South by Southwest is a week of performances by cutting-edge underground artists, potpourris of paper-based entry wristbands, and getting to know Texas’ notoriously weird city. Even to someone like myself who’s experienced two CMJs, and having worked at a college radio station for the past four years and thinking I know music, SXSW has proven me floored as the next level of music festival. The showcase features a range of artists, from dystopian midwestern folk rockers to DC-originated moombahton DJs.

Taking place every spring in Austin, Texas, the city transforms itself into a fantasy world for a week, flooding the city with musicians, journalists, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and loyal followers and fans. Locals also have a strong presence at SXSW, a few Austinites I met were St. Edwards students and were generally enthusiastic about having artists from across the globe come to them. Not to say Austin is a city at all lacking musical culture. Famously, Austin is also known for PBS Show “Austin City Limits,” which, since broadcasting on national television since 1976, has opened up Austin’s entertainment draw to the rest of the nation. During South By, Austin locales are rented out for the week and taken over by artistic collectives, record companies, and American companies to further industry connections. The venues and bars of the city of Austin open their doors, promoters standing outside vouching for all passerbys to see “the next big band.” Although its a lot for anyone to absorb in a week, I’m going to guide you through a number of amazing acts who should be worthy of your attention in 2012.

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When a band shrouded in mystery rises to the surface of the indie blogosphere, it builds an unknown into their visual appeal. The peripheral pair Keep Shelly in Athens known by the monikers of Sarah P. and RPR are downtempo meets trip-hop, in a heavenly and curious combination which combine genres and fosters distant ambiance. As their name suggests, they hail from Athens, Greece. The partnership has successfully created a hazy, ominous appeal, yet has remained relatively under the radar after releasing their first EP Our Own Dream in the fall of last year.

Masking their personal identities is one approach to creating appeal and demand, but the real pull of the shadowy unit comes from their ability to navigate a fantasia-like course, swimming through high and low pitches, and as with the end of “Our Own Dream,” crashing into a shimmery, shoegaze oblivion.

High-pitched vocals from Sarah P. carve half-wake, brooding lullabies in a way that makes you feel like a somnambulist, had Dr. Caligari’s been controlling for causes of good. A repeat of their album will be sure to take you on a painfully honest overdose of sleeping pills taken far too early in the day. If hypnotic side effects like that which just described happens while listening to the blissful duo, surely take a minute’s pause from your headphones, for they can easily drown you into a sea of heavy synth pop.

Another track on their album, “Lazy Noon” builds a promisingly sunny paradise while pressing chords will drift you into a daydream like weary fishermen snoozing away into hammocks. If dozing off and ocean paradise isn’t your kind of relaxation, skip back to their newly released single “Own Our Dream,” or “DIY” both which by having dance-worthy break beats, are altogether more accessible songs.

Sarah P.’s sultry and mystical vocals are what’s most wonderful about the highs and lows of Keep Shelly In Athens. They are perhaps most uncannily reminiscent of Portishead lead singer Beth Gibbons’ work. On the other side there are more seriously memorable bass beats stricken within Keep Shelly in Athens, while layered upon Sarah’s subtle angel voice. If Air’s recent album Le Voyage Dans La Lune has not sufficed your craving for Air since the nineties, Keep Shelly in Athens’ duality might fill that musical gap for the now generation.

Keep Shelly in Athens – Our Own Dream from Thanasis Tsimpinis on Vimeo.

After teasing synthpop-goers late last month with an album video announcement, Anthony Gonzalez, or better known as M83 is ready to start spreading more hype on his new album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming due out on October 18th via Mute.

Anthony released the second track off of the album today titled Midnight City which will give you a taste of the “very epic” aspects that he promised for the album. Anthony also informed fans earlier last month that Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming will not be too distant from the sound that listeners have grown a strong liking for over the past decade. He noted that this album will hope to merge sounds from his previous two albums while still holding the unique ambient characteristics that M83 is known for. The album will be in the form a double LP with contributions in production by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, NIN, The Mars Volta, Goldfrapp), Brad Laner (from 90’s band Medicine), Morgan Kibby (Saturdays=Youth vocalist), and guest vocalist Zola Jesus who will start off the first track.

Take a listen below to Midnight City and feel free to download it on his website. Also, be sure to snag some tickets for his appearance at Black Cat on October 28th before they’re sold out.

M83 – Midnight City

A new group has joined the Gomma family and they go by the name Esperanza. The Italian trio just released their first EP, Sirena and a full album will be coming later this year.

The eclectic skills of each member creates a unique sound when their forces are combined. Carlo has produced under the name Cecile with remixes for Munk and Headman on the Gomma label. Matteo is a bassplayer who brings a funky disco element to the front and Sergio has been producing indie pop records in Italy. Put it all together and you have a melodic journey full of uplifting, soothing beats…give it a listen below.