Matty Fasano’s solo recordings may surprise you given the work of ARMS — he records sparse songs on piano that are inspired by chamber music. They feel simple at first, as on the opening riff of “Living in Armchairs,” but quickly evolve into rich compositions with complex vocal arrangements. On his new EP, Living in Armchairs he forgoes all but the most basic accompaniment, in the form of percussion and baritone guitar from producer Matt LeMay (the four tracks were co-produced by Nick Sylvester).

Fasano will celebrate the release (streaming below) of his EP Thursday, April 5 at the Mercury Lounge. I asked him a few questions over email about his work both with ARMS and as a solo musician, and what we can expect in his performance.

Tell me a bit about yourself. I know you are in ARMS and have performed in LCD Soundsystem, but what’s your story? Where are you from and what do you do? And how long have you been in New York?

I’m from New Haven originally and went to college there, and I moved to Brooklyn the second I graduated, so I’ve been here for six years. I studied music at school and came here wanting to do music and only music, but found out really quickly that I couldn’t survive here without a day job. So I fell into teaching and have been doing that by day, and music by night. It’s actually a good combo . . . I have all summer to do music!

Can you tell me more about what you teach?

I’m a 4th grade homeroom teacher! Yeah, believe it or not. So I teach everything; math, english, history. I don’t teach music which is actually a good thing. It keeps music as this fun and special thing for me.

These songs (on the EP) obviously have a very different sound than your band (and the NYC indie scene in general). Is the piano your primary instrument? What do you find appealing about the solo, piano-driven approach?

Yes, piano is my first instrument, my first love, and it’s where I feel most comfortable musically. I play a bunch of instruments but I knew that when I wanted to do solo stuff, it had to be on piano. It’s where I can be most honest, and it’s where I feel completely unlimited. And I’m glad it sounds different than other stuff on the scene . . . that actually appeals to me. If I can be honest and unique, then I’d say I’ve done my job.

Can you talk about your role in the songwriting of ARMS and how you approach writing solo material? How does your relationship to the music change based on that?

In ARMS, the songwriting process is one of my favorite parts of the band, because it’s really unpredictable. We’re all coming from very different places musically, but when we arrive at an ARMS song, we know we’re there. It feel like the intersection of all of our tastes and sensibilities. And for each song the process is very different. Todd comes up with the chords and lyrics and general idea of the song, but so much of ARMS is mood and atmosphere and arrangement, and I like to think we all play a major role in that. But then of course with my solo stuff, it’s all me, and that can be very fun, but very scary as well. The process changes for every song . . . sometimes I’ll just sit down and start playing and a song will come fully formed. Other times I’ll have an idea in my head, sing it into garageband or something, and forget about it. Three months later I’ll rediscover it, finish it, and it’s a song! You never know.

What can we expect from your live performance?

You can expect a whole men’s chorus! I recruited the guys who I sang with for the LCD Soundsystem shows to come join me onstage. They’re up for anything, down for whatever, so of course they said yes. I think it will really fill the room and give the songs a nice hymn-like quality. I’m really excited; the idea of a stripped down piano and voice performance reinforced by a big choir is really interesting to me.

How did you get involved with LCD Soundsystem and what was that like being a part of those huge shows? Will we see you in the upcoming documentary?

The LCD shows came about because Nick Sylvester, who has known James Murphy for years, heard from James that he wanted to do something special for the last show, to boost the sound with a men’s chorus. My friends and I have been informally singing together as a choir since we moved here, so Nick must have said something along the lines of, “I know just the guys!” And that’s it, a few rehearsals later, there we were (Nick included) onstage with LCD for the last string of Terminal 5 shows and the Madison Square Garden show. It was an incredible experience . . . the feeling behind the shows was so positive. Everyone was really excited and kind and professional. James had no reason to give us the time of day, but he treated us with such respect. And of course the music was amazing. And yes you will see us in the documentary! I haven’t seen it but my friend caught it at Sundance and said there is a nice close-up of me dancing giddily onstage.

Do you have a specific goal or set of goals that correspond to your solo music? Where would you like to see it go in 2012 – or beyond?

Yes, in 2012, I want to do a full-length. So far I’ve done a 7″ and now here’s this EP, and I think with each release I get a little better. A full length is a big challenge, especially for someone like me who tends to write shorter songs. I’m really excited by the challenge of filling out a whole record. And I want to work with the same production team, Nick Sylvester from Mr. Dream and Matt LeMay who now also does his own solo stuff. I think they’re creative geniuses and they really help push me to do my best.

What are some of your favorite local acts that people might not know about?

My favorite local bands right now are Mr. Dream, who I think kick more and more ass with every show, Glass Ghost, and Friend Roulette. I love Hospitality, Caveman, and Darkside, but I’m not sure they count as local anymore because they’re getting really big! They’re all great people and are making the most interesting music around, I think.

Matty Fasano plays the Mercury Lounge on Thursday, April 5 w/ Friend Roulette. Doors: 9:30 pm. Tickets: $10. Show info here.

This is a common complaint you’ll see if you read the comments sections on “mainstream indie” blogs such as Stereogum and Brooklyn Vegan. I imagine if Pitchfork had comments, you’d see the same thing there. The consensus: there’s no imagination in these lists. People say that they read like lists of albums that received a lot of press this year, like a compilation of albums that we all think we should like because other people like them.

This isn’t to say that there isn’t a lot of great music to be heard on those lists. And while many of the year’s most lauded albums did absolutely nothing for me (Bon Iver, Drake, Girls, Destroyer, M83, Washed Out, to name a few), there’s also legitimately weird, left-field music that’s getting a deserved, major audience boost (Oneohtrix Point Never and Nicholas Jaar come to mind).

In thinking about this, I think it’s important to remember that the Internet’s strength lies in diversity of opinion. However, in the world of the social web and customization, we run the risk of listening only to the voices that validate our own opinion. For all the influence that a site like Pitchfork has, it’s also just one site. The Internet is a system of niches. Just like we can’t tell the evolution of music through convenient, once-every-365-days lists, we can’t tell it through the narrative of a single (or small group) of websites, either.

There’s an online maxim that says, “If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.”

It’s what allows people like Joe Brockmeier to say, “Facebook doesn’t exist to connect its users to one another, Facebook exists to connect users with advertisers.”

I’m not equating Pitchfork to Facebook, necessarily, but here’s what Pitchfork does. It’s a site run by people who love music (I have met a few Pitchfork contributors, and this is the thing they all have in common). But in order to make money – something it must do – it creates an ecosystem that keeps you returning to it. It tells you, the user, which bands you like. It curates a festival with these bands, as well as putting on other shows throughout the year at key events such as CMJ and SXSW, also with these bands. All while doing this, it sells you ads. Which is fine! I don’t like ads, but I understand that ads are what pay people like me to work at a place like Mashable (or, Pitchfork). But it’s in the best interest of Pitchfork to create this ecosystem that keeps you coming back. Because that enables them to sell more ads, remain profitable, and continue publishing.

The point is this: if you don’t like what these music sites are selling you, start your own blog. David Greenwald, who writes one of my favorite music blogs, wrote an essential post called “14 Ways Music Blogs Could Be Useful Again.” He hits the main problem: if all the blogs are posting about the same stuff (regardless of how good it is), they lose what made them useful (and fun!) in the first place.

The Internet is a system of niches. Pitchfork and Stereogum have taken a niche – “indie rock” – and taken it to broad appeal. But there’s still room for many more voices. Write about what you love. Don’t concern yourself with trying to fit into a critical narrative. Write your own critical narrative. Or don’t write at all – just post songs and videos, for all I care. But whatever you post, make sure you do it because you love it. That’s my resolution for 2012.

Presented alphabetically, and with no comment and no apologies, my favorite albums of 2011.

• Antlers – Burst Apart

The Antlers – Parentheses by Frenchkiss

• ARMS – Summer Skills
• A$AP Rocky – LiveLoveA$AP
• Blood Orange – Coastal Grooves

Sutphin Boulevard by Blood Orange

• Byrds of Paradise – Teenage Symphonies
• James Blake – James Blake
• The Caretaker – An empty bliss beyond this world

the caretaker – an empty bliss beyond this world (album preview) by experimedia

• Caveman – CoCo Beware

Caveman “Great Life” is Yourstru.ly from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

• Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

Judges by Constellation Records

• Feist – Metals

How Come You Never Go There by Feist

• Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
• Mountains – Air Museum

Mountains – Air Museum (album preview) by experimedia

• Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica

Oneohtrix Point Never – Up by Mexican Summer

• The Poison Control Center – Stranger Ballet

The Poison Control Center – “Torpedoes On Tuesday, …” by Afternoon Records

• Real Estate – Days

Real Estate – It’s Real by DominoRecordCo

• Rene Hell – Terminal Symphony

Juliard op. 66 by _type

• Shabazz Palaces – Black Up

Shabazz Palaces – Swerve… by subpop

• Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972

tim hecker ‘hatred of music I’ by kranky

• Widowspeak – Widowspeak

Widowspeak – “Nightcrawlers” by forcefieldpr

• Wye Oak – Civilian

Wye Oak – Civilian by MergeRecords

• Zomby – Dedication

Altered Zones, which was founded in partnership with Pitchfork as a network of blogs focusing on experimental indie, will finish out the week with new content and then will remain on the web unupdated.

From Ad Hoc’s Facebook page:

A 100% independent, daily music and visual culture publication from former Altered Zones editors Ric Leichtung and Emilie Friedlander, some of our favorite music bloggers, and active imaginations from all across our global grassroots community

According to a farewell post, Friedlander and Leichtung will continue to freelance for Pitchfork. No word yet on when the new site will launch.

If anything, CMJ this year taught me that while it’s fine to be at the buzzed about shows, it’s also great to take chances and see artists on a whim in rooms that aren’t cool and don’t have a hundred blog write-ups. It’s also totally fine to miss out. Of the 20 artists I included in my FreeMJ guide, I caught seven, which is totally reasonable when I think of how many others I did see.

Below I’ve broken down all the bands I saw into categories of merit, and included some random thoughts on CMJ.

Critical

Pharoahe Monch
A Place to Bury Strangers
Widowspeak
ARMS

Worth Missing Whatever I Missed

Jean Grae
Talib Kweli (with Buckshot)
Country Mice
Parlovr
Gross Relations
Danny Brown
Caveman
MiniBoone
Mr. Dream
Xeno & Oaklander
Yellow Ostrich
Emmy the Great

Take It Or Leave It

Hands
J. Mascis
Chelsea Wolfe
Hospitality
Miracles of Modern Science
Gem Club
Jacuzzi Boys
Young Magic

Meh.

Lord Huron
Smif -n- Wessun
Turbo Fruits
Silver Swans

Weirdest CMJ Moment

Being in the studio for Danny Brown’s Daytrotter session.

Venue I Probably Spent the Most Time In

Public Assembly

Best Song I Saw Performed at CMJ

“Desire” by Pharoahe Monch

Band That Was Completely Off My Radar That Really Impressed Me

Parlovr

Band I Saw Twice Despite Not Trying To See Them Once

Jacuzzi Boys

The Best Introductions to Jacuzzi Boys Songs

“This song is about baseball!”
“This song is about girls and fishes!”
“This song is about ceramic pigs!”
“This song is about lots of things!”

Earliest Set I Saw

The first band of the week for me, Country Mice, who took the stage around 1pm at Dominion. Sadly, I wasn’t able to catch a pre-noon set this year.

Best Piece of Swag

I happily made it out of CMJ without a single piece of swag. Perhaps the single thing that I did bring home with me was the Sailor Jerry hangover I had on Saturday after the Brooklyn Vegan party the day before. How I managed to have such a raging headache despite not having anything to drink after 8pm is a secret that lies somewhere in a plastic cup in Public Assembly’s trash.

Best Drink Special

When drinks are free it’s a toss-up. It would go to the aforementioned Sailor Jerry fest if not for the ill side affects, so I’m giving it to Trash Bar, who were offering a one hour open bar from 8-9 on Saturday night. I showed up just after dinner specifically to see Gross Relations and would have been happy to pay for a PBR or two, but it turned out they were free. A good way to start – or rather, continue the night.

Worst Drink Special

This isn’t really a special in any sense of the word, but a Tecate and a Red Bull vodka ran me $17 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Is that normal? I guess I was spoiled by the $3 Tecates I had all day at Fontana’s.

Yellow Ostrich photo by me shot using Instagram

This guide identifies 20 artists that are playing free shows during CMJ from Wednesday to Saturday, and where to see them on what day. In some cases, you’ll have multiple opportunities (see, Caveman, pictured, who play 5 free shows and 10 in all) to see them, which is why I’ve chosen to highlight artists instead of showcases. There will be overlap from show to show. Whether you want to see one show or 10, I hope this guide will help you tackle CMJ on the cheap. There will doubtless be more shows announced, and I’ll do my best to keep tabs on those via Twitter. Lastly, I’ve not included shows where you have to RSVP, though there are plenty that are free. This is guide is intended for you to not need much pre-planning. Just show up and hear some great music. However, be aware that some shows will fill up, so don’t count on showing up for a free show at 11pm and get in to see that one band you want. Chances are, it’ll be full.

This guide wouldn’t be possible without Oh My Rockness, so you should pay money to go to their birthday party Tues. Oct 18, at Cameo Gallery. Get details here. Many thanks to them for the amazing service they provide.

Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday

Wednesday

Zola Jesus

The Los Angeles artist’s new album Conatus just came out after a string of solid EPs. Some years ago when Nika Danilova was still living in Wisconsin, I saw her play in Shawn Reed’s basement in Iowa City and it was like finding religion. She plays a couple shows this week, but this is her only free appearance. She’ll be at the Ace Hotel as part of KEXP’s live broadcasts. It’s not the best place to see a show acoustically, but you can get a great cup of coffee from Stumptown and you’d be surprised how few people show up for the big names. She plays at 10:30am, along with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (4:30pm), Portugal. The Man (2:30pm), and We Are Augustines (12:30pm).

Zola Jesus – Vessel from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.

Country Mice

Country Mice are a Brooklyn-via-Kansas quartet that remind me of
acts like Centro-matic. Dusty trail inflected indie rock best consumed with PBR in hand. They play Bruar Falls at 4:30pm, headlining a free day party presented by Bands on the Bubble.
Country Mice – Morning Son by LAMusicBlog

Widowspeak

This trio’s debut self-titled record (out on Captured Tracks) is on the shortlist of my favorite albums of the year, local or otherwise. One of my serendipitous finds, I happened to see them open for the Poison Control Center in February, when they were relatively unknown. I have a feeling that’s not the case anymore. They play at 4:00pm at Cake Shop as part of the Terror Bird party along with Teen Daze (6:00pm), Mux Mool (5:30pm), Cloud Nothings (3:15pm), and others. Doors open at noon.
“Gun Shy” by Widowspeak by forcefieldpr

Santah

On White Noise Bed, the debut from the Chicago quintet, the songs burn slowly and then occasionally hit you with an arena rock style payoff – the type of chorus that sneaks up on you and shakes you. They’re young and they’re a band to watch if for no other reason than the fact that they seem to write a ton of songs and tour their asses off because they love it and don’t know how to do anything else. They play today’s Paste Magazine party at the Living Room at 4:45pm, along with Lord Huron (6:15pm), The Lonely Forest (5:30pm), and Radiation City (4pm).

No other women – Santah from Slaughtermouth Productions on Vimeo.

Eleanor Friedberger

As one half of the Fiery Furnaces, Eleanor Friedberger should need little introduction to listeners of the last decade of indie rock. However, this year she branched out independently (as her brother Matthew has done) and put out one of the year’s strongest albums. Like a lot of the Furnaces’ catalog, Last Summer is definitely underrated. Despite being the biggest name on the Under the Radar Mag party today at Public Assembly, she’ll play early (3:15pm) in order to duck out and head for Philadelphia that evening. The Stepkids (5:00pm) and Still Corners (4:15pm) also play, among others.

Eleanor Friedberger – My Mistakes from Jeff Martin on Vimeo.

Thursday

Radical Dads

Not the first time I’ve written about the Gowanus trio, a band who I can’t resist on name only but whose debut album, Mega Rama holds up in fun-ness, bad-ass-ness, and awesome-ness; three important qualities if you’re going to give yourself a ridiculous name. Also one of the more electric live bands I’ve seen this year. They’ll play Bruar Falls again on Saturday, but check them headlining the Camper’s Rule party at 5:00pm. Also on the bill: Beat People (4:30), Backwords (4:00), Fort Lean (3:00), and more. Get there at noon for some free BBQ.
Radical Dads: “Skateboard Bulldog” (Prefix Premiere) by prefixmag

Mr. Dream

Mr. Dream make heavy, angular music in the vein of the Pixies or Fugazi. You might expect them to carry on punk’s irreverent tradition, but Trash Hit is an academic, studied record. This makes sense once you learn that two of the band’s members are music critics – Pitchfork contributors, even. They’ll headline (5:45pm) the NYC Taper party at Cake Shop as part of a stacked bill. The aforementioned Widowspeak also play (4:15pm), as well as Savoir Adore (5:00pm), White Fence (2:45pm), Hoop Dreams (2:00pm), and Prussia (1:15pm). Doors are at noon.
Unfinished Business by MRDREAMNYC

Main Attrakionz

The Oakland duo recently made their NYC debut at the New Museum, and represent part of the young avant garde of rap – along with Danny Brown, A$AP Rocky, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, and others. You can still get a free download of their mixtape, 808s and Dark Grapes II over at Mishka NYC . Main Attrakionz play the Yours Tru.ly and Gorilla vs Bear party Friday night at Shea Stadium along with Grimes, Dent May, King Krule, Gauntlet Hair, The Bins, and Bleached. Doors are at 7pm with free Tito’s vodka for the first hour.

Main Attrakionz – Perfect Skies (Produced by Friendzone) from friendzone on Vimeo.

Warm Ghost

Warm Ghost is a gloomy dance-pop duo that describes itself as a “band and multi-media duo.” Presumably this means there’s a video aspect to their performance, which you can see several times over the course of CMJ. If you like the DFA sound slowed down, you’ll dig Warm Ghost. They’ll play Pianos today (3:30pm) as part of the mammoth, two-floor I Guess I’m Floating & Tell All Your Friends party. Also recommended: High Highs (4:30pm upstairs), Caveman (5:00pm downstairs), and Beat Connection (1:00pm downstairs).

WARM GHOST // OPEN THE WORMHOLE IN YOUR HEART from HOLY COW COLLECTIVE on Vimeo.

North Highlands

Part of the fun of researching an event as huge as CMJ is discovering gems in your own backyard, which is the primary goal of this blog to begin with. Most of the acts listed here are folks I’ve listened to or seen before, but North Highlands are brand new to me. The quintet are releasing their debut album, Wild Ones on Oct. 18. You can stream it here thanks to Solid Gold. Don’t miss “Benefits,” which is a stunner (embedded below). They headline Pianos (11:15pm) as part of the Deli Magazine’s free showcase, along with Aussie garage duo the Grates (10:30pm), and Dinosaur Bones (9:45pm).
Benefits by wearesolidgold

Friday

Caveman

There’s no shortage of opportunities to see this local quintet during CMJ, least of not today, when they’ll play at the Ace Hotel (2:30pm), The Delancey (4:10pm), and Friday night at the Yours Tru.ly party with Active Child, Born Gold, Memoryhouse, and others. This band has impressed me with their debut, CoCo Beware, which ranks as one of my favorite albums of the year. If you’re in the mood for perfectly executed indie rock circa 2011 – think somewhere at the intersection of Real Estate, Grizzly Bear, and Local Natives – this is your thing. There is no gimmick, but there are plenty of hooks. Of the three, I’d take advantage of the KEXP show at the Ace, which also features Atlas Sound (4:30pm), EMA (12:30pm), and WATERS (10:30am). Check out the Yours Tru.ly video below.

Caveman “Great Life” is Yourstru.ly from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

ARMS

One of the hardest working bands I’ve come across in New York also write some of the best songs and are poised with the impending release of Summer Skills (later this year) to move onto the national stage very quickly. Todd Goldstein resurfaced his ARMS project after a stint playing guitar in the Harlem Shakes and recruited a full band. Since releasing a free EP in 2010 the momentum has been gradually building. They’ll play Friday’s Baeble Music party at Spike Hill with acts like Casiokids, Jonquil, and “secret special guests.” Doors are at noon.

Janka Nabay

Taking a detour from this largely indie-rock-centric guide leads you to Janka Nabay, the Bubu King. He’s a musician from Sierra Leone who has recruited a stellar class of Brookylnites to bounce the Bubu beat with him. Seeing him live, even knowing nothing about this type of music or his culture, you cannot help but be drawn in. He has a certain charisma to him live, and the music is top notch. He’ll play Pianos (7:45pm) alongside Idiot Glee (8:30pm), Monogold, (9:15pm), and Gauntlet Hair (5:30pm). To do justice to Janka’s story far greater than I can, see this 2010 Village Voice profile.
Janka Nabay – El Congo by BirdDog Promo

WATERS

The new project from former Port O’Brien frontman Van Pierszalowski saw him first embark on a soul-searching trip of sorts, first living in Oslo, Norway, and then to Alaska, California, New York, and finally back to Norway. The band’s debut album came out this summer on TBD Records and contains some anthemic, biting pop songs. If you miss them at the Ace Hotel today, catch them at the Knitting Factory later in the afternoon with Yellow Ostrich, Pujol, Radiation City, and others.

Yellow Ostrich

When I talked to Alex Schaaf of Yellow Ostich in February, we spoke about giving music away for free on the Internet, among other things. In the case of this band, the tactic appears to have worked, as Barsuk Records picked up the trio for an international reissue of The Mistress. There’s still plenty of music that pre-dates that album on Bandcamp to be had for free or for whatever you wish to pay. Highly recommended: the Fade Cave EP, which was made with just vocals and drum machine. Check out Yellow Ostrich headlining the Knitting Factory this afternoon or you can catch them at Brooklyn Bowl at night with Ted Leo [RSVP needed].

Saturday

Headless Horseman

Listening to the growing collection of tracks on Headless Horseman’s Bandcamp, you get a sense of eclectic restlessness, an unwillingness to be held by any rigid notion of style. Seeing this act live reveals an even more manic approach to making music. I’ve only seen them one time, but I left feeling perhaps less equipped than before to describe what this act is about. You’re best to just see them live. They play day two of Baeble Music’s party at Spike Hill along with DOM, Emil & Friends, and French Horn Rebellion. The page indicates some “HUGE acts we can only announce closer to the date,” so stay tuned.
Headless Horseman – SH8KR by snipelondon

Hospitality

It’s funny how you find out about things sometimes. Just last week I was at Union Pool to see Friend Roulette and one of their members told me I should check out Hospitality, a band that shares a drummer with them. Here I am looking them up to see what I can learn only to discover that they’ll release a self-titled debut album Jan. 31 on Merge Records. Since they’ll soon be label-mates with the likes of Arcade Fire and Spoon, it would be wise to get to know them now at this intimate show presented by SPIN at Rockwood Music Hall. They play at 3:30pm.
Hospitality – Friends of Friends by MergeRecords

C-Rayz Wallz

Waleed Shabazz, or C-Rayz Wallz, is an emcee who’s been all over the NYC scene but never really broken onto the national scene, despite appearing on an episode of MTV’s “Made.” I’m not terribly familiar with his large body of solo work, but I do know that he appears on two stone-cold classic hip-hop albums: The Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox and Aesop Rock‘s Labor Days. He’ll be a headlining act along with El Da Sensei at newly remodeled Sidewalk Cafe for a day party starting at 2pm.

Laura Stevenson & the Cans

When I saw Laura Stevenson and her magnificent band at Music Hall of Williamsburg earlier this year, it felt like watching a young artist make a transition. She had tremendous charisma, but part of that was rooted in her meekness and at being on a stage that large in front of so many people. However, she clearly has the pipes and the band to back it up and could it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see her selling out venues of the same size or larger across the country or see her songs start popping up in ads for Honda or Apple. Her album, Sit Resist is another of my favorites this year. She’ll play a free party at Xpo 929 Saturday afternoon about which details are still emerging, but I’ll update when I know more.
Laura Stevenson And The Cans – Master Of Art (LHC SXSW Showcasing Band) by Paper Garden Records

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

I’m taking a chance on this one, because I literally know nothing about this event beyond this page right here. If you haven’t seen UMO this year, and you care for this sort of thing, you might want to check them out here. I don’t care much for the other act (DOM) and a DJ set from Neon Indian does nothing to induce me, but simply checking this band out for free at a Brooklyn Brewery sponsored party could be very much worth it. They play the night before as well at the 14th Street Apple Store at 7pm, also recommended if this band is your thing.
Ffunny Ffriends by The Music

Back to Wednesday | Back to Thursday | Back to Friday | Back to Saturday

It is unsurprising, then, that on the band’s second album, Days, it picks up right where it left off, with hazy & lazy jams and keen sense of riding a potent guitar riff or vocal melody. The band’s sound, while not alone in contemporary indie in invoking suburbia, beaches, and garages, is quite singular. Real Estate do it well, consistently. I hesitate to call it unmistakeable, but perhaps just shy of it. I imagine if I walked into Other Music and there was a new Real Estate jam playing that I hadn’t heard, I’d recognize it instantly.

Days is out Oct. 20 on Domino on vinyl, cassette, CD, and digital. Hear the album now, courtesy of NPR. To commemorate the release, the band will play a free show Saturday, Oct. 15 at Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens. More info here via Facebook. The show is 21+ and starts at 4pm. It looks like Real Estate is the only band playing.

*Real Estate is chill, but it is not chillwave, which I do not tolerate well.

The Gowanus trio have a bunch of upcoming shows, starting Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Death by Audio. During CMJ, they’ll headline a free day show at Bruar Falls (soon to close) on Thursday, Oct. 20 with other bands such as Fort Lean.

Radical Dads: “Skateboard Bulldog” (Prefix Premiere) by prefixmag

On a whim, I booked them to play a show in Iowa City some two years ago, and on a tranquil Sunday night they rocked the 10 or so of us in attendance out of any potential weekend-ending drowsiness. It was one of those exhilarating performances you never see coming, one of the thrills of living in a small town and taking chances on small bands because the big ones don’t always come. I reconnected with them last December amidst a similarly small crowd at Union Pool. Subsequently their Mexico EP became one of my most listened recordings in early 2011 (it currently sits at #107 on my all-time last.fm album charts – not bad for an EP I’ve had for less than a year!). This band is great; I’d love to see them gain some traction with their second full-length album, Career Culture

They’re offering a stream of the album via Soundcloud today only. Check it out below. The album comes out digitally and on CD and vinyl on Science of Sound Records on Oct. 11.

Icarus Himself plays Spike Hill in Brooklyn on Nov. 11 with Whale Belly.

Career Culture by Icarus Himself

It is with great sadness and a touch of disappointment that Nick and
Andy Bodor from Cake Shop are announcing the closing of Bruar Falls,
our sister venue in Williamsburg.

After two and a half quick years, Bruar Falls will cease to exist on
November 1st 2011. We opened with nothing but optimism and
excitement, after designing and building our ideal combination of a
local jukebox bar with a stage to showcase all the great bands coming
out of Brooklyn. It was soon apparent to us, however, that people in
Williamsburg have lots of other options to see bands. We love and are
inspired by these places, but really, between loft/warehouse parties
and D.I.Y spots, where you can bring in your own cheap beer, smoke
inside and hit on the same people…we totally understand why it’s hard
to spend money at your local legit small club. It is difficult not to
be a bit jealous of their freedom, but we have always worked hard to
be in for the long haul.

They go on to say that the closing is not a result of “Whole Foods’ bulldozers” or “thieving assholes,” but rather that “if you can’t bring in enough money to pay your bills (no matter how low your rent is), you can not stay in business.” Sad, but true.

I’ve been to Bruar Falls a few times in the last year, most memorably the time I saw my friend Sam Locke-Ward on tour with the great Joe Jack Talcum. R. Stevie Moore opened, and it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in New York since moving here.

In the meantime, you have precisely one month to go see shows at the Williamsburg venue and support the artists scheduled to play there. Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be. I’d hate to see shows get canceled out of lack of support in advance of Nov. 1.

Photo of Acrylics by Victoria Jacob, taken from the venue’s Myspace page

The duo comes to the New Museum as part of the Get Weird series, which according to the New Museum “will present a monthly series of performances featuring experimental and freaky jams.” I’m not sure if Main Attrakionz are necessarily weird or freaky, but they’re definitely part of a developing underground rap avant garde that’s fearless and uninterested in hip-hop cliches. I think 808s is uneven, but could be a grower. For a highlight, check out the much blogged about “Take 1,” produced by indie hip-hop producer of the moment Clams Casino.

I also recommend the video for the disorienting track “Perfect Skies” below.

Main Attrakionz – Perfect Skies (Produced by Friendzone) from friendzone on Vimeo.

This show begins at 7pm and will last approximately 90 minutes. I know hip-hop shows run notoriously behind schedule, but since this is at the New Museum I’m guessing it’s going to be punctual. Tickets are $12, or $10 for New Museum members.