Thursday: Release party for Haiti

Send help to Haiti, drink Colt 45, and check out my feature article on The xx. You can't ask for more in a night, right?

Chikpiks CMJ Day 4 Lightning Recap/Going Crazy Edition

So don't hate The xx for being the Official CMJ Buzz Band (TM), because they're all bunch of sweet, black-clad likely London lads (and birds. Do they still say "birds" in England? Did they ever?) I talked with Oliver and Romy before the show at the Apple Store, which was packed, predictably, with Steve Jobs' Nazi minions prohibiting any kind of photography whatsoever. But Brooklyn Vegan has a bunch of pics from their show at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday that are almost as good. They also play tonight at the Music Hall at 10:40 with School of Seven Bells, and later at Tribeca Grand.

Tonight Grooms play at 7:45 at Littlefield, a show I probably have no chance of making, and there's the Polyvinyl showcase at The Bell House, featuring Motel Motel, Cale Parks, and Japandroids, which is likely to be packed (what isn't likely to be packed?)

Also the Underwater People's showcase is tonight at the Delancey, where lo-fi pop bands Holiday Shores (is this band named after a retirement community in Coral Gables, or what?) and Real Estate are playing, and that I am going to try to catch (I didn't have the same luck with NME at the same venue last night, but that's a long story.)


And then will be heading to Spike Hill (yes, Spike Hill) at 11:10 for Sissy Wish, a Norwegian electro-pop princess whose voice is good for your soul, and whose single "Dwts" is probably #1 right now on the Norwegian music charts, because, what else would be?

Mp3 - Sissy Wish - Dwts

Chikpiks CMJ Day 3 Edition

Damn you, College Music Journal. I don't have enough time to upload anything from last night's show before I have to start touting what's going on today. Sigh. So, but first:

On Chichi212, recap of Tuesday's New Zealand showcase at Red Bull Space, which featured Die Die Die, below.


The xx play at the Soho Apple store at 7 tonight, right after a photo shoot and interview with...me. It's free and I'm not aware that this is an official CMJ show, but of all the buzz bands in town right now, The xx are by far the buzziest, so it's a must-go.


Then, of course, if you're looking for some double-o soul, there's this:

Finnish band Rubik plays at 8 at the Arts and Crafts showcase at Union Pool. I missed out on them last night, but I have it on good authority that it was a huge, huge mistake.


Lastly, this has nothing to do with CMJ, but over at the Village Voice, Rob Harvilla has written a Pulitzer-worthy essay on how, despite what the mainstream publications tell you, "Brooklyn hipsterism," is not a movement, of any sort. In fact, it's hardly even a thing, like, at all. Thank you, Rob.

Mp3 - The xx - Basic Space