Dinner Music 123: The weekly lineup
bands i'm excited for at SXSW
I’ve got a couple of Horse Opera SXSW gigs coming up. If you’re in Austin or will be here, come say hi :) A few listed below, more on our instagram.
Tuesday, March 11 w/ DJ Holographic (Might Be Magic)
Saturday, March 15 / Kai Castro
This week we’re listening to a rare lineup of all new music. SXSW begins in Austin on Friday and the city will become unruly. I feel a bit ancient saying I’ve been going for over ten years, even when I lived in New York, I’d often fly down. Usually, I just bop from free unofficial showcase to free unofficial showcase and this year, there are so many great ones. I’ll never forget seeing Lucy Dacus inside at Cheer Up Charlies in the early afternoon with maybe twenty people! There is a faction of Austinite that will turn their noses up at SXSW, there is plenty to criticize, but it’s a great way to see and discover really good bands for free. I often think about Michelle Zauner talking about how Japanese Breakfast once played at SXSW and then, after that, she never had to work again.
So, I’ve spent the last few weeks combing through the artists who will be in town. Here’s a few I’m excited to see. More to come next week. And maybe the week after that.
We begin with Arsun’s Babe I Hear Thunder in Your Heart, a folk-inflected indie rock album that channels raw, melancholic energy reminiscent of Lou Reed or early Leonard Cohen. Next, we have Annie-Claude Deschênes' LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE. A playful, avant-garde pop experiment, fusing wry spoken-word delivery with jittery synths. We stay in a similar sonic universe with Amiture’s The Beach (which feels like it could be an homage to Miss Kittin and The Hacker?) weaves post-punk with electronic textures that oscillate between a detached cool and deep vulnerability. Then we move into Band Made Out of Sand from Matching Outfits, with an off-kilter indie charm that pairs warm, lo-fi arrangements with songwriting that feels both tender and direct. We end with Arushi Jain’s Delight, an immersive blend of Indian classical music and modular synth minimalism.
Enjoy.
The playlist: Spotify / Apple Music
Paid subscribers have access to the full Dinner Music archive (via Spotify and Apple Music), an after hours playlist, a “New York Grooves” playlist and more — hundreds of hours of groove, soul, jazz, folk, samba, hi-life, disco, electro, post-punk, funk and more, lovingly selected.
Monday
Babe I Hear Thunder in Your Heart - Arsun (2024)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Tuesday
LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE - Annie-Claude Deschênes (2024)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Wednesday
The Beach - Amiture (2021)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Thursday
Band Made Out of Sand - Matching Outfits (2021)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Friday
Delight - Arushi Jain (2024)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Pair with
Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Pasta. Easy and very delicious. I think roasted eggplant is an underrated and underutilized dinner ingredient.
Xinomavro Rosé 'Le Rose' 2022. Greek rosé! Like sunshine and happiness in a bottle!
Olivia Laing on the right to eat badly. via
“Sandwiches from the garage, at least on a metaphorical level, are exactly what’s needed.”Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared.” Need I say why?
Thank you, thank you. Have a great week.