As SXSW comes to a close, the crowded streets of Austin will return to a more relaxed status quo. But the musical party that began here last Tuesday will keep on rippling outward to the world for the next few months as thousands of press outlets report on which acts wowed them.

Metro’s published a list of “must see” acts last week was spot-on, if I do say so myself. Nick Cave put on an epic performance in an out-of-character venue. Thurston Moore’s Chelsea Light Moving played their most intriguing gig with skateboarders riding a half-pipe in the background. King Tuff proved he’s even tougher live than on record, while Jim James took people by surprise with his new direction.

After seeing close to 100 bands, there are a few notable acts that I was especially happy to have caught.

Our award for The Best New Foreign Act goes to the band Indians. Music emanating from the mind of Copenhagen’s Søren Løkke Juul, he admits he only had three songs to his name before he signed to 4AD last year. “I never even thought about making a record,” he said after one show. “I just made songs because I felt like I needed to express something.” Playing eight shows in five days, Juul performed with a band this time, filling in his somber synth songs with shimmering atmospherics and heavy-handed electronic drums.

The Most Energetic Show was delivered by Pangea at a club called the Volstead. Talk about surprises — Pangea wasn’t even on the schedule. Somehow word must have gotten out because the small room was packed and pleased. Playing a set somewhere in between punk and metal, they varied speeds, but always remained heavy. The drummer hit so hard it didn’t seem like the skins could sustain the beating. The crowd followed along with the passionate performance by moshing and crowdsurfing. At one point, the speakers almost fell over. I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen anymore. But it did. And it was special — but is not for the faint of heart.

The Best Overall New Band is Wildcat! Wildcat!. I had a feeling about them based on the name alone. And wandering into one of their many shows, I was totally taken. A four-piece, each with a mic, two keyboardists, bass and drums, the band lies somewhere between rock and electro. Their four-part vocal falsetto harmonies make them stand out and add warmth to their summery sound. While the band has known each other since they were kids and each have played music together before, I was intrigued to learn the band only began last year and have only released two songs. One of the hardest working bands at the festival, they played 10 shows in five days and seemed to be having more fun than any other band I saw. Oh, and they covered the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Everybody does, but these guys just might get to.

#Informationoverload @SXSW
Long gone are the days of walking the streets of Austin with a printed schedule and a highlighter. In an atmosphere that is already all about sensory overload, technology ruled SXSW this year. Parties were announced via Twitter, there was an app for schedules and oftentimes when you got to the shows most of the audience members had their heads down to text or tweet. Also, if you didn’t have a platinum badge, the only way to get into the Prince show, was to have a Samsung Galaxy phone and complete a scavenger hunt.

Prince was not the only mega star to get Austin buzzing. Green Day, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Nicks and Dave Grohl also took part in the action, playing exclusive shows held in venues way smaller than they are used to playing.

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No, this is not a crowd shot of the Vatican, but for many, Sixth Street in Austin, Texas is a religious landmark.
(CREDIT: Andy Sheppard/Redferns/Getty Images)

The freaks and the fashionable parade the streets from noon until morning, making people-watching alone worth the price of the plane ticket. I joined the masses on Tuesday looking for something new, and I quickly found it. Making my way to the Paste Magazine/Newport Folk Festival’s showcase, I arrived just in time to see the start of Hurray for the Riff Raff’s set. The female duo from New Orleans played a riveting stripped down set of country-tinged blues combining cover songs by Billie Holiday and Fred Neil as well as a slew of originals. Alternating between acoustic guitar and banjo, backed by a fiddle and the occasional toy piano, their set seemed perfectly at home on the front patio of the rickety old house now known as the Blackheart Bar. Not only will Hooray for Riff Raff make their debut at the Newport Folk Festival this year, but they found out just hours before their set they will be the opening act for the Alabama Shakes upcoming tour.

From there it was on to Viceland to catch the Skaters’ Austin debut. The buzz around them, combined sharing a bill with Waaves and Japandroids created a line of about 2,000 people snaked around the block — a line that would only be trumped later by Deadmau5. This was the first show I missed out on, and I hope it’s my last.

After watching a few songs from the street, I decided to make better use of my time and headed over to the Mohawk to hear the Danish band, Indians. A three-piece consisting of more keyboards than people, the band layers loops, Moog synthesizers and a brain-rattling drum pad to create dreamy, slightly dancey music. The Copenhagen croon of lead singer Soren Juul works well with Enya-like atmospherics.

Looking to for some more traditional rock ‘n’ roll, I drifted off to The North Door to catch Vietnam. After taking the past five years off, Michael Gerner is back with a new six-piece lineup and a recent record, but their sound remains the same. It is dark, lengthy and often druggy narratives, which are delivered without traditional verse/chorus structure and set against a heavy shimmer of blues guitar riffs.

After seeing the line for Jim James a couple blocks from the entrance. I decided to go home and rest up for Wednesday. It’s going to be a long week.

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