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ROBYN
Over at the Palm Door, a late-night frenzy hosted by noted rock god Perez Hilton kicked off with a set from Robyn. The Swedish electro provocateur tore through her own blogosphere hits (''Konichiwa B-----s'') and covered Neneh Cherry, Snoop Dogg, and Prince. All in all, a surreal thrill.
DOWNLOAD THIS: ''Who's That Girl''
ERIC HUTCHINSON
Next up at Perez's bash was Maryland singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson, whose tunes struck a glam-rock/classic-rock compromise somewhere between the Stones and the Scissor Sisters. Backstage, the gossip lord grooved happily, while out in front, the packed-to-the-gills crowd followed his lead.
DOWNLOAD THIS: ''Food Chain''
SHE & HIM
No secret, the identities behind those pronouns: She & Him is actress Zooey Deschanel and lo-fi champion M. Ward, and their simple AM gold pop was the perfect compliment to a breezy afternoon on the lawn at the French Legation Museum. Deschanel's not totally comfortable on stage yet — at one point leaving her microphone behind at the keyboard as she stood for ''Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?'' — but her vocals betray not a hint of nervousness as Ward's adventurous yet familiar guitar lines amble in the background. Their excellent debut, Volume One, is due March 18.
DOWNLOAD THIS: ''This Is Not a Test''
M.WARD/JIM JAMES
Under the wood-slatted ceiling of St. David's Episcopal Church, in a sanctuary so silent you could hear the scrikkkk of his slide on the strings, M. Ward — now solo — impressed with the hand-crafted quirkiness of an artist comfortable enough to take a mid-song break (during Post-War's ''Rollercoaster'') to tune a pesky instrument. After six songs, he invited his Monsters of Folk buddy Jim James (better known as frontman for My Morning Jacket) to grab a guitar. James thanked God for letting them use his house, and the two men fused into a single harmonious entity for a set that included ''Chinese Translation'' and ''One Life Away.'' Ward then left James and his beautiful, keening voice to soar in a rare, reverb-free environment for a riveting hour that took on an extra layer of spirituality, given the surroundings. Backed by guitarist Carl Broemel on pedal steel, James presented a three-fer of songs off MMJ's upcoming Evil Urges (''Librarian,'' ''Smokin from Shootin,'' ''Thank You Too'') as well as stripped-down versions of ''What a Wonderful Man'' and ''Gideon.'' The sum total of the evening's hushed, transcendent mood was the ideal antidote to four days of thrumming bass and incessantly-boozing-and-yapping SXSW attendees. As Ward put it, ''I feel like we're a million miles away from 6th Street.'' By the time you read this, many of us will be — but this is one gig that's liable to travel home with everyone who was lucky enough to get in.
DOWNLOAD THIS: M. Ward, ''Chinese Translation''; My Morning Jacket, ''Gideon''
