
The Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and Iceland have sent many artists to entertain at previous SXSW festivals, but this year is especially good. This is a collection of all the Nordic bands and artists I could find appearing at SXSW. This is by no means all of them... although you surely can't quibble at forty-five free mp3s, can you? David and The Citizens (Sweden - pictured above) a heart and a hand and the love for a band big Chill let's not fall apart [...]

I'm really enjoying this band, The Parson Red Heads . They've toured with some respectable bands and after I noticed uber blog nova, Menomena being among them, I figured I better check into them. The Parson Red Heads are a family band, brothers, sisters, wives and longtime friends make up the mix. They remind me a little of Brothers & Sisters (the Austin-based band)...meaning they have the same vibe...less country influences, but just as heavy on the psych-pop side of things. The band can expand [...]

There tends to be a certain unjustified disposition towards bands who release entire albums for free on the internet. Some point to a lack of quality, effort, and creativity before even listening to one song. What about bands with visible talent who just enjoy spreading their music to all fans throughout the world, at no cost? Treeball are a good example of this unselfish attitude. Sure, the band could have released I Dream of Eclectic Sheep and made some sort of profit, but they seem to value quality reception and support from fans instead of financial [...]