After a solid indie afternoon with the Under the Radar folks, we moved on to the proverbial branding juggernaut that is the Fader Fort. True to the Fader magazine’s general philosophy, the bill is a mix of super hipster indie/dance and truly beloved modern hip-hop. Tonight, we aimed for the headliner Chromeo. True to form, the duo of Dave 1 and P-Thugg mugged and posed behind an elaborate keyboard rig mounted on Robert Palmer-eseque legs. They put on a hell of a fun show though.

Way on the other side of town at Brazos Hall, we saw upstart new project from a couple of members of The Duke Spirit, Roman Remains. Unlike The Duke Spirit–which tended to be more of a light alt-rock–Roman Remains has almost an industrial strength tinge. The crowd on hand was mostly casual onlookers, so while the band had an enrapturing quality about them, the crowd didn’t connect as strongly as they might have at a more intimate event.

Just a few blocks up at the Parish Merge held their annual showcase, featuring a bevy of their top-notch bands. Earlier on, Hospitality played a solid set, fresh on the heels of their stellar new album Trouble. The group’s singer Amber Papini alternates between lead guitar and keyboards. Also, the group has a two-faceted delivery, sometimes performing a soothing indie pop, and others a slightly upbeat rock.

Fresh off the disbandment of supergroup Wild Flag, singer/guitarist Mary Timony is back with a new rock group, Ex Hex. Ex Hex is a trio consisting of Timony, Betsy Wright and Laura Harris. The band is a fun and rocking form of punk, without heading too far into riot grrl sloppiness. Timony has serious skill on guitar, but the band chooses to play things simpler, avoiding complex riffing.

Lastly for us, duo Wye Oak had the same stage a few hours later. The duo manage to produce a rich tapestry in spite of having just two pairs of hands. Andy Stack doubles on drums, keyboards and sequencing and Jenn Wasner sings, plays bass and keyboards. While their stage presence isn’t one of wrenching charisma, their net total arrangements are peppy, inspired and intriguing.