Your Daily CMJ Recommendations!
Page 5 of 5
SATURDAY
The Capstan Shafts
Arlene's Grocery
A year ago in these pages, we wrote about a guy named Dean Wells who was playing one of his first shows outside of Vermont, regardless of having put out more than 24 albums of homespun folk songs in the last five years alone. We call this "prolific." We're worried you might not have taken us up on our recommendation though, so we're sticking to our guns, and telling you again: Go see him. Not only do his lyrics sound like they're lifted from a children's storybook (equally surreal and spontaneous), but HE SOUNDS A LOT LIKE JEFF MANGUM. This might be the closest thing we ever get to
a Neutral Milk Hotel reunion, folks.
Pissed Jeans, The Moondoggies, Dum Dum Girls and more
Mercury Lounge
Hey Moondoggies, way to go with the band name, heh. Although, to be fair, it doesn't stick out much when sandwiched between the equally ridiculous "Pissed Jeans" and "Dum Dum Girls." So Sub Pop, along with their imprint label Hardly Art, hasn't put together a showcase with the best-named bands. They do, however, make up for it in the quality of the music, as if Sup Pop would ever wrong us. The Moondoggies channel Tom Petty's everyman rock with a country twang, hardcore punks Pissed Jeans are as beastly as ever, and Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls floats through soupy goth pop as if she were a Vivian Girl.
Holiday Shores
Music Hall of Williamsburg
To be fair, we aren't completely sure that this show is happening, as it's not an official CMJ showcase and isn't listed on Music Hall's website... but it is posted on Holiday Shores' MySpace page. Before you assume we're god-awful at our jobs, you have to believe us that we scoured the Web, emailed publicists and swam across oceans to get a confirmation, but no one seems to know much about this supposed day party put on by college radio promotion company AAM Radio. But at least now you know how badly we want you to hear Holiday Shores. They are, of course, one of the million beachy lo-fi bands invading the blogs right now, but there are more elements at work than their seashore brand lets on: faint traces of Afropop, clamorous noise, and Shins-esque melody. Then stick around for the (confirmed) Mexican Summer/Kemado Records showcase that's going down later on in the evening at Music Hall with the Smith Westerns, Real Estate and others.
Harlem
Brooklyn Bowl
Having just played a boatload of shows in the past four days, not to mention having recently signed to Matador Records, we would be genuinely shocked if ramshackle Austin-based trio Harlem wasn't causing a bit of a stir by Day 5. (Have you listened to "Beautiful and Very Smart" yet? You should. It doesn't end up quite where you think it will.) For this, we're recommending you by step some of the crowds and see them at After the Jump's unofficial closing party at Brooklyn Bowl. Then head home and get some sleep. You deserve it.
