CMJ 2012 Issue! - The Deli

thu
10/18 electronic @ the delancey
Railbird
Ducky
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
7:00pm
Thomas Simon
T
homas Simon creates positively
dark spaces with echoing electro,
ghostly guitar, and muttered
lyrics gliding underneath the surface.
He’s very theatrical: gothic at times.
Accordingly, he knows how to set the
mood well. He’ll get your skin crawling
and add just the right amount
of this and that (electric djembe, for
example) to send you spiraling into the
depths. Unsurprisingly, Simon recently
composed a feature film score (La
Redempcio Dels Peixos) set for release
in the fall 2012. (Corinne Bagish)
7:40pm
Sewing
Machines
ewing Machines is songwriter
Max Horwich and acolytes (vary-
in number), on the road to Sing
what may seem to be a “new American
weirder.” If Bodies of Water was
already an impressive record, with its
hypnotic interactions of folk ensemble
and electronics, then the last couple
of releases have seen Horwich take a
turn into improbable confines of his
“cosmic” realm, with the EP February
far more electro-based and Parks and
Parking Lots since which frankly, all
bets are off. Auto-tuned vocals over discordant
country? A bit of a long shot,
isn’t it? And yet somehow, it works.
(Tracy Mamoun)
8:20pm
Cultfever
T
o experience the next
wave of Brooklyn
music full blast and
to grasp its weird complexities,
one can’t do much better
than Cultfever’s first
single, “Knewyouwell.”
The swelling of electronic
chaos, motorik rhythm
and shoegaze-y backing vocals wrap
Tamara Jafar’s lusty soul leads in a kind
of gothic disco whole that is greater
than the sum of its many influences.
Their self-titled debut album (released
November 2011) sticks pretty close to
this formula throughout; only towards
the end do Cultfever break out of the
club-like feel with the closers “Boys,
Girls” and “Collector,” each boasting a
more aspirational tone, replete with big
choruses and fist-pumping declarations
like “Hey darlin’, sticks and stones
would make our homes if we were anyone,
anyone else!” (Brian Chidester)
9:00pm
Railbird
Cultfever
ailbird is the kind of band that
doesn’t mind sharing their
Rsecrets with you, even if some of
these details might make you a little
uncomfortable. Singer Sarah Pedinotti
seems to whisper these tell-all remarks
with a mysterious honesty requiring
a certain amount of courage on both
sides of the microphone. This isn’t an
easy-going ride, but is certainly worth
the time. Their latest video “Jump
Ship” plays with these conflicted feelings,
bouncing between intimacy and
moodiness amid kaleidoscopic bubbles
and cameo appearances from Sean
Rowe and Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel.
(Mike Levine)
9:45pm
Maus Haus
(San Francisco)
S
uper-fun synth-rock rollercoaster
of odd noise, whimsical beats,
’60s psychedelia and more held
on by the four dexterous SF musicians
of Maus Haus.
10:30pm
Lushlife (Phily)
equencer virtuoso and emcee
Lushlife, signed to Western Vinyl,
Swho went semi-viral with Choice/
Cuts, a live performance and interview
in-studio video series, presented by The
Deli Philly back in July. Do not miss!
22 the deli Fall 2012