Every year there's a couple of bands that just make the trip to SXSW worth it - those bands or artists that eclipse everyone else that you see and make you realize why you love music, and are willing to drive for untold hours into the heart of Texas for a 25 minute set.

Since this is my sixth SXSW in a row (wow time flies), I can say that in 2006 it was a solo Britt Daniel show and seeing KT Tunstall at Waterloo records. In 2007 the honor went to St Vincent and Page France. 2008, Clare & the Reasons (no contest)... 2009 was Wildbirds & Peacedrums, and seeing Whispertown play on a sidewalk. In 2010 it was Amber Rubarth and Dan Black - two artists who are about as diametrically opposite as you can get, and in 2011 it was without a doubt Yuna.

Though we may not know it, Yuna is a star. A bright shining, lovely 24 year old star in her home country of Malaysia where she released a self-titled EP back in 2008 (and like many others, effectively utilized MySpace to gain a ground swell following). Her single, Deeper Conversation, a simple and spare yet stunning gem of a track went on to huge acclaim and Yuna ended up winning "Best English Song", "Best Pop Song" and "Song of the Year" at the 2009 AIM awards, which is Malaysia's music awards. Not bad!

So - who does Yuna sound like. Well her inspirations are acts like No Doubt, The Cranberries, and Fiona Apple, but I personally think that her more direct influences are Regina Spektor, the already-mentioned Fiona or Norah Jones - though this is more in her music styling, her voice is really unique and I can't say that I think that her voice sounds like anyone but her.

And this is what makes SXSW so special - now that Yuna is set on conquering America (via a new EP released on iTunes on the FADER label) those of us lucky enough to be in the vicinity got to see her play at a show at the Billboard Music showcase at Buffalo Billiards on Sixth Street - and to make a good thing even better, I had the honor of a private showcase at the Driskill Hotel. Both sets got taped - and the intimate, three track Driskill set will be forthcoming sometime later this year.

So with all that said - the moral of this story is that you need to do yourself a favor and buy her EP on iTunes - link here. You can check on the tracks on Sound Cloud first, if you like - by clicking here. The EP is a 5 track wonder that perfectly showcases her delicate vocals and master songwriting. I'm wavering between Deeper Conversation, and the one-and-a-half minute Decorate being my favorite tracks - check it out (and download Decorate for free here) and decide for yourself.

And, of course, be sure to check out her 6 track set from SXSW at the Billboard event at Buffalo Billiards below.

Live MP3s:
Intro
Someone Out of Town
A Deeper Conversation
Coffee
Rocket
Dan Sebenarnya
Decorate

Studio MP3:
Decorate

Labels: austin, buffalo billiards, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, sxsw, yuna

Texas is known for producing a lot of really excellent music, but I've never heard a Texan alternative rock band who brings the best of UK melodic rock bands, like Muse, Radiohead, with a dash of the decidedly non UK Nine Inch Nails.

So it was keen surprise that I listened to the forthcoming sophomore album, Where My Communist Heart Meets My Capitalist Mind (WMCHMMCM), from Austin's very own Sounds Under Radio. First and foremost, this is a straight up, stadium sized, anthem driven rock record. Very strong, and happily received, Muse influences on the record. I am a huge fan of Absolution & Black Holes and Revelations and this album conjures up fond memories of those records, while still maintaining it's own clear identity. Second, the production on WMCHMMCM is bar none and seriously impressive. Last, the record is just SOLID all the way through. The whole record got dropped onto my iPhone (a rare occurrence in and of itself) and has been on repeated listens every since.

And though I hadn't heard of the band til about a week ago, they've been making names for themselves since 2007 with a series of songs featured in in Spider Man 3, The Wolfman, and CW's "The Vampire Diaries." The record is dropping on May 3rd and I highly recommend it.

So, when I heard that the band was going to play an ACOUSTIC gig at a coffee ship in Dallas, I was seriously curious on how they would translate the stadium sound into an acoustic offering. The answer was quite well, actually - with the band, reimagined as a duo on the acoustic guitar and keyboard (which isn't cheating, no matter what my buddy claimed), gently rocking the crowd with tracks from both their original record, Cinematica, and the forthcoming WMCHMMCM.

So check out the studio version AND the live acoustic lullaby version of what I'm guessing will be the lead single from the forthcoming album. Ill be checking these guys out again in a couple of months, so there will definitely be more Sounds Under Radio popping up around here. Also, check them out if you are going to SXSW...

Studio MP3:
Sing

Live MP3:
Sing (Acoustic Lullaby Version)

Labels: dallas, live mp3s, opening bell coffee, soundboard mp3s, sounds under radio, studio mp3s