Vampire Weekend

Who are they? The ska-lite indie-rock quartet from Columbia College has seen almost as much hype this year as Barack Obama, buoyed by bloggers, "Saturday Night Live" and the cover of Spin (as "the best new band of the year").

How were they at SXSW? Given the mega-buzz, they fell relatively flat at their afternoon set at the Spin party, coming off as surprisingly one-note and repetitive. "A-Punk" had the crowd singing, but for such a dance-oriented band, there was very little movement. Or maybe it was just the stiff SXSW crowd.

When's their local gig? 10 p.m. next Thursday 04/03 at the Triple Rock. Sold out weeks ago.

Teenage Bottlerocket

Who are they? Young, classic-styled, T-shirt-wearing punk-rock quartet from Dick Cheney territory (Wyoming).

How were they? The straight-ahead, earnest, blue-collar punk band was a refreshing break from all the hipster buzz bands and had a charming velocity. They took the Ramones' rapid 1-2-3-4 approach so seriously, they may have been the first SXSW act ever to finish the standard 45-minute set early.

When's their gig? 6 & 10 p.m. Friday 03/28 at the Triple Rock. $8.

Yeasayer

Who are they? Experimental, David Byrne-copping world-beat-gone-digi-punk band from Brooklyn's trend-setting scene that opened for MGTM on its first tour this winter.

How were they? Caught in the daylight at a packed Emo's, the quintet's whirring instrumentation and jumbled rhythms sounded like a lot of noise for noise-making sake, and the songs' hooks never showed themselves (even Byrne's most tribal stuff still had hooks).

When's their gig? April 18 at the Varsity Theater. With Man Man. $14.

White Denim

Who are they? Austin's own buzz band of the moment, the semi-bluesy, hard-stomping trio was perfectly caught in the moment with innumerable gigs during SXSW.

How were they? Truly one of the best of the fest. They were like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, minus the cutesiness and plus a Canned Heat-like kind of boogie soul.

When's their gig? April 10 at First Avenue. With Tapes 'N Tapes. $12.