CMJ Music Marathon 2009: I Was A King; Evan Voytas; Eternal Summers; Free Energy; Beach Fossils @ Santos Party House

I Was A King; Evan Voytas; Eternal Summers; Free Energy; Beach Fossils
@ Santos Party House
New York, NY - October 21, 2009

The Oh My Rockness 5th Anniversary Party for CMJ should have been a celebration of the best concert calendar/song podcast in the Indie Rock universe, what with a booking of bands who have produced some of the best songs of the year. But the piss poor sound guys at Santos Party House somewhat ruined things as they tried to deafen the audience with murderous high volume for music that didn't need it. They tested the amps and speakers but good as whines and blow-outs occurred through the night and the wrong monitors were turned up or turned down at the wrong times. And all the bands suffered for it. But we persevere:

Norway's I Was A King are the possessors of "Norman Bielk", a power pop number of good stock and station. Some of the other songs matched the quality of that one but the loss of guitar on the speakers at certain moments coupled with horrid feedback knocked out the charm. I don't think the band could hear themselves either.

Evan Voytas happens to be the guy behind the most tasteful romantic song to come around in a long time, "We'd Be Good Together", a song which - like the others specifically mentioned in this piece - Oh My Rockness put on its mp3 podcast earlier this year. Yet Evan didn't play it. In fact, the material he played sounded somewhat removed from the style of "We'd Be Good Together" and his vocals, modulated as they were, didn't even sound like the same guy. The idea was entertained that Oh My Rockness had booked Evan Voytas on the strength of a song that was erroneously misidentified as being his. Well, later investigation has proved that "We'd Be Good Together" is indeed an Evan Voytas song but it's from a year or two ago, and not part of his new Peter Gabriel/Duran Duran style sound. What he did play was worthy in great swaths but the audio guys sabotaged the set with all the aforementioned problems.

Eternal Summers are a girl on guitar and a guy on drums with garage grime/dark pop flavor. Not bad but they seemed purposely disinterested which was a turn-off. It is also entirely possible they were just naturally shy.

Free Energy, the band who rose from the ashes of Hockey Night, was the one band I caught that had the sound guys on their side. What would pass for shtick if they were from Hipsterville, NY instead comes off as down-to-earth Philadelphian love of classic rock, no more, no less. A slight hint of hippiedom to their 70's shine (their banner "Dream City" kicks off with a borrow of "Spirit in the Sky") is more of a plus than a negative, at least the way they pull it off. Great solos.

Beach Fossils had way too much reverb for their outright awful lead singer but the rhythm section was tight and the guitar player was sublimely talented, doing more with less in this project that merges surf rock with the Cure.

The Sonic Parthenon Playlist: Rest of the Summer 2009, Part 1

Bat for Lashes - "Daniel"
Natasha Khan's first waves as Bat for Lashes came off a little creepy and bizarre and inaccessible without really being any of those things. This time around she's right up front in being inviting and charming. The pop sensibilities of this 80's style dark dance song make it easily digestible.

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
I've liked this legendary band for awhile but only in drips and drabs from what I heard over the years. I finally decided to give them a solid listen this summer and I wasn't let down. The solos. My god, the solos. And the riffs are nothing to sneeze at either. And it's not like Barlow and Murph aren't holding up their end of the bargain. The new LP, the second with the reformed original trio, is a solid display of the band's more accessible later period. Not sure how or why but Mascis's guitar skill seems to exponentially magnify in greatness as he gets older. "I Don't Wanna Go There" has the solo of the year.

Flamin' Groovies - "Shake Some Action"
What?! This isn't new! Doesn't matter. Thanks to Bob Boilen picking it as part of the All Songs Considered special on great record labels, I discovered the greatest song I never knew about before that moment.

Free Energy - "Dream City"
70's AM Gold lives! At least the good versions of it. I dare you to dislike this.

Benjy Ferree
I heard an archived performance of this joker at WOXY and "Big Business" alone was enough to make me a fan. I don't get...HIM...but I'm enjoying him.

Generationals - "When They Fight, They Fight"
Great title, excellent sounding Indie song. This is what Grizzly Bear should sound like.

Great Northern - Remind Me Where The Light Is
The follow-up record to Trading Twilight for Daylight is no fluke. Great Northern are THE great unsung band of Southern California. Eat it, Silversun Pickups! Go on tour with them, Airborne Toxic Event!

Hatcham Social - "So So Happy Making"
I haven't been bothered or have had the time to look up anything about the act behind this song but this 80's revivalist pop number is a pleasant romp.

Dave Matthews Band - "Why I Am"
It's sadness over the loss of Leroi Moore that's behind some of it, but there has been a re-embracing of DMB around these parts lately. In no small measure there is this insatiably catchy tribute to the Groogrux King that harkens back to those 90's hits where this band was something special.

Phoenix - "1901"
This is what a band this decade, OF its decade, should/would sound like. It's gleaming pop backed by steady rock-n-roll ethics. Phoenix won't leave a mark the way the Strokes did back in the early half of this decade but this track picks up the mantle.