Headed down to Yardley, PA for the weekend and so I skipped the last day of CMJ. Nonetheless, several bands of note Thursday and Friday nights.

Thursday night I caught three bands at Ace of Clubs during the Franco-Brazilian showcase. Or maybe it was French and Brazilian showcase. Anyway, I went in expecting a couple of decent bands. I had high hopes for Elodie O, but wasn’t really impressed with the music. A lot of energy in her performance; I just couldn’t get with the music. I’m not sure if that’s more a reflection on the music or my emotional state.

The second band was Dead Sexy Inc, and I was not quite ready for the music. Their electro disco punk was not what I had been quite expecting after listening to fifteen seconds of one song on their Myspace page. In the end, the music was fun and up beat I enjoyed the show. They deserved better than the mediocre crowd watching them–I hope they got it Friday night at the Highline Ballroom.

Last up was Shaka Ponk. When I got home later that night I described them as dance pop meets scream-core. They’d probably prefer I describe them as funk rock with hip hop overtones, but whatever. The music itself was well worth the price of admission (or would have been if I’d had to pay to get in…) and and the accompanying stage show was fantastic, including the video on rear projection screen that was integrated into every facet of the show. I will definitely look to pick up one of their albums.

The bands I saw Friday night would have made a great closing show–and for me they did. Nice how that worked out. I spent the evening at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Warpaint was scheduled to be up first, but didn’t play; the band in its stead was decent. One guy I was taking to in the audience called it “shoe-gazing music.” I’m not sure what that means exactly. I didn’t catch the name of the band and didn’t like it enough to find out, so no real info.

Phantogram from Saratoga Springs was up next and was amazing. They were one of the best bands I saw during the festival. I really enjoyed the set. I’d love to see them again, though I’m not sure I’d like listening to the music as much if it were recorded rather than live. On the other hand, there is so much going on I can’t take it all in on one listen. Maybe I’ll have to get an album.

The XX had a lot of hype behind it (or so I was told, I’d never heard of them) and I figured they’d be worth having pictures of. Their music was definitely worth the hype. Someone before the show suggested that behind the hype was music that was a little boring. I didn’t find it so at all. The songs didn’t have the up tempo kind of pace I normally lean towards but were rich and full of nuance. There was a lot to get lost in. The low key performance didn’t wow me, but the music was top notch.

Closing out the night was the School of Seven Bells. On the heels of the previous two bands, I was expecting a great performance. And for the half a set I stayed through, I got it. By the middle of the set I started to drift after four late nights, and since I had the photos I needed I decided to head home. Really good music, and the musicians all seemed to be having a good time. I’d definitely check them out live again and will probably buy an album.

That’s it from me for CMJ 2009. Too many bands and not enough time to see them all, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Top highlights for me: April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Japanther, The Megaphonic Thrift, Shaka Ponk and Phantogram.

Photos of Dead Sexy Inc, Shaka Ponk, Phantogram, The XX and School of Seven Bells will be up in a few minutes.