BARON VON LUXXURY @ Echo

8:30pm / $12 adv, $14 dos / 18+

Austra || LISTEN|| Watch
Canadian trio Austra have been lumped in with the synth-gothisms of Zola Jesus and Fever Ray, but there’s a cleanliness and sharpness about them that belies those associations. Katie Stelmanis sings with a cut-glass voice, and the precision of the electronic music behind her – always carefully restrained, never overwhelming – might be chilly, but it’s rarely foreboding. Lose It’s hook combines a wordless chirrupp with a trebly synth line that sounds like tumbling icicles, but it is recognisably pop. The single Beat and the Pulse might be the reason for the goth comparisons: it’s the darkest moment on the album, and came with a video YouTube saw fit to ban in its original form. Nevertheless, one wouldn’t call Feel It Break straightforward: Stelmanis is mannered enough to keep listeners on their toes, without tipping over into being irritating, adding a dash of spice to a record capable of intriguing both art and pop crowds.Guardian UK

Grimes|| Listen || Watch
Grimes is weird pop influenced by styles such as R&B, Industrial, goth, hip hop and Western medieval organum. She is noted for simple but strong percussion, vocal virtuosity, and addictive melodies. Despite having little acquaintance with music before the age of 18, Grimes (born 1988) has overcome this barrier and used it to her advantage, exploding onto the music scene with a sound that is that is far different from that of her peers, and extremely broad in it’s references (Mariah Carey, Salem, Cocteau Twins, Gang Gang Dance, The Smiths, Prince). And yet, while all Grimes songs are different and genre-bending, there is a strong sound that is fully her own, characterized primarily by her chameleon-like voice.

She cannot read music and has no understanding of theory or notation, so her attempts to imitate often fail. Rather, the result is particularly unique, strangely beautiful, sometimes scary, frequently melancholic and catchy as hell.Windish

Baron Von Luxxury || Listen || Watch
San Francisco based artist/producer/DJ/blogger Baron von Luxxury made a name in the underground disco scene via remixes for Glass Candy, HEALTH, Little Boots and Hilary Duff, as well as through his blog DiscoWorkout.com. He is releasing two EPs, “The Lovely Theresa EP” and “Women of a Certain Age EP” through LA’s Manimal Vinyl this summer. Blending bits of ELO and Sparks’ Moroder period with more recent disco acolytes like Empire of the Sun, Cut Copy and Toro Y Moi, BvL makes hi-fi indie synthpop to warm lo-fi chillwaved hearts. The first single “The Lovely Theresa” (out now on Manimal) is a tribute to his friends who passed away in the summer of 2007 and is accompanied by a blog, http://lovelytheresa.tumblr.com. The second single, “Terry Richardson”, will be accompanied by a 3D video when it comes out in the Spring.SXSW