CMJ: Day Two

Fujiya & Miyagi at Mercury Lounge

Recap:
I started today on a more-rested note, opting to sleep in and skip a few discussion panels (you'll hear about the one I'll definitely attend on Friday). I made it down to the Cake Shop just in time to catch the last half of Women's set in the dark, humid basement of the bar/bakery. Afterwards, I headed over to the Levi's/Fader Fort for a showcase involving Chairlift, The Muslims, Los Fancy Free, and Crystal Stilts, who amazingly enough had the energy to play after last night's show went until nearly 5 AM. At the conclusion of the Fort's activities (and the closing of their open bar), I walked a few blocks to Mercury Lounge, taking in sets by Tobacco, Fujiya & Miyagi, and Walter Meego.

Highlight:
Fujiya & Miyagi. By far the best show of the day, F&M demonstrated that they can not only match the attention to detail in their mesmerizing melodies while on stage, but surpass expectations as well. Obviously fans of bands such as Can, Neu! and, to a lesser extent, Kraftwerk, this trio (don't be fooled by the name... they're also white, not Japanese) brings the hypnotic elements of Krautrock into the post-dance arena. If you're a fan of LCD Soundsystem, take note.

Honorable mentions go out to The Muslims, a San Diego/LA-based band who play damn catchy 70s garage-pop, Women, an all-men group who play lo-fi fuzzy noise-rock, and Crystal Stilts (again). Though this time the latter played without their keyboardist. That, and the fact that they were playing to a packed room of nearly 300 as opposed to the 12 in attendence in the wee hours of the night before, made this show slightly less celebrated, but still a lot of fun.


Left to Right: The Muslims, Los Fancy Free, Walter Meego/F&M Gear