Twin Shadow Review at Williamsberg Brooklyn Last Night

CMJ Music Marathon featuring Purity Ring, Caveman, Twin Shadow, Dinosaur Basic, Born Aureate New York City NY Oct 18-22

Published Oct 24, 2011

Seasoned or strategic CMJ Music Marathoners might possess the skills to sketch an elegant plan to dash from Manhattan's Lower Due east Side to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and dorsum, squeezing in only the most anticipated of the i,300 festival acts over five days. But the rest of the states -- the majority -- are relegated to sticking to a couple of low-key showcases each night. This is both the frustration and charm of CMJ: somewhere amidst the chaos lies a wealth of interesting new music that you merely discover by accident.

At the Santos Political party House, Wed night misses were sandwiched between hits. Caveman, whom y'all will most certainly hear more well-nigh in the coming months, tore a page out of the Grizzly Bear songbook with lush, layered harmonies and tracks accessible plenty to current of air upward on supermarket speakers. Though they were at their finest with gentle, understated numbers like "Thankful" and "Dec. 28," the New Yorkers proved they're made of tougher stuff, capping off the ready in a blistering stone freak-out.

Inc., a group best described as Occupy Wall Street hippie meets Dave Matthews Band, were the low of the nighttime. The singers perched on stools and belted out feel-skillful tunes to a disinterested oversupply. Bitterness was exacerbated by a final-infinitesimal set switch that pushed dorsum headliners Twin Shadow into bleary post-midnight territory. The ever-dapper George Lewis Jr. and his ring, though, managed to reinvigorate the evening with a blazing wall of lights, howling guitars and signature rock'n'scroll swagger, rivalled merely past the ladies of Wild Flag at Bowery Ballroom the night before. Though Twin Shadow's songs tend to meld together into i long hypnotic swirl, Lewis is compelling enough on stage to keep the show interesting.

On Thursday night, it was the makeshift venue that fabricated the showcase. The seventh floor of the Thompson Hotel in the Lower East Side hosted a must-encounter acoustic set by Dum Dum Girls (though "acoustic" in this case included an electric guitar). Surrounded entirely by windows, the girls played in front a backdrop featuring the Empire Country Building and a twinkling NYC skyline. "Coming Down," a dull sleepy number from the ring's new But in Dreams, was an unexpected highlight. Coupled with a free-whisky happy hr, the set done away the workday, leaving the oversupply blissfully sedated.

Toronto'south Dinosaur Bones offered solace for those shut out of Pianos' popular downstairs venue afterwards that night. Loud, raw and sounding a flake similar Canada'due south answer to the Strokes, the v-slice offered a sincere prepare of stone'n'roll. (There was no stage, giving the venue a laid-dorsum basement vibe.)

A handful of other Canadian acts also fulfilled their patriotic duty of representing their country throughout the week. Friday night, Torontonians Memoryhouse -- who seemed to be on the roster at every 2d showcase -- brought their wistful dream popular to Williamsburg'due south Glasslands ahead of Edmonton'southward electro pop stars Born Gold (formerly Gobble Gobble).

Early, the schedule went haywire, pushing the latter act's time slot all the way dorsum to three:45 a.chiliad. As attestation to their famously wild alive show -- consummate with stilts, shovels, shimmering silver short shorts -- and the following they've garnered in Brooklyn, a significant number of people fought off burnout to stick effectually and join Born Golden'due south trip the light fantastic toe party.

Less than 10 hours later, some of that same crowd rolled out of bed and migrated downwards to Public Associates to see Purity Ring's 2nd-last CMJ set (technically, it was part of an unofficial showcase), with the Born Gold offshoot being one of the festival's most anticipated acts. The show lived upwards to the hype. Visually, the pair cultivated an eerie, ethereal tone with a backdrop of bright-coloured curtains, thoughtfully placed lights and a mystifying homemade matrix of pipes that sporadically lit up. (Those in the know were instructed to refer to information technology just as "science" in club to preserve the mystery.)

Megan James's sweet, haunting vocals built, paused, multiplied and distorted while she crept around phase in ballet flats with a mic in hand, angle, crouching and generally adding a theatrical element to the show. Corin Roddick, meanwhile, remained hunched in concentration at the helm of the science.

Information technology was two p.m. with daylight pouring in from the back windows, simply the packed room was transfixed by James's captivating mixture of wide-eyed innocence and palpable confidence. The set was a reminder that even at CMJ quality always wins over quantity. Except maybe when it comes to the free drinks.

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Source: https://exclaim.ca/music/article/cmj_music_marathon_featuring_purity_ring_caveman_twin_shadow_dinosaur_bones_born_gold-new_york_city_ny_october_18-22

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