Le Guess Who? 2013

Each autumn since 2007, Utrecht’s peaceful streets have been flooded with festival-goers hustling between venues in hopes of witnessing a staggering selection of today’s finest indie bands. With an exciting and extremely high quality line-up, and a charming location in what Lonely Planet called one of the world’s unsung places, Le Guess Who? is the festival we here at Subbacultcha! look forward to each year. Below we touch upon a handful of this year’s many highlights.

 

28 November-01 December – Utrecht

 

TY SEGALL
ty-segall.com

 

Like a goose who lays golden garage rock eggs, Ty Segall has unleashed a steady stream of consistently solid rock’n’roll releases since 2008, and his live shows are the stuff of legend.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/kkzEBdF_3_c

 
 

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
soundcloud.com/oneohtrix-point-never

Brooklyn producer Daniel Lopatin’s excellent new album, R Plus Seven, features serpentine song structures that juxtapose jaunty samples with beautifully ethereal soundscapes.

 

//player.vimeo.com/video/75534042?byline=0&portrait=0

 
 

DESTROYER

Dan Bejar is one of indie’s smartest songwriters, melding jazz, disco, funk and ’80s clichés into hypnotic and highly amusing AM radio-ish tales of decadence and desperation.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/puu3IvKnSb4

 
 

FOREST SWORDS
soundcloud.com/forestswords

 

Triangle’s roster is filled with producers specialising in grafting elements of hip hop into barren electronic soundscapes, and Forest Swords’ work is among the label’s most rewarding releases.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/5SE8hH_EZbo

 
 

CONNAN MOCKASIN
soundcloud.com/connanmockasin

Over the past decade, this New Zealand psych-pop band’s sound has evolved into something truly strange, featuring warped guitars and creepy melodies with colourful, Holy Mountain-esque videos to match.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/Teyy1A_AJso?list=PLHi-23fJicsWk8kTySY2EDCypGelujTeu

 
 

BRAIDS
braidsmusic.com

 

On their new album Flourish // Perish, Montreal’s Braids have shifted towards a more introspective and electronic sound reminiscent of vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s other project, Blue Hawaii.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/_Xk-s4fCCwc

 
 

CRYSTAL STILTS
crystalstilts.com

This retro-gazing NYC outfit has mastered the art of stitching together scraps of proto-punk, soul, folk, psych and country into a post-punk patchwork quilt that calls to mind the Clean, Joy Division and the Velvet Underground.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/D__Qyg0qXSs

 
 

WAMPIRE
soundcloud.com/wampire-music

Wampire’s breezy organ-driven pop sometimes sounds like Ric Ocasek and the synth player from Dire Straits decided to reimagine ‘Walk of Life’ as the soundtrack for a long night drive after a break-up.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/PEBWxQgQv6k

 
 

NIGHT BEATS

These 21st-century psych-rockers tip their hats to Texas psych legends such as 13th Floor Elevators, with guitar work more blazing than the desert sun and a rhythm section that’s not to be messed with.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/TWxsa2QPvsk

 
 

PHARMAKON

Native New Yorker Margaret Chardiet unleashes cathartic and confrontational power electronics/death industrial music and her live performances are rumoured to be extraordinary.

 

 
 

WHITE FENCE

White Fence’s Tim Presley’s extremely lo-fi home recordings are weird and warped and noodly in a stoned and lonely sort of way, but his lively live show is more akin to his work with Ty Segall.

 

 
 

THE BLACK ANGELS
soundcloud.com/theblackangels

Courageous defenders of the psych-rock tradition, Austin’s the Black Angels churn out a brooding, reverb-laden mix of melody and drone and helm the legendary Austin Psych Fest.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/CB426pTUk5U?list=UUuJFxkM1dnYITwhlQNxL_fA

 
 

JACUZZI BOYS
soundcloud.com/jacuzzi-boys

With surfy vibes and a sunshiney disposition befitting their Miami hometown, this garage-pop trio’s songs are catchy as hell and backed by an energetic punk attitude that makes for great live performances.

 

//www.youtube.com/embed/6jlFSZy8xYE

 

Le Guess Who? takes over Utrecht from 28 November until 1 December. For more information visit, LeGuessWho.nl.