I love CMJ. I love all the foreigners that come to our fair city, be they musicians or music fans. There are hundreds of shows to attend each day and all the venues are packed. Even the streets—especially below 14th Street—are packed with people heading to one, two, three, four shows each night and it’s always fun to bump into friends you weren’t expecting to see or haven’t seen in a while.

This year, I was a busy little bee! I went to at least one show per night and had a great time, despite being incredibly tired at every show! Here are my personal highlights:

Tuesday, October 21—My first great find at this year’s CMJ was GRINGO STAR. They’ve got a killer name and killer tunes. I’d never even heard of them until a few weeks ago, but I’m so glad I’ve discovered them! To me, they’re a mix of Vampire Weekend and Black Lips. They’ve got upbeat, bouncy songs but their sound also showcases their Atlanta, GA roots with a southern twang occasionally infused with some psychedelia, reminding me slightly of THE CORAL. I think they are definitely a band on the rise. On a side note, I really wish they’d tour with RINGO DEATHSTARR.

I really wanted to stay for the next two bands, but when Gringo Star left the stage it was already 1:15 AM and we had a long trek back to Brooklyn. Unfortunately, we had to miss THE HIGH WIRE, who I love and highly recommend. They make gorgeous, warm shoegaze music—when I think of them, I just picture the sun shining on me. They’re opening for COLDPLAY on their December UK tour, so they’ll probably be huge by the time they come back to the States.

Wednesday, October 22—The last band on the night before was my new favorite band, RADIO LUXEMBOURG. I think they probably went on at 3 am, and that was just too late for me. So instead of sticking around for that, I saw them the next day at a more human time of 9 PM at The Annex. Simply put, they’re a Welsh band that makes the best pop music this side of SUPER FURRY ANIMALS. They were so fun and endearing live, I really wish the set had never ended.

Thursday, October 23 – I headed over to Bowery Ballroom to catch DELAYS. My friends and I (and the rest of the audience) waited four years for them to return to the States. It had been a “Long Time Coming” (that’s the name of one of their songs, so, pun intended) but the wait was worth it. They sounded amazing—strong, powerful, and energetic. They played a bunch of new songs from their third album and they were pretty dance-tastic, which was a welcomed surprise. Maybe they only like returning to the States during the year of the Summer Olympics, but let’s just hope they come back again before 2012.

Friday, October 24—I headed over to Irving Plaza for a night of dancing. The first band on was THE WHIP. I don’t know what to say other than that every time I see them there’s a dance par-tay. Although it seems that whenever I see them in the States they have a terrible time slot and therefore don’t get to play to the most receptive crowd, they always bring the same high level of enthusiasm that gets the crowd dancing. Plus, they’re all really nice and I’m in love with the ginger bassist. What more could I ask for in a band?

Saturday, October 25—Finally, the show I was most excited for arrived. We headed over to Fat Baby to see FANFARLO, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a packed room waiting for them to come on. I go through phases where I only listen to one band for months at a time, and for the past seven months, it’s been Fanfarlo. I even listened to them while I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed, but that’s a story for another time.

I love this band and have been waiting to see them live since I discovered them in March at SXSW, and they did not disappoint. They manage to translate the warmth and fullness of their recorded music into the live setting, and the addition of instruments like the xylophone, clarinet, trumpet, mandolin, violin, and tambourine add to the richness of their music. It was a great show and the perfect end to CMJ 2008.

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