As the 2008 presidential election heats up, so does the musical support: Merge artists Arcade Fire (yes, frontman Win Butler was born in Texas) and indie rock mainstays Superchuck will team up for a pair of gigs in support of democratic candidate Barack Obama.

A premium blend of country/city boys made good, Brooklyn's Hymns rocked a small but enthused SXSW closing night crowd at Cedar Patio with the horns-heavy jam, "I Can't Be What You Want," insisting their brass section was an impulse buy: "We found them at IHOP this morning," frontman Brian Harding told the audience.

And the award goes to...the Helio Sequence! That's correct: after a week jam packed with more shows than one can count, I can now answer the incessant "who was best?" query: the Helio Sequence receives my vote for the Best Show of SXSW '08.

I consider myself an unrivaled Breeders fan, but as NOFX and Kim Deal and co.

SPIN's annual SXSW bash at Stubb's BBQ is always a hot ticket, and this year it was also just plain hot. Like, over 90 degrees hot without much shade, cooking pasty faced East Coasters low-n-slow, much like the racks of ribs in the Stubb's kitchen. But our lineup was up to the challenge, leading off with shape-shifting British outfit Switches.

Oakland's Port O'Brien may have been collectively suffering from sore throats, as Neil Young-sounding frontman (and part-time Alaskan fisherman) Van Pierszalowski revealed, but luckily a little extra scratchiness goes a long way for the Americana quintet, who played the SFxSXSW showcase at Bourbon Rocks on Saturday.