Agent Ribbons, “Birds and Bees” (On Time Travel and Romance, 2006)

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It didn’t take much for Agent Ribbons to work their way into my heart. Natalie Gordon and Lauren Hess are so stylish and exuberant you could watch them with the sound off and be entertained—though of course, you’d be doing yourself a disservice. “Birds and Bees” is a case in point of what makes the pair so thoroughly listenable—Natalie’s guitar tone is as warm as a winter blanket, Lauren’s drumming simple but deceptively clever. And of course, there are the lyrics, whose lovey-doveyness is undercut by a devilish streak that finds Natalie objectifying her beloved the way countless male songwriters have done to their female muses.

Peggy Sue, “Lover Gone” (Lover Gone EP, 2009)

[See post to listen to audio]

Though technically a trio now, rounded out by drummer Ollie Joyce, Peggy Sue was founded on the artistic partnership of Brighton lasses Katy Young and Rosa Slade (who go by the sobriquets Katy Klaw and Rosa Rex, though they really don’t need to). Perhaps the most striking part of this, the title track from their new EP, is its brevity—less than two minutes to recount a four-year relationship whose ending must have hurt but good. And yet, their delivery is alarmingly confident, even matter-of-fact; “Lover Gone” is sad and sobering for sure, but forgoes tearful confession for clear-eyed acceptance.

Dear Readers,

I returned from Texas on Wednesday with a persistent cough and a sinus headache the likes of which I’ve never experienced. Fortunately, my SXSW tour with Air Waves also left me with a few new friends and a lot of new favorites. TS/TS will return to business as usual this week—but first, a brief tribute.

BANDS

Dear Yellow Fever: As if it weren’t enough for you to be my new favorite band, you’re also incredibly nice and pleasant to be around. Give it a rest, guys.

Dear Vivian Girls, Woods, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Cause Co-Motion!, Crystal Stilts, Brimstone Howl, Hot Lava, Little Trooper, Real Estate, The Weakends, The Beets, Quiet Hooves, and all the rest: It was an honor, a pleasure, and at times an utterly surreal experience to play with you. Enchanté.

Dear Agent Ribbons and Ohbijou: Please be my friends. I’ve seen both of you play twice, and have tried each time to introduce myself with dignity, but instead ended up nerding out and gushing all over you. I promise I’m not as weird as all that; it’s just that you’re really quite good.

Dear Memphis: Your young musicians—Magic Kids, The Warble, Dorothy Jones, and Girls of the Gravitron, to name just a few—are not just talented, they’re extremely friendly and hospitable. That egg-and-biscuit breakfast we were given was such a lovely surprise.

Dear Herman Dune: Your songs kick ass and Neman’s drumming is a fucking inspiration. Also, thanks for coming to our showcase; it gave me the warmest, fuzziest feeling.

Dear Harlem Shakes: Thanks for letting me sing with you. Your new songs sound great.

Dear Thermals: You guys look so happy to be playing music; keep smiling!

PLACES/THINGS

Dear Mi Madre’s: Your food is on my shortlist of reasons to move to Austin. I didn’t know what café de olla was a week ago and now I crave it all the time.

Dear Amy’s Ice Creams: Who the hell thinks to combine doughnuts with coffee ice cream? A genius, that’s who.

Dear downtown Austin at night during SXSW (see image above): I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so thoroughly insane as I did around you. I don’t want to see you for at least a year.

Dear Carousel Lounge: Your decision to combine circus and burlesque themes is extremely creepy, and yet intriguing.

PEOPLE

Dear Rebecca, Adam & Jon, Craig, Sam, Alex, and Jennifer & Adam: Thanks for letting me sleep on your floors. I hope I can return the favor someday.

Dear Yoko, Deenah, Christy, Adam, Isabel, Andy, Max, and Fidel: It was so nice to see you all in a new city. Deenah, I’m glad we got to go swimming—I had seaweed in my hair for the rest of the day and probably smelled like a swamp, but wasn’t it so totally worth it?

Dear Nicole, Rita, and Carlos: Thanks for driving my unlicensed ass across fourteen states; sorry I sucked so bad with directions. I pledge to learn to drive before I hit 27.

Dear Daoud: Don’t worry about not handing out enough Art Sorority CDs or This Song / That Song stickers. You weren’t there to network—you were there to play and have fun, and fun is so much funner when you don’t look at it as an opportunity for self-advancement. Also, don’t be so nervous about talking to bands! These people aren’t your idols, they’re your peers.

love,
Daoud