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The Aquabats! vs Aqualung vs Aqueduct

I joked about writing this entry from the time that the first version of the official SXSW list hit the Global Interpipe. For some reason, seeing The Aquabats, Aqualung, and Aqueduct all listed neatly in a row epitomised the magic of SXSW in one perfect, water-based sequence. It also made me giggle a whole lot.

So, in case you were wondering, here's a handy cheat sheet for keeping these three bands straight.

The Aquabats! = Massive, really tight ska band whose songs are truly the most bizzare and silly I've heard since the heyday of Man or Astroman? -- only they're way more charming.

Aqualung = Is Matt Hales spitting out pieces of his broken luck? Silky and mellow, Mr. Hales' lovely and lush piano-based pop songs are also sneakily snarky and utterly heartbreaking. Don't be fooled buy the pretty melodies or the ELO-ish "Brighter than Sunshine," he's a real gloomcookie and proud of it. And what's not to love about someone who's not afraid invoke gratuitous use of a harpsichord?

Aqueduct = Danceable, bombastic, and ironic yet heartfelt indie rock from bedroom techno-popster David Terry. I can't even begin to fathom the labor that goes into his home recordings -- and as he tours with a full band, you don't really have to break your brain trying to puzzle out how he'll play a live show with all those crazy loops and samples on his records.

See, simple as that! Now give them all a listen!

The Aquabats! - Martian Girl!
The Aquabats! - Theme Song!
(There's tons of b-sides and demos the band's Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2 website.)

Aqualung - Brighter Than Sunshine
Aqualung - Breaking My Heart Again
Aqualung - Extraordinary Thing

Aqueduct - Growing Up With GNR
Aqueduct - Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights
Aqueduct - Frantic (Roman Polanski Version)

The offical websites for The Aquabats!, Aqualung, and Aqueduct. Peruse The Aquabats! discography at Amazon. The latest Aqualung album, Still Life, is not currently available in the US, but will be released with a slightly different track order as Strange and Beautiful on 3/22 (which is unfortunate as it's one of those boy-meets-girl, girl-breaks-boy's-heart, boy-writes-melancholy-songs concept albums). Buy Aqueduct's debut CD, i sold gold, from the Barsuk Records online shop.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll at 03.14.05 at 11:03 AM

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See You in the Pit is an MP3 blog exclusively featuring artists who will be playing the SXSW Music Festival, because the best way to learn about music is to hear it. This weblog will self destruct on March 22nd. You have been warned.

Queen of the Front Row is a twenty-something music fan in New York City who spends more time looking for new bands than she'd care to admit. She can usually be found watching live music in divey clubs on the Lower East Side. She loves that everybody she knows from NYC ends up in Austin for SXSW.

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