Yet another CMJ has come and gone, full of parties and showcases to remind you that on the low-fi end of the sonic spectrum there are some gems in the rough. There were the obvious buzz bands and college radio favorites, but the real surprise this year was Biffy Clyro. They played the Gramercy Theater on Thursday and were cut off halfway through their set. The Epochs played a 45-minute set and apparently Biffy Clyro were supposed to keep it down to a 20-minute set, but it appeared no one told the band.

After blasting through four songs of their set, including “Bodies in Flight,” “Who’s Got a Match,” “Saturday Superhouse” and the epic “Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies,” the lights went up and the house music started playing. Simon Neil (vocals/guitar) with one stroke of a chord intro’d the band back into its set, taking the situation as a technical issue and launching into “A Whole Child Ago.” You could tell from the audience that something was amiss as their guitar tech was visibly arguing with the stage hands, but the band just punched right on through and the lights went off and they were allowed to play the additional song.

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CMJ ended without much to-do last night on the Lower East Side, where the usual crowd of hipsters and scenesters poured on to Stanton and Houston ready to party. Over the course of the evening, which took me to three different venues and spanned the LES periphery, I saw only two other CMJ badge holders. I guess everyone was over at Terminal 5 seeing Justice?

9:00 p.m. My first stop was Pianos. The bill had 11 bands on it, but I only stayed for one — a pop-rock group called Tiny Animals, founded by a brother and sister. It was refreshing to see a female musician up there, even if her drumming was a little raw and overpowering. The vocals were strong, but not enough to compensate for the guitarist and bassist who stood awkwardly to the left on stage, a little unsure, perhaps, of what they were doing there. I learned later they were relatively new stand-ins. There’s clearly good writing behind the songs, and a few of the tunes were even memorable, but the disjointed performance left the audience shrugging. Although in their defense, Pianos is not a forgiving venue. It can’t make you sound any better than you are, but it’s the burden of the performer to compensate. Read more…

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Last night CMJ’s pulse rose thanks to Mute Math, an electro-pop foursome of indie darlings who had the ground shaking at Irving Plaza. In a set that rivaled Arcade Fire for showmanship and Muse for production, Mute Math kept the sold-out crowd’s full attention, and admiration, during their 75-minute showcase. If CMJ pass holders were still wondering, halfway through the festival, how they would ever get their money’s worth this week, this performance was worth it.

Forgive my cynicism for thinking CMJ often leaves much to be desired, but this is New York City — if you want to see unsigned artists pluck away at acoustic ballads in dimly lit rock clubs, you’re talking about an average weekday night in the city. Few national acts like Mute Math are featured on the CMJ bills — instead, you’re more likely to find a band like the Counting Crows (playing this Friday at Blender theatre), downsizing as they exit their heyday. Given the changing nature of the music business, it’s amazing more bands haven’t tuned in to the power of live performance — or maybe they have and they’re just resting on their laurels, hoping that album sales translate to ticket sales.

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First stop on Thursday night of CMJ was Pianos — for a short set by Juiced Elfers, the new band from Nick “Diamonds” Thorburn, erstwhile member of the Unicorns and Islands. While it was our “CMJ Bingo” contestant Isaac, from Alaska, who drew the ball from the bin with name Juiced Elfers on it — a risky way to choose a band to see — it was a good time.

As the name (and can you really say it enough?) Juiced Elfers suggests, this is a band that is all about a laugh — danceable throwback party rock with tongue firmly in cheek, a song about loving eggs, a Troggs cover and some artwork. That’s right, during the four-song set, Thorburn worked on a small hidden painting, which he claimed would be a portrait of the audience, the way he saw us. Yucks ensued when at show’s conclusion, Nick Van Gogh revealed a crude rendering of various naughty bits, the sort you might see drawn by a 13-year-old.

Not, however, if that 13-year-old’s name is Ivan. Because rather than drawing boobies, around 9 p.m. last night he was joining his sister Ada, 11, onstage at one of New York’s premier venues, Bowery Ballroom, for the second of three CMJ gigs this week by their band, the Tiny Masters of Today.

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And I thought hooded matching red sweatsuits were only for morning joggers.

These Norweigan indie rockers, with their sweatsuits, euro-shades and choreographed ’80s workout routines are a visual feast alone. But the undeniable highlight of the evening, as expected, was Datarock’s uber-rockin’ tunes, delivered high-energy, high-volume last night at Blender Theater, as part of this year’s CMJ infestation of NYC.

Official bandmembers Fredrik Saroea and Ket-ill had two others suited up and performing with them onstage Thursday — though you wouldn’t know who they were, considering the outfit choice (hoods over head, big sunglasses). But it was pretty obvious who was running the show, with lead singer Saroea hammering out the lyrics to songs like “Princess” and the big hit “FaFaFa,” which got everyone in the crowd singing along. Ket-ill also had his moment, wailing on the saxophone and then shimmying down the stage with his tambourine.

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Due to the daunting logistics of club-hopping in New York City during CMJ Music Marathon week, the ideal plan is to find a one-stop-shop, and Wednesday night’s show at the Bowery Ballroom — featuring Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, No Age, White Williams and Ponytail — provided one of the best of the fest. (Nearly all of these groups are currently on tour, so check their MySpace pages for dates near you.)

This long evening kicked off with an explosive set from experimental Baltimore yowlers Ponytail, whose sound approximates a combustion of the Boredoms and Sonic Youth with Yoko Ono. The quartet’s two guitarists crafted intricate but bruising riffs and melodies driven by ballistic drumming while boisterous frontperson Molly (just Molly) shrieked, screamed and screeched unintelligibly over the top.

Next up were the much calmer White Williams, who built intricate layers of melody over throbbing electronic beats. Lead singer/keyboardist Joe Williams sang softly (occasionally opting for melodica) while the group served up droning, motorik grooves that alternated between hypnotic and lulling; imaginative animated visuals were projected onto a screen behind the band, beautifully complementing the sounds (as well as the band’s extremely low-key stage presentation).

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What’s better than seeing an up-and-coming band at CMJ? Seeing them at a venue that’s so intimate it almost feels like you’re onstage with the band.

Right? Sure.

But what do you get when that low-key/intimate experience is with Cleveland/NYC band Dragons of Zynth? One of the most frenetic, jittery experiences you’ll have at CMJ — I guarantee it.

DOZ kind of defy classification. With loads of feedback and two singers interweaving their vocals to create a wall of sound, you are just sort of hit with a wave of organ-vibrating sound.

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There could only be two reasons a mix of hipsters, sneakerheads and 30-year-olds trying to recapture something would start to gather. Either there was sample sale on jeans or Fool’s Gold was throwing a party!

As you might have guessed — being on MTV’s Web site and all — it was the latter. The Hiro Ballroom hosted the record label’s CMJ showcase Wednesday night, featuring DJs Nick Catchdubs, A-Track and Mehdi as well as performances by Kid Sister and the Cool Kids.

As people trickled in, they were greeted by Catchdub’s eclectic stylings. The Brooklyn-based DJ mixed together a set featuring Redman, Pink and dancehall act Ding-Dong almost seamlessly.

The universal mix was representative of the crowd. People — black, white, Asian — filled the Japanese-themed ballroom. Paper lanterns hung over a crowd dressed in fashion from Harlem boutiques, Williamsburg thrift shops and Long Island Targets. Whatever their differences, they all wanted to have a good time.

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And now, CMJ’ers, something from the left end of the musical spectrum — last night a decently sized, but still smaller than it should have been crowd at the Blender Theatre at Gramercy was treated to a set by as out there a band as you are likely to find at what still purports to be a rock festival — the experimental Bay Area trio Xiu Xiu.

The venerable indie label Kill Rock Stars had taken over the Gramercy for the night, for a bill that also included the band Mika Miko, Mary Timoney and Marnie Stern. But KRS saved their most uncompromising for last.

Xiu Xiu play as a three piece, with keyboardist and harmonium player Caralee McElroy focused and serene and percussionist Ches Smith, flailing and banging away like a man possessed. But since its inception the band has really been about Jamie Stewart, as intense a front man as you’re likely to find, certainly this week at CMJ (OK, Deerhunter’s Bradford gives him a run for his money, but in a different way). When Stewart is not singing in a voice that can go from a pained, tentative whisper to a desperate scream, he is shredding guitar, banging on a snare or punctuating emotional points with the smash of a mini-cymbal.

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