Man In Gray & Sure Juror @ Pianos: Dancing On A Friday Night

On the final night of November (otherwise known as this past Friday evening), Jen and I traveled down to LES haven, Pianos, to check out two brightly shining local acts - Brooklyn's Man In Gray and Brooklyn-via-Philly's Sure Juror. The gig was co-presented by the fashionable men behind Stereoactive NYC & Ear Farm. Whereas the last time I saw Sure Juror (review here), I was trying to fully grasp SJ's influences and unified sound, I got a much better idea of the band's intentions upon my second encounter. Vocally, Sure Juror's multiple singers bring to mind everyone from British Sea Power to The Shins and even, at times, a tinge of Kurt Cobain. Musically, the collective's pendulum swings back and forth between post-punk, straightforward indie-pop and orchestral meandering (a la Andrew Bird). The unique mixing pot is truly (if not surprisingly) engaging. Learn more about Sure Juror here at their official site. Enjoy a track - which incorporates all of the aforementioned genres - from their 2006 release, Smut, below accompanying photo.

MP3: Sure Juror - Making Friends Has Never Been This Easy

The Music Slut is no stranger to Man In Gray. The 5-piece performed at our Holiday Party in December of last year, and won over all in attendance with their passionate and commanding 40-minute set. Their Pixies-meets-Sleater Kinney fusion of sound had earned them high praise from the likes of The Village Voice, The New York Press & Time Out, alike. Friday's gig was as energetic as ever, and reinstated the band's warm place in our hearts. Visit MIG's MySpace page here. Download a tune from this year's highly entertaining debut LP, I Can't Sleep Unless I Hear You Breathing, at bottom.

MP3: Man In Gray - Last Night's Party

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Sure Juror @ Pianos: Smut Meet Slut

I've been meaning to catch local 7-piece (!) Sure Juror for quite some time now; last night Jen and I finally got the opportunity to check them out during the last night of their Pianos residency.


After listening to the 4 featured tracks on the band's MySpace page, I was itching to hear how the songs from their latest album, Smut, translated into a live setting. The answer: very well. My favorite of the night was the title track which is a perfect combination of early Smiths with a dash of Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Believe it!


Though the band swears (as we chatted with them after the show) that they ran through a setlist of ten songs, Jen and I felt like the show went by in 10-12 minutes (turns out it was just under a half hour). We did enjoy their set but were aching for some more. Perhaps next time we will get our wish.


Intrigued? They will be at Union Hall with Muggabears (sponsored by Battering Room) on 2/16!

MP3: Sure Juror - Christmas Shopping

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Free !!! Show Tomorrow @ Maxwell's!

If you dare brave the freezing temperatures, then hop on the PATH and head to Hoboken this Saturday!

!!! is playing a free MySpace-curated show at Maxwell's. First come, first serve. That means, get there early!!! There's no other US dates on the horizon for them for quite some time. Europeans and Asians: check out all the tour spots HERE!.

New Yorkers, if you'd rather stay in the city tomorrow night, might we suggest Sure Juror @ Pianos? Sure to be a fantastic show.

MP3s: Sure Juror - Christmas Shopping + !!! - A New Name

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