Pop, Rock And An Onslaught Of Rhythm: The Songs Of SXSW

Sampling the thousands of bands playing South By Southwest each year is like trying to take a sip from a tidal wave: It's hard to find an entry point, and you're more than likely going to wind up flattened.

Next week, the annual music festival kicks off in Austin, Texas, so All Things Considered weekend host Michel Martin requested a digestible primer — five songs by artists worth hearing this year.

Drawn from The Austin 100, NPR Music's streamable and downloadable playlist of 100 songs by discoveries at this year's SXSW, these five tracks incorporate dreamy electro-pop (IDER's "Body Love"), ethereal R&B (Love Moor & Suaze's "Delete"), Weezer-style rock (Partner's "Comfort Zone"), hooky Aussie pop (G Flip's "About You") and a German duo whose singer raps in Portuguese over an onslaught of rhythm (Gato Preto's "Dia D").

Hear the full conversation with NPR's Michel Martin at the audio link.

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