Do You Carry Magnets In Your Pockets

Perhaps the best thing about attending an even like SXSW is the possibility of discovering new music. The last trip down proved to be one of the best for finding new bands, and one such band I discovered was the Miami based band The Postmarks. They were amidst the last few dates of their month long tour when I caught up with them at Club Dada in Deep Ellum on Wednesday night.

The show got off to a rocky start with some of the sound problems. Once those were cleared up, the band showed just why they have been getting some great press around the indie world lately. They played many of the songs from their self-titled debut album released on Unfiltered Records. I first purchased this album during their showcase during SXSW at Blender Bar. Since then, it’s been in heavy rotation on my iPod. Their dream pop style mixed with the soft vocals of Tim Yehezkely separate this band from the rest. When I dig deeper into the lyrics, they are mostly a rich, melancholy-like poetry about lost love affairs and broken hearts, reminiscent of some of the slower songs by Camera Obscura or The Cardigans. The smooth guitar melodies of Jonathan Wilkins also compliment the mood of each song.

B and I hung around after the show to talked to members of the band after their photo shoot. I praised them for their wonderful effort in putting on a great show despite being so close to the end of their tour. They all seemed in really good spirits as we talked to them about their tour experience and getting to be on KCRW with Nic Harcourt. I found it interesting that none of the band members are from Miami but all seemed to find each other there. Overall, I really enjoyed the show and would recommend going to see them on their next tour and picking up a copy of their album.

The opening act was the local artist Sarah Jaffe. I had caught her before with her band, Tomahawk Molly, but this was my first time to see her play solo. I was quite impressed with her bluesy-folk style as she created a great sound while playing only one guitar the entire show and having accompanying vocals on only a few songs. I’m a sucker for this type of sound so I was instantly into her music and picked up a CD after she played.