded version of absence makes the heart grow fonder: "If you never leave me I'll never understand you / Cause I'll never know what I could have been without you."

There's a smart and literary quality to the lyrics on Loom that, when combined with the music, lends things a feel that should be familiar to anyone -- like me -- who was listening to some of the alternative music coming out of the UK in the early-mid 80s. Those are great sounds which should make Loom accessible even to people a lot younger than I am.

After their set at FYF, Weiss and Falvey were hanging around that VIP section; and I had a chance to speak to them briefly. I believe they had come to the States specifically for the festival, with maybe a stop in Brooklyn, the home base of their label, on one of the ends of their trip. At that point, I don't think they'd been over here much. Fear of Men will be touring the US throughout April and May. They should probably put more dates in their plans, because I think the demand is going to be there.

Loom is out now on Kanine Records.

First Singles from the Debut LP from Fear of Men

Fear of Men's Jess Weiss at LA's FYF Fest in August 2013

"Alta / Waterfall"

Back in August, on "CoolDad's Great West Coast Festival Trip of 2013," one of the band's that impressed me was Brighton, UK's Fear of Men. I've got a soft spot for dark and pretty post-punk dream pop, and Fear of Men have shown through a series of singles (now compiled on the excellent Early Fragments) that they can do that sound as well as anybody.

Fear of Men just released the two opening tracks from their upcoming Loom (Kanine Records, April 22nd). Frontwoman / songwriter Jess Weiss paints a picture of obsession and isolation on "Alta / Waterfall:" "You will never leave me / As long as I inter you with my bones / Trust in me completely / Show me there's no world outside our own."

Hearing these tracks this morning, as the snow accumulated once again outside my window, took me back to a warmer time and just made me more anxious for spring.