CMJ 2008, Day 4: The beat goes on

October 24, 2008, in NYC

By Liz Schroeter
Published: October 25th, 2008 | 2:23pm

After Thursday's late night at Hi-Fi, it wasn't easy to rally. The free SoCo and Sparks at the Fader Fort had lost their appeal, but I still showed up to see new Touch and Go signing Crystal Antlers. The riotous band seemed all the more so behind strobe lights and neon clothes. It was a spectacle to watch, and damn loud.

I made my way to Cake Shop to see local band the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who were hailed for their smart sweaters and intense rocking this week by the New York Times Arts Beat Blog. Having seen the Pains a number of times since their inception last year, it's exciting not only to see them building buzz, but also to see how warranted it is. Their performance had a joyful energy that's only grown with experience. Singer Kip Berman wears his Jesus and Mary Chain influences on his (sweater) sleeve while keyboard player and vocalist Peggy Wang bounces along. Bassist Alex Naidus and drummer Kurt Feldman made a formidable rhythm section.

The Pains' set started late no thanks to an electro duo called Picture Picture. It was impossible to tell if their pseudo boy band shtick was in fact shtick or if they were being sincere with their choreography and hand claps. The effect was troubling rather than funny. Furthermore, it threw off my schedule, so that by the time I trekked out to the Brooklyn Masonic Temple for Broken Social Scene, I'd missed openers Land of Talk. The one consolation in that is Land of Talk singer Liz Powell was performing with Broken Social Scene in the role sometimes filled by Leslie Feist, Amy Millan of Stars, or Emily Haines of Metric. She filled the shoes well, bouncing around the stage with the other members, running from guitar stage right to cymbals and shakers stage left and back again.

The already crowded and jubilant stage became even more so when the horn players came out of the wings early in the set, "Stars and Sons" from the band's sophomore release You Forgot It In People (Arts and Crafts). The childlike energy of the band carried throughout the room as arms waved and the audience bounced along to the music. Singer and guitarist Kevin Drew several times introduced songs as, "Here's one we've been playing for years." Was he embarrassed that the band had only one or two new songs in their set? Other times he hinted that these older songs are soon going to be put to rest because of all the new music in the works. For now, the audience wasn't the slightest bit disappointed to sing and dance along to their old favorites.

After a cacophonous beginning to the show, Broken Social Scene took it down a notch for a few of their groovier numbers. Drew hilariously forgot the words to "Cause = Time" and had to ask the audience for help. Since Broken Social Scene is more a collective of musicians than a band, per se, Drew as band leader would introduce various members, crediting their other musical outfits. Then they'd all play a Brendan Canning song, or listen to Charles Spearin from Do May Say Think's latest experimental saxophone piece. The collective's pride in one another's talent shown on all their faces as they clapped and cheered each other on.

Broken Social Scene played for almost three hours, though Drew refused to let us check out watches or cell phones. Instead we were asked to all put our arms up in the air, feel the music, and on the count of three scream. We were all too happy to obey and be swept up in the moment.

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Check out Day 5 CMJ coverage!