— Loren Wohl

CMJ was Gotye‘s first time performing in New York, and the room was packed the two times I caught him. The Australian pop star had to strip down his set, and visuals, to fit in NYC’s smaller clubs, and the results were very special and intimate performances. Shot for Time Out NY and Purevolume.

Electric Guest‘s clean and soulful sound is reminiscent of Rome, Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s project. The room started buzzing when Danger Mouse entered with Julian Casablancas to check out Electric Guest at the All Things Go showcase. Shot for Time Out NY and All Things Go.

I saw Trash Talk during SXSW when they tossed around garbage cans after a peaceful James Blake set, but what made their CMJ shows special was their unusual hype. With publications like Spin, the Village Voice and others billing them as the band to see, kids showed up not expecting a hardcore band from Sacramento. As Lee let out the first scream, and the heavy bass popped with the cymbal, most of the crowd ran away from the stage and things got chaotic, in the best way possible. Shot for Time Out NY and Pitchfork.

Similar to ANR, The Stepkids are the full package; talented musicians with a tasteful creative vision. I’ve seen them three times and it keeps getting better. They were bummed they couldn’t use their projector because of the sunlight, but I think the NYC skyline is tough to beat. Shot for Time Out NY and Purevolume.

I saw them for the first time during SXSW when they had longer hair, and it’s their danceable stadium sound that leaves me wanting more. These photos are from the Fader Fort by Fiat and Neon Gold’s showcase. Shot for Time Out NY.

Fort Lean‘s music will seem fun and bubbly at first glance, but if you look a little closer, you’ll hear the beautiful lyrical irony that makes them so awesome. They played Neon Gold’s showcase at Santos’. Shot for Time Out NY.

Miami-based ANR truly blew me away with their powerful vocals and fun, catchy songwriting. Most CMJ artists aren’t true musicians, and it’s special when a band knows what they’re doing on a musical and creative level. I had to see them twice. Shot for Time Out NY and All Things Go.