Cory Graves
St. Vincent Was The Talk Of The Town This Week.
Each week, we take a survey of the local music scene and try to determine which acts in town are really putting in work and seeing it pay off. Which bands have the most intriguing shows coming up? Which bands are getting the most press around town? Which bands have accomplished the most notable feats of late? Based off these criteria, our music writers submit a list to be weighted and compiled into a master list revealed each week in this here space. We like to think it's fairly revealing. Check out our previous Buzz Rankings here.
This week, Grammy-winning Dallas expat St. Vincent dropped by the set of The Tonight Show to perform non-album single “Teenage Talk.” It was an expectedly quirky performance from the always-interesting performer, sure, but let's face it: That's only part of the reason Ms. Clark landed in the No. 1 spot in our weekly, local music power rankings for the fourth time.
The following day, Gawker writer Dayna Evans served up a take-down of Dallas Observer music editor Jeff Gage's write-up of the performance. Say what you will about any real or implied sexism that may or may not exist in Gage's piece; we should point out that the last thing Evans posted before the St. Vincent piece was centered around the physical appearance of the Sisters Haim.
Alas, no matter which side of the argument one falls on, there really was no bigger discussion in the local music scene this week.
Just behind Clark in this week's rankings is another pair of female musicians done good. Coming in second was Sudie, whose splendid debut EP we had the privilege of premiering earlier this week. Seriously, give it a listen. Just behind Sudie was the Queen of the Scene, Ms. Erykah Badu, whose hard-to-find 2013 western short, They Die By Dawn, was finally made available through Jay Z's Tidal streaming service.
Like Sudie, a handful of other locals released new albums and/or singles this week, including Doug Burr, House Harkonnen, Chucho, Lou Charle$, Grades of Absolute Truth, Sir Silky, The Demigs, The Birds of Night, Vinyl, Toy Gun and Jetta in the Ghost Tree.
Elsewhere: Party Static performs at tomorrow night's Red Bull Sound Select show at Dada; and The Outfit, TX and Buffalo Black were announced as performers at next month's show, which will also be held at Dada.
(Also receiving votes this week: RTB2, Mga-Czar, Tunk, Zhora, Terminator 2, Eli Young Band, A.Dd+, Vinyl, Ishi, Troy Cartwright, Vincent Neil Emerson, Calhoun, Toy Gun, Pearl Earl, Nite, Mikaela Kahn, Wesley Geiger, Bummer Vacation, The Monco Poncho, Kaela Sinclair, The Cush, Dirty South Rydaz, The King Bucks, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Fab Deuce, Bad Mountain, Unlikely Candidates, Valise, Cody Culberson, These Machines Are Winning, Melissa Ratley, Dome Dwellers, The O's.)
