The Triumph of Tired Eyes

Owen = asshole
James Husband = Of Montreal - Of Montreal
Headlights = Maserati + Earlimart
Japandroids = Lightning Bolt + Thunder & Explosions

My guard was down to see Owen after he recently played a surprisingly good set at Union Hall. Unfortunately he decided to sabotage another evening by playing only Oasis covers. Instead of performing to a pretty good CMJ crowd at his label’s showcase, he gave an uninspired and insulting set. I shouldn’t have been surprised, Owen is still a dick.

James Husband played a decent set of guitar indie but I was bored for most if it,

For a band that tours so much I was surprised I hadn’t seen Headlights before. They played upbeat and dreamy pop songs. Really interesting rhythms and good multi-intrument blending. Worth seeing again.

Japandroids simply rocked and finally got the night started. The duo were instantly on overdrive from the 1st note. The sound is intense and just great rock ‘n roll. Despite recovering from the flu, Brian King screamed his head off along with the crowd. This is garage rock with the house on fire. Highlight of the night and a very impressive band to keep your ears tuned to.

Pictures from the show.

http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/

Mumford & Sons = Fleet Foxes - Band of Horses
Bear Hands = We Are Wolves + Wavves

Mercury Lounge had a line forming around the block to hear the CMJ buzzy band Mumford & Sons. Luckily the venue let me in to catch my most anticipated band at CMJ. Coming from the UK these guys play a country folky pop. Lots of catchy melodies and synchronized vocals with emotion Great set, great crowd, lotta fun.

Bear Hands is a post-punk/indie rock band from Brooklyn. Pretty much got what I was expecting but they had an experimental dimension to their music that held my interest. They had a unique sound and played an energetic set.

Pictures from the show.

http://www.mumfordandsons.com/
www.myspace.com/bearhandsband

Laura Marling = Joanna Newsom + El Perro Del Mar
Antlers = A Place to Bury Strangers - “bury” + Mobius Band
Fanfarlo = Arcade Fire + Okkervil River + Beirut (when they were good live)

My new crush is Laura Marling. She was adorable onstage playing her mesmerizing songs. She played acoustic guitar accompanied at times with a cellist. Her voice was stunning and even played a number of new tunes. She was quite impressive.

The place got crowded to see The Antlers. The trio played a loud mixture of guitar and electronics that had nice dynamic ebbs and flows. However many of their songs started to all sound alike and a bit boring. They did play a few killer songs near the end.

Probably the most anticipated band at CMJ this year, Fanfarlo closed up the 6 band evening. A three-old London Pop ensemble fashioning catchy music with an expressive palette of instruments including trumpets, clarinet, glockenspiel and even a musical saw. They played songs filled with rousing choruses and catchy melodies. Although Simon Balthazar broke a guitar string on the 1st song, it didn’t deter the non-stop musical party. For the encore they handed out these plastic accordion-like tubes to play along. Great triumphant indie rock from one of the breakout bands to emerge from this year’s CMJ.

Pictures from the show.

http://www.lauramarling.com/
http://www.antlersmusic.com/
http://www.fanfarlo.com/

Finally get to see a full set of Goes Cube live and they did not disappoint, Definitely one of the better devil horn saluting bands based in New York. The songs had great guitar intricacies, attacking drums, and backed by an incredible bass sound. I was extremely impressed how easily they fused elements of metal, punk, and rock into their songs.  There is so much energy contained in their songs and they  let it explode onstage.

The Giraffes will always guarantee you a great evening of hard rocking and debaucherous antics. Continuing to perform from their latest release Prime Motivator, the set is filled with face kicking songs. See them live to better understand..

Some pictures from the show.
http://www.goescube.com/
http://www.thegiraffes.com/

Mixing up blues, rock, folk and a bit country, Tim Easton delivered a really great set. His songs were catchy and at times reminded me of a more rocking Ryan Adams when he was good. Supporting his new and fifth album Porcupine, I was impressed enough to check it out. Unfortunately the songs don’t hold up as well as the live show.

I keep getting more and more into Death Vessel’s newest album (although quite old now). I always grab the chance to see him live when backed by a full band. Tonight he had a new violin player supporting him and played a similar set from the Bell House show. I’m hoping for some new stuff soon.

some pictures.
http://deathvessel.com/
http://www.timeaston.com/

I was more than excited to finally see Throbbing Gristle perform live and in Brooklyn! It was their first US show in 28 years and they started things off with a live soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s In The Shadow of the Sun. After some time and some beer I became infused with the visual and sonic mesh and enjoyed many of the sequences in the film.

Then after a very lengthy and shameless attempt of self-promotion and merchandise pushing the band set up a table to autograph 1 item from the audience. Note to manager: Do this AFTER the show.

Then what followed was a 40 minute audio video art installation of 2 throbbing lines pulsating in and out of sync, It reminded me of the sound performances of one of my favorite electronic duos Pan Sonic. Although I enjoyed the experience it seemed out of place for the timing of the entire night and went on excruciatingly too long. Note to manager: Don’t have your unannounced opening act play in the middle of a show people have been waiting decades to see.

Then after another long delay with a noticeably thinner crowd, Throbbing Gristle finally took the stage after 11 PM for a show that was supposed to start at 7 PM. Although the lights were off for the intermission they decided to turn them ON for the main act! Actually, they turned on ALL the fucking lights including the stage lights and venue lights. Now I can understand leaving the stage lights on for the first song or two for the press to take pictures, but for the entire evening including the auditorium? It was a weird experience to see such a band like TG in such an awkward setting. Needless to say, they still came out and gave us a difficult but rewarding music experience playing a range of songs. The crappy sound system at the Masonic Temple and drinking too much of the shittiest polish beer imaginable may have added to the musical experience, but I was just too darn tired and pissed off at the way the venue handled such a unique and important night of music. A huge disappointment. Note to manager: 1) Don’t leave on the lights for the entire duration of the show. 2) When the band asks you to turn off the lights, you should listen to them. We don’t want to see Genesis’ face that clearly anyway. 3) You should discourage the bouncers from ruining a good time.  4) Please kill yourself.

Pictures from the show.