Bands that cite the Legendary Pink Dots as influences include The Dresden Dolls, Skinny Puppy and MGMT. Rolling Stone says that they “created some of the most enigmatic and challenging compositions in modern music.” The Legendary Pink Dots are the kind of wildly influential artists that never blew up to über buzz worthy status, but whose fan base is comprised mainly of notable musicians. While most buzz bands go broke during their first tour, The ‘Dots have been doing it since 1980 and have recorded more than 40 albums along the way. They appear this Friday at Les Poisson Rouge amidst their fall tour, in support of their new album "Seconds Late for the Brighton Line" released on ROIR Records. The album is moody and abstract like dozing off in a subway car.

Led by singer/songwriter Edward Ka-Spel and keyboardist/songwriter Phil “Silverman” Knight, the band is currently a quartet as members Niels Van Hoorn & Martijn De Kleer left the group. The ‘Dots blend experimental music of all genres, including punk, goth, neo-psychedelia, krautrock and ambient music; they defy description and have an incredible range of sound, making them hard to pin down to a specific genre. The Legendary Pink Dots play NYC once again this Halloween at Irving Plaza with The Dresden Dolls. – Alex Borsody

We asked our friend Nora at I Rock I Roll Blog to highlight the best NYC band she saw at CMJ this year, here’s her response:

"NYC (via Tacoma, WA) band Oberhofer – I’m pretty sure these guys are all teenagers. Okay I googled and Brad Oberhofer is actually 19. Wow. While discoveries like this sometimes make me question what I did with my life when I was 19, something always wins me over about bands that are so young, polished and so clearly talented beyond their years. Their supercharged pop-rock, which has been garnering praise all over the blogoshpere this year, won over packed crowds throughout the 5 CMJ days (they played 11 shows in 5 days!) and maybe made some of us nostalgic for our younger days too. I call that a big win." – Nora Walker

On Thursday night loungy indie band, Sport of Kings, will headline the pre-pre-pre Halloween show at Cake Shop. The band compares itself to a classy cocktail made of imported spirits with the most exotic elements being "songwriter/singer/guitarist Richard Kelly (imported from Dublin, Ireland)" and "Hong Kong’s tastiest percussion, so strong it’s banned in several American states…by Ian Chang". Each member provides his own punch that mingles well together, producing a sound that’s at once reminiscent of Pavement and The Bird and The Bee. Sport of Kings will let loose and show up in some sort of spooky/crazy get-up and invites everyone who attends to come in a costume (no pressure, though). The show kicks off with a mystery band/artist at 8:00 PM, followed by the DJ styings of Au Revoir Simone’s very own Erika Spring, then powerpop band Strange Shapes, and then of course, Sport of Kings. – Abigail P Devora

We asked our friends writing for NYC music blogs their opinion about the best NYC based artists they saw at CMJ 2010, here’s what the guys at ForTheBeat.com think:

Dominant Legs is one of the best bands we saw all week. First, at the forthebeat/Transparent show at Public Assembly with Ryan Lynch (guitarist of Girls) performing solo and then with the rest of his band at Glasslands on Saturday. The four song EP is on constant repeat for us and Lynch’s voice is mesmerizingly intriguing, to say the least.

Wise Blood was another stand-out.  Pittsburgh native Chris Laufman [a man/band with no decent pics online] seems to have exploded onto the scene since his EP release in May with one of the best we’ve heard all year. His samples and vocals translated surprisingly well at his live performances, backed with his full (and very fun to watch live) band.

Cloud Nothings played some of the best shows all week and rightfully so, fronted by Dylan Baldi, who is just 19, its amazing to see someone accomplish so much at such a young age.

"Hooray For Earth was also a big standout from this year’s CMJ, a band we have seen again and again. Noel has always been an artist to watch, but in just this past year, he has gained everyone’s attention. "True Loves," their new single was one of our favorite songs performed live during CMJ." – Steph and Kristin

We asked our friends writing for NYC music blogs their opinion about the best NYC based artists they saw at CMJ 2010, here’s what the guys at ForTheBeat.com think:
"Hooray For Earth was a big standout from this year’s CMJ, a band we have seen again and again. Noel has always been an artist to watch, but in just this past year, he has gained everyone’s attention. "True Loves," their new single was one of our favorite songs performed live during CMJ." – Steph and Kristin

We’ve been fans of Delicate Steve‘s multifaceted instrumental post-pop since it first appeared on the NYC scene – we learn today that the man’s got a record deal with David Byrne’s Luaka Bop and that his record will be released in February – well done! You don’t want to miss tonight’s free show at Zebulon with Deli heroes Buke and Gass and Nat Baldwin.

Saturday night, CMJ, the Mercury Lounge: I had high expectations. The bill included Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes, and Ivri Lider who is apparently an Israeli superstar. Unfortunately I missed those two bands, but FWWTW and Akudama closed the night with a mighty pairing of aural delicacies which sweetly capped my CMJ experience.

Food Will Win the War is a seven piece indie outfit in the vein of Magnetic Fields and Xiu Xiu. Vaulting seemlessly between uplifting dance jams and haunting melodic dreamscapes, FWWTW’s set was a cornucopia of musical flavors. They even fired up a high energy cover of an Eastern European folk tune called “Ostře Sledavoné Vlaky” that had the crowd whirling around in a frenzied dervish. The fact that several of their songs featured accordion solos was the butter on the bread, the gravy on the fries, and the icing on the cake.

As I refilled my pint to help digest FWWTW’s set, Akudama took preparations to achieve the proper ambiance for their show. Only after various table lamps, stuffed animals, and other assorted bric-a-brac had been carefully arranged around the stage did the band tune up and begin their line check. Then they started rocking; beautiful harmonies and sprawling rock guitar work wove a brilliant sonic tapestry which blanketed the enthralled crowd. A friend of mine had described their music as “perfect indie rock,” and I have to agree. I became an instant fan and by the time you read this, I will have downloaded their entire bandcamp repertoire.

Though the bands’ sounds didn’t necessarily complement each other, their musicality and talent was enough to qualify their juxtaposition. For me they were the final two sets crowning a rich CMJ experience. However, I am left only temporarily satiated, and am already eagerly anticipating next year’s menu. – BrokeMC

There are a lot of ways to write a rap song; you can tell a story, you can boast about how ridiculously ill you are, you could even just string clever rhymes together in such a tongue twisting fashion that everyone will be too dumbfounded to realize there’s no reason to the rhyme whatsoever. In “Bars and No Bull,” Jesse Abraham tests his penmanship in every form. He’s clever, light-hearted, and an adept rhymecraft. The beats are a little inconsistent, but the production is clean, and the cameos (Premonition and Albert Rhymestein) are killer. A lot of MCs claim to have written the book, but Mr. Abraham demonstrates that he can edit it down to its raw essence. Download it free here. – BrokeMC

The peeps at the NYC based blog Big Ugly Yellow Couch sent us a blurb about their favorite CMJ 2010 bands – here it is

"After our CMJ haze fueled by slices of bodega pizza, lack of sleep and Pianos margaritas was lifted, we realized we’re actually even more obsessed with the three bands that played our showcase than we were before. Santah, compadres of ours from back home in the Midwest, played the best shows we’ve seen, and we’ve been in the audience for years. We forgot how much fun Dinosaur Feathers‘ songs were in an acoustic setting, too, and like seemingly everyone who was at CMJ, we’re totally hard for LA’s Young The Giant." – Dinosaur Feathers in the picture.

Chappo was featured by Apple in their iTouch ad before Brooklyn Vegan wrote anything about them (they still haven’t by the way, just the usual mention in their listings that everybody gets…) This is something the electronic giant deserves credit for, because Chappo not only has the ability to write (more than one) incredibly catchy indie pop gems, but has also a super-fun live show – frontman Alex is a true performer. Just to give you an idea of how much we enjoyed their packed show at Spike Hill, we’ll say that they looked and sounded a like a new, non acoustic version of Violent Femmes… You must not miss their show at Coco66 on 11.17. P.S. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge Apple fan, quite the opposite actually… I’ll never forgive them for being so successful and for murdering lala.com. – Read The Deli’s interview with Chappo from last spring here.