I wandered over to the Rockwood Music Hall to see one of the most hyped bands of CMJ. New York natives, Apache Beat did not disappoint. With driving vocals and complicated melodies, Apache Beat rocked their opening slot on second stage at Rockwood. From their floating, majestic, single “Another Day” to the haunting melodies of “Let It Go,” Apache Beat proved they were deserving of all the publicity. Though the crowd was much smaller than I expected for the this much hyped band, I was glad to have found time to catch them.

by Adam Hagedorn

Returning to the Pure Volume House did not yield the same musical rewards as Wednesday with Oh Land. Down with Webster, hailing from Toronto, is an amalgamation of hyphy and blasting indie rock, creating music possibly described as rap indie, nü indie maybe. To their credit the seven members of Down with Webster had unending energy, and tried to keep a party going, even when all the speakers and microphones stopped working toward the end of their second song.

by Adam Hagedorn

Sunglasses have been a favorite of CMJ so far. They fall into the increasingly repulsive chillwave bucket of Best Coast, Wavves, Surfer Blood, Washed Out, et al. But there is something different about Sunglasses. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and they infuse their chillwave mannerisms with a healthy dose of kitsch and r&b. Alternating from drum machines to a hodge-podge of kit pieces they turn from dancey reverb laden songs into slow r&b ballads and back towards psychedelic washed indie tracks. There are moments of sounding like the Beach House youth of America, but they step away from that frequently enough to make themselves stand out from the pack.

by Dustin Nelson

San Diego based Tape Deck Mountain has a sound that is familiar and yet fresh. Listening to their set at The Delancey on Wednesday night it was difficult not to be reminded of early Sonic Youth. They are noisy, with feedback and multiple guitar parts being looped and layered, but at the same time they manage to create catchy tunes that engage and grow as they progress. TDM put together a solid short set, but if every song was as seamless in its ability to conjoin these disparate parts of their sound as the penultimate song in their set “Ghost Colony” they’d have one of the best live sets at the festival.

Tape Deck Mountain “Ghost Colony” from Charles Bergquist on Vimeo.

by Dustin Nelson

Brooklyn transplants Oh Land hail from Copenhagen and with her crystal clear voice she was the second gift the Pure Volume House produced. Once you get past the attire – she wore a house on her head with windows that changed colors – the experience of the show is something unique. From the talented percussionist, to the homemade electronic drum kit with balloons displaying projected faces singing harmonies, Oh Land’s show captures your attention and won’t let go. Oh Land is certainly worth seeing, even with the vast array of shows available at CMJ.

by Adam Hagedorn

After a brief pit stop at Le Possion Rouge for one Fishbone song, I moved on to the Music Hall of Williamsburg. I needed to see the English folk singer Johnny Flynn. His album A Larum has been a favorite over the last few years. Suited in an wrinkled, luggage creased, plaid shirt and with only a guitar Johnny Flynn took the stage and humbly apologized if he forgot any words, as he had just arrived from London. Half the set were songs from his new album Been Listening. As expected, the ever thankful and bashful, Flynn seemed more comfortable playing crowd favorites such as “The Box” and “Tickle Me Pink” from A Larum. But, the haunting, more complex, songs from this newest album show how much this young Brit has matured in only a couple of years.

Stumbling upon the Pure Volume House yielded some amazing benefits yesterday. First, I was treated to a set by Bear Hands, a band I’ve been trying to see for a few months now. This talented quartet from Brooklyn is deviating from the psychedelic-electronica mass produced in the borough, and is choosing to go the route of catchy rock songs with a smooth sound. Throughout their set, Bear Hands never turned down the energy, and the crowd focused on every note and word. Make sure to hit up their website to download some of their newest songs.

Bear Hands – The Rumpus Session // LIVE in Brooklyn from Cantora Records on Vimeo.

Kronos Quartet played two sold out nights at Le Poisson Rouge on October 8th and 9th. These photos are all from the Saturday night performance.

photos by Annie Lesser

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Nikki Lane opened the Iamsound Showcase at Santos Party House on Tuesday night with a mix of country and rockabilly, adding a nice variety to the showcase. Though her set mostly comprised of upbeat rockabilly tunes, she added some variety with the cry-in-your-beer ballad “Save You.” Nikki Lane and her backing band, the Golden Licks, showcased their music with enough authenticity and skill to impress almost any country aficionado. Further lending to their credibility was the noteworthy rendition of the Linda Thompson classic, “I Wanna See the Bright Lights Tonight.” While at times the music may not be original, Nikki Lane, hailing from New York City, is a welcome addition to any music library and worth checking out next time she performs.

by Adam Hagedorn