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Youngblood Hawke @ Avalon: May 22, 2013

webmaster — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:07:50 +0000

Youngblood Hawke – Photo by Annie Lesser

Last night, indie-pop group Youngblood Hawke brought their catchy electro-jams to an amped-up Hollywood crowd at the Avalon. The enthusiastic five-piece kept their energy high even as the dry West Coast heat settled in on the venue, playing songs from their debut album, Wake Up. And with a little prodding from snappy tambourines and pounding drums, the audience did just that.

Photos by Annie Lesser.

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Mouth Of The Architect On Dayton, OH

webmaster — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:40:08 +0000

In Scene Report, musicians from all over the globe fill us in on what’s going on sonically in their hometowns. This week, Jason Watkins of Mouth Of The Architect gives us the scoop on Dayton, OH. Mouth Of The Architect’s new album, Dawning, comes out June 25 via Translation Loss. Listen to the album’s first single, “It Swarms,” here.

Dayton is a magical place. A delicate balance of madness and genius nestled in the appendix of Ohio. The real life inspiration for Dave Chappelle’s character Tyrone Biggums lives here. I’ve seen the mayor nearly get in to a fist fight with a heckler. I’ve seen a man riding a seatless bike down Xenia Avenue holding a baby in one arm. The Wright Brothers are from here and John Dillinger was arrested visiting his girlfriend here once, but who gives a shit about that. Daytonians have always produced amazing inventions, art, and music still have enough time to steal your car stereo (and about seven of mine). Despite everything I just said, Dayton is like a wise old sage that will tell you to shut the fuck up, punch you in the face, then buy you a drink. It truly is magical. I’m not kidding, I love my hometown.

Dayton has a pretty all over the place music scene. We have everything from comedic bands/metal/grind/noise/indie rock/punk/country/etc. Everyone knows about each others bands and supports them. It’s not a very “I only do this kinda thing” type of scene. Many of us play and love all sorts of different styles of music and help each other out. Most people involved in the art/music scene here love everything from metal to folk to straight up radio pop. So it’s always exciting to see what could happen when forces combine. In years past, bands like Breeders and Brainiac were putting Dayton on the map. Now all sorts of locals are looking to carry that torch and create new and exciting prospects for our music scene. Dayton has a keen understanding of honing your craft, whether it be music or not. What else’s there to do in the Midwest except get good at what you love?

Next page: Bands Worth Watching

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Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers @ Beacon Theatre: May 21, 2013

webmaster — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:45:18 +0000

For the second night in a row last night, Tom Petty And the Heartbreakers gave the audience at Beacon Theatre what they’d been waiting for since the tour was announced last winter: well-oiled musicianship and an American Girl encore. The audience sang along, relieved that all that three-beer karaoke was finally paying off.

The sold-out show was part of the group’s summer tour through North America and a five-night run at the Beacon. The band plans to release a new album in 2014. Photos by Adela Loconte.

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Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flaming Lips, The Darkness @ Great Googa Mooga

webmaster — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:29:33 +0000

Photo by Alix Piorun

The Great Googa Mooga took over Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday night, and though the food and music festival did battle with the forces of nature on Sunday, the Friday night festivities were considerably calmer. Well, actually, with a lineup built around the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips and the Darkness things couldn’t get too calm. Each band brought a distinct sense of style to the event: Wayne Coyne wore a cool turquoise jacket, Justin Hawkins busted out of a striped jumpsuit and Karen O sported a killer box hat. Photos by Alix Piorun.

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Liars @ Le Poisson Rouge: May 19, 2013

webmaster — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:32:45 +0000

Photo by Emily Korn

Art-rock three-piece Liars brought their synthy drone-pop to Le Poisson Rouge last night, and managed to keep the audience satiated despite the notable absence of celestial opening act Doldrums. The band played tracks from last year’s expectation-crushing WIXIW as well as some suspenseful new material. Guess it just goes to show, sometimes one is enough.

Photos by Emily Korn.

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!!! (Chk Chk Chk), Sinkane @ Bowery Ballroom: May 17, 2013

webmaster — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:35:35 +0000

Photo by Emily Korn

California dance-punks !!! (Chk Chk Chk) returned to Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom on Friday night, playing tracks from their CMJ chart-dominating new record, Thri!!er. The band was supported by DFA-associated Brooklyn pop group Sinkane. Things got pretty sweaty. Photos by Emily Korn.

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No Joy, Weekend, Grand Resort @ Glasslands: May 17, 2013

webmaster — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:02:02 +0000

Weekend @ Glasslands Gallery by Chris Becker

Last night Glasslands, the beloved Kent Avenue venue that’s no longer up in the clouds, hosted Montreal shoegazers No Joy, CMJ 2011 band Weekend and Brooklyn’s own Grand Resort. Photos by Chris Becker.

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pacificUV On Athens, GA

webmaster — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:07:19 +0000

Photo by Brittainy Lauback

In Scene Report, musicians from all over the globe fill us in on what’s going on sonically in their hometowns. This week, Clay Jordan of pacificUV gives us the scoop on Athens, GA. pacificUV’s latest album, After the Dream You Are Awake, is out now.

Athens is Athens: I’ve run across very few scenes like it. It’s diverse, very DIY oriented, and fairly small in comparison to much larger cities. The city of Athens isn’t much over 100k people, so to have such an active, healthy music community is fairly surprising. There are a number of scenes happening in Athens, some larger than others, but a lot of musical genres are represented.

Next page: Bands Worth Watching

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Foxygen, Crumbs @ Knitting Factory: May 14, 2013

webmaster — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:11:16 +0000

Foxygen by Emily Korn

CMJ 2012 breakout duo Foxygen hit Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory on Tuesday night, showcasing tracks from their nostalgia-soaked January release, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic. The group was supported by jangly weirdo-pop outfit Crumbs for an evening of psychedelic swirls. Photos by Emily Korn.

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Telekinesis, Deep Sea Diver @ Bowery Ballroom: May 9, 2013

webmaster — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:38:07 +0000

Photo by Emily Korn

Seattle one-man band Michael Benjamin Lerner, aka Telekinesis, brought some friends along with him to his show at the Bowery Ballroom on Thursday night, showcasing tracks from his new fine-tuned power-pop machine of an album, Dormarion. Openers and fellow Seattle natives Deep Sea Diver got things off to a brisk, moody start. Photos by Emily Korn.

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Netherworld On Rome, Italy

webmaster — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:38:18 +0000

In Scene Report, musicians from all over the globe fill us in on what’s going on sonically in their hometowns. This week, Netherworld gives us the scoop on Rome, Italy. Netherworld’s latest album, Alchemy Of Ice, is out now.

Alchemy of Ice by NETHERWORLD

Rome has had in the last 20 years several experimental/techno music scenes from the musical developments of the early ’90s with Lory D., Andrea Benedetti, Leo Anibaldi, Marco Passarani right through until you get to the sounds rock, pop and dance music. However, parallel to this there has also been a scene developing more sophisticated and deeper sounds and several festivals and multimedia installations have helped to give greater visibility to this phenomenon.

Next page: Bands Worth Watching

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James Blake @ Terminal 5: May 7, 2013

webmaster — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:45:21 +0000

James Blake by Adela Loconte

Touring on the release of his new album, Overgrown, the minimalist James Blake turned the cavernous Terminal 5 into an intimate space to display a series of R&B-inspired new tracks. Photos by Adela Loconte.

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Wax Idols, TV Ghost, Laurels, Far-Out Fangtooth @ Cake Shop: May 3, 2013

webmaster — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:18:44 +0000

Photo by Chris Becker

California goth post-punks Wax Idols headlined an eclectic show at the Cake Shop on Friday night. The group was supported by Indiana garage rock band TV Ghost, Australian psych-pop crooners the Laurels and Philadelphia art-rockers Far-Out Fangtooth. Lots of leather and angry guitar playing on display throughout the night. All photos by Chris Becker.

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Summer People On Binghamton, NY

webmaster — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:18:37 +0000

In Scene Report, musicians from all over the globe fill us in on what’s going on sonically in their hometowns. This week, Summer People gives us the scoop on Binghamton, New York. Summer People’s latest album, Burn The Germs, is out now.

Binghamton is the hometown of Rod Serling, so sometimes I feel like I’m from the Twilight Zone. The scene here rules and it’s mostly run out of basements and living rooms. We have a couple of good venues (The Beagle and Spool Mfg.) but we’ve survived as a “scene” via passionate people who are kind enough to open their homes to host a bunch of scuzzy bands and their “fans.” We are in a nice time warp in which it seems we are gleefully oblivious of trends and fashions, which ultimately keeps it real. Lately we’ve been in total solidarity mode, each band helping the other to spread the word. I’m loving the current lack of contention and I’m rooting for my friends to succeed.

Next page: Bands Worth Watching

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Listen To April’s CMJ Mixtape On Google Play

webmaster — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:42:15 +0000

Telkinesis

In case you haven’t noticed, the May CMJ Mixtape is now live on the site for your downloading pleasure. It features tracks from CocoRosie, Pure X, Poliça, Kylesa, Japanther and and you should probably go download it right now. Typically a new month means that the previous month’s CMJ Mixtape disappears into digital abyss, never to be heard from again, but this month we’re trying something new.

Through a partnership with Google Play, you can now listen to and download the April CMJ Mixtape. That’s right, new music from Thee Oh Sees, the Postal Service, Telekinesis, Bleached, the Thermals and more. It’s available here. April’s mixtape has a little bit of everything: raucous garage rock, reflective folk ballads, orchestral noise music, sunny indie pop and more. It’s an eclectic and essential sample of what you may have missed in April and with Google Play you can also purchase the full albums of the band’s featured on the mixtape. So check out the mixtape and support some artists!

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