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Ben Gibbard at CMJ

Oct 22, 2012 CMJ By Mike Hilleary Photography by Mike Hilleary

I think one of the biggest contributing factors to the success of the CMJ Music Marathon is the fact that it takes place in the fall. Any other season and the whole thing would be an absolute nightmare. Summer is totally out of the question. It’s never a dry heat in New York City. It’s sticky and gross, and when you throw into the mix temperature absorbing asphalt and a barrage of engines exhaust from cars and subway trains, you can’t make it an entire block before you’re drenched in sweat. Winter can be just as brutal, especially when it comes with unexpected snow (not to mention the fact that tall buildings are oh so excellent at channeling huge gusts of wind). Plus it can get pretty hard on your immune system to constantly be running in and out of temperature extremes (bitter cold outside the venues, crowded body-heat generated warmth on the inside). Spring on paper would seem like a viable option, but let’s face it, that’s when South by Southwest takes place, and if there’s going to be a choice between the two Austin is always going to win. Fall fits with CMJ and New York like a particular bear-made bowl of porridge. It’s just right.

I started this year’s Music Marathon with a professional excursion. While most panel discussions aim their sights on artists and the business aspects of the music industry, I was compelled to attend one that catered to my end of the spectrum: music journalism. With Senior Vice President for MTV News moderating I listened in to an hour talk with Billboard Editor Bill Werde, Spin Editor-in-Chief Caryn Ganz, Director of Content for MTV Hive Jessica Robertson, and freelancer (and former Village Voice editor) Maura Johnston. While I could have listened to everyone talk the whole morning, the brief back-and-forth between the panelists offered up some interesting top-tier insight into the business I love being a part of, particularly in regards to the daily news cycle and why being the first to make the report doesn’t make you the best.

After the panel I wound up with a lot of time to kill. With performances not scheduled to start until eight or nine at night there was a lot of wandering around involved in my first day of CMJ (only adding to my appreciation of Fall). When the clock hit the appropriate hour my go-to performance of the whole evening was Ben Gibbard. The Death Cab for Cutie frontman had scheduled a special performance that night, as it was the release day of his first solo album Former Lives. When I arrived at the designated venue however I was turned away. Despite the fact that I had a badge and that the performance was listed in the official CMJ listing, the gig was a guest list only gathering. While I was able to think quick on my feet and make a few phone calls to eventually gain entry, it struck me as being in poor form for CMJ to lead the casual badge holder into thinking they could get in. Don’t advertise something as being for anyone if it’s not.

Miscommunication aside the show was without a doubt one of those rare experiences that I’ll have no shame in bragging about years later. Jumping onto a tiny stage Gibbard kicked things off by singing the vocals of his Former Lives opening track “London is Raining.” Despite being unable to recreate the song’s original a-cappella arrangement it was a nice way to get the crowd to quiet down. All alone on stage with nothing but his acoustic guitar Gibbard progressed through things both new and familiar including Former Lives “Oh, Woe,” Transatlanticism’s “Title and Registration,” and Narrow Stairs’ “Grapevine Fires.” On several occasions in between songs Gibbard alluded to the passage of time, joking he was getting at the age where his lower back starts to hurt from too much standing, but also noting that it had been 12 years since he last played the venue. At the time the East Village bar was called Brownies (now called the HiFi Bar). Playing the space as part of that year’s CMJ Music Marathon Gibbard told how he became known as “the collapsing vegan.” Becoming incredibly ill the bar’s owner Mike Stuto was gracious enough to take Gibbard to the hospital and provided him a place to crash before his set. After an interlude sitting at a keyboard (playing Codes and Keys’ title track and Former Lives’ “Duncan, Where Have You Gone?”) the personal highlight of the night came when Gibbard performed The Postal Service track “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight.” Hearing the song stripped of its electronic blips was something wonderfully unexpected. Another highlight came at the night’s close. In between the time Gibbard left and returned for his encore some eager fan snatched up the evening’s setlist, leaving the Death Cab for Cutie frontman unable to remember what he was going to play for his final two songs. Looking to the audience to solve the problem he decided to end the night with a pair of requests, “A Lack of Color” and “Marching Bands of Manhattan,” the latter of which Gibbard admitted to have never attempted to play acoustically. Because he wasn’t taking part in your typical CMJ set Gibbard’s performance went well into the night. By the time it was over it was time to head home. The bar was raised too high anyway for anything else to follow.

The remainder of my CMJ experience was a mix of on-again off-again travels between Manhattan and Brooklyn over the next couple of days, managing only to catch a couple performances the whole week. Some sets were good, some sets were great, and others had me puzzled and looking quickly for an exit. Here were some worth writing a few notes about:

The Just OK (If Not That Good):

Sometimes you come across a band that makes you feel like you should like them, but just can’t bring yourself to commit. Days after seeing them the jury’s still out on JJAMZ. Made up of members of other well-established bands (James Valentine of Maroon 5, Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley/Bright Eyes, Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet, and Z Berg of The Like, and solo artist Michael Runion), the group released their debut album Suicide Pact earlier this summer on Dangerbird. While the pop tunes were pleasant enough, to me there just wasn’t anything new that was really being brought to the table, like I was watching a bizarro version of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Berg has undoubtedly got the flirty, sex-appeal going (at the time wearing a shear top and an incredibly short white skirt much to the delight of the photographers shooting at an upward angle), it started to feel a little distracting and forced at the expense of the music. Maybe it’s an L.A. thing.

The Good:

On my last night attending CMJ this Australian quartet was a welcome surprise. Fronted by a lanky young man named Jordi Davieson that had an indelible Ezra Koenig quality in his vocal delivery, the band produced a number of earworm pop tunes that certainly made me want to find out more about them (sort of the whole point of any CMJ performance). It didn’t hurt that their drummer, a real looker by the name of Scarlett Stevens, could play the hell out of her kit, all while occasionally some call-and-response vocals of her own with Davieson. Apparently signed to Fat Possum this year, San Cisco will release their self-titled debut album in their home country on Nov. 23. Hopefully it will make its way stateside in early 2013.

The Great:

Ever since signing to 4AD, Denmark artist Indians has been a steady fixture on my new artist radar. During the week I managed to catch him play a nighttime showcase at Brooklyn Bowl. Without his usual backing band for support the man otherwise known as Søren Løkke Juul held his own on stage behind a setup of effect boards and pedals performing a number of songs from his forthcoming debut Somewhere Else (explaining at one point that the title track was inspired by his first visit to NYC earlier this April). With a disc-shaped talisman hanging around his neck the Copenhagen native established plenty of beautiful melancholy to a venue that was nevertheless crashing with the sound of knocked over bowling pins. Whenever Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon finds the will tour again, he’d be hard pressed to find a better opening act than Indians in terms of their similar musical aesthetic.

Among all the bands I managed to catch during CMJ the highlight of my entire run was undoubtedly Daughter. A signee of Glassnote that is currently working on their full-length debut, this UK trio have the kind of sonic palette that would certainly feel right at home alongside The xx and Zola Jesus. Recently making their television debut the week before with an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, it was evident throughout their performance that the band are really adept at establishing a bit of dark tension, using their shimmery guitar picking, textured sonics, and tom-based percussion to a steady build. Regardless of the fact that they’re still incredibly shy being in front of a crowd (particularly frontwoman Elean Tonra) usually offering a few thank yous and quiet instrument switches between songs, their set was incredibly rewarding.