Sorry, I’m going off the deep end here…but this is why King James could take the heart of rock ‘n roll places this year.

Stereogum highlighted Dominique Leone as one of their “bands to watch” this week. Pretty neat sound – very busy, plentiful, Brian Wilson-esque bop. What differentiates the Pitchfork contributor’s tunes from Animal Collective’s is the little hint of dance somewhere at the bottom of the toy box. I’ve got to say, if you’re a tastemaker, it’s time to show your dreams to the world. Pass the doughnuts and the Voltaire, nephew.

MIA @ Hogg Auditorium/University of Texas 11/07

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Wha?! Really? MIA is coming thru May 1st @ La Zona Rosa with naughty noise manipulators Holy Fuck. She’s been up in our section a bunch lately – hitting up ACL, then UT and now good ‘ol Zona gets a boombastic taste of jungle swagga from Miss MIA thang…

All that going down not long after the revisited Deathset/Bonde Do Role (they have new members) bill that fell off a few months back. April 30 @ Emos. See you around killa.

Yelle, if you haven’t met her already, is a little French electro-pop diva who’s been blowing up recently. This new video for “Je veux te voir” is absolutely half incredible, half insane. I’m enthralled by how down this video makes her out to be….Check it (her) out.

I wonder if Uffie thinks about this chick?

I Heart Comix Party @ NYC Jelly Garage

The I Heart Comix party (NYC Jelly Garage rooftop) was a solid place to chill for the day. Nice weather, however, good ‘ol central Texas decided to turn the heat up a notch. Non-Texans: It could’ve been worse. Flosstrodomus added more heat to the equation with their massive danceriffic tunes. Kids are really getting down to the late 90’s hits already. “Do You think You’re Beeeetter Ooooff AlOOoone?” Doot Doo Doot..

I hit the “new music jackpot” when I discovered Totally Michael, BTW . Cool guy. Cool songs.

Team Robespierre @ NYLON Party

Team Robespierre played something like 13 shows. I dig their style. It seems the in-between song blurbs are mandatory in a TR set. By the 3rd time I cought them (lots of the same bands at the big free SX parties), I heard the front guy say it (again), “Heywe’reTeamRobespierrefromBrooklynNewYorkthissongsaboutourneighborhoodinBrooklyn.” Extremely necessary – even when running out of set time. Tight synth punk tho.

Cut Copy @ I Heart Comix Party

Cut Copy reminds me of Depeche Mode meets Phoenix. Step close into the light. Closer….Ohhh…soo niceee. Catch these guys if they come to your town. They are serious.

Guess Who? @ I Heart Comix Party

The day this guy and his tireless drummer stop smiling is when the shit really hits the fan. Must I tell you they rocked??

Spank Rock @ I Heart Comix Party

Spank Rock. Wh..Wh..WHAT?! The man came out during Amanda Blank’s set. He’s a pretty hype dude. It got all crazy and shit. For some reason, all I had was a huge sense of relief. At that very moment, I knew I wouldn’t have to stand in line at the Fader Party again to catch his ass.

Amanda Blank & Spank Rock @ I Heart Comix Party

Miss Blank. You are so skinny, like a toothpick. She goes off half singy-half ditty hooch rap. I can’t really make any call on her stuff until I hear a CD. Thought Diplo was doing your tracks. I’ll keep an eye out. I’ll holler at you if I can see you. 2-Dimensional babe-o-tron.

So, I Heart Comix, thanks for all the Keystone Light, and the Spank Rock pop-up. DJ’s really run your world. They all sample Matt and Kim. Coo. Kept me amused.

But then…friends and I decided…LETS RELOCATE! Imagine that. By this time, it was 12 AM, early Saturday morning, so we headed over to the Blender party.

The Cool Kids @ The Blender Party

The Cool Kids were something I had to see this year. Like I said, I’ve been hankerin’ for some hip-hop. They say they’re the black version of The Beastie Boys. That’s cool guys. Make sure you can tack on a thirty year career with your back-packy electro-laced, hard-knock numbers. Haha…Just givin’ you shit…throw it up…

Diplo & A-Track @ The Blender Party

…while Diplo and A-Trak throw it down. I remember when A-Trak came out and won the DMC battle in ‘97 (he was 15). He’s a badass (and the Chromeo frontman’s younger bro). Diplo is a pretty swell lookin’ guy. Can’t lie, I’m not usually much for DJ’s, but I’m pretty sure this was a little history in the works. Their set was a total hit. Too bad I was ready to fall down from fatigue. It was 3 or 4 AM. Let’s bounce guys…

Health @ Ms. Bea’s

Saturday…Yeah, I slept ’till about 3pm. I really at this point could give a flying fuck if the Rolling Stones were playing at my apartment complex. The only logical thing was to head over to Ms. Bea’s, where Todd P’s friends were throwing down.

Health slayed. Mathematics meets random loops dense with submerged exitement…then pity…then exitement. That’s Health. Probably the best band I had seen yet, besides These New Puritans. Support these guys if you are a musician. They are educational. Wasn’t “Health” a required class in 5th grade? Take notes then students…

Brad (Blood on the Wall) @ Ms. Bea’s

By the time Blood on the Wall came through, I was glad I left the house. The power kept shorting out (like 10x in one hour), but BOTW kept it real and rocked through the difficulties. I told Brad how glad I was to hear them over a crappy PA and stuff. Nice dude. Hard to tell, judging by his bleeding vocals/lyrical content, but you know…maybe that chick who got her heart ripped out deserved what was coming.

(The Crowd For) No Age @ Ms. Bea’s

Yes, No Age, I will stay to watch you just because I like you guys. A lot. BTW, HUGE MOSH PITS DON’T WORK OUT WHEN YOU ARE TEXTING FRIENDS AND STUFF. Should we all blame technology for taking the fun out of shows? Or just wait for two dudes who are just plain out bad-asses to save the world. No Age is here. Start your riot.

I could’ve chilled at Todd P’s all day, everyday. I loved the crowd, no lines, etc…intimate.

Totally, with SXSW being done, I’m both hating music and loving it at this point. Good year. Goodnight!

N.E.R.D. @ Fader Fort

I dabbled in SX ‘08 a bit Wed and Thurs. SXSW is sort of one big line, when you think about it. Build your anticipation to see the next big thing, while being totally bombarded by brands and beer. Quite a blissful mess, but so brilliant for marketing. I usually just drink lots of alcohol the whole time, so the branding thing flies over my head.

One partnership that is soaking in the rays this year is Levi’s and Fader. The Fader Fort takes about 1 hour in line, where it’s a great time to meet people, get a six pack, drink it (watch out for APD), and then meet “Tiny” who lets you in.

Lou Reed & Moby @ Fader Fort

“I love punk rock. But I was the first one.” – Lou Reed @ the Fader Show (at the end of his appearance)

The statement sparked laughs and roaring applause. Lou Reed joined Moby and co. on stage to play “Take a Walk On The Wild Side.” I tried so hard to get my Dad on the phone to hear that shit…

Clipse @ Mohawk

So why call Dad when Lou Reed is playing? Because he’s great. I love Velvet Underground, as does every boy/girl duo buzz-band from NYC. However, I’m ready to shut the garage door and get into the backseat of the Hummer lately. Know what I mean? There’s a little hunger I’ve been getting to catch some solid hip-hop. Clipse knows what I’m talking about. They had it rolled up in a paper bag and delivered to the Mohawk Thursday.

YACHT @ Fader Fort

If you are a boy/girl duo, then no offense. It doesn’t mean you suck. But at least YACHT can tear up a stage, AND put on a good show for measure. Jona rocks. Period. The beats are earthquakin’ and the melody is always a unique kaleidoscope of laptop goodness. Think of lollipops being hurled at a Cadillac on Daytons. It actually helps the paint job in this case.

And now….to end it all….

Tiny – The Doorguy @ Fader Fort

See you guys tomorrow. Probably later in the afternoon – my legs hurt.

This is my SX ‘08 protest blog. Instead of carrying exclusive info on the coolest, freshest, raddest parties, I will post nothing. I will leave it up to your diligence to discover how to be the coolest SX goer this year.

Well…ok…not too funny. Carry On.

Angus from Liars @ Mohawk 2/08

The Liars/No Age show was the one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while, and for those who didn’t bother coming, you missed out. No Age came out with a pretty humble, yet charismatic stage presence. Honestly, do you want to call standing on the PA speakers and amps “humble”? rrright…let’s back it up a bit…

No Age @ (same show–my artsy pic)

…And talk about sound.

Yes, No Age= really impressive. Not sure how they hold down the lower end (it’s just one guitar and drums), but these two guys ran things with a unique blend of drum driven post-punk. Response was a bit quiet–I think most Austinites (except for the obvious kids) were checking to see if this was cool to like or not. Rest assured, the crowd was twisting and shouting by the end.

No (Back) Pain No Gain

Liars don’t play, G. They destroyed it. Angus Andrew actually was twisting and shouting (not even into the mic at some points). Improvisation is prevalent in any Liars show, and once you get a taste, it’s just obvious that they’re nothing short of amazing. Props to the sound guy for handling their (unlike No Age’s) HUGE lower end of percussive darkness.

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Blood on the Wall is vicious. First of all, anyone with an album titled “Liferz” has to be for real. They’re a three piece, two of which are bro and sis. You can tell that practicing in a big garage and having lots of friends that invoke this hysteric, squeezy thrash comes to create what’s possibly a new form of “grunge” we all never knew could happen. Check their shit.

Beastie Boy Adrock went to town on MIA’s Paper Planes track. You know, the one that got things pretty pissy between her and MTV. Anyways, the 9mm blasts and the cash box are going strong on the king’s little remix. Maybe the new tune will settle some nerves.

Start the violence. Download it from Stereogum here.