Trevor Powers and Logan Hyde of Youth Lagoon are both sporting new tattoos: Powers' is a traditional-style octopus from a gent at American Classic Tattooing on Broadway and Longmont in the home of the duo--Boise Idaho. Hyde's is an Egyptian-style pyramid, still healing and looking a little rough after having picked it up in London last week. But they also each have inked on them an image of Idaho, Powers' on his left forearm, Hydes' on his right bicep.

I have an Idaho tattoo, too--it is my home.

This is just one reason I felt beyond compelled to go to the Boise party at the IFC Crossroads House on day two of music for South By Southwest No. 25. Moreover, the community bubbling around my hometown has built itself into something viable and real: Stereogum's noticed and the town's first annual festival--modeled around those like SXSW--hits the streets next week. This is not to mention the party's lineup Wednesday night boasted a number of bands I had seen and missed since leaving the city three years ago: Hillfolk Noir, Le Fleur, Brett Netson and Finn Riggins each sounded as tight and NW as ever. But--though I missed Built To Spill this time to catch Danny Brown git nasty--Youth Lagoon still stood out to me as something different and crystaline and powerful. Sure, Trevor got a little flustered at equipment failure. But dude's always been hypercritical of himself--self-evaluation is a common thread throughout his debut 2011 LP The Year of Hibernation. But after he got a battery swap out of the way--with what was to me good stride--Powers gave his beat-heavy Rhodes-pop the common excellence of evaluation he's been used to on the road. Check out the clip of Afternoon and The Hunt from the performance below.

Maybe the ease I still sense from the boys is just the pair's disposition right now, world-traveled and selling out crowds in major markets months in advance and really still just a couple of goofs watching the lines flash on the road and wondering where they'll sleep tonight. All of the tension seems to mount and then melt away moments before and then onstage. Check out the rest of the pics below.

SXSW