that's a wrap

Happy Monday! The world didn't end (again), but CMJ has come and gone once more. I didn't see a lot of bands at CMJ this year, but I still had a couple favorites:

I saw Boy and Bear at Union Hall in Park Slope on Friday night. They headlined a show that also included Conversion Party (who I recently saw open for CYHSY) and WATERS from California (and some other bands, too, I think, who we missed). They're here from Australia(!) and had a really enthusiastic crowd receiving them. I knew next to nothing about them beforehand, but they remind me of Andrew Bird particularly in the vocals.

Boy and Bear:

Conversion Party:

WATERS:

I caught Jape filling in last minute for High Highs at the I Guess I'm Floating showcase at Pianos. They're a Dublin band with charming Irish accents, and some 80s-y synths going on. If it wasn't the middle of the afternoon I suspect some people may have danced around more.



If I had more time, I would have loved to re-catch more of the (good) opening bands I've seen in the past year: Caveman, who played all over during CMJ and I saw open for The Hold Steady recently; Gauntlet Hair, who opened for The Dodos. Oh well, another year...

freak out, freak out, freak outttt

My Last.FM account informs me that my most listened to song in the past 12 months is "Freak Out" by Tapes 'N Tapes. That sounds about right. And I furthered my allegiance to this song on Friday night at their concert at Bowery Ballroom. Their opening bands were mostly agreeable: The Static Jacks had a very...enthusiastic group of (mostly) guys bouncing around up front as if it were some 2002 pop punk concert. Howler was calmer (at least in respect to the crowd), but really solid. 


The last time I saw Tapes 'N Tapes was at Coney Island back in 2006, instigating my love of them. I never got into their 2008 sophomore album Walk it Off, but I've been a strong proponent of Outside. The set felt very The Loon-heavy, which I didn't mind at all, as I still think it was Tapes 'N Tapes at their best. They sounded great on Friday, and had some good jams thrown in there. Pictures, and a disco-ball-filled rendition of On and On, below:

The Static Jacks:

Howler:

Tapes 'N Tapes: