Entertainment - Monday, October 26, 2009 14:49 - 1 Comment
CMJ: Your Final Roundup
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.
Entertainment - Friday, October 23, 2009 12:00 - 1 Comment
CMJ Wednesday Roundup
Jake (who also took all of our beautiful pictures FYI) saw Fanfarlo (above), the five-piece band from the UK, who seem to have been produced by a trihybrid cross of lumberjacks, turn-of-the-century organ grinders, and pure flannel. At last night’s CMJ show at the Bowery Ballroom, the band produced folksy indie-rock on an epic scale, in the tradition of Beirut or Arcade Fire. Their rough-around-the-edges antique aesthetic doesn’t seem forced or affected, even as they indulge what seems to be an obscure instrument fetish; their songs featured mandolins, a clarinet, and even the melodica, the shunned bastard child of a bagpipe and a keytar. Fanfarlo pulls off an excellent trick: they manage both a symphonic hugeness and, more importantly, an authentic warmth. Maybe it’s just all that flannel.
Keyana went to see Field Theory at Bruar Falls, one of those obnoxiously named, obviously kitschy (there was wallpaper on the ceiling, for god’s sake) Williamsburg hipster hangout bars. Their songs ran the gamut from poppy indie melodies, to straight-up rock, to Radiohead-inspired soundscapes. Ordinarily I’d say that’s a disjointed mix, but it seemed to work well for them, and I was too busy bobbing my head/dancing to really care. Most of the band members were visibly nervous during the first few songs of their set, and the guitar was kind of out of tune — but their songwriting was solid, their timing was impeccable, and they brought horn players. Any time a rock band can incorporate a couple of good horn lines into their songs, I’m happy. Makes me wish there were more than just 40 people paying attention.
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Entertainment - Friday, October 23, 2009 10:30 - 2 Comments
CMJ Tuesday Roundup
Reporting CMJ: It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it. Free drinks, tons of bands, general revelry; it can be tough at times. But being the dedicated journalists we are, the Entertainment staff combined our powers to tell you about the standout acts we’ve seen so far this week.
Tuesday was a bit of a warm up day for everyone. After the CMJ-sponsored media mixer at the LimeWire Space kicked things off, it would suffice to say that we were very warm. Despite the deliciousness of the free cocktails and the fact that Margaret Cho DJ-ed, I’m pretty sure this was just a ploy by CMJ to get all the people who were going to write about the bands they showed so liquored up that they would just go nuts over everything they saw. It may have worked.
For people put off by excessive happiness and enthusiasm (I know you’re out there), maybe give Jukebox the Ghost (pictured) a pass. The three-man band’s Bowery Ballroom show last night had a certain gleeful insanity to it—largely due to frontman Ben Thornewill’s dinner plate-sized buggin’ eyes, wild keyboard-pounding and manic gesticulations.
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Entertainment - Thursday, October 22, 2009 10:36 - 2 Comments
CMJ for All: The Postelles and Golden Silvers
One of the wonderful things about working for NYU Local is that CMJ was kind enough to award many of the Entertainment writers badges so that they could attend and write about shows. This means they get to share their experiences with the NYU masses who didn’t enter our giveaway contest. For your enjoyment, below is a video recorded by Local staffer Natan Edelsburg of the The Postelles.
Golden Silvers – True No.9 Blues (True Romance) – Bowery Poetry Club 10/21/09 from NYU Local on Vimeo.
City, Featured - Monday, October 19, 2009 8:30 - 5 Comments
CMJ Standout Shows
Manchurian candidate the download. Pianist Natti Vogel blended many musical genres in an act equal parts vaudeville, classical, and pop. In a creative move, he brought string players to back him at the concert, but they got lost in the sound mixing and almost couldn’t be heard in the audience.
Second runner-up Analogue Transit, a duo from Brooklyn, played an interesting mix of electronica and rock. First runner-up was a band called Bad News Babe. They played two fun, solidly crafted pop songs.
The Brothers Frank, winners of the Battle, also played two well-written pop songs. Despite the lack of a drummer (they were backed by a recorded drum track), they kept things together nicely, and even sang some solid harmonies. We’ll have a full interview with them later today.
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