March 13, 2008 – We strolled into Yeasayer's set at the Free Yr Radio Party just as the Brooklyn-based quartet was blasting through a characteristic barrage of amorphous guitars and ominous chants as a thick base of ethereal undertones and reverbs rode just beneath the surface. Between the flailing hair of the band's guitarist and bassist, singer Chris Keating bobbed about the stage clad in a black leather vest, as the crowd ate up tracks like "2080" from Yeasayer's All Hour Cymbals. Soon it was time for the night to rev into full effect, and the beat-thumping tunes of Simian Mobile Disco provided just the soundtrack. The duo -- James Ford and James Anthony Shaw -- took the stage and manhandled the decks and switches to a rhythmically-in-time series of seizure-inducing flashing lights.

March 13, 2008 – Cabbing to the far end of 4th Street, we hit the Austin Music Hall for a set from hometown folkies Okkervil River, which was preceded by the Austin Music Awards -- naturally Spoon and its frontman Brit Daniel walked with a staggering nine awards in total. Later, Okkervil took the stage and churned out three tunes from their latest record, 2007's Stage Names, including a vocally emphatic rendition of "Our Life Is Not A Movie or Maybe" and "Unless It's Kicks," before supporting Austin's own rock legend Roky Erickson. Together, they ripped through Erickson's 13th Floor Elevators gem -- and High Fidelity soundtrack fave --"You're Gonna Miss Me," a total set-topper. Now Watch This: Okkervil River, "For Real" Now Watch This: Okkervil River & Roky Erickson, "You're Gonna Miss Me" Video by Eric Nowels

March 12, 2008 – After a day chock full of trains, planes, and automobiles, SPIN.com has finally reached Austin, TX and is preparing for the musical booty of SXSW's opening night; R.E.M.'s much-mooted set at Stubb's, as well as gigs from Simian Mobile Disco, Yeasayer, and many, many others will kick off the event, entertaining the ever-building crowd of music fans and industry insiders. Be sure to check back to SPIN.com for footage and live reviews of the aforementioned acts, as well as video interviews, acoustic performances, backstage exclusives, and much, much more as we bring you the best of the fest throughout the week.

March 10, 2008 – After weeks of picking through the exhaustive bill and mentally preparing for sleepless nights and 'round the clock rock, Spin staffers will finally depart New York City tomorrow (March 11) and head south for Austin, TX's annual musical assault: SXSW. And once onsite, SPIN.com will be bringing you the best of the fest via video interviews with the event's biggest artists, as well as performances, backstage exclusives and much, much more. For a complete rundown of what SPIN.com will be up to in Austin, watch the video below.

March 10, 2008 – My Morning Jacket have unveiled the tracklisting for Evil Urges, the southern rockers' forthcoming studio follow-up to 2005's acclaimed set Z. Expect songs such as the noodling, rollicking "I'm Amazed," the haunting acoustics of "Librarian," and thunderous balladry of "Smokin From Shootin" to seethe from the axe-rockin' fingers and belting pipes of frontman Jim James June 10 when Evil Urges drops to stores shelves nationwide courtesy of ATO. And for fans heading to SXSW this week, don't miss My Morning Jacket March 13 at the Austin Music Hall, or James' solo set March 15 at St. David's Church. Evil Urges tracklisting: 1. "Evil Urges" 2. "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 1" 3. "Highly Suspicious"4. "I'm Amazed"5. "Thank You Too"6. "Sec Walkin'"7. "Two Halves"8. "Librarian"9. "Look at You"10. "Aluminum Park"11. "Remnants"12. "Smokin From Shootin"13.

March 7, 2008 – Drainpipe-denim-sporting rock fans flocked en masse to the dusty reaches of one of Manhattan's last standing factory-villes last night (March 6) for the 2008 PLUG Independent Music Awards ceremony, held at West Side venue Terminal 5. But despite the promising bill -- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, St. Vincent, Dizzee Rascal, the Forms, and Jose Gonzalez, among others -- attendees were met with a humdrum indie rock rendition of American Bandstand. And comedian/host Patton Oswalt ain't no Dick Clark neither! Interspersed by Oswalt's rare zinger and ineptitude at filling awkward logistical missteps with humor (many!), the event's live aspect teased fans of the real crowd-drawing acts; St.

March 7, 2008 – To rally fans around the recent release of Heima (translated as "homeland"), Sigur Rós' 97-minute DVD documenting the band's live music and the natural wonders of their native Iceland, the quartet launched Minn Heima, a competition seeking song-length interpretations of the arty film. Over the next 24 hours, fans' video submissions, including the contest's winner, will be showcased on the band's YouTube page, as will Sigur Rós' feature-length DVD, which will be streaming in its entirety. But to whittle down the vast pool of mind-blowing, creative videos, SPIN.com has come to the rescue! Check out the trippy, mysterious montage of the contest winner below, plus the beautifully edited animation of Spin's pick for runner-up, and the arty renderings of our honorable mention selection. Winner: Spin's pick for runner-up: Honorable mention:

March 6, 2008 – On May 20, Seattle's grunge all-stars Mudhoney will return with The Lucky Ones, the quartet's eighth album to date, out courtesy of longtime label Sub Pop. The new set, recorded in a mere three-and-a-half days, will drop alongside a deluxe, remastered edition of Mudhoney's sophomore record, Superfuzz Bigmuff, and will also coincide with both the band and label's 20th anniversary. Unearth your suits and goggles, for the cinematic indie pop of Brooklyn-based quartet French Kicks will also return on May 20 with Swimming, the band's second album on Vagrant, set to arrive just in time for summer. For the overly antsy, as well as members of the Polar Bear Club, Swimming will be available exclusively via iTunes on April 1. And to unveil the album nationwide, French Kicks will hit the road this spring. Check out the band's MySpace page for a full itinerary.

March 5, 2008 – The music video for "Run," the first single from Gnarls Barkley's forthcoming sophomore effort, The Odd Couple, has failed the Harding Test, which establishes if a TV image will trigger epileptic seizures. Subsequently, the video is now banned from MTV, but thanks to the Internet, you can watch it below -- just be careful! [Via Billboard.com] VIDEO: Gnarls Barkley, "Run" Though Pavement principal Stephen Malkmus told us this month that a Pavement reunion would only happen "when we're really paunchy and our fans are cashing in their IRAs," it appears guitarist Scott Kannberg, aka Spiral Stairs, either has other plans for the indie mavens or is now fat and living off his 401k. "Matador is having a 20th anniversary party soon," Kannberg told EW.com, "so maybe we'll try to do something for that.

March 4, 2008 – Though lacking the psychedelic lights and chest-thumping beats of the French duo's live show, fans can certainly trip out to Daft Punk's experimental, silent film Electroma this summer when it drops in both DVD and high definition Blu-Ray formats July 22 via Vice. The film, which directors and Daft Punk members Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo call "music for the eyes," documents two robots' undying quest to become human, and arrives with a 40-page book of stills from the movie for additional visual stimulation. Vampire Weekend sticksman Christopher Tomson has taken to the band's MySpace blog and revealed the shiny faced Spin cover boys "have been invited to play on next Saturday's (3/8) SNL," and that in order to make the New York City gig, will be forced to postpone "appearances in Orlando and St.