Saturday night at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village started with the serene songs of Huntington, Long Island-hailing quintet NY Lights (pictured). Sounding out few kinds of genres – indie, psychedelic rock, and Americana, amongst them -the one-year-old band struck an intriguing balance between warmth and edginess, its drum slaps and sandy vocals riding along the ear with steady drive.

Later, on the Lower East Side, in the oaken cellar of Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3, the standout of this viewer’s CMJ experience was seen: Grey McMurray. Enveloped in a low red light and aided by a trio of deft musicians (including a cellist), the Brooklyn-based artist played a kind of freak-soul as he dipped down into often uncomfortable yet sometimes inviting visions of spirituality and love, his drooping guitar and cavernous voice simultaneously chilling and moving the listener. Antony Hegarty and Nick Hakim are probably his musical siblings but McMurray conjured a creepily warm aura in Rockwood’s downstairs room that is perhaps his own.

Upstairs on Stage 2, fellow Brooklyn act EMEFE blasted its synth-lined afrobeat, its rubbery horns and perky electronics showing reverence for Fela Kuti and Talking Heads while culminating in its own pop-oriented, bold funk. The six-piece also allowed for some spontaneity, though, bandleader Miles Arntzen during one track recording the audience’s handclaps for inclusion on a forthcoming song.

Next door on Stage 1, Brooklyn three-piece Lazyeyes broke into a relentlessly ringing set that, during one song, brought to mind the rough innocence of ‘Pablo Honey’-era Radiohead and, during others, the foreboding catchiness that Joy Division displayed on "Disorder." Towards the end of its set, the frontman Jason Abrishami of the young group said that they "have a couple of songs left" while bassist Paul Volpe joked that they "have a couple of years left" but one hopes that they keep up their compellingly raw energy.

Back at Stage 2, New York outfit Nuf Said ended the night with its jazzy R&B, the group’s swirling horns proving a pleasant and compelling addition to the gently strong vocals of lead singer Ioana Vintu and the mellow guitar-bass combination in the background. Like other New York outfit Mad Satta, Nuf Said seamlessly melds genres such as jazz, R&B, and funk while showing that they can end a talent-packed festival such as CMJ with festive boldness. – Zach Weg 

Strumming on their ukuleles, The Prettiots make the horrors of young adult life into comical, playful, and more importantly, reassuring tunes. Comprised of two New Yorkers, Kay Kasparhauser and Lulu Prat, the duo soothes growing-up anxieties with a fatalistic attitude, but listen closely and you’ll hear The Prettiots’ talent for catchy melodies and memorable hooks. On their single “Suicide Hotline,” Kasparhauser sings  "Woolf took a dip with some rocks in her pockets / I’d say comparatively I’ve got a bad case of the fuck-its.” Their melodies, light and airy, mask their troubled, but relatable, and ultimately, reassuring lyrics – who hasn’t had a “bad case of the fuck-its after all?” The trio, who played three CMJ shows last week, just released single “Stabler” (under Rough Trade’s wing!), in a classic cassette format, as the video below makes clear. They will be traveling to Europe for a two week tour.

Of the small contingent of Toronto artists that traveled to NYC last week to participate in the CMJ Music Marathon, Greys was by far the loudest – and ended up also getting the most attention. The quartet plays post-hardcore unapologetically inspired to legendary band Fugazi (one of their songs is named after the DC band’s guitarist Guy Picciotto). They’ve been around since 2011 and have a European tour, two EPs and two singles under their belt. A new 7", entitled "Repulsion." will be released on October 30th. Check out their powerful single "If Anything," streaming below.

Last night at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village was a refreshingly feel-good, mostly funk affair. First on the neon-lit stage was Nashville/New York quartet Anna Haas + The Effect whose loud, rollicking tracks fondly recalled such iconic bands as The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac but burst to their own life with frontwoman Haas. With her rock-strong voice and fluid dance moves, she wasn’t so much the head of a band as much as the bearer of a flickering rock torch. New York five-piece Animal Reporters were next, performing similarly funk-influenced songs of jumping keys and virtuosic guitars that, at one point, surprisingly yet thrillingly dipped into psych-rock. The group’s funked-up cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” a song that is perhaps reinterpreted too much, also proved intriguing. A somewhat more ominous funk hit the room next with Brooklyn quintet Ferrari Truck. Beginning with a slow, stormy song that reminded one of The Doors’ darker cuts, the Flatbush-rooted group then went into a warm, blues-inflected track that sounded like something The Dude would zone out to. As heard in their guitar-fuzzed, poignantly-titled track “Whispering You,” though, the band seemed keen to move as well as thrill the listener. Fellow Brooklyn five-piece Cousin Earth (pictured) took the stage next, beginning their set with an unabashedly glorious rendition of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," lead singer Terry Brennan using a mini mouthpiece to simulate that track’s perky instrumentation. Then, after playing one of the loopy, effects-oriented songs from their forthcoming new album (due 11.20), the band segued into an amusing yet rocking medley of what seemed to be Kermit the Frog and a reggae-tinged version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” displaying this group’s fun-loving nature. Over at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1, New York quartet The Amigos ended the night with its bluegrass-inflected, accordion-based tracks that blasted the longing of the blues in a pleasantly sunny way. – Zach Weg