Review from the Austin Chronicle. Thought you guys might be interested.

For the Kiwis, on the other hand, no news is no news. Really, when was the last time any world-grabbing headline came out of Aotearoa? You win another sailing race someplace? Another D&D elf epic in production?

Well, maybe the boredom has some spillover benefits. Really, New Zealand couldn't even manage to drum up a band that really fits the country's namesake genre of New Zealand pop. Save for maybe one. Remember Straitjacket Fits? No? Okay. Well, Dimmer came out of their demise (before their recent reunion). At its core, the fourpiece still flashes vestiges of the strum that gave the genus its name, but now it's got a little more noise dripped over the top.

But you want to get weird. The kiwis are upping the ante on weird. First up is So So Modern. If you're wearing matching hoodies onstage, you better be able to bring it. Sorry to steal the term, but the band's spastic electroclash really is pissyourpantstastic. Similarly, there's the wicked Devo-meets-the-Buzzcocks experimental garage mix of the Mint Chicks. (Note: not chicks.)

Auckland's Gasoline Cowboy has a top-shelf name, and their self-descriptive prog-folk is even better. Well played, gentlemen (golf clap). And if you like your punk a little less fringe but still not completely rote, there's Die! Die! Die! The Dunedin trio isn't just another minor threat and has been touring relentlessly behind their Albini-produced debut. For punk, this stuff is seriously serious.

Bic Runga

For more straight-ahead fare, Elemeno P's straight-up guitar rock has made them one of NZ's biggest-selling acts while nu-metal act Blindspott were the first New Zealand band to have both of their first two albums debut in the charts at numero uno. And holy riffage, Batman! Cut Off Your Hands is a Gang of Four throwback to that brief period after punk before things all went wrong with skinny ties.

Finally, the Kiwis are sending a couple of dynamite voices. First  and don't take this the wrong way  did Carly Binding win some sort of contest? Because she totally sounds like Kelly Clarkson. Too bad there's no teenage vote at SXSW. Then there's Bic Runga doing Hope Sandoval doing Burt Bacharach's minor-keyed catalog in half time. Someone should book odds that Runga is the only SXSW 07 performer whose mother was a Chinese/Malaysian lounge singer. Easy money. And having a little action on SXSW couldn't help but make things just a little more interesting. end story