If CMJ only helps a handful of bands, one will be Surfer Blood. In my mind, Surfer Blood will always the band whose buzz was almost quantifiable on Twitter around the time of their Bruar Falls show this past August. I first heard about Surfer Blood from Pop Jew, but I never made it out to that show (even though I wrote a little report on them for someone earlier that day). The next day, Sound Bites wrote this favorable review, Ryan Schreiber tweeted his regrets of not going, and Surfer Blood was Forkcasted later that day. And, they were signed onto Kanine the night before at Bruar Falls. Less than 24 hours.
Out of the bands playing CMJ this year, the one I've been looking forward to the most is Surfer Blood. Around the time that The Great Pumpkin wrote about Surfer Blood, I realized that I also really dug the band's music. The song that first won me over was "Catholic Pagans" (which is not called "Catholic Pegasus," according to the band). Sung with aching vulnerability, "Catholic Pagans" is a song that's haunted me during many late nights on the subway, when I tend to lose myself in my iPod. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to see them twice in 24 hours for free! The best CMJ goodies are free or unofficial, so no badge required.
The Pop Tarts Suck Toasted CMJ Party had a killer lineup, and Surfer Blood's set was well-attended. As expected, all the bands were playing 20-25 minute sets. Although Surfer Blood's set was short, they knew how to bang out their catchiest songs. Like Sound Bites said, Surfer Blood's music is not life-changing, and that's completely okay in my book. Surfer Blood is irresistible, and I have to admit that I've fallen for their music, which means that they're going up on my list of current obsessions (scroll top right). These days, I rarely see bands who are really truly excited by their music and having the opportunity to play. Maybe it's because it's CMJ week, but the raw energy of Surfer Blood made me remember why live music is so thrilling in the first place. I hope to catch a full set sometime in the near future. These short CMJ snippets are more like amuse-bouches than appetizers.
Be sure to check out the samples below. I'm only posting the songs that are widely circulating the Internet, but the rest of the CD-R is awesome. I saw that Surfer Blood was selling copies of the CD-R and an awesome t-shirt. "Harmonix" is my current favorite, especially because they use guitar harmonics in the song. We all know that I love a good musical pun. Astro Coast will be released by Kanine on January 19, hopefully with a song called "Catholic Pagans" and not "Catholic Pegasus." I'm just really confused by that because there's a lyrical reference to catholic pagans in the song.
Surfer Blood is playing a total of 12 shows during CMJ, so you have no excuses! But, if you don't make it, watch out for their live set from Pianos on Standing Room. We will also be putting up some other sets from the Pop Tarts Suck Toasted CMJ Party. Follow me on the Twitter for those updates.
Swim (To Reach The End) - Surfer Blood
Harmonix - Surfer Blood
October 21, 2009
Surfer Blood - Cake Shop 10.20.09 (and Pianos 10.21.09)
April 14, 2009
Real Estate - Pianos 04.11.09
Etienne totally pulls off the white Wayfarers
Escapism is the continuing theme here at Look at me, I made a blog, as I daydream of a different life, preferably one that includes a tropical vacation and an apartment with built-in closets. Another week has gone by, along with multiple failed attempts to find a new place to call home. As bummed as I may sound, I realized that I was making things worse by not making the time to see some bands. Maybe live music is an addiction for me, but it's one that I don't think I'll ever want to shake. So, for the sake of my well-being, I braved the LES on a Saturday night (aka Douchebag Central) to catch the beach-inspired Real Estate at Pianos with my friend Music for Moodies.
Highly recommended by Chocolate Bobka and featured by Stereogum and My Old Kentucky Blog, Real Estate has been on my list to check out. Hailing from the great New Jersey, Real Estate is a fairly new project of Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker, Etienne Duguay (Predator Vision), and Matt Mondanile (Ducktails). According to them, they've only been playing together for about a year now, but they could have easily fooled me into thinking that they'd been a band for ages. Either I'd forgotten the potential of live performance, or the members of Real Estate are just really excellent musicians. They played a flawless set and completely blew me away. They breathed warmth and life into their lo-fi recordings, the same songs that didn't necessarily stick so much at first. Honestly, this is a band that is meant to be enjoyed live. While I felt myself getting lost in Real Estate's soothing vocals and infectious guitar riffs, I could almost smell the ocean and feel the cool salt-scented breeze. Like the line in "Beach Comber," vacation's all I want, but the sounds of Real Estate will do for now. Trust me, their transportive music makes up for their unGoogleable band name.
Real Estate plays Cake Shop this Friday and The Shank on Saturday. Be sure to grab their 7" which also comes with an endearingly homemade CD-R. You can order it here or pick it up at one of their shows. Can't wait for the full-length.
Beach Comber - Real Estate | Alternative Link
Old Folks - Real Estate | Alternative Link
March 26, 2009
Micachu & the Shapes - Pianos 03.25.09
via Music Snobbery
It’s true that euphony cannot exist without dissonance, but sometimes noise, even when deliberate and carefully executed, is still just noise. I hadn’t completely bought into Micachu & the Shapes prior to seeing them at Pianos, but glowing reviews from the fathers of music blogging and my favorite person on Twitter convinced me to put aside my skepticism for a night. After last night, I think I’m in the camp of people who think Micachu is mostly hype, as much as I do enjoy some of their songs.
Perhaps I’m missing some glaring point, but I’m fairly confident that I “get” Micachu’s music. No note, yell, crash, or jangle is a mistake or slip; every piece is intentional. Seeing Micachu & the Shapes in person makes this meticulosity even more apparent. They confront chaos and embrace it fully, making for a one of a kind listen. In the end, my thoughts on Micachu come down to my personal preferences for musical styles and ideas. Last night at Pianos, I realized that about 80%+ of the music was rough discordance, which is not what I expected. Maybe because I’m drawn to the more melodic songs of Jewellery like “Golden Phone” and “Vulture,” I thought the set would be more along the lines of those songs. “Golden Phone” is an incredible song that is both fun to listen to and unlike anything I’ve heard before. It’s playful and like a musical riddle, as the song bounces around different degrees of consonance and dissonance. Most of the time, the lines between the two are blurred, which only makes the listener want to hit the back button in order to figure it out. But, when the melodic snippets were removed from Micachu’s music, I was left a little confused. It’s like a joke with no punchline. I needed more melody to balance out the noise. Judging by the faces around the room last night, I don’t think I was the only one who was a little puzzled.
So, I didn’t exactly like Micachu’s final show in NYC. But, don’t let this deter you from listening to Jewellery, since there are definitely some tracks worth checking out. I’m not ready to make abstract listening a regular activity, but kudos to those of you who do. For now, I will stick with my Grizzly Bears.
Jewellery will be officially released on April 7. Pre-order it here.
Golden Phone - Micachu & the Shapes | Alternative Link
Vulture - Micachu & the Shapes | Alternative Link
August 14, 2008
Passion Pit - Pianos 08.13.08
This is the real thing. I'm always looking out for the next big thing, and I'm convinced that it's Passion Pit. I blogged about these guys earlier last month. Then, they were forkcasted and mentioned (perhaps re-mentioned) on bv. Suddenly, my measly post is getting a lot of hits.
And, all for the right reasons. My friend told me that after seeing Radiohead in concert, music would not be the same to me for at least another month. Yes, this is true to a certain extent. I'm still going through a period of post-Radiohead recovery. But, life goes on after Radiohead, especially when there is a band like Passion Pit. After the experience I had at Radiohead, that's a huge compliment.
Passion Pit announced a three-week residency at Pianos not too long ago, and I wanted to be there on the very first night. My friend had seen them open up for Girl Talk in New Haven, and told me that these guys were the next new thing to be excited about. And, I definitely agree. I spent about two weeks exclusively listening to "Better Things." When Passion Pit performed that song tonight, it reminded me of all the mornings I started by playing that song. And, yes, I had some unpleasant days that were made much better (no pun, intended) by that song.
This is music that's just fun. When was the last time you heard music that was genuinely fun without trying? Not that Passion Pit's songs are simple by any means. Passion Pit has a certain charm, and you can't help but moving along to the beat. It's almost a joke that they're getting so many comparisons to MGMT, because they are clearly much, MUCH better, and I would say that they are much more creative, as well. A venue like Pianos was perfect for Passion Pit's big NYC debut. It was small enough for everyone in the audience to get an up-close Passion Pit experience. In fact, it could barely contain the energy of the entire group. I'd love to see them in a larger setting, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them play a larger venue very soon.
The very highly anticipated Chunk of Change EP is due on September 16, and an LP is to be expected in early 2009. Passion Pit will be performing at Piano's on August 20 and 27. I'm definitely going to go back, if I can. Next time, I hope they play a longer set. I can't get enough!
Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
Better Things - Passion Pit
More free downloads at Last.fm.
