Last night, The Fader hosted their 'Sideshow' at 88 Delancey (there are all day events all the way through Saturday), a converted space that has been abandoned for quite some time. I'm not sure exactly what it was before but a cheesy women's clothing store would be my best guess. Regardless, the sound equipment was brought in, a makeshift stage was erected and it was time to check out some of the buzz bands from this year's CMJ.
Frida Hyvoven came on somewhere around 6pm to a moderate-sized crowd. One thing that immediately distracted me was her outfit. Her blouse and scarf were wrapped SO TIGHTLY around her throat that her face would turn as red as a ripe tomato every note she sang. Girl, loosen it up! Her music was sort of Cat Power meets Joan As Police Woman meets Regina Spektor, with a Scandinavian twist. I wish I could say that I enjoyed her more than I actually did. Her voice was stunning but the charisma was lacking and the song lyrics were, how should I say it, trite. However, I do see potential for Frida. She is beautiful and her voice is really powerful. Perhaps she needs some mentorship from Nellie McKay.
Next up, the much-blogged and buzzed, Annuals. With high expectations, the room was over capacity at this point and everybody's eyes were glued to see what all the fuss was about. Well, I wasn't grabbed. I'm sorry. I know some of you worship the band. I do enjoy the album alright but I didn't get anything out of their live show. Perhaps the length of the set had something to do with it (just under a half hour) or perhaps it was the venue, but I don't know, it just wasn't what I thought it'd be. The college kiddies in the front were enjoying themselves though, while the other half of the room just kept scratching their heads. Did we catch them on a bad night?
Closing out the evening was 120 Days. Otherwise known as 4 pretty Scandinavian boys who attempt to combine New Order-like hooks/beats with some shouting. The result is almost a success, but not quite. It's just that the boys seem so disconnected from one another. The beats are pretty cool and by the end of their set I was shakin' shakin', but some of their songs really need to be condensed! The last number of the evening closed in at a staggering 15 minutes. But I believe in 120 Days, and won't give up on them that easily. Below is one of their shortest tracks, for your consideration!
MP3:
120 Days - Get Away
I've said it before and I'll say it again, March 9th might just be the best day for shows this year.
