Critical Differences: Pitchfork’s “Best New Music”
mp3: Deleted Scenes - "Fake IDs"
mp3: Julianna Barwick - "Choose"
Usually my "Critical Differences" feature takes a look at clashing reviews of the same record by multiple publications, but after reading Pitchfork's glowing review of Julianna Barwick's beautiful debut ep today, I decided to take a bit of a different approach.
Everyone in the music industry knows what a juggernaut Pitchfork has become. There's been a backlash, but the fact remains that if you're an unknown band and Pitchfork loves your record, there's a really good chance your entire future will change as a band. When Pitchfork drops that little "Best New Music" label on an album it usually blows up. Recent recipients like Bear in Heaven, Real Estate, The Antlers and Girls have seen massive changes in the attention their getting from fans, labels, venues and other publications. One minute they're struggling to draw a crowd, dragging out their friends to see them, and the next minute everyone is begging to get listed and they're selling out venues 5 times the size in cities far from home.
Many would agree that Pitchfork's "Best New Music" label has been the key element in making indie stars out of Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective and many more of the elite bands of the indie world.
And with that power to giveth, they can also taketh away. And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead once received the ultimate honor with a 10.0 score for 2002's Source Tags and Codes, which shot them up the ranks of the indie music world. Only a few years later, follow-up Worlds Apart was trashed, receiving a 4.0. The next record So Divided was treated just as poorly. And while the negative Pitchfork reviews didn't send them back to playing 100 capacity clubs in front of 5 people, it did do quite a bit of damage to the size of their fan base and how other publications, blogs, and venues treated them.
But this isn't really about the effect of Pitchfork's "Best New Music" label, it's about Pitchfork's decisions for what records actually get tagged as "Best New Music" in relation to the scores they receive.
I used to assume that if a record were to receive a certain score or higher, that would delegate the "Best New Music" label. For example, all records that have been labeled "Best New Music" have received an 8.0 or higher.
When Pitchfork gave Deleted Scenes' excellent Birdseed Shirt an 8.0 early this year and it didn't get the "Best New Music" tag, I assumed that they must have been just below the score needed. A tough break for a great band that's still struggling to develop a larger fan base, but I didn't look much into it.
Today, Pitchfork praised Julianna Barwick's Florine and handed it an 8.2, but once again no "Best New Music" label. I felt there had definitely been other records this year with 8.2's that Pitchfork gave its special stamp of approval, and after a quick look through the archives my suspicions were confirmed.
In 2009, the following records have been given the "Best New Music" stamp of approval:
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP 8.9
Real Estate - Real Estate 8.5
Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth 8.4
Various Artists - 5: Five Years of Hyperdub 8.2
Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport 9.0
Atlas Sound - Logos 8.2
Mountain Goats - Life Of The World to Come 8.4
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms 8.6
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic 9.0
The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa 8.6
The Memory Tapes - Seek Magic 8.3
Girls - Album 9.1
Volcano Choir - Unmap 8.3
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II 8.8
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers 8.4
The xx - The xx 8.7
YACHT - See Mystery Lights 8.5
The Antlers - Hospice 8.5
Delorean - Ayrton Senna EP 8.4
jj - jj n° 2 8.6
Cass McCombs - Catacombs 8.2
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue 8.3
Sunset Rubdown -Dragonslayer 8.3
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm 8.5
Mos Def - The Ecstatic 8.0
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca 9.2
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions 8.5
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 8.5
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest 9.0
Isis - Wavering Radiant 8.5
St. Vincent - Actor 8.5
Japandroids - Post-Nothing 8.3
Woods - Songs of Shame 8.3
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career 8.3
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle 8.1
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns 8.5
Fever Ray - Fever Ray 8.1
Dan Deacon - Bromst 8.5
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains 8.3
Wavves - Wavvves 8.1
Various Artists - Dark Was the Night 8.6
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 8.4
Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light 8.6
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion 9.6
So, based on these findings, Julianna Barwick's record should definitely be considered "Best New Music" as its' score ranks higher than albums by Wavves, Mos Def, Fever Ray, and Bill Callahan. Deleted Scenes' Birdseed Shirt is a borderline case ranking only even with Mos Def, but since scores should mean something, anything 8.0 or higher should be labeled "Best New Music." If not, then Pitchfork is essentially stating that the scores they give albums are meaningless. It's pretty simple logic.
Birdseed Shirt and Florine are not the only records that have seemingly scores that should guarantee the "Best New Music" tag, but finding more examples will take forever because finding 8.0 or higher records in their archives is far harder than finding albums considered "Best New Music." This is exactly why it's important. If readers missed the reviews of these 2 records on the days they were posted, there's a good chance that they'll never see them, but when an album gets tagged as "Best New Music" it lives on the front page for a while (homepage displays 3 most recent Best New Music albums). And when it's gone from the homepage it can still be found rather easily in the special Best New Music archive.
Pitchfork should correct their mistake and place all records 8.0 or higher in Best New Music to fix their very clear problems of consistency.
CMJ 2009: …And Then We All Got Swine Flu
Everyone has a different take on, and different approach to CMJ. The NYC-based music festival can be a smorgasbord for passionate and adventurous music fans with enough energy and curiosity to stay up to all hours of the night seeing band after band, many of which they’ve never seen before. It can be an incredible game of Russian roulette. For every great band to be discovered, there’s five mediocre ones there to drain the showgoing life out of you. Six chambers, 5 bullets—is that a chance you’re willing to take? That’s a testament to the power of music.
Since moving to the city in 2000, I’ve experienced CMJ from multiple angles, starting with that of a fan. There was the year where Saddle Creek put on the most mind-blowing showcase—one that hasn’t been rivaled since. It included sets by Desaparecidos, The Good Life, Azure Ray, Now It’s Overhead, Rilo Kiley, Cursive and Bright Eyes. It was a true test of endurance, but one full of reward.
A few years later (2003) I was interning for CMJ’s art department, creating much of the promotional art and badges for the festival. It was the first time with a badge and the opportunity to see any of the shows I desired. Performances by Pretty Girls Make Graves, Broken Social Scene, Mars Volta, The Rapture, Killing Joke, The Fever and VHS or Beta highlighted my experience that year, and from that point on CMJ was an annual adventure, with me covering the festival as both a photographer and writer.
With each year, the festival lineup has gotten a bit less impressive, but has always had its’ fair share of discoveries to be made. Crystal Antlers, Ruby Suns, A Place to Bury Strangers, Dr Dog, O’Death, Apes & Androids, Foreign Born, Cut Off Your Hands, Death Vessel, Music Tapes, Foals, Asa Ransom, Wye Oak and Bad Veins have all been great finds in the past few years.
While in the past few years, I managed to devote a large amount of energy to CMJ (and believe me it’s necessary to have a lot of it), 2009 required a much different approach from me, and once again I got the chance to experience the festival from a totally different perspective. Having already experienced CMJ as a simple college music fan, an intern graphic designer, photographer, and writer, this year I managed to curate my first ever showcase. It was an inside view of the internal structure of CMJ and boy is it a mess.
With a clear view of the exact lineup I wanted to put together, I got to work contacting some of my absolute favorite undiscovered bands—Deleted Scenes, Loxsly, Unicycle Loves You, ArpLine and Army Navy. Each of these bands was planning/hoping to play CMJ, but not all of them had yet been officially accepted. We waited and waited, while the CMJ organizers waited till the last possible minute to send out acceptance letters to Army Navy and Loxsly. Another band I’m friends with only heard of their acceptance thanks to a Google alert, never receiving an actual letter.
Luckily, all of the bands of my perspective showcase were accepted, and my ideal lineup fell perfectly in place, with the pleasantly unexpected addition of Leeds trio Sky Larkin coming only a couple weeks prior to show date.
By the time CMJ arrived on Tuesday, October 20, my personal life had become filled with misfortune, and so I was completely unprepared and unmotivated to take chances on new bands, and had done no research into any of the hundreds of bands playing the festival.
On day 1, I stuck to Williamsburg. Taking no chances, I caught Pitchfork favorites Deleted Scenes at the Popgun showcase at Cameo Gallery. Their passionate 7 pm set was an ideal start to the night. A short walk to Glasslands followed, with an electrifying set by local trio Right on Dynamite. Having followed the band for years, their progress is truly astounding. With each member now fully in tune with their mates, they’ve managed to add dynamic musicianship to their more straightforward poppy rock. Laura Marling’s beautiful folk sounds at Music Hall of Williamsburg were great, but in the mood for something a bit more accelerating, I headed to Spike Hill for Chicago’s Unicycle Loves You. With an excellent new sound system, Spike Hill provided a solid opportunity to catch one of Spin’s “25 Bands to Hear” and they didn’t disappoint, playing a set filled with new material.
Day 2 started with a P and the P’s band and ended with a different P and the P’s band hours later. At 8:30, Paul & The Patients took the stage at Southpaw and singer Paul Holmes blew our heads off with his larger than life voice that at times brings to mind a more passionate classic Billy Idol. Moving along to Bell House, I took my first real gamble of CMJ with sets by 3 much-talked about new bands that I knew very little about. First was Merge’s newest signing The Love Language, who filled the stage with musicians playing a set that showed why Merge has made them part of their roster thanks to well-crafted rock songs that recall a poppier Broken Social Scene. English youngsters Let’s Wrestle followed with a sometimes sloppy, but still inspiring set, with fellow Englishmen Pete & The Pirates closing the night with a bang. In many ways they sound like you would expect an English band to sound, full of those Jam and The Clash influences, but somehow Pete & The Pirates managed to find an extra special something that made their songs unique enough to stand out and make them my favorite discovery of CMJ.
Arriving home very late and a bit intoxicated, I came home to the news of the death of one of my closest friends. With very little sleep, I tried to pick myself and gain composure as Thursday was the one night of CMJ that really mattered to me, with my first ever showcase happening at Union Hall. Carrying on in a state of shock and disorientation, I arrived at the venue early, awaiting the bands to load in. From 7 pm – 1:30 am, I was reminded of the true power of music. In a complicated emotional state, the sets by Loxsly, Unicycle Loves You, ArpLine, Deleted Scenes, Army Navy and Sky Larkin provided a truly uplifting force. Music is one of the most powerful things in the world, providing a soundtrack to our lives that can pick us up when we’re down and inspire us to do great things. When Unicycle Loves You dedicated surefire future indie hit “Justine” to me to close the set, it sent shivers down my spine.
We all have our struggles and our own ways to carry us through them, for me I’ve always been able to depend on music, and on a very tragic Thursday, having 6 of the best bands in the world play a show I curated was about as important a moment in my life as any. It’s amazing what music can do.
Hungover, tired, and broken down on Friday, I went home after work and fell asleep, nearly missing an entire night of music. A phone call from a friend woke me up from my nap, and with the hangover abandoned during the hour-long slumber, I picked my tired self up and dragged myself to 88 East—a mini mall in Chinatown, where Zambri would be performing on the 2nd floor. Arriving just in time for their dystopian dance music, my heart skipped a beat when sisters Cristy Jo and Jessica Zambri dedicated their set to me.
My CMJ ended a little later that night with my 2nd set of the week by my current favorite local act Paul & The Patients. Though performing at the douchey Arlene’s Grocery, Holmes and his bandmates were even more exhilarating than two nights prior.
Everyone who managed through the 5-day music festival will have their own story filled the tales of drunken adventure, new band discoveries, friends made, and first time only-in-NY experiences. For me this CMJ was a deep emotional roller coaster having very little to do with alcohol, freshly hyped bands, and testing physical endurance. This was about exactly why I’ve devoted my life to music and my own personal give-and-take relationship with it. For every douchey pretentious rock & roller who ruins the image of rock and roll, there are heartfelt musicians who bleed their souls for their work with little to gain, and beyond anything they are not just musicians but people with deep hearts.
...and then we all got swine flu.
Pete & The Pirates - "Mr. Understanding"
Paul & The Patients - "Tiny Red Light"
Unicycle Loves You - "Justine"
10 CMJ Bands I’m Already Sick Of Hearing About
Japandroids @ Siren Fest
Every year hundreds of good up and coming bands play the CMJ Music Marathon, and every year the media jumps on the bandwagon of the same 5-10 bands, while a load of other great bands become overlooked because of the media's inability to think for themselves. This is not to say recent festival favorites like Crystal Antlers, Passion Pit, Dan Deacon, Muslims (Soft Pack), Monotonix and Black Kids weren't good, but they were basically the only bands out of hundreds that anyone was talking about. Ruby Suns and Unicycle Loves You were tragically overlooked last year
It's day 1 of CMJ, and people are just picking up their badges but thanks to all of the blog hype preceding the festival, I'm already sick of hearing about these 10 "must-see" bands:
Japandroids
Male Bonding
Surfer Blood
Surf City
Rain Machine
The Antlers
The xx
The Very Best
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Real Estate
This is not meant to be negative towards the bands. I am actually very excited to be seeing a few of these bands this week. The Antlers' record is one of the best of 2009. Kyp Malone's Rain Machine was excellent at their debut concert at Bell House a month ago. Cymbals Eat Guitars are a refreshing return to rock guitar for a Brooklyn scene lost in shitty lo-fi fuzz. And The Very Best are excitingly eclectic.
I'm not as tuned in as in the past with up and coming bands, but while everyone else is standing outside crowded venues looking for a chance to catch Sub Pop's latest signing Male Bonding or good-on-record-but-boring-live Real Estate and The xx, here's 10 bands that won't be a disappointment, because no one's been hyping them to unreachable heights:
Paul & The Patients: Singer Paul Holmes has one of the best rock voices to come out of New York City in years.
Wed. 10/21 @ Southpaw (8:30), Fri. 10/23 @ Arlene's Grocery (11:15)
Deleted Scenes: You won't hear the same song played on repeat for an entire set, yet each song will be brilliant.
Tues. 10/20 @ Cameo (7:00), Thurs. 10/22 @ Union Hall (10:00)
Freshkills: A dark haunting post-punk band that actually isn't concerned with their image as much as their sound.
Tues. 10/20 @ Lit (10:15)
Pete & The Pirates: The best English rock band you haven't heard.
Wed. 10/21 @ Bell House (12:00am)
Loxsly: Part Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips, part Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-era Wilco. I know that sounds ridiculous, but this band is really that good.
Thurs. 10/22 @ Union Hall (7:00), Sat. 10/24 @ Spike Hill (10:00)
Dinosaur Feathers: A tropical pop adventure.
Thurs. 10/22 @ Bruar Falls (9:30)
Bear in Heaven: An experimental, psychedelic headtrip that doesn't lose track of melody.
Fri. 10/23 @ Lit (11:00)
Ravens & Chimes: Leonard Cohen-approved orchestral rock, not unlike CMJ-vets Arcade Fire.
Fri. 10/23 @ Mercury Lounge (9:00)
Grandchildren: One of my favorite chance discoveries of the past year, on a late night at Death By Audio Philly's Grandchildren not only blew us all away once with their Radiohead-influenced experimental rock, but most of the band continued on with a 2nd equally amazing set as Rad Racket.
Wed. 10/21 @ Le Poisson Rouge (11:00)
*Broadcast: Okay, so they're a well known band, and headlining one of CMJ's post popular shows, but this wonderful atmospheric electronic band deserves more attention than they're getting. If everyone wasn't going to these shows for Bradford Cox's wonderful Atlas Sound, it's doubtful these shows would be getting much press at all.
Tues. 10/20 @ Le Poisson Rouge (11:00), Wed. 10/21 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (11:00)
CMJ 2009: Sky Larkin
Photo by Liam Henry
When I unexpectedly received an email asking if Sky Larkin could join my 1st annual CMJ showcase, I had not yet heard the band, but they looked promising and like a good fit with the rest of the bands, and then I checked them out on myspace. Love at first listen occurred when "Fossil, I" began to play. I became overjoyed and immediately added them to my showcase that I had already believed was something really special.
Who are they? Katie Harkin- vocals, guitar, Nestor Matthews - drums, Douglas Adams - bass
Where are they from? Leeds, UK
How many albums do they have? 1, The Golden Spike
Who do they sound like? Pretty Girls Make Graves, Giant Drag
When are they playing? Thursday, October 22 at Union Hall, midnight
CMJ 2009: Loxsly
Photo by Matthew Genitempo
Hailing from Austin, Loxsly is an ambitious band. Their 2009 release Tomorrow's Fossils is one of those records that is far greater than the sum of its parts. The songs are often unpredictable and filled with experimentation, but never fail to lose track of their melodic core that is carried by Cody Ground's delicately playful keyboard and vocals, and given its defining character by Justin Douglas' haunting pedal steel.
Who are they? Justin Douglas - pedal steel/guitar, Cody Ground - vocals/keboard, Garret Johnston - guitar, Eryk Lugo - bass, Chris Rivera - drums
Where are they from? Austin, TX
Discography: Maps & Organs (2005), Flashlights EP (2008), Tomorrow's Fossils (2009)
Who do they sound like? Flaming Lips, Wilco
When are they playing? Thursday, October 22 at Union Hall, 7pm
Battalions from Loxsly on Vimeo.
Lamprey Eels from Loxsly on Vimeo.
CMJ 2009: Unicycle Loves You
SPIN just called them one of the 25 Must-Hear Bandsof CMJ. Filter named them the Undiscovered band of the Month for October. Big things are ahead for Unicycle Loves You. Recent gigs with major indie bands like Art Brut, Fiery Furnaces, Liam Finn, and Cymbals Eat Guitars have also brought the Chicago band attention, and it's about time. Their self-titled 2008 debut was one of the best pop records by anyone last year, and their live performances measure up with their recordings.
Who are they? Jim Carroll - vocals/guitar, Nicole Vitale - bass/vocals, Adam Labrada - keyboard, J.T. Baker - drums
Where are they from? Chicago, IL
Discography: Unicycle Loves You (2008)
Who do they sound like? The Cars, New Pornographers
When are they playing? Thursday, October 22 at Union Hall, 8pm
CMJ 2009: ArpLine
- Photo by Kendra Elliot
Trying to describe what ArpLine sounds like is not easy for a lot of people, and maybe that's why New York City's bloggers have avoided giving them proper recognition. ArpLine (formerly known as The Kiss Off) are not part of any of NYC/Brooklyn's scenes. They're the farthest thing from the lo-fi scene getting all the attention, and also don't fit in with all of the chamber pop bands. Instead ArpLine looks like they may be the core for something new. Technically precise, upbeat and dark, their sound combines the electro pop genius of New Order, the gothic mood of Bauhaus, and even quite a bit of that Rush virtuoso prog rock. Not many bands have the talent, let alone the balls to pull off such a sound without, but ArpLine does.
Who are they? Sam Tyndall - vocals/keys, Oliver Edsforth - keys/sax, Nate Lithgow - bass, Adam De Rosa - guitar, Michael Chap Resnick - drums
Where are they from? New York City
How many albums do they have? in the process of recording their debut lp
Who do they sound like? New Order, Bauhaus, Rush
When are they playing? Thursday, October 22 at Union Hall, 9pm
CMJ 2009: Army Navy
Photo by Travis Schneider
The one and only time I saw Army Navy live, I was obsessed with their debut record, and after working a long long night at work, I ran to Union Hall just in time for their set. When the band took the stage, lead singer Justin Kennedy looked liked he got hit by a bus. The singer announced to the crowd that he was incredibly sick, but would try to play anyway. His voice was barely holding up, and he hadn't even begun to sing. It didn't last. As hard as Kennedy tried to carry on, it was just impossible, and after only a few songs, the bad had to call it quits for the night. No one was more disappointed than the quartet, who promised they'd be back and healthy.
While putting together my lineup for my 2009 CMJ showcase, I decided to contact Army Navy to see if they'd like to finally make their healthy return to Union Hall to headline my showcase after that tough night one year earlier. I'm thrilled to say they said yes, and in a recent email from Kennedy he promised me, "I am taking massive amounts of vitamins so I will be at my utmost health for the show." haha.
Who are they? Justin Kennedy - vocals/guitar, Ben Gaffin - bass, Louie Schultz - guitar/keys, Douglas Randall - drums
Where are they from? Los Angeles, CA
Discography: Army Navy
Who do they sound like? Teenage Fanclub, Apples in Stereo
When are they playing? Thursday, October 22 at Union Hall, 11pm
Restoring the Good Name of Emo
When searching for a way to describe local band The Stationary Set, I can't help but think of the word emo, but thanks to terrible whiny bands in eyeliner, the term emo—once associated with a melodic breed of bands whose song structure often shifted from soft and delicate to loud and epic, and whose lyrics took an intelligently emotional approach—may now forever be tainted.
The quintet's sound is heavily influenced by Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral, the bands who laid the groundwork for the genre long before Dashboard Confessional and others came along to give the genre a bad name, but to tag them as emo could now be considered insulting. The Stationary Set are reviving the lost characteristics of the genre at a time when you have to be a little fearless to do so, because music trends in NYC's scene are as far removed from those music philosophies as they've been in a long long time. Then again, the plates do seem to be shifting a bit of late with the recent success of Cymbals Eat Guitars' throwback to early '90s guitar-focused indie rock and The Drums' refreshing pop sensibilities. With the right combination of those 2 bands, you might find The Stationary Set's blend of pop songs written with an emotional core by a group of talented musicians with a full grasp of their instruments.
The best recorded example of their potential comes on their EP closer "This is Our Nature," which slowly builds in an epic direction, with a series of shifts back and forth between simple, delicate melodies to much bigger, dynamic U2-influenced guitar theatrics. But having seen the band a few times in the past few months, it's safe to say this is only a hint at the more epic sound awaits.
NY Press recently asked Andrew Lutes (vocals/acoustic guitar/piano) and Josh Hoisington (guitar/kyes/backvocals) about finding their place in the New York City music scene and the stigma surrounding the term emo.
The Stationary Set doesn't really fit directly within any particular movement or scene in NYC/Brooklyn. How does that effect the band's approach towards booking and generating buzz?
We think The Stationary Set's approach to playing out and promoting shows actually works well in Brooklyn and NYC. We've been able to play some really diverse shows by not hopping on some scene-wagon for the sake of a built in crowd or blanket press opportunities. For example, playing with RZA of Wu-Tang, a Morrissey 50th Birthday Party with Kaki King, a Park Slope Street Fair, an acoustic set at Rockwood, headlining some packed shows at Mercury Lounge, and curating our own nights and band line-ups all within a year is pretty satisfying for us.
You could be classified as emo, which these days is a bad word in indie music, but Sunny Day Real Estate is back. Could this be a sign that people are ready to once again embrace and correct the image of the genre that has brought us Sunny Day Real Estate, Rites of Spring and The Promise Ring?
This is a tough one, but i think as far as melody goes in our songwriting I would drop what I was listening to at that time, namely Mineral, then later the Gloria Record and an amazing band called Elliott. I hadn't even heard the term Emo until Dashboard Confessional came out which I believe to be one of the first bastardizations, for me, of the term that originated, I guess, as post-punk. I would love to see what would transpire if Mineral got back together. Bands like them and Sunny Day are still more than viable right now. Listen to Elliott's False Cathedrals, and if you can draw a line between them and The Stationary Set, I'd personally be proud of the emo tag.
You've opened for such diverse acts as All American Rejects, The RZA and We Are Scientists. Who's fans gave you the best response? Who is the band you'd most like to open for?
Ha, I'd love to tell you that 1,200 Wu-Tang fans went completely insane for us, and although the response was good, I'm gonna have to say for certain that the We Are Scientist supporters have an easier time getting down with us. We'd love to open for Crystal [you fill in the blank], the 1989 Chicago Bulls and J.D. Salinger. But seriously, Oasis, the Police, Frightened Rabbit, R.E.M all came up in the band poll.
The next record is on its way. What can fans expect?
We are so excited for this record. Expect a Stationary Set that wants to dance, that knows what it wants to say and how to say it, and who does so with the epic-like-nature of bands like Muse or Radiohead while sub-sectioning like Bloc Party or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
When I listen to Stationary set, I hear an intelligent balance of both hush melodies and big towering buildups. What do you guys think are the main characteristics that define The Stationary Set?
Our focus has always been on the nuclear level of songwriting. We think that a strong spine as far as melody and structure allow one to flourish verses and refrains without a limit on creativity. It's a great place to be when no matter how weird, poppy, heavy, soft, electronic or organic you try to get, it is impossible to alienate yourself from your own sound because of simple elements that are always there in the songs.
Not only is The Stationary Set is hard at work in the studio with TV on the Radio's Gerard Smith finishing up their first full length record, they've also got a busy week ahead of them during CMJ with 4 shows scheduled.
October 21 at Rockwood Music Hall, Free Acoustic Show, 8pm
October 23 at Arlene's Grocery, No Pulp Blog Event, midnight
October 24 at Fontana's, Flea Marketing Showcase Day Party, 3pm
October 25 at The Bell House, Black Market Media Showcase, 8pm
