Ramblings of a Redhead Music Snob

CMJ Day 2
10/19/11

Day 2 of CMJ was a bit of a slow-down. I totally missed out on the Duke Spirit (thanks work!), but I did get to head down to yet another lovely, swanky hotel. I ended up spending the later afternoon over at Thompson LES Hotel which is a really great hotel thats nearly hidden. The elevators play old movies and the roofdeck bar is quite nice with views of the LES. Its enclosed and is a great place to hang out.

The music was even better up there. The two bands I saw had a similar electronic sound. Little Red from Melbourne, Australia

were really great live. They have very catchy vocals and strong harmonies. A synth-pop guitar driven pop sound. The bass lines on “Rock It” are catchy and toe-tapping – the whole song makes you want to get up and dance. You can almost picture line-dancing to it – until the keyboards and electro beats kick in. A fun live band.

Little Red

Small Black

Small Black, from Brooklyn, had a similar sound. While still dancey, they definitely have a more lo-fi electronica feel. With 2 keyboards, the band is very much embracing the 80s sound. The band looks to be quite young, but clearly have fun once they hit the stage. Lots of dancing and getting into the show. Definitely worth seeing – and since theyre from Brooklyn – no rush to see them at CMJ.