CMJ – day five

After a full day of show-going yesterday, I was almost too tired to make it out to anything last night, but since I had bought my ticket to see Sin Fang Bous and múm months ago, I decided to soldier on. After all, they’re both from Iceland. A chance like this probably doesn’t come too often. I had been warned that it might be a bit sleepy, but I figured that after a long week, sleepy might not be so bad.

the members of múm offer you a colorful kaleidoscope of sound - even on rainy days

While the show was definitely dreamy and ethereal, it was far from sleepy. I was impressed by how much múm moved the crowd. Every now and then a special kind of feeling permeates the room and elevates a good show to a great show. The members of múm were incredibly talented and gracious. You could tell they were genuinely having a good time, and that feeling was contagious. They danced and flitted about stage as they made their music. Note: the use of the word ‘made’ in the place of ‘play’ is significant here. Many bands with strange sound effects like múm have a tendency to be rather disappointing live because so much of their sound is contructed ahead of time and simply played from a laptop. This did not seem to be the case with múm. They truly were making the music right there on stage with the help of a number of strange instruments and an impressive range of vocals.

In addition to playing a number of my favorite songs from 2007′s Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy ( including: “Guilty Rocks,” “Marmalade Fire,” and “Blessed Brambles”), they played a healthy selection from their recent album Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know. The final song of their set (pre-encore) was “Sing Along,” which featured borderline cute/creep lyrics and cue cards to get the audience to sing along, too. Oh, múm, your last album may not be as strong as its predecessors, but “You are so beautiful to us, we want to lock you in our house,” too.

Here’s a video from Pitchfork TV of one of my favorite songs, “Guilty Rocks” :

So thanks, múm for helping CMJ end on a high note.

CMJ – day four

Well, I saw one of the most hyped bands of the festival – The xx. As you may recall, I’ve written about The xx before (here and even earlier here). It really is insane how much they have blown up in the last few months. When I contacted them in April to be on NPR Music’s Second Stage, they didn’t even have any press photos handy and the only one to be found on the web was pretty terrible. Now, they no longer have that problem.

(Photo by Christo Geoghegan)

As expected, the room was packed for the show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night, and overall, the crowd seemed pretty enthusiastic… but I’ve got to say, I think they have a long way to go with their live act. Don’t get me wrong. They were spot on. They were so spot on, in fact, that besides the intense vibrations given off from the bass, their show sounded just like their album. And, though I really enjoy their album and relish its simplicity and minimalism, it didn’t exactly make for a rousing or particularly memorable show. They did not really expand on their songs at all,  and they were not very dynamic in between songs either. Though they expressed their excitement at playing in NY, they hardly talked between songs. They hardly even moved while they played, leaving the audience with little to keep their interest. The ‘drummer.’ Wasn’t even playing behind a kit. He was merely using a strange drum machine that allowed him to push various pads with his fingers to make the effects.

So I was kind of torn on this show overall. Yes, it was good, but at least right now, The xx is just one of those bands you throw on the stereo on a (sexy) rainy day or when you want to brood a little; not one of those bands known for their showmanship.

CMJ – day three

Night three of CMJ went by in a blur. I somehow managed to make an appearance at no less than four music venues: Mercury Lounge, Le Poisson Rouge, Bowery Ballroom, and the Suffolk and all without an official CMJ badge! (Thanks, Bob Boilen.)  The sheer randomness of the evening was delightful. This is what a music festival should be like–flitting madly in between venues when the mood strikes, making new contacts, and running into people you haven’t seen in a while.

That said, I have to say that my favorite act of the night also happened to be the first one I saw–Patrick Watson. In many ways, Patrick Watson reminds me of sparser Andrew Bird–his music is beautifully orchestrated with a piano (which they literally wheeled through the audience and onto the stage), interesting percussion parts, and often a barrage of tubas, trumpets, trombones, bass, violins, guitars, bass, pianos, and guitars. His show last night, however, was more sparse.

Check out this video from NPR Music + WNYC to get an idea of Patrick Watson’s style. It’s pretty long, but the first song, “Beijing” from his recent album Wooden Arms is one of the best.

I have to admit though, Patrick Watson was not what I expected. The Mercury Lounge had the lights down low. I don’t know if it was the lighting or Watson’s demeanor, but the show was much edgier and more rock-oriented than I had thought it would be from listening to the album. If this was Andrew Bird, it was Andrew Bird with a kick.

One of the highlights of the performance was the song “Traveling Salesman.” The melody was creepily upbeat and carnivalesque, and Watson sang through a Megaphone, which distorted his voice in strangely gorgeous ways and made the vocals sound like a mesmerizing stream of propaganda. The track “Man Like You,” which I first heard in the great little French film C’est pas moi je le jure! was also fantastic. Watson’s falsetto in the song reminds me a bit of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.

Then, something strange happened. A man started walking through the audience carrying what appeared to be one of those lamps with multiple heads, only in addition to being a source of light, these heads were also PA systems of some kind. Basically, it was a tree of megaphones coming out of a rucksack. I almost got hit in the head with it as it made its way to the stage. For the dramatic finale to his set, Watson then strapped on the contraption and proceeded to walk off the stage to the center of the floor, and there, surrounded by CMJ-goers and accompanied by a tambourine and a drum, he sang through this contraption, which made for quite a memorable performance.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Smelser

Tonday – day four – should be fairly eventful. I’ll be sure to report back when it’s all over…

CMJ – day one

So last night, I headed over to the Music Hall of Williamsburg for the Brooklyn Vegan showcase where I caught the better part of five acts. I had been most anticipating The Antlers and Fanfarlo. Especially after having listened to Fanfarlo’s debut album Reservoir extensively in a short period of time. But it was actually the middle act that I was most taken by – British singer/songwriter Laura Marling.

I had briefly seen Marling before in a collaborative video with Jeffrey Lewis, and I remember being taken by her voice and angelic demeanor, so I was delighted to see her walk on stage. Marling’s set was simple. She didn’t drag her cello from London – just her guitar. But her voice is absolutely gorgeous and the lyrics to her songs are picturesque and intriguing. She revealed that she has been working on her new album for the past eight months, and she played a number of new songs. From what I can tell, her sophomore album will not be a disappointment. Keep your eye on this deceptively young singer.

Here is a video of the track “Ghosts.”

It’s that time again…

If you live in NY, take a deep breath now and try to relax because the next week is going to be a blur of music, college radio kids, free booze, and private parties.

Yep. It’s CMJ: the annual music and film festival in NY that celebrates college radio. From Tuesday to Sunday, there will be hundreds of concerts, and well, it can get a bit overwhelming.

Drink Up Buttercup at the Cake Shop in '08 (Photo Nicholas Roberts)

That’s why I’ve scoured the extensive CMJ line-up and put together a little guide for you. (The shows with the asterisks are the ones I’m seriously thinking about seeing…)

TUESDAY - 10/20

*Music Hall of Williamsburg – Laura Marling (9:30), The Antlers (10:15),   Fanfarlo (11:00)*

Le Poisson Rouge – Atlas Sound (10:00), Broadcast (11:00)

WEDNESDAY – 10/21

*The Charleston – Hermit Thrushes (8:00)*

The Mercury Lounge – The xx (9:00)

The Bell House – The Love Language (10:00)

Santos Party House – Real Estate (10:00), Cymbals Eat Guitars (10:15)

Music Hall of Williamsburg – Atlas Sound (10:00)

Bowery Ballroom – Fanfarlo (11:00)

THURSDAY – 10/22

*Mercury Lounge – Patrick Watson (8:00)*

Brooklyn Bowl – YACHT (8:00)

The Rose – Binary Marketing Show (8:00)

Union Pool – Timber Timbre (9:00)

The Delancey – The Antlers (10:00)

The Bell House – Robbers on High Street (11:00)

FRIDAY - 10/23

*Living Room – Hungry Hungry Ghost (9:00), The Love Language (10:00), Lost in the Trees (11:00), The Ugly Suit (12:00), La Strada (1:00)*

Music Hall of Williamsburg – The xx (10:40)

SATURDAY - 10/24

*Le Poisson Rouge – Sin Fang Bous (8:00), Mum (9:00)*

The Bell House – The Postmarks (9:00), Au Revoir Simone (11:00)

Bowery Ballroom – Violens (10:00), Sharon van Etten (11:00)

Of course… many of the best bands are playing at the same time, so you’re still going to have to do your homework.

Before you get crackin’ let me leave you with one last tip: You may want to either avoid the big artists or plan ahead if you know you want to see them. Things could get messy otherwise. And, you’d really be surprised. Sometimes, it’s the bands you haven’t heard of that become your favorite acts.