Good Weather For Airstrikes

Friday began as my most open and least-scheduled day, but actually turned into the busiest and most exhausting day of the entire week for me. I met up with Rya again that morning in Washington Square and we hit up Tower Records’ ridiculous going out of business sale, where I picked up some CD-singles and EPs I’d been looking to get my hands on for a ridiculously low grand total of $8.39. Before I get into the day’s concert activities, I’ll take you through a few of the gems I picked up at Tower. First up was Jeremy Warmsley’s debut single, “I Promise”, which I hadn’t been able to find anywhere to that point. I’m long overdue on my artist profile of Warmsley (or even that 9/10 single review I’ve been meaning to drop for “Dirty Blue Jeans”), considering he’s one of my favorite new artists of 2006, so here’s “I Promise” for those of you whose hunger was incited by “Dirty Blue Jeans”‘ inclusion on M3 Volume 11 and have been thirsting for more ever since.

MP3s:
“I Promise” - Jeremy Warmsley
“Dirty Blue Jeans” - Jeremy Warmsley ((highly recommended))

I’ve been on a serious Editors kick recently, so I was pumped to find their “All Sparks” EP-single at Tower, the b-side of which included a studio version of “The Diplomat”, the demo of which is possibly my favorite thing Editors have ever done. While I find the studio version to pale in comparison to the original demo, which was recorded back when Editors were called Snowfield and were still unsigned, it was still a worthwhile purchase as it yielded a bevy of other decent b-sides and the excellent Cicada remix of the title track. Download the original demo of “The Diplomat”, which I LOVE, along with the Cicada remix of “All Sparks”, below. I’ve got a couple of sweet Editors compilations I’m priming for release soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for those in the near-ass future.

MP3s:
“The Diplomat” (Snowfield Demo) - Editors ((highly recommended))
“All Sparks” (Cicada Remix) - Editors

Finally, I was also able to pick up Union of Knives’ I Decline EP, which I’d been after for a while. I absolutely love their album, Violence & Birdsong, so a chance to pick up their debut EP was too good to pass up, especially since it only set me back like two bucks. “I Decline” isn’t one of my favorite tracks on Violence & Birdsong, but it’s good nonetheless, and the EP features a non-album b-side as well as an exclusive remix of the title track by the band themselves. “I Decline” is available for download below, along with “Evil Has Never”, my favorite track on the album and one of the better electronic singles of 2006.

MP3s:
”I Decline” – Union of Knives
”Evil Has Never” – Union of Knives ((highly recommended))

After hitting up Tower we continued our trek through the city and passed Other Music, and after learning that I’d never been to Other Rya insisted we stop in for a bit. We got inside, only to find Annuals playing an acoustic set to a small audience, but unfortunately it was winding down as we arrived and we only got to hear one more song.

Annuals were brought to my attention last December by my roommate Andrew, who’d seen them multiple times in Raleigh, but I was fully immersed in Year-End Best Of List mode at that point and somehow allowed the band to slip off my radar. Then earlier this year the band blew up on the blogs, and now they’re one of the most sought after indie bands in America right now, having just released a brilliant debut album and enjoying their unsigned status, having fulfilled their one album contractual commitment to Ace Fu Records. Here’s the standout track from Be He Me, “Carry Around”, along with the apparent blogger consensus favorite, “Brother”.

MP3s:
“Carry Around” – Annuals
“Brother” – Annuals

After a brief coffee stop I parted ways with Rya and headed across town to meet up with Les Savy Fav bassist Syd Butler for lunch. Syd is the founder of Frenchkiss Records (home of the Fav, Thunderbirds Are Now! and the former label of the Hold Steady) and my dad happens to be dating his mom, so I had the honor of going around town with one of the nicest and most-connected dudes in the NYC indie rock scene and being introduced as “basically family”. Talk about scene points. During lunch Syd revealed to me some exclusive info regarding the recording of the new Les Savy Fav LP, which is due out next year, so keep an eye out for a post on that in the near future. For some insight into how the recording process is going on the new Fav album, here’s a humorous video of the band interviewing themselves during their recent recording stint at Gigantic Studios. As our lunch was winding down I checked the time and mentioned that the Shins would be starting their KEXP in-studio set in a few minutes at 4, and Syd declared that we should go, so we settled up our bill and took to the streets in the direction of Gigantic Studios, where the performance would be going down.

THE SHINS @ GIGANTIC STUDIOS (KEXP @ CMJ)

I wasn’t really planning on catching the Shins’ set, as it was at the misleadingly-small Gigantic Studios and I figured it would be nigh impossible to get in, but Syd knew some people there (seriously, dude knows everyone), so we had no problem getting in and I was able to catch the entire performance from about five feet away from James Mercer and the rest of the band. This put me in an excellent position to get some close-up pictures during the band’s performance, and while I didn’t have a camera I noticed E.J. Loudersoft behind me struggling to get a good vantage point, so I offered to take some pictures for him, most of which you can see here. It was a short but sweet set, as these in-studio deals usually are, with the band mostly sticking to their classics but treating us to two of the new songs, single “Phantom Limb” and new album highlight “Australia”. The Smudge of Ashen Fluff has the whole set available for download here, and I’ve made “Phantom Limb” as well as brand new b-side “Nothing At All” and the KEXP recording of “Australia”.

MP3s:
“Phantom Limb” – The Shins ((highly recommended))
“Nothing At All” – The Shins
“Australia” (Live on KEXP) – The Shins

After the set Syd talked to Marty and Dave for a little while as I lingered awkwardly in close proximity, but before too long we were on our way over to Piano’s where Syd was putting on the Frenchkiss showcase that night. The showcase didn’t actually start until 8 however, but upstairs I was pleasantly surprised to find the VICE-curated “Norway Støy” showcase well underway.

120 DAYS @ PIANO’S (UPSTAIRS)

I was unaware that the showcase was even going on, so I didn’t arrive in time to catch either of the opening acts, Don Juan Dracula and Low Frequency In Stereo, but I was able to catch most of 120 Days’ set. It’s well documented here that I love pretty much everything VICE does, but I really haven’t been terribly taken by 120 Days debut album despite my best efforts to get myself into it. However, the Norwegians put on an AWESOME fucking performance, climaxing in the synth-tacular glory of set-closer “Come Out”. The band piled massive synths on top of drum machines, live drums and driving basslines, creating an overwhelming barrage of synth infused intensity. What made the band’s set, however, was the performance of lead singer Ådne Meisfjord, whose frantic dancing and yelped vocals generated a ridiculous energy that the cramped crowd just ate up. For such a young band, Meisfjord possessed a remarkable stage presence and did a phenomenal job of working the crowd. The undeniable highlight of the show was oft-raved-about lead single “Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)”, which can be downloaded below direct from the kind people at VICE Recordings, along with two great remixes of the track.
MP3s:
“Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)” – 120 Days
“Come Out (Lansing-Dreiden Remix)” – 120 Days
“Come Out (The Field Remix)” – 120 Days

FRENCHKISS RECORDS SHOWCASE @ PIANO’S (DOWNSTAIRS)
After the Norway showcase it was back downstairs for some more free drinks and a bite to eat, before Call Me Lightning took to the stage and got the show underway. I’d never heard of the band before, but Syd had filled me in on their history (they released one album in 2004 on hardcore label Revelation Records but didn’t really fit in with the rest of the label’s sound, and Syd just signed them and will be putting out their next record in early ’07) and his obvious excitement about them got me pumped to hear them. In the end, they actually put on my favorite performance of the night. They’ve got this raw, jarring rock sound about them that fits in perfectly with the rest of the bands on Frenchkiss, but there’s something slightly more accessible about their material than that of their labelmates. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find any of their material to post, but you can head over to their MySpace where you can hear two of their new demos. According to Syd, they played nothing but new material from their upcoming sophomore LP, and the demos seem to fall in line with the rest of what I heard that night, so check them out here.

Next up was the Fatal Flying Guillotines followed by the Plastic Constellations, but by this point the free drinks we’re really starting to take their toll and nothing really stands out to me about either of their performances, aside from the fact that I definitely recall enjoying both. Furthermore, the Fatal Flying Guillotines deserve bonus points because a) they’ve got a undeniably bad-ass name, and b) at one point between songs their heavy-set lead singer addressed the audience saying “Thanks New York it’s great to be here, we’re called Interpol and this song’s called ‘I’m Modest But I’ve Got A Huge Fucking Dick’”, the latter of which I remember inspired me to get my chuckle on. That’s all though; by this point I was really just waiting with baited breath for The Big Sleep and Thunderbirds Are Now! to take the stage, which they did, after a brief and unremarkable set from Rakim.

My excitement for the Big Sleep was entirely rooted in hearsay, as I’d never heard them for myself, but had heard nothing but rave reviews from the kids at VICE, Syd (well, obviously) and the guitarist of My Best Fiend, who I met and had a nice little conversation with in the interminable wait for the bathroom before the Big Sleep went on. But when the band took the stage around midnight, I can’t say I was terribly blown away. It was an impressive performance, yes - three long-haired kids combining to create a monstrous barrage of grandiose, mostly-instrumental post-rock - but I found the monotony of lead singer Sonya Balchandani’s emotionless vocals and the often droning instrumentals to be a bit tiring. At no point was I moved to try to remember the lyric or riff of a song to identify it by later or to help me look it up, and all in all it was a performance that for me was nothing more than entertaining, if a bit unmoving. Pitchfork loved it though, so if you’re more inclined to go with their opinion you can check out the Big Sleep’s MySpace here or try this mp3 and it’s accompanying iPod-compatible video on for size below.

MP3: “Murder” - The Big Sleep [mp3 via MySpace - click link to download]
Video: “Murder” - The Big Sleep [iPod Compatible]

And then it was time for the main event, as Thunderbirds Are Now! took the stage to close out the night. I’d been way excited to see them, as I’d heard great things about their live show and loved a few song on their debut LP, Justamustache, though I haven’t taken time to familiarize myself with their latest release, Make History. Unfortunately though, I’d been there for nearly seven hours by the time they took the stage around 1:15 and I’d gotten drunk and sobered up nearly three times over in that over in that period alone, so suffice it to say I was burnt out as shit. This wasn’t exactly the best state in which to take in such a high-octane, high-energy performance as the one put on by TAN! that night, and six blistering songs and the errant foot of a stagediver to the temple later I was pretty much ready to go home and pass out. I gathered my things, yelled my goodbyes over the deafening volume, thanked Syd and set out into the cold New York City night. I was most upset about not getting to hear “To: Skulls” live, my favorite song by the band, but I was informed by Syd the next day that they didn’t end up playing it at all anyway. However, he also told me that they played an incredible Oasis cover (though he couldn’t recall which Oasis song it was), which I’m unbelievably bummed to have missed. Oh well though; you win some, you lose some.

MP3: “To: Skulls” - Thunderbirds Are Now! ((highly recommended)) 

In my delirium I had completely neglected to realize that VICE late night was about to get underway with performances from Chromeo, Kid Sister and Flosstradamus next door at Cakeshop. I’d been pumped to see Chromeo after witnessing the duo’s incredibly fun performance at Intonation last summer, but not even the free drinks and familiar faces at the party could change the fact that I was still FUCKING EXHAUSTED. So I grabbed one last free Sparks, said goodbye to the people I knew I wouldn’t get a chance to see at Justice the next night and went on my way. Apparently it was the best of the three nights of VICE parties at Cakeshop and saw some of the bangin’-est performances of the week; here’s the awesome shit I missed:

MP3s:
“Needy Girl” - Chromeo
“Rage!” - Chromeo
“Needy Girl” (Bloc Party’s High School Prom Remix) - Chromeo

And finally, I have no idea if Flosstradamous included this in their DJ set that night, but this mash up they created is absolutely ridiculous. Twista’s “Celebrity Overnight” + Sigur Ros’ “Staralfur” = fucking brilliant.

MP3: “Overnight Star” (Sigur Ros vs Twista) - Flosstradamus

My coverage of CMJ 2006 will conclude later today or tomorrow with my review of Justice’s un-fucking-believable set at Studio B, and when I say “later today or tomorrow” I’m not actually lying this time. Seriously, we will resume our regularly-scheduled programming (daily updates, downloadable hotness, etc.) tomorrow at the latest, and you better believe I’m coming back with some serious fire to drop for you guys to make up for the glaring lack of activity around here as of late. I promise.

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