Okay readers, we’ll be honest. We got a little burnt out by the end of CMJ, for various reasons Nightmare detective download. Midterms, combined with all the free drinks, led to a lack of concentration in the last few days. But everyone did manage to see a few acts, so here you have it:

The xx at Music Hall of Williamsburg, by Jake Moore

Contrary to non-popular opinion, The xx is not a subversive marketing campaign for Dos Equis. Just a four-piece London band who happens to be the biggest thing at CMJ this year. We went into the show with literally two minds: skeptical, unfamiliar Keyana, and die-hard fanboi Jake (he embarrassingly scooped up the setlist at the conclusion of the show).

The band, draped in black, slithered in from the shadows with practically no fanfare save two massive glowing X’s at either side of the stage. Singer and guitarist Oliver Sim quickly adopted his signature sultry, thousand-yard stare that’s aimed at nothing in particular. They kicked things off with the closest thing they have to a single, ‘Crystalised.’ Despite the abundance of cool, we quickly came to the conclusion that The xx plays a pretty comatose show, replicating their studio recordings note for note. But somehow they stay fascinating despite the lack of spontaneity. It was like watching four alchemists pouring out a solution drop by drop, combining spare guitars, overlapping vocals, and staccato beats with ridiculous exactitude. End verdict? Jake’s blind faith was only slightly shaken, while Keyana remained entirely unimpressed.

The xx does a secret set at The Delancey on Thursday, by Samantha Moore

I wasn’t wowed and have to agree with Jake on this one. It sounds almost as if they are lip synching. That’s great, but it’s certainly not what I look for in a live show. Live shows should be hyper-perfect and crackling with energy or at the very least in shambles but bursting with energy. The xx gave me neither. But there were certain people who claimed that they felt it was an amazing performance so maybe I’m just missing the point entirely.

The Hours showcase at the Norwood on Friday, by Samantha Moore

I only saw the last two songs of Fall on Your Sword, but I consider myself very lucky that I did. I could barely stand being in there as the space was basically a small room with one door and no windows at the top of a four story townhouse. It was intense. But the two songs I heard from this band were ridiculously fantastic. The first song I heard was an amazing cover of the New Order song “Ceremony” (trivia fact: actually written and once performed by Ian Curtis!). It was completely unexpected and beautiful. I was psyched up for this band to be like the next coming of New Order or something, but I was so, so, wrong. The next song was a minimalist techno-ish “Shatner on the Mount”, which basically repeated the line “Captain Kirk is climbing the mountain/Why is he climbing the mountain?”. It was hilarious, and they projected the music video on the wall behind them. Luckily I found it online for your viewing pleasure. Get high for maximum effect.

The Club NME Showcase, by Samantha Moore

On Thursday, I DJ’d the Club NME showcase, which features approximately 1,000 bands in the lineup, including a secret xx set. There were two definite standouts. The first was the very first band that played, who almost nobody was there to see but me. We Are Enfant Terrible, a French act that blended angular guitars with 8-bit sounds, and dynamic vocals from lead singer Clo Floret. During the set she was screaming and climbing up on the amps, looking and sounding like she was owning the Bowery Ballroom to a sold out crowd, rather than to 30 people in the downstairs room of The Delancey. The band played a storming set and made me want to simultaneously play Bikini Kill and Daft Punk, if that gives you any insight into what they sound like. Plus, they are ridiculously adorable. And French.

The second band I saw was Delorean, who certainly lived up to their name, as their music almost sounds like you are breaking some kind of time-space continuum with the Doc in Back to the Future. Their electro-pop base is enhanced by danceable world-music rhythms, and catchy vocal hooks. Everyone was coming up to me and asking who this bands was that was playing, surprised at how good they were. That’s what CMJ is for, I suppose.

Phantogram at the Williamsburg Music Hall, by Keyana Stevens

Before The xx unleashed their “genius” on the Music Hall crowd, I caught the opening act, Phantogram. I went to the concert without bothering to find out who was performing, so when Phantogram took the stage with a huge contraption that was a combination drum machine/keyboard/vocal loop machine, I initially balked at the thought of listening to them play a 30 minute set. I’m not generally a fan of electronica, or techno, or trance music, which is what Phantogram sounds like (with a bit of mellow indie rock thrown in). But between Sarah Barthel’s ethereal vocal melodies and Joshua Carter’s infectious guitar playing, Phantogram won me over. I even forgave them for relying on a drum machine, just because of the sheer catchiness of their songs.

Hockey at the Mercury Lounge, by Natan Edelsburg

I arrived at Mercury Lounge to a very long line. To my surprise this line was only for those who had CMJ passes. The bouncers claimed that CMJ messed up and that they could not possibly allow people in who were not paying because it was unfair to the band. $12 later I was not looking forward to Hockey that much. I had been enjoying their album for the past week and their sound was reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys. Even though Mercury rudely stole my money, Hockey was even better live. “Too Fake“ and “Learn to Lose” were their best. They’re very indie but their sound is also very different. They’re fun to dance to and they’re upbeat without being too pop. I wasn’t surprised when I found out that they were recently on Jimmy Fallon and plan to tour Europe soon. I would definitely check out their album.

Photo of The xx by Jake Moore