A few years back I stopped making “best albums of the year” lists and started making lists of albums I had simply listened to the most. In the few short months of 2009, the Love Language’s self-titled debut takes the cake – or ice cream, as the case may be.

The Love Language hails from North Carolina and sounds like it crept out of the South, with a heavy dose of Sixties reverb holding it together. Everything on the album was written, performed, recorded, and mixed by Stuart McLamb, this lo-fi affair recorded on 4-track in a storage space with borrowed drums and a “cheapass bass.” He’s since asked six of his closest friends to join the band and has been up and down the East Coast with fellow North Carolinians the Rosebuds. I’m not sure what to expect live but can’t wait to find out.

Also recommended: Make sure to check out at least one of the parties at the French Legation Museum, for example Dig for Fire’s Lawn Party on Friday and the Garden Party on Saturday. We’ll be slinging free ice cream at both! To find out where Ice Cream Man is during SXSW, follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/icecreamman.

The Love Language: SXSW showcase: Friday, Habana Bar Backyard, 8pm; Levi’s Fort (1101 E. Fifth), noon.

This article appears in March 20 • 2009.

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