WaterCoolerGossip

These are the best videos that capture this year's CMJ Music Marathon, granted this is just a slice of all the stuff that went on that week and really only a slice of what would be the ultimate highlight reel. But still these are worth watching. Also check out New York Noise's coverage of the KEXP live sessions below.

Dan Deacon and The Deathset played an DIY all-star lineup at Silent Barn. There is no better way to start these videos that with Dan's own introduction to his set. Next, the Fader Sideshow was a sweet spot to relax and catch a band or two. White Williams, Health, and Santogold were all there. Then there is a double scoop of "Ice Cream" for the Modular party at Studio B and on to Art Goblins (Art Brut) playing acoustic in the foyer of the Music Hall of Williamsburg. I have yet to go to Terminal 5 but these two videos MIA and Justice capture the space and the crowd. The place looks huge. Then next there are clips from the late night Peter & Bjorn show, Jay Reatard, and Arizona. I also threw in the two-part Stereogum video where Andrew W.K. interviews some muscians and random people on the street about CMJ. Finally, there is a video of Bon Iver playing "Skinny Love," I regret missing their show at Bowery.



KEXP LIVE SESSIONS
Also, KEXP took over Gibson Studios for their live sessions during CMJ. New York Noise recorded a bunch of them I only wish they had all the bands. The sound quality of these videos is great but unfortunately the Brightcove can be embedded so click on the links.

Yeasayer - 2080: The single that started the buzz
Yeasayer - Final Path: A strong tune not on the album

The Hold Steady - Chips Ahoy!: A song about horses and relationships, not cookies
The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend: Minnesota!

Le Loup - (Le Loup) Fear Not: Banjos + drum machine
Le Loup - I Had a Dream I Died: Banjos + drum machine + harmonies

Posted by 3xWes at 11:58 AM | Permalink

Nebraska's Eagle Seagull is one of those bands I have been meaning to see forever. The band was overflowing on to the floor at the Gothamist house. One keyboardist was pushed to the wall and standing on bench, hunched over his instrument. Their songs are so upbeat I think the crowd felt a little awkward sitting down. However, this was near the end of CMJ and lots of folks looked like they were in a daze. I want to see these guys in a different setting but I liked their big restless sound.

You should check out this band, start with their first album—recommended if you like Wolf Parade + some strings.





This post also appeared on Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:58 AM | Permalink

Don't you find it funny that the only band I took pictures of at the Sub Pop CMJ showcase is Foals, who are not even on the label. Foals is a UK post-punk band with angular guitars and funky drums. They could be a younger leaner Gang of Four but that is probably not a fair comparison since Foals has only released a few singles. The lead singer stands sideways to the crowd but maybe he really wants to emphasize the angles.

Le Loup on Hardly Art (an arm of Sub Pop) and Band of Horses were solid for their sets too.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:47 AM | Permalink

The title of this post pretty much says it all. I saw Yeasayer at the Vice party at Cake Shop. They were very good although their live sound is not quite as dense as their record. You could still cut it with a knife. I am still a big fan after digesting the album and seeing them live. I drank too much disgusting Sparks but that powered me Band of Horses at Blender Theater. I like their new album too. I also saw them the next day at Bowery at the Sub Pop showcase but took no pictures. That show was better. Sorry I have reduced to cave man speak but I'm trying to cover a lot of ground here.

YEASAYER


BAND OF HORSES

Posted by 3xWes at 11:32 AM | Permalink

Ghostland Observatory brought the moves at Webster Hall. These guys never disappoint and seem capable of rocking any size crowd. The place was very smoky and lasers were blasting along with the music. And still, Aaron wears his sunglasses. Maybe lasers can shoot from his eyes and maybe Thomas has special powers with his cape. These things seem possible when they are on stage. Bring on a new album.





This post also appeared at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:25 AM | Permalink

Islands were amazing at BrooklynVegan's day party. The band played a bunch of new songs and threw in some old favorites. Subtitle killed it on his verse for "Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone." The band was climbing stuff, grabbing props from the audience, and making interesting percussive use of the stripper poles on stage. And Nick said that they just finished putting the finishing touches on a new album. Islands go on.

Thanks BrooklynVegan for putting together some awesome day parties this year.







This post also appeared at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:22 AM | Permalink

Black Kids were probably one of the most hyped bands of CMJ this year and when they only played a song or two at their Annex showcase due to technical problems, lots of people were ready to write them off. I caught them the next day at BrooklynVegan's day party and they actually delivered on the five or six songs that they have. Reggie Youngblood, the singer, also mentioned that some of the criticism in this cloud of hype was about "how physically attractive we are." If the band is really concerned about their weight, maybe they should consider dressing a little differently. Regardless, these kids' strength is that they conjure so many bands at once from The Cure to The Go Team! to Love is All.

They still have four tracks you can download on their myspace.





This post also appeared at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:16 AM | Permalink

Deerhunter does whatever they want but the band maintains the ambient hum of Bradford's drifting voice and a wash of guitars throughout most of their songs. The drums and bass switching up kept the show interesting, going from a dance beat with a bass riff to something grunge with rough deep chords. It all swirls together. Bradford is pretty animated too—he misses his family—although the band is not quite my cup tea.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:11 AM | Permalink

Dan Deacon had a slow and awkward start at Bowery Wednesday night with 20 "Ethan Hawk!" + 5 "Gattaca!" cheers, the second was a retry of the first but both were poor cheers. Since this may be his last tour on the floor, he knew this wasn't good enough to start, so he had the crowd make sea sounds and shushing noises. After he got going, people danced and went crazy. The room went from pitch dark to full lights for people to make a "Price-Is-Right" hi-five lap around the room. Safety first. Also, there were more cameras dancing on stage than people. Oh CMJ.





This post also appear at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:04 AM | Permalink

The two-man act No Age have some explosive songs, which sometimes start with a tranquil static lull but later erupt into feedback, distortion, and crashes. The crowd upfront got pretty rowdy too. No Age is a DIY guitar and drums punk band that really explores the breadth of noise. The band was a bit chatty at first but then started introducing songs with just expletives, which seems more fitting. At the end of the show Randy stepped on his pedal to cycle some sounds, then gave his guitar to a kid dancing on stage and hoisted him on his shoulders to finish the song. It was a cool move.





This post also appeared at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 11:00 AM | Permalink

I am glad White Williams has a band because he could have gotten up there and pushed a bunch of buttons by himself but that would not convey all of the layers of instrumentation in his music. Although he might want to go one more step and get a drummer, even with just synth pads. His album reminds me of Paul Simon at times but I did not get that at the show. The whole band lacked stage presence but behind them there was a mesmerizing projection of moving patterns using things like dancing moneybags and cent characters.



I also saw them later in the week at the Fader Sideshow and their set their packed more of punch. Maybe it was the early crowd who was unenergetic at Bowery.

White Williams plays again for FRICTION on Halloween at the Annex with Telepathe. Get your costume and tickets together now. Click the flyer for a bigger image.

This post also appeared at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 10:49 AM | Permalink

High Places played the last set of the day at the Fader Sideshow on Wednesday. This is a band that sounds better with just the right amount of fuzz from crappy equipment: think chugging synth drums and a girl's soft voice paired with thudding bass and some synth steel drums. They would have fit right in with the bill at Bowery that night.

This post also appeared at Product Shop.

Posted by 3xWes at 10:23 AM | Permalink

So here is a spreadsheet with posted set times of the best showcases - day parties included. The goal is too see as many bands as possible without buying any tickets, just using the badge. I want to find out how much the badge is actually worth. Be sure to check out the After the Jump show at Music Hall tomorrow.

Posted by 3xWes at 04:43 PM | Permalink

So a month has passed and the homepage actually went blank. Yikes! Now that I / the proverbial we are back on the wagon here are a few pics from shows in past month.

The Black Lips at Music Hall of Williamsburg was epic. While the fellas in the band were rather well behaved - there was no puking, fireworks, or peeing - the crowd was out of control. Beer was thrown everywhere, people were stage diving, and some of them just fell flat on their face. And there was a parade from their earlier show at SoundFix.

All this other stuff is old news so I will just post the pics. Stay tuned for lots of CMJ coverage.

BLACK LIPS AT MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG






LES SAVY FAV AT MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG


A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS AT MERCURY LOUNGE


DAN DEACON AT WEBSTER HALL

Posted by 3xWes at 11:26 AM | Permalink