Spread out across venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn, this year’s CMJ Music Marathon provided a glimpse at some of the year’s best emerging artists in addition to a healthy lineup of veteran performers. With five days of showcases and concerts to attend, the festival offered something for everyone, with bands representing a variety of genres.
Zach Long
Review: Ty Segall’s Twins
Ty Segall: Twins (Drag City, 10/9/12)
“The Hill”
On last year’s Goodbye Bread, garage-rock singer-songwriter Ty Segall displayed a newfound sense of maturity — most notably on “Comfortable Home (A True Story),” in which he announced the rather adult decision to invest in some real estate. Now the San Francisco wunderkind prematurely grapples with his own mortality on his newest solo release. “Took 22 years to die / 22 years to lose to my mind,” he laments amid the grinding guitars of “Ghost,” imagining himself as a specter who haunts the California coast. It’s heavy stuff — musically and lyrically — especially from a guy who used to sing about girlfriends and Coca-Cola.
Review: Marco Benevento’s TigerFace
Though much of keyboardist Marco Benevento’s new album traverses familiar territory, the opening two tracks will take listeners by surprise, offering playful pop with guest vocalist Kalmia Traver from Rubblebucket.
Review: Doseone’s G is for Deep
Doseone: G is for Deep (Anticon, 5/29/12)
“End&Egg”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Doseone_EndEgg.mp3|titles=Doseone: “End&Egg”]If you’re looking for a crash course in left-of-the-dial avant-garde hip hop, there are few better places to start than the incredibly varied discography of Adam Drucker — better known as Doseone. As co-founder of the indie-hip-hop Anticon label and a member of Themselves, 13 & God, and Subtle, Drucker holds an indisputable prominence.
On G is for Deep — his first true solo release in five years — Doseone returns with a record that reaches in new directions while retaining all the unique characteristics that make his music unmistakable.