Pitchfork

Even though Pitchfork's gang of four wore our soles thin trekking from showcase to showcase in the name of SXSW festival coverage, there was still plenty we didn't get a chance to see. Lucky for us, Pitchfork correspondent and Austin resident Zach Vowell was on the prowl as well. As you endure SXSW withdrawal and jetlag today, check out Vowell's photos and thoughts on several festival performances, including Arbouretum, Crystal Castles, Dosh with Andrew Bird, and Frightened Rabbit.

And hey, how about a handy guide to the rest of our SXSW coverage? Voila:

Amy Phillips: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Matthew Solarski: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Dave Maher: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Jessica Suarez: Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Pitchfork Music Festival/Windish Agency Day Party at Emo's

Frightened Rabbit [Mohawk Patio; March 14, 9:45 p.m.]






Scots Frightened Rabbit set the stage for fellow countrymen the Twilight Sad, sharing nervous racket and liberally applying a din to their set of indie pop songs. It was an appropriate brand of propulsion for the first night of festivities, when neither the audience nor surname-less Rabbit frontman Scott seemed able to stand in one place for too long. Indeed, the catchiness of their songs approached anthemic hypnosis-- until you realized you had somewhere else to go.

Crystal Castles [Beauty Bar; March 14, 1 a.m.]






Thanks to 30 minutes of delays caused by the house's faulty cables and cords, the eager-to-boogie one o'clock crowd bore witness to how Toronto-chic responds to frustration: Crystal Castles handled it all with shrugged shoulders and a little impatience, definitely better than the folks watching, who were not about to waste their final hour of the first night of SXSW watching the sound crew run around on stage. When all the sounds finally erupted on the dancefloor at the same time, it was raucous, with enough full-bodied bleeps and disco drum tracks (both from a live drummer and a laptop) to keep Crystal Castles' frontwoman's declamatory vocals bouncing along with her body. The whole thing lasted only about four songs and 20 minutes, but it was well worth the wait for anyone looking to bounce.

Dosh [Spiro's; March 15, 12 a.m.]




After seeing Weird Weeds, Old Time Relijun, and Aa earlier in the night, it wasn't My Brightest Diamond's fault I wasn't in the mood for her subdued solo set, so instead of tempting sleep at Emo's IV, we headed for the Anticon showcase at Spiro's. Dosh and band were in the middle of their improvisatory amalgam of jazz and hip-hop when they brought out a secret weapon: Andrew Bird. The violinist, who appears on Dosh's latest LP and counts Dosh as his live drummer, joined the Anticon crew for the last couple songs to add more lush textures to an already corduroy-tinged palette, which easily could have spelled slumber had it stayed that way. But then the saxophone sent ripples through the group's performance just so, and coupled with Bird's versatility, kept everything afloat on easy-rolling waves.

Arbouretum [Uncle Flirty's Loft; March 17, 12:45 a.m.]






Thrill Jockey's showcase ended with Baltimore up-and-comers Arbouretum. Fronted by Dave Heumann (or is that Dave Grohl?), the band brought the kind of over-sized songs that Band of Horses and Built to Spill have trademarked, minus the high-pitched vocals and sunburst tones. The music generally moved with a steady gait, but was propelled by the occassional Heumann solo and even, at one point, a little noise work-out. The combination of the dirge-esque songs, embedded solos, and extremely high volume worked well-- well enough to keep the few remaining festival attendees standing and swaying for another 45 minutes.