Every year, the SXSW Music Festival serves a daunting, days-long feast of sounds from around the world. And once again, NPR Music's Austin 100 is here to distill it all down to a digestible meal of music discovery.
Picked from a playlist that spanned more than a hundred hours, these 100 songs represent a broad and exciting cross-section of SXSW's many highlights. Here's how you can listen:
As in previous years, The Austin 100 is just the beginning of NPR Music's SXSW 2017 coverage, so visit NPR.org/SXSW for full concerts, photos, videos, commentary and, of course, many more recommendations. Enjoy the music!
The Austin 100 Playlist
Aaron Lee Tasjan , "Little Movies"
Nashville, Tennessee
Tasjan's spacey, genre-obliterating Americana positively sparkles.
Adam Torres , "I Came To Sing The Song"
Austin, Texas
Torres sings high and lonesome ballads with vulnerability and piercing clarity.
Agnes Obel , "Familiar"
Copenhagen, Denmark
Obel's graceful, immaculate songs can sound both warm and chilling.
Aldous Harding , "Horizon"
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Harding's haunting folk music moves delicately, but never stops baring its teeth.
All Our Exes Live In Texas , "Boundary Road"
Sydney, Australia
Four singers whose rich, swooning harmonies elevate their lush folk-pop songs.
Allison Crutchfield , "I Don't Ever Wanna Leave California"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The former Swearin' singer writes smart, spiky songs about rootlessness and regret.
Annabelle Chairlegs , "Watermelon Summer"
Austin, Texas
Lindsey Mackin's voice soars and rages over stormy psych-rock jams.
Be Charlotte , "Machines That Breathe"
Dundee, Scotland
Charlotte Brimner sings brightly charming pop-rock songs with an irresistible brogue.
Big Thief , "Masterpiece"
Brooklyn, New York
Adrianne Lenker's songs mix blustery energy with sweet nods to a life of friendship and connection.
Boogarins , "Elogio Á Instituição Do Cinismo"
Goiânia, Brazil
The band's stomping songs meet at a perfect midpoint between psych-rock and Tropicália.
Brent Cobb , "Shine On Rainy Day"
Ellaville, Georgia
The singer-songwriter's sandy voice is the audio equivalent of sweet tea in the summertime.
Calliope Musicals , "Sink Or Swim"
Austin, Texas
A vibrant psych-folk band whose shows are spectacles of concentrated celebration.
Canyon City , "Paper Airplanes"
Nashville, Tennessee
Paul Johnson's warm, bright folk-pop songs feel like letters from a friend.
Carson McHone , "Poet"
Austin, Texas
McHone straddles the Americana-country line, as rock energy meets slide guitars and deep twang.
Charlie Cunningham , "An Opening"
London, England
Cunningham's songs have a cavernous quality to them, while still somehow sounding intimate.
Charly Bliss , "Ruby"
Brooklyn, New York
"Bubblegrunge" is a genre now, and damned if Charly Bliss isn't great at it.
Cherry Glazerr , "Nurse Ratched"
Los Angeles, California
Clementine Creevy leads a young rock 'n' roll powerhouse with slyness and swagger.
Christopher Paul Stelling , "Destitute"
Brooklyn, New York
Stelling infuses his dusty folk songs with raw, wiry, beat-up intensity.
Close Talker , "Afterthought"
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Like Rhye's music before it, the band's songs are sexy, oddly unsettling and irresistible.
Coco Hames , "I Don't Wanna Go"
Memphis, Tennessee
On her solo debut, The Ettes' singer arms sugary pop hooks with garage-rock fangs.
Crywolf , "Weight"
Los Angeles, California
Crywolf came up in EDM, but his new project radiates lonesome, Bon Iver-style yearning.
Dawg Yawp , "I'll Quit Tomorrow"
Cincinnati, Ohio
A sitar gives this folk-rock duo's dreamily pretty songs a bit of added shimmer.
De Osos , "Todo El Ruido Entre Nosotros"
Mexico City, Mexico
From ambient swells to room-filling squalls, in the space of a single song.
Dem Yuut , "Dawn / Sea"
Minneapolis, Minnesota
R&B and synth-pop sounds get warped and reshaped until they form something new.
, "you're winning so i quit"
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Hart's timeless, vibrant pop-rock songs make the most of their impeccably placed strings.
Emily Reo , "Spell"
Brooklyn, New York
Reo's voice gets looped and processed until it forms a grand, gorgeous, swirling mass.
Eric Biddines , "Peeuurrnn"
Palm Beach, Florida
The rapper's twisty, distinct flow lends his songs a sense of playfulness and surprise.
, "TIDES"
Los Angeles, California
Paige Finlay's fizzily insistent pop brims over with a sense of joy worthy of Carly Rae Jepsen.
, "Arizona"
Brooklyn, New York
The band doesn't stay in one place for long, as slow burns make way for soaring catharsis.
Frankie Rose , "Know Me"
New York, New York
The singer is an inexhaustible well of sunny, hooky garage-pop.
Gaelynn Lea , "Watch The World Unfold"
Duluth, Minnesota
Lea's looped violin and intimate vocals form a sound infused with warmth and optimism.
Golden Dawn Arkestra , "Stargazer"
Saturn, Texas
You can almost hear the costumes and smoke machines in this Sun Ra-style spectacle.
, "Cammie At Night"
Los Angeles, California
Right down to its name, Goon captures the essence of '90s college radio.
Gurr , "Moby Dick"
Berlin, Germany
A scuzzy-sweet garage-pop duo whose simplicity never drowns out all the shiny hooks.
Holly Macve , "Heartbreak Blues"
Brighton, England
Macve blends the icy cool of Lana Del Rey with the folksy warmth of a yodeling country queen.
Hoops , "Cool 2"
Bloomington, Indiana
The band distills busy guitars and shadowy mystery into efficient pocket epics.
Iron Reagan , "Dying World"
Richmond, Virginia
Speedball blasts of rigid, raging metal, complete with solos that shred.
, "Everybody Wants To Love You"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Beneath all the sweetness and sugar lies something sideways, even vaguely sinister.
Jay Som , "The Bus Song"
Oakland, California
Melina Duterte writes whip-smart, brightly spry pop-rock songs, and plays every note herself.
Jealous Of The Birds , "Goji Berry Sunset"
Portadown, Northern Ireland
Irish singer Naomi Hamilton layers her gorgeous voice to make blissful, hypnotic folk music.
Johnny Flynn , "Heart Sunk Hank"
London, England
Big on the U.K. folk scene, the singer-actor plays songs that never feel tethered to one era.
Julie Byrne , "Follow My Voice"
New York, New York
Byrne's dusky voice slows the blood and calms the nerves.
L.A. Salami , "Going Mad As The Street Bins"
London, England
Lookman Adekunle Salami is a songwriter and poet whose songs burst with big ideas.
, "Shave The Pride"
Guadalajara, Mexico
Teri Gender Bender is riveting onstage, to the point of being a little terrifying.
Let's Eat Grandma , "Deep Six Textbook"
Norwich, England
Two English teenagers make funny, whimsically unsettling experimental pop.
The Lighthouse And The Whaler , "I Want To Feel Alive"
Cleveland, Ohio
Agreeably effervescent folk-pop, elevated by forays into orchestral grandiosity.
Lillie Mae , "Honky Tonks & Taverns"
Nashville, Tennessee
A Jack White-approved singer and multi-instrumentalist whose songs are all verve and nerve.
Liniker E Os Caramelows , "Remonta"
Araraquara, Brazil
A brooding Brazilian soul band with a chilling sound and a future star in singer Liniker Barros.
Living Hour , "Steady Glazed Eyes"
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Slowdive just returned, but shoegaze music was already in good hands with Living Hour.
LVL UP , "The Closing Door"
Purchase, New York
The churning, wordy rumble of Neutral Milk Hotel gets a thoughtful and catchy update.
Manu Delago , "A Step (feat. Pete Josef)"
London, England
Delago's playing on the Hang (kind of like a muted steel drum) has led him to work with Björk. Solo, his songs are dizzyingly pretty.
Marisa Anderson , "He Is Without His Guns"
Portland, Oregon
Without flash, Anderson's solo guitar pieces tell a story while establishing a clear sense of place.
Meat Wave , "Run You Out"
Chicago, Illinois
Meat Wave locates the thread connecting blistering punk to the rafter-shaking legacy of Billy Squier.
Middle Kids , "Edge Of Town"
Sydney, Australia
A rock band with the chemistry, charm and moxie to sail straight from small clubs to stadiums.
, "Thread"
Austin, Texas
Propulsive pop-rock with swirling synths, chugging guitars and real power.
Moor Mother , "Deadbeat Protest"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Camae Ayewa's industrial/experimental hip-hop is radical and confrontational in every way.
Moses Boyd Exodus , "Rye Lane Shuffle"
London, England
A drummer, composer and rising star, Boyd takes jazz in surprising, invigorating directions.
Nick Hakim , "Bet She Looks Like You"
Washington, D.C.
The singer's neo-soul songs seem to seep in from another room — or another era.
, "dOn't turn me Off (feat. JD AKA ThrashKitten & Mal Devisa)"
Chicago, Illinois
With the help of inspired guest collaborators, Ogbonnaya flings joyful ideas in every direction.
No Joy , "Califone"
Montreal, Quebec
The band stirs fuzz, jangle and abrasion into a dream-pop sound that rarely stays in one place for long.
Noga Erez , "Pity"
Tel Aviv, Israel
Bold in sound, style and subject matter, the singer-producer infuses her electro-pop with tightly coiled fury.
Noname , "Diddy Bop (feat. Raury & Cam O'bi)"
Chicago, Illinois
The rapper's clever wordplay and breezy-smooth sound only enhance her personal storytelling.
Otoboke Beaver , "S'il Vous Plait"
Kyoto, Japan
The poppy-but-blistering equivalent of 15 consecutive exclamation points.
Outer Spaces , "Words"
Baltimore, Maryland
You'll never be happier to get a song stuck in your head for days.
Overcoats , "Hold Me Close"
New York, New York
Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell weave their beautiful voices together tightly and set them to subtle beats.
Palm , "Crank"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Palm's songs are jagged and dauntingly complex, but the band's live reputation promises relentless mayhem.
, "Pause Button"
New Orleans, Louisiana
Brainy, tenderly conversational verses give way to choruses that burst with ragingly ecstatic energy.
, "Reptiliano"
Murcia, Spain
Big, churning, infectious rock 'n' roll, fueled by guitars you can feel in your bones.
, "Smoke Signals"
Los Angeles, California
A formidable talent whose haunting voice and eye for storytelling detail are genuinely special.
Phoria , "Emanate"
Brighton, England
Breathlessly pretty electronic music in which every note sounds conspicuously human.
Porter Ray , "Arithmetic (feat. Infinite & Stas THEE Boss)"
Seattle, Washington
Aligned with Shabazz Palaces, the rapper sets his own agile rhymes against softly woozy, spaced-out arrangements.
Priests , "JJ"
Washington, D.C.
Charismatic singer Katie Alice Greer is a rock star, a pop star and a political punk, all rolled up in one.
pronoun , "a million other things"
Brooklyn, New York
Alyse Vellturo's bedroom recordings exude raw vulnerability, but also notes of defiant optimism.
R.LUM.R , "Frustrated"
Nashville, Tennessee
A fast-rising, pop-friendly R&B singer whose falsetto is no joke.
The Regrettes , "Hot"
Eagle Rock, California
The band played with cool confidence when its members were just kids; now that most of them are grown, look out.
River Whyless , "Life Crisis"
Asheville, North Carolina
Every band member seems to keep busy at all times, giving River Whyless' songs a sense of playful motion.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever , "Julie's Place"
Melbourne, Australia
Beachy, strummy pop-rock that'll chime and jangle its way straight into your heart.
Sad13 , "<2"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Speedy Ortiz's Sadie Dupuis takes a solo turn, redirecting her sound toward smart, slinky pop.
Sammus , "1080p"
Ithaca, New York
The rapper self-identifies as a nerd, but she also bares her soul and raw nerves.
Seckond Chaynce , "Can't Take This From Me"
Tampa, Florida
The Christian rapper's intense, rapid-fire delivery is awe-inspiring.
Slingshot Dakota , "You"
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
The married couple plays big, blooming, Technicolor pop-rock with grace and joy.
Sneaks , "Inside Edition"
Washington, D.C.
Eva Moolchan's icy-cool synth-pop plays out in short minimalist bursts.
SOHN , "Signal"
Vienna, Austria
Christopher Taylor's sparse, brooding electronic ballads settle under the skin.
, "Untry Love"
Evanston, Illinois
Rock veteran Jason Narducy plays fist-in-the-air anthems worthy of arenas.
Sven Helbig , "Abendglühen"
Dresden, Germany
The composer's rich, enveloping symphonic pieces are performed by choirs and augmented by electronics.
Tancred , "Bed Case"
Kittery, Maine
Now, Now's Jess Abbott marries hand-clappy pop-punk sounds to deceptively dark lyrics.
Teen Daze , "Cycle"
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Jamison Isaak's dreamy electronic music reflects on the vulnerability of nature and our own minds.
Temples , "Certainty"
Kettering, England
The band channels the sonic ambition, and the visual manifestations, of '60s and '70s pop.
Tkay Maidza , "Simulation"
Adelaide, South Australia
The singer and rapper presides over springy pop songs that beg to be fed through car speakers.
Tombs , "Deceiver"
Brooklyn, New York
Tombs' punishing metal is expansive and inventive, with nods to gothic and industrial music.
Totally Mild , "When I'm Tired"
Melbourne, Australia
Sweet, harmony-rich, pointedly concise jangle-pop — perfect for very short walks in the sunshine.
, "Speed"
Madison, Wisconsin
At 19, the rapper and singer already has a distinct, alluring songwriting voice.
Tribu Baharú , "Made In Tribu Baharú"
Región Caribe, Colombia
It's difficult to overstate the band's unrelentingly, sweat-flingingly joyous energy.
Troker , "Principe Charro"
Guadalajara, Mexico
Troker's churningly energetic, horn-drenched jazz has a spring in its step and a metalhead's heart.
Tunde Olaniran , "Namesake"
Flint, Michigan
Olaniran's busily infectious anthems bubble over with intensity and ideas.
Vagabon , "Fear & Force"
New York, New York
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Laetitia Tamko fills her songs with spare, thoughtful rumination.
, "Stars Align"
Los Angeles, California
Natalie Carol presides over ambling Americana jams that positively soar.
Weaves , "Tick"
Toronto, Ontario
The band's zingy, whiz-bang quirkiness provides a nice backdrop for the commanding presence of singer Jasmyn Burke.
, "Some Ride"
Beacon, New York
For all their finger-picked precision, Stratton's pristine acoustic folk songs are as warm as music gets.
Yussef Kamaal , "Lowrider"
London, England
Drummer Yussef Dayes and keyboardist Kamaal Williams play bold, futuristic funk that throbs and thrills.
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