Islands = Mania. That's a good way to start, as facepainted lead singer Nick Thorburn waxes eloquent or arrogant on stage, and the Montreal six-piece come together in a clattering display of Graceland-influenced indie, not to mention the occasional rap, and pretty much anything else you can throw in there. Their latest record, Arm's Way, which some love, and some don't so much love, is a collection of twenty-first century rock songs bordering on the brooding, though the light-hearted catastrophizing that marked their debut album still pops up in places; it will be more than interesting to see these elaborate arrangements manifested on stage. ...

Tonight at Emo's, local indie wunderkinds Corto Maltese will perform alongside Death is not a Joyride, Frank Smith, Southern Drama and Kevin A. from Mothfight for a free show celebrating the launch of Soundcheck Magazine's new Web site. We've long been discussing our excitement for Corto Maltese and their potential here in Austin, and 2008 will finally help us satiate some of our desire: they're in the studio, working on a full-length, and it looks like we'll finally get to hear a larger body of work than the demo. ...

SureFire Media + Promotion is doing its bit to make good on its promise to bring a breath of fresh air to Antone’s, and this Thursday, the booking and publicity agency presents a four-pronged assault of local pop at the 5th St. venue. That’s not all -- they're giving away a couple of pairs of tickets to the show featuring Tacks, The Boy Disaster, Golden Bear, The Mercers, and Wiretree. Follow the jump for a chance to win!...

Vancouver, BC’s Ladyhawk are on the road in support of their haunting sophomore LP Shots (released in March on Secretly Canadian), and they’re having a rough time of it — according to frontman Duffy Driedger, not many people are turning up to hear the band’s boozy jams. You can help make the tour a little brighter by heading to Emo’s tonight, where Ladyhawk are sharing the inside stage with Saddle Creek barflies Neva Dinova....

This Sunday night holds one the most dazzling shows of the year, as the ultra-critically-acclaimed Caribou and Fuck Buttons take the stage in a whir of electronic and live action wonderfulness. Opening up will be Fuck Buttons, who, for their part, are one of the most fascinating new musical outfits to make a splash in 2008. Their noise-driven electronic music is almost jarringly abrasive on its scratchy surface, yet rewards the patient listener with a hint of melody—truth be told, their new album Street Horrrsing is one of our recent faves. So, unquestionably, their presence on the bill should keep too many people from straggling in late through Emo's doors....

Eisley headlines Antone’s on Wednesday in support of its second full-length Combinations (released last August.) The record is chock-full of the gleaming melodies and soothing harmonies we’ve come to expect from this Texan family. We first witnessed Eisley in action at Stubb’s during SXSW 2003. The bill that evening featured the likes of Supergrass and The Polyphonic Spree but we vividly remember Eisley holding its own with exquisite renditions of early material such as “Memories” and “Sea King.” Check out Eisley's new video “Invasion” via YouTube and catch the act's ethereal pop soundscapes live in concert this evening. We caught up with Chauntelle DuPree recently to decipher the Eisley’s family tree, inspirations, and the key moments that have shaped the band’s journey....

Simian Mobile Disco are no strangers to SXSW. The duo were one of the highlights of the electronic music at SXSW '07, and they've returned for four shows at this year's event. James Ford and Jas Shaw are still touring behind 2007's Attack Decay Sustain Release, which has lit up dance floors worldwide with cuts like "I Believe" and "It's The Beat." The band are currently working on material for their second album, so one can hope that a few new tracks may turn up in these live performances. Ford is also working as an in-demand producer for acts like Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons, thus is a busy man indeed....

Phosphorescent, the woodsy and brutally honest project of Brooklyn-by-way-of-Athens-and-Alabama musician Matthew Houck, used the strength of last year's Pride to firmly establish itself as an act to be reckoned with. Combining haunting natural effects and skillful understatement, the album presents an intentionally rough-around-the-edges sound that has drawn complimentary comparisons to everyone from Dylan to Oldham. In advance of Phosphorescent's three SXSW shows, including the Austinist/Gothamist get together on Wednesday, Matthew Houck spoke to us while snowed-in in New York....

One of Polyvinyl's more interesting, seasoned acts, Aloha, is coming in during South by week to play the Polyvinyl/Team Love show on Friday the 14th and and the Mess With Texas 2 event at Waterloo Park on Saturday. The experimental indie rock quartet is touring on the heels of a recent EP, Light Works, and in advance of an upcoming LP. They had a second and so did we, so we all sat down at our computers and conducted the following interview full of talk about varied instrumentation, the lives of gypsies and becoming rowdier with age. ...

Aziz Ansari gets SXSW. While you know him best for his role on MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant (which also features Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer), Ansari is also a music nerd. He has a blog, writes comedy bits about music, and can't help but mock the indie scene we all partake in. For those less familiar with Ansari, here's a quick primer: "Shittiest Mixtape Boombox Blast", "Clell Tickle: Marketing Guru", "Indie Ad Exec", "Other Music" ...

Call ‘em Cowpunk. Call ‘em alt. country. Call ‘em country-ish indie rock. But, whatever tag you affix on Memphis rockers Lucero know that there will come a time at least once in your life when their gritty, twangy, whiskey-soaked tunes of hard livin’ fit snugly like a wooden peg. And maybe, that time is during South by week. ...

Last year, we outlined all the Japanse bands coming to SXSW, and this year we're really excited about Norway. We are happy to report that Oslo-based jazz-metal group Shining are on their way, as well as Ungdomskulen and Hanne Hukkelberg. ...

Lurking in the near, near future is the album Alopecia, the strange, provocative, and incredibly engaging new album from Why?, a Bay Area band that seems to be ticketed for a whole new bunch of notoriety, right quick. While Why? in the past has often incited listeners to, well, invoke the name of the band--mostly because of scattershot verbosity and music that seemed more pieced-together than refined--they've pulled all their unbridled talent together into a cohesive and coherent, not to mention very good, whole. And, seeming as they're going to be tromping all about Austin's stomping grounds next week for SXSW, we sent out some questions to lead figure and wordsmith Yoni Wolf. You know, just to see what he's all about....

So the time is ripe for the 2008 SXSW Music Festival and what better way to lead into that madness than with a host of quality bands at Emo’s to kick off this weekend. Friday marks the CD Release show for local outfit What Made Milwaukee Famous. Officially released on March 4th, What Doesn’t Kill Us will be available for purchase during the show; the album finds the band maturing into a polished rock act while maintaining their keen ear for pop melodies, their expert arrangements of well-crafted tracks, and their penchant for catchy guitar hooks. Check out the video for “Sultan” off the new album via YouTube here....

Liam Finn has seen a lot of the world lately, albeit from the stages of pubs, clubs, and arenas. The 24-year-old New Zealander has 126,000 frequent flyer miles at the moment, thanks to a year spent touring both as a guitarist for Crowded House and promoting his new Yep Roc album I'll Be Lightning. The self-produced and performed record finds Finn in a reflective mood, and alternates between indie chamber-pop and much more rocking material. Currently on tour with Pela, Finn will drop in for a handful of SXSW gigs before heading back on the road to open on Eddie Vedder's solo tour. We spoke to Liam Finn this week about Neil Young, loop pedals, and London. We encourage you to attend the Austinist-Gothamist day show on March 12th to see him!...

Eugene Mirman is much funnier than you. A mainstay of New York's alternative comedy scene, Mirman's profile has been even higher of late. In February, his Comedy Central Presents special debuted, and earlier this year, he was asked to cover the New Hampshire primaries for 236.com. He can also be seen as Jemaine and Bret's strange landlord in HBO's Flight Of The Conchords. A multi-year veteran of SXSW, Mirman is hosting this year's Web Awards at SXSW Interactive and is also performing at multiple SX venues during the music festival. ...

They Might Be Giants have been making music as a band since 1982. Their odd but endearing mix of accordian, saxophone, and guitars coupled with witty lyrics earned them a huge college radio following from the mid-80's on. Songs like "Don't Let's Start" and "Birdhouse In Your Soul" even became hits, and the duo toured and recorded ad infinitum. A second chapter of their story is quite unusual: TMBG are now famous in children's circles. In 2002, the group released "No!", a kids record they had recorded years earlier for fun. The record was a surprise smash, leading to deals with both Disney for a series of children's music CD's and Simon and Schuster for the CD + book Bed, Bed, Bed (which also features a pre-Juno Kimya Dawson). Having conquered the grownups and the kids, They Might Be Giants have also become in-demand composers for TV, doing the themes for "Malcolm In The Middle", "The Daily Show", and even some Dunkin' Donuts ads. We're unsure when the group sleeps, because they seem to be awfully prolific. ...

Texas boys Best Fwends are back at SXSW this year, bringing their video game-centric melodies and hurried electronic downbeats to old fans and new ones. Call them out on their tongue-in-cheek approach to music making if you must, but these cats know exactly what they're doing, and manage to make three-dimensional songs that also know how to get down. Does Antony know how to get down? No, he really doesn't. Via email, Best Fwends Anthony and Dustin talk with us about their storied history, SXSW, and Daryl "Fucking" Hall....

Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch speaks on evil record companies, Phil Collins, the ugly faces of politicians, shitty guitar solos, future collaboration with Modest Mouse, and old reggae guys getting high. Alright, so Built to Spill is one of the greatest, most influential, and most acclaimed bands of the past fifteen years. There's really no way around it. And for those of you who are a little late to the love-in, here's a very small sample of some of the things that have been said about them:         "A band whose talent and proficiency at times seem[s] boundless." --Pitchfork Media         "Flawless." --Trigger Magazine         "In short, he's a talent more people ought to know about." --Rolling Stone, on Doug Martsch         "Better than getting laid, finding God and winning the lotto combined." --San Francisco Weekly, just last week when discussing their live performance...

Half Japanese formed in the mid-seventies, and the band, which initially consisted of just brothers Jad and David Fair, would go on to have an musical impact on par with fellow primitive rock and roll ideologues Beat Happening and forebears The Shaggs. Kurt Cobain and Penn Jillette both championed their qualities to a larger audience, and their early history is even chronicled in a film entitled Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King by The Devil and Daniel Johnston director Jeff Feurezeig. Even after David left Half Japanese to pursue other things, Jad kept the love lights glowing by recording both under the band’s name and his own, collaborating with many other musicians along the way. ...