The Decemberists' Colin Meloy / Photo by Matt Kiser

THE BEST

Best Melodrama: The Decemberists
Colin Meloy and the Decemberists wooed the capacity crowd at Stubb's BBQ with their musical melodrama about a character named Margaret who embarks on a fantastical journey rife with villains and other hardships. Yes, they played their entire fifth album, The Hazards of Love, which opts for dark lyrics, hefty electric guitar crunch, and ornate arrangements that muddle the album's dense narrative. Meloy was joined onstage by Lavender Diamond and My Brightest Diamond, who traded off as Margaret. Listen to the entire performance of The Hazards of Love at NPR. -- Matt Kiser.

Best Alter Egos: Mariachi El Bronx
So it’s the Bronx, L.A.’s greatest current punk band, but in place of tautly melodic thrashing and Matt McCaughthran’s gritty anti-social bellow, you get a couple of acoustic guitars, a trumpet, stand-up drums, a big-ass guitarrón, and the band members all dressed up in full mariachi finery with studded charro outfits and ribbon ties -- but, alas, no hats. Oh, and instead of screaming about your shitty future, dude’s singing (yes, singing!) about being stuck in prison, among other hard-luck scenarios. And it’s not a joke; it can’t be. They’re playing too well. The songs are too heartfelt. And McCaughthran’s mile-wide smile -- and his own immodest acknowledgement of just how special it is for any band to attempt something like this nowadays -- reveals a crew genuinely proud of what they’ve accomplished. Then they come back on stage three hours later as their Clark Kent selves and show just why they are L.A.’s greatest current punk band. -- Doug Brod

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Best Cover Song: The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man,” as played by the Right Ons.
Five guys from Madrid, obviously weaned on the Stones and James Brown, and playing as if their lives (or visas) depended on it, speed up and funk up the thing to the point where you’re tempted to jump back and kiss yourself. Rarely has a song about scoring dope ever sounded so… rollicking. -- DB

Best Reason to Shut Up and Dance: The Twelves
Their sexy house-inspired jam “Works for Me” landed this Brazilian electronic duo on our 9 Unknown Bands to Watch at SXSW list. At Rusty Spurs, the Twelves earned their SXSW stripes with an airtight, playful DJ mix of old school hip-hop (Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s failsafe “It Takes Two”), iconic house (Daft Punk’s Homework-era grooves), and present-day indie rock remixes (Black Kids’ “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You” really brought the house down). But it’s more than just two dudes and some records: They’re adding keyboard flourishes and drum machine loops to every track, making the already admired hits their own. -- Peter Gaston

Best Circle Pit: Gallows
How do you get a crowd of tepid journalists, bloggers, and publicists to run in circles, toss half empty beers in the air, and body slam each other? You show them how to do it. “I want to see the craziest fucking industry circle pit down there!” demanded Frank Carter of Brit hardcore punk band Gallows, bleeding from the forehead after having leaped from the 12-foot-high roof at Emo’s. Carter is a hard man to please. Three bars into the full-on assault of “The Great Forgiver,” a tune that, he explained, is “fast as fuck and all about heaven and how fucked up it is,” he stopped the band, scolded the crowd for its passivity, then leapt onto the floor, punched fans, spat, and ran in a circle, lassoing the audience with the cord of his microphone. -- William Goodman

Best Real Texas Experience: Austin Music Awards
While out-of-state hipsters chased the “next big thing” on Sixth Street, Austin’s cowboy hat sportin’ locals celebrated their own at the Austin Music Awards. There was a tribute to late country rocker Doug Sahm, starring his sons Shawn and Shandon, and Tex-Mex whiz Alejandro Escovedo, who won in the musician, songwriter, and album of the year categories. Local metal heads the Sword were commended, rapper Overlord won in the hip-hop category for the 10th year in a row, and Grupo Fantasma delivered their acceptance speech for Best Latin Act in Spanish. Austin’s psychedelic sons the Black Angels and Roky Erickson closed with a four-song set. It was an authentic taste of Austin. -- WG

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