Publisher’s Note: So many bands. So little time. Kristen Blanton, a newly minted Austin resident, spent most of her week going from concert to concert and interview to interview. She’s exhausted, poor kid. So, I’ve taken the liberty of selecting some of the best new bands we saw there for this recap. The words are hers. The choices are mine.

When the four Englishmen took stage, before lead singer Joe Newman could even say, “Hello, We’re Alt-J” the crowd had lost control. The set took off with Alt-J’s 2012 An Awesome Wave first track “Intro.” The slow ballad began like a relaxed heartbeat. As the track built so did that pulse, until it detonated and covered listeners with a cloud of reverence. The whole set was an impressive bullet. It hit and stuck right where it was meant to. This new band is one that is making waves to international audiences and will be yearning lyrics, “please don’t go, I love you so I love you so,” for many years to come.

We made it over to The Moody Theatre in the late evening to enjoy the dynamite duo of Lucius. If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing the spelling binding abilities of these Brooklyn ladies, it is about damn time you do. Lead singers Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe act as one melodic voice with the power of two haunting souls apart of the five-member piece. Their outfits are impeccable and matching, but there is no gimmick to their attire. In fact, it is just the opposite. They use their ensemble as a part of the visceral experience of their highly energetic melodies. “We started making music because we wanted something we could dance to,” Holly offers. When the track that we’d go as far to call an anthem, “Turn It Around” comes on, it pulses through the room. As a commanding heartbeat, the track leaves the crowd in utter disbelief at how musically gifted this young band is. We expect only perfect, yes, we’re going to say perfect things to come from the powerhouse of Lucius.

As the sun began to set we headed back to HGTV + Paste Stages on 6^th showcase where we found a band that has it. I mean, they just have it – that unidentifiable “it” that makes you need more. The electro pop band ON AN ON consists of Nate Eiesland, Alissa Ricci and Ryan Estwing who are also members of indie-pop outfit Scattered Trees. They have been playing music together for as long as they can remember and it shows. There is an impulse, a natural and familiar texture to the way this band makes and plays music together. When Ricci wails in “The Hunter,” you become apart of her atmosphere. If you’ve not you now must, enjoy the dream-washed ambiance of ON AN ON.

The great thing about a band like The Weeks. They’re ready for it – they want it. The young long hairs from Mississippi are incredibly personable, likable and intelligent. They wear their state proudly on their arms and they discern a great bit about the South’s ability to leave impressions. This is exactly what is reflected in their music . When they brace the stage, they are magnetic.

As a set of twins and friends from childhood (if you want to call it such a thing, they’re still twenty-two years old) it seems their connectivity is unstoppable. They’ve welcomed esteemed keyboardist Alex Collier to their line up and it’s a beautiful call. The 4-minute track “The House We Grew Up In,” highlighted just what this band came to do at SXSW – speak their music with authenticity. It’s refreshing seeing the young band, signed to Kings of Leon’s label Serpents and Snakes, take the wheel for a new generation of southern-indie rockers.