CMJ 2015 Wrap

It's hard to believe that just over a week ago, Alisa Ali and I were running from venue to venue, crossing bridges between Brooklyn and Manhattan and doing our best to catch bands at this year's CMJ Music Marathon, a buzzy and busy confluence of local, national and international bands (over 1500 in 2015). Even better, FUV had its very own showcase in the mix, FUV Live at CMJ with The Suffers, Martin Courtney, Fraser A. Gorman and Hooton Tennis Club.

There were a lot of bands we missed, others that we wished were better than their buzz, some we could barely see while stuck at the back of a venue, and a few that got us very excited.  Alisa and I were in agreement about one thing. The Toronto's Weaves are our new band crush. Read about our CMJ hits (no misses) below:

Weaves

Alisa Ali: Hands down, my favorite band this year at CMJ was Weaves. I liked them so much that I saw them twice and I really try not to do that during CMJ since it is a music marathon after all. But they were so good that I ignored my own rule. Their songs are complex, but catchy and fun.

Often, when you see a live band, you might focus on one or maybe two of its members. Not so in this case: each of the four members are mesmerizing. The drummer, Spencer Cole, is a beast behind the kit. I remember watching him and thinking it was impossible what he was doing and also how my pathetically weak arms wouldn't last for half of one of their songs. Zach Bines effortlessly pulls off intricate bass lines that take the songs into unexpectedly funky directions and Morgan Waters is an extremely inventive guitarist who makes sounds and melodies that I have never heard before. He uses a slide and a few pedals which brings both him—and the audience—to their knees.

Finally, we come to frontwoman Jasmyn Burke who I think is the bee's knees! She did in fact wear a beekeeper-like hat during the first few songs of her set at Pianos Upstairs. She is a true artist with a unique style of her own. It's mesmerizing to watch her run around the stage twirling in mic cords and, impressively, not falling down (don't try that at home). She has an unusual cadence to her singing that makes you lean forward to get closer and decipher her witty, astute lyrics which she writes with Morgan. Not only were Weaves my favorite band at CMJ, but they are my favorite band right now. Period. If you get a chance to see them in concert, go! I personally would like to see them a hundred more times. 

Kara Manning: Back in June, I played Weaves' jittery single "Tick" on UKNY, but catching this delightfully skewed, irreverent, sophisticated and ridiculously skilled band live is an entirely different experience. They are fantastic in live performance.  I caught Weaves twice—each time at Pianos, but on different floors—but the band's thrilling final set felt like an assertive declaration of their steady ascent over a week of CMJ; a band in bloom. Besotted new fans buzzed around the quartet on Ludlow Street after their sets (and yes, their debut album comes out next year). Queen bee singer Jasmyn Burke and guitarist Morgan Waters are fascinating to watch: the alternately flirtatious and ferocious Burke croons upside down, atop crates, sprawled prone on the stage, or entwined in her microphone cord, like some kind of rock 'n' roll Shibari, while Waters gnaws, batters and caresses his fretboard, even nuzzling Burke's hair. Drummer Spencer Cole pummels the drums, drenched in sweat, while Zach Bines lays out juicy basslines that sometimes nudge at classic Chic. It's a heady tumble of total band awesomeness.

And the other bands we loved:

The Jungle Giants
This band is a wonderful example of random and unexpected joy. Without knowing anything about them, I found myself at one of their shows just because of circumstantial geography. Interestingly, the band is actually from the other side of the world! They're an Australian four-piece that remind me of a little bit of the band Cake, but with more melody and fuzz. I could see the term "psychedelic" being used to describe them, but they have so many straight up pop hooks that I'm not sure that is an apt description; there certainly are elements of psychedelia though. This is a party band that will make you jump up and down at their shows and also a band you could listen to loudly in a celebratory manner on your own. They've definitely got something and you're gonna love them in every kind of way. AA

Outfit
This Liverpool and London quintet makes gorgeous synth-pop: regal and dreamy and groove-spurred too. Ricocheting between the pastoral complexity of late Talk Talk or Tears for Fears to sparkier Hot Chip dance-pop, Outfit's lush, late-night melancholy expands magnificently on their two albums, 2013's Performance and 2015's Slowness. That lucid studio beauty doesn't necessarily translate as well live in the haphazard, mad gallop of CMJ, but both Andrew Hunt, who handles the bulk of the vocals, and Tom Gorton, who sang one song in the set, found a lovely resonance and emotion on songs like "Framed." They were the band I was most eager to see at CMJ and they did not disappoint—I caught both of their Pianos Upstairs sets. KM

Diet Cig
As I was researching CMJ bands this year, I knew I would love them after listening to just one of their songs. Diet Cig was the only band that I knew I definitely wanted to see. They make my favorite kind of music: loud and fast with great hooks. They have a fun, upbeat, '90s feel. They are a duo from upstate New York. Noah Bowman plays the focused straight-man drummer and Alex Luciano is the bouncy, high energy frontwoman whose enthusiasm and excitement is infectious. Her lyrics are rowdy, raucous and often times very funny. They are not a flash-in-the-pan kitsch band though. Their music has more grip than that and I can see them being really popular with the kids. I say that as a lame "old" person who still likes to rock out and will likely be the oldest person at their show. AA 

Shopping
The jittery pogo-punk of Shopping, a trio from London, is a hell of a lot of fun. Brittle, bouncy and earnest, Shopping also layer sly sociopolitical commentary in their spare lyricism. Guitarist Rachel Aggs, bassist Billy Easter and drummer Andrew Milk share vocals and bat around beats, shouts and words with rapid-fire precision and chunky grooves. There's something both smart and primal about Shopping's spare, buoyant songs—very reminiscent of the sharp punk pugilism of early '80s Britain, in the angry throes of Thatcherism. But as the trio rocketed through selections from 2015's Why Choose and 2013's Consumer Complaints at Baby's All Right, you couldn't help but bob happily along. KM

The Suffers
Make some room for your new favorite soul band! Or rather "Gulf Coast Soul," as the Suffers, who played our FUV Live at CMJ showcase, describe themselves. This Houston, Texas, 10-piece band has your typical rock band setup of guitar, bass, and drums, but they also throw keyboards, congas and a full horn section into the mix. Their music is not strictly soul though; the Suffers also incorporate Cajun, Cumbia, and Caribbean sounds into their songs. Vocalist Kam Franklin is an amazingly talented singer whose range is just off the charts. Like "Proud Mary"-era Tina Turner, she can sing nice and easy, but then get rough and gritty. As a frontwoman, Franklin has great control over the room, getting the crowd to clap and sing along with her which makes for an engaged and highly spirited show. Girl can also shake it too! AA

The Big Moon
This London quartet, led by flannel-clad singer and guitarist Juliette Jackson, were coy, confident and boisterous, trampling through songs like "Sucker" with aplomb. Jackson's voice is all growl, bite, swagger and stern admonition; they're pretty thrilling and have a crafty way with a smart, pop-sweetened hook. KM

Postscript:
Alisa: As is the case every year at CMJ, there were many bands that I enjoyed. It's just impossible to list them all, but I did want to give props to a few other great bands that I saw: The Big Moon, Dilly Dally, Stealing Sheep, Shopping, Ben Abraham, and Cosmicide.

Kara: I didn't get to dash to as many shows as I would have liked (alas, "must-see" bands like The Jungle Giants, Cloud Castle Lake, S, and Kero Kero Bonito went unseen), but I saw and very much liked Liverpool's charming and wily Stealing Sheep (their second album, Not Real, is a fave of the year), the crafty power pop of Cincinnatti's Multimagic, and the sustained caustic attack of Dilly Dally.