Live Review: Mars Volta, Vampire Weekend, and More from Austin City Limits

Cedric Bixler of the Mars Volta / Photo by Chad Wadsworth

The Swell Season: This endearing duo featuring Glen Hansard (the Frames) and Czeck singer/pianist Marketa Irglova garnered well deserved attention after the cult success of their movie, Once (2007). The pair sold out an ACL aftershow at the Paramount Theater and delivered a two-hour performance that was gorgeous, spontaneous, and full of humor and wit.

The sentimental songs written by the Swell Season could easily make for a show that is extravagantly emotional, but it was Hansard's charm that offered enough comedic relief between songs to keep the audience mesmerized. Hansard and Irglova's voices rose into swooping, harmonized crescendos and each note was perfectly dynamic and well executed. At times, the crowd chimed in and sang like angelic choir children. In between songs, however, the crowd was boisterous and energized, shouting opinions on the November election or asking Irglova to be their girlfriend.

M. Ward, Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band: Hundreds of musicians at ACL seem to be reaching out to touch the hem of the garments of Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and many of the other country greats. Channeling this classic work into their own and delivering country-tinged songs with a new passion and inspired lyrical content, M. Ward, Jenny Lewis, and Conor Oberst are clearly the best and the brightest of the old-school worshippers.

M. Ward opened the show with an acoustic set. And with his smokey voice and multi-faceted guitar style, he delivered porch-side lullabies that eased everyone into a calm trance. Lewis followed, opening with the crowd rouser "Jack Killed Mom" and shaking things up with songs from her new record Acid Tongue. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band delivered what many fans within earshot called his "most memorable show ever," with songs almost solely off his new record, including "Souled Out" and "I Don't Want To Die (In The Hospital)." Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band performed with such sincerity and gratitude that each listener walked away feeling as if each song had been a private serenade.

Okkervil River: When Austin natives Okkervil River took the stage, they immediately engaged the crowd with their energetic, indie folk rock tunes. Singer Will Sheff delivered his inspired tales and even offered an adaptation of the Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" to the pleased crowd. Okkervil River is on the verge of mainstream success and if this show was any indication, they'll reach that destination soon.