Michael Stipe (REM) @ SXSW 2008 - Mar 12, 2008 ( retnablog ) Lemmy (Motorhead) @ SXSW 2008 - Mar 13, 2008 ( KK+ ) I couldn't go to R.E.M. @ Stubb's last night because it was happening at the same time as my own official showcase . I couldn't go to Motorhead @ Stubb's today because of my day party . Instead I just watched the videos below.... [...]
They had a new album to push - an album so modern, it's being streamed online , if you can imagine such a science-fiction concept. So, how did REM go down in Austin? Like Elliot Spitzer at a Catholic Mother's Meeting. Village Voice tried to be kind, but: The songs are a bit louder, brasher, angrier, but still exploding into that sunny, boppy sort of R.E.M. chorus that's simultaneously recognizable and forgettable. The song bitching about Barbara Bush's post-Katrina Superdome quips is half-finished at best; "I'm Gonna DJ" is half-clever [...]