CMJ New bands showcase

GREEN OWL SHOWCASE: GRANDCHILDREN There’s the unstoppable beats that drive trippy melodies, the surreal choirs of ominous voices and dizzying half familiar moments of rock and electonica augmented by unexpected instrumental stings. It’s ambitious and sonically dexterous and we think its about to take over the world.  Not really, but the zeitgeist that these guys are wielding is special.  In the odd new tradition of Animal Collective and Panda Bear, Grandchildren are the charming new beasts in town.  Look out for a debut album on Green Owl in 2010. babelgum.com/cmj

Devonte' Hynes is Blood Orange. In terms of side projects and unofficial material Dev Hynes must be amongst the most prolific in the game right now. His accumulative discography would dwarf acts who have been around twice as long and he's launched yet another project. Blood Orange is a lo-fi lounge pop outfit, not a million miles from Lightspeed Champion but one that reigns in that latters alt.country tendencies.   Regardless of his stage name, Dev is a multi-talented songwriter, composer and musician from the UK whose new moniker, Blood Orange, is a fresh sound of pop and surf.  Dev says he sings differently on this record, much more calculated and it has its own life to it. Equipped with his guitar and black Macbook, Dev seamlessly guided through a storybook of songs for his show at Pianos, as part of the Terrible Records showcase, most of which would cause one to dance; he did take the time to ask for the lights to be turned down for a more tender song but overall it was an energetic display of melodramatic lyrics and bouncy beats. Song “ Forget It”

GREEN OWL, NYC’s own sustainable and environmentally active record label put our forward-thinking-freestyling caps on for our CMJ ’09. When Essau of The Very Best had some visa issues it was a last minute scramble to fill their spot in a show case- the line up included Nijasonics, Grand Children and Theophilus London. Check out the rest of the clips from this CMJ showcase. And look our for more from The Very Best to come on this channel. babelgum.com/cmj

GREEN OWL SHOWCASE: NINJASONIK Ninjasonik make infamous New York music.  From ""Art School Girls"" to ""Tight Pant Wearing Nigga"", their tunes have become synonymous with a fuck-it-all approach to new music.  Uncategorizable, perhaps avant-garde, this dance and MC unit is the voice Brooklyn.. They bring an adventurous, drug-addled I mean drug-aided clarity to any party.  Ninjasonik aren't bogged down by cliches, they're too busy rocking the party with stupid-smart rhymes and re-purposed Lion King samples. babelgum.com/cmj

Little Girls: If there’s been a ‘trend’ worth following in music this year, it could well be the gravitation towards under-produced, highly-conceptual lo-fi fuzz pop, a Pitchfork-endorsed sound re-popularized by the likes of Wavves, Crystal Stilts, Times New Viking and No Age, to name but a few. In Toronto one entry of note is Little Girls, an unlikely outfit grown from the basement studio stylings of 20-year-old Josh McIntyre, former Pirate/Rock member whose surprise post-punk minimalism created a buzz on both sides of the border before he had a chance to even explain himself. McIntyre, who cites as his biggest influences hip hop producers including the late great J Dilla, recorded and posted some songs under the moniker early this year with zero expectations. Their debut album Concepts, out on Paper Bag Records, is murky, moody and varied – just a few of the reasons they were picked to play the first Terrible Records Showcase for CMJ 09.

GREEN OWL SHOWCASE: THEOPHILUS LONDON Theophilus London is from Brooklyn, but his new-wave rap poems have quickly become the hottest shit in both New York and the UK.   A wordsmith that's James-Dean cool, young London is the voice of a post hiphop generation.  His rhymes cut through traditional rap braggadocio to explore new horizons and emotional landscapes.  Below him, the beats are idiosyncratic and filled with synthesizers and talking drums.   London's debut mixtape, This Charming Mixtape, came out 2009 to rave reviews.  Expect a full-length in 2010. babelgum.com/cmj

Acrylics was formed by Jason Klauber and Molly Shea in 2008 and evolved into a trio in the recent past. Acrylics is the first artist to debut on Terrible Records, the new label started by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear and Ethan Silverman. Shortly after the release of Taylor's 7-inch solo effort, CANT, Acrylics released their debut, All of the Fire, which was produced by Taylor at his church-studio in Brooklyn, Terrible Studios.  Acrylics are a Pitchfork "Rising" Artist, and Stereogum said, "Acrylics' lead single ["All of the Fire"] is a '70s mining pop tune, luring in with swelling pedal steel, reverbed guitars, Molly Shea's pristine vocal and gorgeous, faint harmonies, washing and moving like a dreamy Fleetwood Mac rumor. Worth a listen."  Song “ Lil Ivy”  

Hype Machine/ Babelgum CMJ party (for the intro) Every fall, more than 1,200 up-and-coming bands descend upon New York City to play the CMJ Music Marathon.  It’s a chance for music blogs, tastemakers and industry folks from around the world to come see the acts showcase live, then decide on the ones to watch.  The Hype Machine was pleased to have four of the most buzzed-about bands of the week performing together on a single bill at the Hype Machine and Babelgum showcase at Santos Party House during CMJ:  Sleigh Bells, VEGA, Theophilus London, and Midnight Juggernauts (plus, our favorite remixer/DJ of the moment, Alan Wilkis, manning the decks)!  The venue was packed full of major league bloggers, indie rock stars, and serious music fans.  Here’s a great sneak peek at what CMJ is all about. babelgum.com/cmj

Terrible Records: Chris Taylor and Ethan Silverman formed Terrible Records on a whim, and weren't really sure what to do first.  They have made a few bad decisions along the way, and some that were plain awful.  One decision they did make was to form a record label, which was terrible.  I guess the Acrylics record (All of the Fire) turned out pretty alright.  And who didn't like the Arthur Russell/Cant split 7 inch?  There are some high hopes for the Class Actress EP coming out, and that's mildly comforting.  As they continue to make it up as they go, they will hopefully have some strong releases coming out in 2010.  Though I doubt it.   At least Chris is in Grizzly Bear.    

Fools Gold Headliners Fools Gold are described by Pitchfork as ""a gloriously busy bit of life-affirming Afro-pop”. There are a lot of comparisons to Talking Heads / Stop Making Sense era but all that aside, they are so just much fun live, this was the best ending to a great party and our first CMJ showcase. We went out with a bang! This is “ Poseidon“ performed live at the IAMSOUND CMJ showcase 09. babelgum.com/cmj