by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Nothing But Our Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kordan - Closer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Revolver - Get Around Town (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lower Dens - Tea Lights (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lower Dens - Hospice Gates (MP3)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Day two and things are heating up. Here are my picks for things to do today. Set times are included for shows that don't have flyers.

Ludlow St. action: Chocolate Bobka gets in on the day party action with a two-stage extravaganza at Pianos which offers a line-up of idiosyncratic artists (Woodsman, Family Portrait, La Big Vic and more) which sure to draw the Altered Zones contingent. (He's a contributor). Don't know many of the bands? Dude has a very good track record of picking soon-to-be-hyped talent. Trust the Bobka. Bands start at 12:30. Free.

Over at Cake Shop, Terrorbird Media have put together solid lineup of about-to-breaks, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Kordan (Check out their MP3 above), Prince Rama, and Baths. Plus: Parisian chanson rockers Revolver and hammer-on queen Marnie Stern. First band's on at noon. Free.

The print version of Paste Magazine may be dead, but its CMJ day parties live on at the Living Room, with a line-up of acts any fan of The National is sure to like once they start playing them on KEXP. I kid, I kid. Big draw here is Martina Topley Bird, whose sultry pipes were so much of the appeal of those first two Tricky albums. Her new album, on Damon Albarn's label Honest John, is pretty good. Also playing: The Lines (stadium-ready Britrock), Gringo Star (catchy garage from Atlanta), Brooklyn duo Harper-Blynn and more. First band's on at 1:45. Free.

Over the bridge in Williamsburg, there's a swell day party at Bruar Falls with Sultan (ambient instrumental bliss-out), Sebastian Blanck (delicate, lovely folk), HighLife (afro-influenced, 8.0-scoring pop), Baltimore's excelent Lower Dens, and the soon-to-be-big Sharon Van Etten. Bands start at 2PM and there is a cover for this one: $6.

NIGHTTIME stuff coming shortly HERE. DAYTIME Flyers below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2010 - Bill's Wednesday DAYTIME picks & stuff (Chocolate Bobka, Sharon Van Etten, Dale E, Lower Dens, Kordan & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: A Classic Education - I Lost Time (MP3)

Bologna, Italy's A Classic Education will be here for CMJ, playing six shows:

WED Oct 20 7:00P The Delancey (Lefse & I Guess I'm Floating Showcase) NYC
THU Oct 21 8:30P - Hype Machine & dubFrequency Party @ Backstage (formerly The Annex)
THU Oct 21 10:00P Trash Bar, Brooklyn
FRI Oct 22 12:00P Pop Tarts Suck Toasted @ Cake Shop
FRI Oct 22 6:00P Pianos
FRI Oct 22 8:30P The Charleston, Brooklyn

Maybe you caught them last year when they played one of our CMJ day parties? The band's new EP, Hey There Stranger, came out about a month ago on Lefse Records (How to Dress Well, Dominant Legs) and straddles the line between swoony baroque pop and reverby indie, with plenty of "bah bahs" and "oh ohs." You can download "I Lost Time" from it at the top of this post, and watch the found footage video for it below

Note that one of the shows on their list is the Hype Machine & dubFrequency Party. You can RSVP and stream tracks of the artists playing at Hype's site, and check out full lineup and flyer, and more, below...

Continue reading "A Classic Education returning to NYC for CMJ, playing 6 shows including dF & Hype Machine's party (dates & lineup)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Lights On - Red Flashing Lights (MP3)

Lights On

Anglophilic San Diegans Lights On are in town this week, playing three shows here in NYC: tonight (7/14) at Knitting Factory, Friday (7/16) at Cake Shop and Saturday (7/17) at Union Hall. They'll also play Larry's in Danbury, CT tomorrow (7/15) night.

Not unlike Foreign Born, the echoes of '80s-era KROQ are all over the band's tuneful debut, Here Comes the Ocean, which is out now digitally in all the usual places and on vinyl/cassette via their website. Echo & the Bunnymen is the comparison they get most often and it's hard to deny, especially on the LP's midtempo closing tracks "She Comes Walking Down Slowly" and "It Never Stops" which coulda come straight off 1987's 'grey album.' The rest of the album is more energetic and not quite as influence-specific, but it's very Velvet Underground '80s sonic diaspora if you get my drift. The whole record's pretty catchy stuff, and you can download "Red Flashing Lights" which reminds me a little of Sweden's Mary Onettes.

Tonight's Knitting Factory show is part of a wine event called Summer of Reisling that also has the Black Hollies, Nouvellas and Himalaya on the bill. $30 gets you into show and four glasses of this particular varietal, seven of which are on offer (it's very similar to the new Vivo in Vino that Holly Miranda is playing coming up). If you just want to see the bands at Knitting Factory, it's $15.

The Cake Shop and Union Hall shows both feature New Mexico (formerly Apes of Wrath) and the Cake Shop show is headlined by synth-rockers Kordan.

All Lights On tour dates after the jump...

Continue reading "Lights On are here & touring (dates & MP3), Knitting Factory pairing bands w/ wine (tonight)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Mary Onettes - Puzzles (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Mary Onettes - Dare (MP3)

Sweden's Mary Onettes are back in the U.S. next week for a string of East Coast dates, including three dates in New York: November 4 at Union Hall, Nov. 6 at The Studio @ Webster Hall and Nov. 8 at Mercury Lounge. Next week also sees the release of their second album, Islands, which is out on Labrador Records (The Legends, Pelle Carlberg and The Radio Dept.). You can download the Island's first two singles, "Puzzles" and "Dare," at the top of this post. Where their first album went for more of a straight early-'80s, guitar-driven Cure/Bunnymen/JAMC gloomy pop vibe, Islands is much more lush, with layers of strings and keyboards added to mix. Though not synthy/dancey, Island's big choruses and plaintive vocals kind of remind me of Xymox's poppy 1989 album Twist of Shadows, which is not a bad thing at all.

I saw both of The Mary Onettes when they played here in May 2008 and was impressed by their ability to incorporate what are almost strictly '80s influences but not make it feel like someone else's nostalgia. Maybe it was the volume. They are quite loud. The Mary Onettes have some well-chosen openers for their three NYC shows, as well: Blacklist, with whom they played last year, will open at Union Hall; the dancey dreampop of Kordan for the Studio @ Webster Hall (you can download their new EP for free); and The Art of Shooting at Mercury Lounge.

The Mary Onettes also play Boston and Philly while in America. All 2009 tour dates and a video below...

Continue reading "The Mary Onettes - new album, MP3 & 2009 Tour Dates"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Cut Copy

The Presets

Cut Copy & the Presets played their first of two shows at Webster Hall in NYC Sunday night (Sept 21). The second show is Monday (tonight) and the afterparty is at Santos Party House. This afternoon they'll be deejaying the Apple Store. More pictures from last night below....

Continue reading "Cut Copy & the Presets @ Webster Hall, NYC - pics"