A Last, Lingering Look at Another CMJ Gone By

M.I.A.
Terminal 5, Fri. 10-19

You couldn’t go anywhere last week without hearing, or hearing about, M.I.A. “Jimmy” and “Boyz” have been blasting out of headphones on the subway since Kala came out over the summer, and the hype reached new levels as everyone in town clamored to get into her two sold-out shows at the newly-opened Terminal 5. This badge-holder waited in line for two hours on Friday to snag a spot on the dance floor, and it was well worth it. Wearing an appropriately fluorescent dress seemingly made out of loops of orange and silver rubber, M.I.A. was impossible to take your eyes off—even when she was outnumbered by the hundreds of audience members she invited onstage to dance. One could wax romantic about the diversity of the crowd and how M.I.A.’s postcolonial sensibilities signal a new world order. But who could notice any of that once she started tearing up “Paper Planes”? —Elizabeth Wade

Cool Kids
Hiro Ballroom, Wed. 10-17
Terminal 5, Fri. 10-19

The Cool Kids are beyond old-school. Their brand of hip-hop is best described as “vintage,” complete with Ray-Ban sunglasses on their DJ and numerous references to Fruity Pebbles. Their songs don’t resort to the degrading insults so prevalent in most popular rap, and their authenticity landed them several CMJ shows and parties, including sets opening for A-Trak at the Hiro Ballroom and M.I.A. at Terminal 5. A refreshing blast from the past, they threaten to make sideways baseball caps cool again. Halfway through the Cool Kids’ set at Terminal 5, the guy behind me said, “This is like living inside a limited-edition Nike.” But the Cool Kids were definitely wearing the real things, straight from 1988. —Elizabeth Wade

Professor Murder
Mercury Lounge, Sat. 10-20

The members of Professor Murder definitely met in marching band. Armed with one bass, an on-again-off-again keyboard, and at least three sets of various percussive instruments, they create tight and complicated rhythms that are never overbearing or grating. They approach melody with an aesthetic they could have only learned in drumline, taking full advantage of the range of sounds and pitches that drums can produce when played well. The songs are heavily syncopated and often long, but their conventional structure and accessible bass lines kept the crowd at Mercury Lounge engaged. Cowbell hasn’t sounded this good in a long time. —Elizabeth Wade

Datarock
Blender Theater at Gramercy, Thurs. 10-18

At their set Thursday, Datarock proved the definitive answer to that age-old riddle: how many goofy Norwegians does it take to make hipsters dance? Three, as it turns out, and they take their jobs seriously. Bedecked in red Adidas throwback jumpsuits and shades, the electro-New Wave trio played the crowd to the absolute hilt: they did jumping jacks onstage, the guitarist momentarily crowdsurfed, and they managed to coax more than just noncommittal nods out of most of the shag haircuts present. Their catchy “Fa-Fa-Fa,” featured in a new Coca-Cola ad campaign, was a crowd favorite—here’s hoping that the Coke placement, along with an EA Games deal, won’t turn the song into the “Young Folks” of 2008. It wasn’t quite as popular, though, as the encore. The band returned to the stage, thanked the audience, switched on the seminal ’80s ballad “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” and sang along karaoke-style. And in the crowd, a hundred kitsch-obsessed hearts exploded. —Alexandria Symonds

At this point, you can’t argue Athens, Georgia’s contribution to the indie scene. In fact, without the influence of the legendary Elephant 6 collective, the lineup at CMJ 2007 might have been a very different beast indeed. King of Prussia shows all the signs of joining Apples in Stereo and Of Montreal in the ranks of the city’s elite. They’ve got the musical range—from the psychedelic summertime pop of “Spain in the Summertime” to the aching, almost alt-country feel of “Terrarium.” They’ve got narrative-puzzle lyrics clever enough to sustain multiple listens—“I’d sit still on seesaws if you’re inclined / But I’d only let you down,” is a good example. And they’ve got the live show to back it up—even at Fat Baby, a less-than-ideal venue, they managed to strike the perfect balance: melodic but never jangly, throwback-nostalgic but never kitschy, bright but never precious. Neutral Milk Hotel would be proud.
—Alexandria Symonds

Spoon
Blender Theater at Gramercy, Oct. 18

There’s something a little bit Ian Curtis about Spoon frontman Britt Daniel’s performance style. Like the Joy Division legend, something about Daniel’s stage presence—the grip of his hands on the microphone stand, maybe—belies something manic bubbling just underneath the careful, minimal stomps and heel clicks. After grinning through old-hat favorites like “Jonathon Fisk” and a few tracks from this year’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Daniel turned his back, dropped to his knees, and positively shredded during the last song. He loosened the collar on his own “Fitted Shirt,” and it was a revelation.
—Alexandria Symonds