CMJ

Just before Blue Hawaii switched on their drum machines and samplers Friday night at Arlene's Grocery, where they performed as part of a Canada-centric CMJ 2012 lineup organized by M for Montreal, the duo heard from one particularly excited male festival-goer. "Wooo!" he shouted, as if at a hockey game, much to the chagrin of Alex “Agor” Cowan, the button-pushing, knob-twirling silent pa

While Captured Tracks boasts a strong roster of indie talent -- groups like DIIV and Wild Nothing have earned widespread critical acclaim in the last year -- the label's CMJ 2012 showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last night was surprisingly uneven. Two bands, Dignan Porch and Thieves Like Us (pictured above), sputtered in front of dull stage lights and idly tapping feet; the other two, Ma

Night three of CMJ 2012 played out like a story, 'Two Tales of One City,' as Diffuser.fm caught a pair of wildly different London acts -- Gabriel Bruce and Dignan Porch -- touring the States for the first time. The Anglo-centric evening kicked off at the Bowery Ballroom, where Bruce, a doomy synth-pop lothario signed to Mercury Records, took the stage with a laptop accompanist and two dancing show

At CMJ, the emphasis is on quantity, not necessarily quality. Each year, hundreds of artists descend on New York City, and many cram in as many shows as possible, maximizing exposure at the expense of their music. Rushed load-ins and set-ups are very much the norm, and performances run about 30 minutes -- then it's off to the next venue. The challenge is maintaining energy and enthusiasm, and on n

Anticipating a hectic week, Diffuser.fm eased into night one of CMJ 2012, opting to catch a mere three bands at two venues and save some energy for later in the festival. Tuesday's highlight was Quilt, who performed at Arlene's Grocery on the Lower East Side. The Boston trio bills itself as "kids from the '80s dreaming about people from the '60s," and that about covers it. There's an eth