SXSW SPOTLIGHT: Annuals @ Filter’s Showdown at Cedar Street, 3.19.09

"Arcade Fire, who?"

Photos/Text by Lizz Kannenberg

The Artist: Well-rounded/ambitious pop from Raleigh, NC.

Their Latest Release: Such Fun (Canvasback, 2008)

The Set in a Few Sentences: It may have been sunny and sweaty for this mid-afternoon outdoor party, but Annuals remained tightly composed to deliver a poised, sweeping set. Indie pop is seldom more powerful or well-executed, but the group seems to have lost some of its charming passion.

And a Letter Grade: B+

More melodramatic poses after the jump …