Austin – The penultimate day of SXSW saw the bad weather continue—thank God this festival is mostly indoors—but it wasn’t too bad as long as you weren’t a pedicab driver. Tip those people well, by the way.

Friday’s offerings included two of Best New Bands’ most anticipated sets, Christine and the Queens and Until the Ribbon Breaks. The latter was preceded by an interview with the band, which puts an unusual spin on a live show.

Christine and the Queens

Here’s something I didn’t expect would describe Christine and the Queens, aka Héloïse Letissier, before I saw her showcase set at Hype Hotel; Jackson-esque. Letissier will be happy to hear that, since that’s what she—or her management—appear to be going for. Even if there weren’t elements of Michael’s showmanship to her performance, the intent would be obvious from her choice to dress in his signature highwaters and penny loafers look. More to her credit, she recreates Jackson’s stage performance flawlessly, to the point that her dancing has the same fluid-but-jerky quickness that made Jackson an icon.

Invoking the King of Pop so early in your career may speak to some pretty weighty ambitions. Or maybe Letissier just likes Michael Jackson. His prints are elsewhere in her music; see for example “The Loving Cup”.  Either way, Letissier’s set was a captivating but weird experience, a bright lights, big stage pop musician playing a smaller venue than her set both wants and deserves.

Incongruent with all of that is her latest single, “Saint Claude,” which came out on March 10.  “Saint Claude” and its B-side (“Christine”) are very much songs of our own era. Soft, atmospheric synth pads and understated drum machine beats. They’re very good, but it’s Letissier’s voice that makes it special. On “Saint Claude” especially, where the song’s personality comes from her soft-edged, high-flying vocals.

Standout Track: “Saint Claude”

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Until The Ribbon Breaks

In person and on stage, lead singer and UTRB founder Peter Lawrie-Winfield is enthusiastic, funny, and friendly. But his band’s music is inspired by hip-hop and film scores, and comes across more emotionally tense. That consistency holds up over a surprisingly wide range of sounds. “A Taste of Silver” is a fusion of hip-hop and blues, but “Orca” is laptop music in the vein of Dntel. Lawrie-Winfield has always followed his nose musically, setting out to do what feels right, and the results have been pleasing.

Given that, picking a standout track comes down to which version of UTRB you like best. For me, it’s when UTRB is embracing the hip-hop roots that lend their beats to every one of the band’s tracks, even when the song’s other elements are doing something else. And with that in mind, it’s Homeboy Sandman’s vocals on “Perspective” that win the song top honors. But I can’t close this review without mentioning their version of Blondie’s “One Way or Another,” which twists the song into something truly creepy.

Standout Track: “Perspective”

We’re almost to Saturday, and we managed to close our SXSW with three of the festival’s best sets: Joey Bada$$, Sweater Beats, and Earl Sweatshirt. Look for those reviews soon.

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Will Jukes

Will Jukes has lived in Texas his whole life. It doesn’t bother him as much as you’d think. A Houston native, he studied English at the University of Dallas before moving to Austin in search of the coveted “Grand Slam” of Texas residencies. He comes to music journalism from a broad reporting background and a deep love of music. The first songs he can remember hearing come from a mix tape his dad made in the early 90’s that included “Born to Run,”, “End of the Line,” by the Traveling Wilburys, the MTV Unplugged recording of Neil Young’s “Cowgirl in the Sand,”, and “The Highwayman,” by The Highwaymen. He has an enduring love for three of these songs. Over the years he has adored punk, post-punk, new wave, house, disco, 90’s alternative rock, 80’s anything, and Townes Van Zandt. He’s not sorry for liking New Order more than Joy Division.

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