CMJ: Thursday [Delorean, Warpaint]

Plus VOICEsVOICEs, the Tony Castles

Ryan Dombal
on October 23, 2009 at 1:05 p.m. EDT

CMJ: Thursday [Delorean, Warpaint]

Photos by Will Deitz; Above: Delorean

Ryan Dombal's CMJ coverage: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday

On Thursday night, every venue seemed to be running an hour late, as if the collective wear of CMJ was taking its toll after three days of non-stop buzzing. Even so, I got to see three bands that showed promise but were partially undone by generally fixable flaws-- and one band that was damn near flawless.

The Tony Castles [Studio @ Webster Hall; 8:40 p.m.]

As of this writing, Brooklyn three piece the Tony Castles have one official jam. It's called "Black Girls in Dresses" and it's an R&B falsetto winner that sounds something like 1990s one-hitters New Radicals gone indie. On it, singer-bassist Paul Sicilian goes into Prince mode, his high, reverbed voice suggesting nothing but sex. The funkiest bass line I've heard at CMJ (admittedly not a festival known for its funk bass lines, but still) skips along underneath. Great song.

But none of the other more psychedelic and floating tracks the band played could come close to matching it. And while Sicilian can actually pull off a convincing Chris Martin-meets-Band of Horses tone, he was not looking the part of a potential indie standout. Not to get all fashion police here, but Sicilian's uber-nerd getup (second-grader glasses, too-big shirt, some sort of ill-fitting headband) wasn't disheveled-chic as much as it was just disheveled-lazy. The shock factor of that voice coming out of that person wore off quick, leaving an awkward band with a single true jam. Maybe they'll write a few more at some point.

Delorean [The Delancey; 10:30 p.m.]

Here's a tip for all you CMJ bands out there: do not take an hour to set your shit up, especially when your showcase is already behind schedule. I know everyone wants to sound their best and all, but part of the beauty of CMJ is the seat-of-your-pants-ness of the whole affair. It's not perfect.

Apparently, nobody told Barcelona upstarts Delorean this, because the wait at the Lower East Side's too-tiny, too-crowded basement venue the Delancey was simply unacceptable. It took away some of the curious crowd's goodwill, for sure. Luckily, Delorean play pulsing dance-rock that's like the musical equivalent of a happy puppy-- you can't stay mad at it for too long.

Going through most of their excellent recent Ayrton Senna EP along with a couple equally sticky and effervescent new songs, the band managed to mostly erase the tedium of their pre-show piddling. Ironically, though, most of their actual instruments still sounded like garbage (the drums were particularly flat and ugly), when they sounded at all. Lead singer/bassist Ekhi Lopetegi had an instrument hung over his shoulder the whole time, but only managed to play it at irregular intervals (extra bass was pre-recorded, though). With all the backing tracks booming away, there was something of a Milli Vanilli vibe going on, but these guys have the hardest part-- the festival-ready, open-air anthems-- squared away. They just need to figure out how to play them properly and not take eons to plug their equipment in.

VOICEsVOICEs [Cameo Gallery; 11:50 p.m.]

L.A. post-rock duo VOICEsVOICEs have a few things going their way. Their sound-- part ambient electronic, part primal scrawl-- is tough to pin down and always taking unexpected turns, a real asset in the sometimes paint-by-numbers world of CMJ. And while their sprawling, echoing music almost definitely has a limited audience (even with the help of Prefuse 73, who produced their upcoming album) singer/drummer/electro twiddler Jenean Farris looked like she was playing for the rafters at the Manimal Vinyl showcase at Williamsburg's tiny, black-box venue Cameo Gallery.

Farris banged her head while drumming and bent over like a hardcore howler while sending ethereal vox through the speakers. She clearly loves the music she's making, a trait surprisingly absent in many a showcase. But Farris could only carry the pair so far; the lack of players-- especially a bassist-- left several songs sounding hollow, untethered, and unfinished. The awesome Prefuse-produced track called "Flulyk Visions" offers a tantalizing glimpse of what this band could be if they could fill out their studio sound on stage.

Warpaint [Cameo Gallery; 2:30 a.m.]

Do not hate Warpaint because they're beautiful or because their slow-motion video for "Stars" comes off like a hipster exploitation reel or because actress Shannyn Sossamon used to be a member. Led by three fashion week-ready ladies from L.A., this group should be a go-to choice for any glossy looking to fill their clothing/music spread in the coming months. But all that would matter little if they couldn't play. Thankfully, they can play. Like, really well. After watching a few "getting there" bands last night, it was a relief to take in a group ready for take off right here, right now.

Warpaint put the riff-heavy desert rock of Queens of the Stone Age through a gauzy, female-frosted lens, ending up with something more mysterious-- think early Cat Power, but with more confidence and purpose. They're a "mood" band centered around an underlying feeling of imminent dread rather than explicit songs that hook and verse. But while it often sounded like they were soundtracking a modern indie Western where the villain is out of focus thanks to heat rising from the earth, Warpaint knowingly cultivate their alluring sense of doom. They're not scared; they know their power.

Most Read News

  • Related
  • Latest
  • Trending