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CMJ 2011 Day Four Recap |
Trying to get a bead on the NYC music scene in 2011 is nigh-impossible, let alone that of the country/world, but CMJ Music Marathon is still trying. In this file-sharing, post-major label, recession era, it's never gonna have the heights of prior years, but there's still more than enough to see, and most importantly hear, at CMJ 2011.
There's always a day at CMJ where you stay at one place too long & drink too much, and for me it was Day Four, thanks to FADER Fort. FADER Magazine always has some Fort presence at CMJ, and though it's no longer the all-CMJ-long Fort of years past (QRO recap), it was at least two days, and not just one like two years ago (QRO recap). And, most importantly, the drinks were still free.
The Audio Perv party @ The Delancey QRO's Terri Wise braved downstairs at The Delancey to catch Memoryhouse & Cameras, then headed over to Pianos (QRO venue review).
Cameras Click image for full gallery
Memoryhouse Click image for full gallery ~
Planetary Skewer party @ Pianos
Now Now Click image for full gallery ~
FADER Fort party @ 443 W 18th St.
Metronomy Click image for full gallery FADER gave one a reason to get to the Fort at opening in Metronomy (plus, nothing like drinking for free at two-thirty in the afternoon...). The English band admitted that it had been a long time since they had played in the daytime, and this was no outdoor summer festival set, but indoors in late October. What's more, their Anglo-eighties electro is really designed for nighttime. And they only got to play three or four songs.
Walk the Moon Click image for full gallery Walk the Moon's kind of ‘up with people’, slightly hippie rock (including a standing tom tom drum), was unimpressive at first, but did grow on you.
Bleached Click image for full gallery Yet another girl-group garage-rock band? What hath the Vivian Girls (QRO album review) wrought?
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
More
 Click here for photos of Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR on July 24th, 2011 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery Click here for photos of Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Webster Hall in New York, NY on June 3rd, 2011 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery
Click image for full gallery Unknown Mortal Orchestra seemed to tailor their short set for the setting, hewing less to their art-rock and instead being more accessible, which was a good choice. The short sets did mean that FADER Fort was keeping things on time.
Grimes
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Click here for photos of Grimes at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA on May 31st, 2011 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery Click here for photos of Grimes at Metro in Chicago, IL on May 23rd, 2011 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery
Click image for full gallery Back in CMJ 2008 (QRO recap), the big breakout was Swedish electro-songstress Lykke Li (QRO album review), who's since gone on to such feats as playing Austin City Limits on PBS (QRO photos from the taping). Last year, Oh Land (QRO album review) was ‘Lykke Li 2.0’ at CMJ (QRO recap). This year, ‘Lykke Li 3.0’ is Grimes - another Scandinavian lady singer with ethereal sounds and good looks (and opened for Lykke Li on tour back in May).
King Krule Click image for full gallery With a name like that, one expected a hip-hop group, or at least New Orleans bounce. Instead, just another band, with a particularly wimpy-looking ginger frontman. Did see an almost-fight in the crowd during the set (right in the space between me and the person I was talking to), when one guy bumped into another and the bumpee wouldn't accept the bumper's apology...
Light Asylum Click image for full gallery A New York City publication once called Light Asylum, "Generally agreed to be the best live band in New York." Don't know what the hell they were talking about, and Light Asylum seem like that kind of electro-dance group that can be wildly overrated by people who like to dance to electronic music. But at least they didn't have the headache-inducing fluorescent tube light like the last time I saw them...
Main Attrakionz Click image for full gallery
A$AP Rocky Click image for full gallery I really should have left after Grimes, but the free beer & inertia kept me at FADER Fort for the hip-hop headliners, A$AP Rocky & Main Attrakionz. I'm not particularly into hip-hop, and my feelings have towards it have only worsened as it had invaded the alternative music scene. Nowadays, you can't go to an alt-music festival without having to wait through a few rap acts (plus jam acts & more), and every indie band has to at least mention how they like this old rap act and/or that up-and-coming underground hip-hop group. How can the same liberal lefties that populate the alternative music scene also be into the misogynistic, materialistic, schwag-loving, women-hating artists like Odd Future (QRO album review) or A$AP Rocky? Is it just a chance for indie-kids to be into bootie (both monetary & female) without having to lose their indie-cred? And how many of them actually go to hip-hop shows, as opposed to just name-checking them or seeing them at festivals? Admittedly, the genre crossover made more sense at FADER Fort, since FADER already tries to straddle both worlds (and more), the whole thing's free (so no complain'), and FADER is just trying to get attention with FADER Fort. But you don't have to be a hater like me to think that Tegan & Sara (QRO spotlight on) were kind of right... ~
SPIN showcase @ PUMA Store
Active Child Click image for full gallery QRO's Katie Chow caught choirboy harpist-turned-indie star Active Child at the Union Square PUMA Store, plus France's Yuksek at Cameo (QRO venue review). ~
Fenway Night showcase @ Cameo
Yuksek Click image for full gallery ~
Kanine Records showcase @ Cake Shop
Zambri Click image for full gallery QRO got a second dose of Zambri at CMJ, this time at Cake Shop (QRO venue review), thanks to Natalia Blas. ~
Impose Magazine party @ Shea Stadium Terri Wise hit up the CMJ Imposition from Impose Magazine at Shea Stadium (QRO venue review).
The Plateaus Click image for full gallery
Young Prisms Click image for full gallery
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CMJ showcase @ Santos Party House (downstairs)
ANR Click image for full gallery
Savoir Adore
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Click image for full gallery After not really paying attention as FADER Fort wore on, the rest of Night Four was kind of a blur, but ended up at Santos Party House (QRO venue review), which had ANR (formerly Awesome New Republic) and my second CMJ dose of Savoir Adore downstairs. ~
CMJ showcase @ Studio at Webster Hall
Datarock Click image for full gallery QRO's Natalia Blas also caught Norwegian electro-rock duo Datarock at Studio at Webster Hall (QRO venue review). ~
Other notes: -Showed up early at FADER Fort to pick up wristband, then head out/get something to eat, and then return (and avoid line). Of course, the people at FADER Fort weren't ready to give out wristbands yet, despite the RSVP saying that one could starting at 11:00 AM, the day before...
Unfortunately missed: -De Staat & Beast Make Bomb (QRO photos) @ Pianos, 1:20 PM - 2:40 PM. Wasn't time to make this thanks to wristband run-around at FADER Fort. -J Mascis (QRO album review), Hospitality (QRO photos), and A Place To Bury Strangers (QRO spotlight on) @ Public Assembly (QRO venue review), 3:15 PM - 6:00 PM. -We Are Augustines (QRO album review) @ Living Room (QRO venue review), 4:45 PM - 5:30 PM. One act I should have caught at CMJ 2011. -Robin Bacior (QRO album review) & Sea of Bees (QRO photos) @ Pete's Candy Store (QRO venue review), 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM. Shouldn't have stayed at FADER Fort for the free beer & hip-hop, but gone to Pete's Candy Store - though admittedly have seen Robin Bacior there before (QRO photos). -Morning After Girls (QRO spotlight on) @ Studio at Webster Hall, 6:30 PM - 7:15 PM. Another band I should have caught instead of staying at FADER Fort. -We Are Augustines & Washington (QRO photos) @ Spike Hill (QRO venue review), 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. -Ravens & Chimes (QRO mp3 review) and The Forms (QRO spotlight on) @ Fontana's (QRO venue review), 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. -Wild Moccasins (QRO live review) @ Living Room, 9:15 PM - 10:00 PM. Really should have checked out how Houston's Wild Moccasins are doing.
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