by Jessica Hopper
<quote>
On Thursday I parked at the Kill Rock Stars party for the afternoon
and saw a bit of new signees Grass Widow, an all-female Bay Area trio
whose angular pop reminded me of the Au Pairs. Up next was Viv
Albertine, who's returned to the fray almost 30 years after her band
the Slits broke up. I like her new recordings—they're naive and
fuzzy—but her SXSW pickup band was clearly unrehearsed and her
between-song banter was like reading your mom's boozy postdivorce
Facebook updates. "Dating when you are my age is hard," she said. "You
know, I just can't do the whole 'hookup' thing. I know it would be
easier if I just started waxing my legs." Please. Just. Stop.
Another recent KRS signing, Explode Into Colors, brought the dance
party and a crowd. Onstage they're a funky machine—main drummer Lisa
Schonberg is locomotive. I would've gone to their other eight shows in
Austin if I'd been able.
</quote>