Sitting in the lawn of the French Legation Museum listening to a solo acoustic set from Thurston Moore. It’s a totally relaxed environment, with kids laying in the grass and drifting off to a half-sleep as Sonic Youth’s Moore delves into extended explorations of material from his recent solo record. It’s relaxed sunset moments like this that make SXSW unique.

Earlier, I caught the Dum Dum Girls, who draw mixed emotions from me. On the one hand, the subject of the current Agit Reader feature seem a bit too slick for my tastes. But, when I shut my brain off and let my ears do the thinking, I can’t help but be caught up in the Sub Pop signee’s infectious garage rock. Ultimately, I think this is the type of band you’re not supposed to overthink, because if you’re digging the songs, that’s enough.

Between Thurston and the Dum Dum Girls, I caught Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, whose countrified soul songs provided a nice change-up to my rock-filled days. The Denver group literally revived the crowd, and it was hard to tear myself away