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.

With very few exceptions, guitar based indie rock is not very "hot" at the moment – synths, samplers and sequencers have been having a little revenge in the last decade over the 6 and 4 strings rock’n’nroll royalty. But when you see bands like Appomattox rip it live with maximum flair (like they did at The Deli’s CMJ show at Spike Hill) you realize that well executed, politically charged rock’n’roll can only be supported "properly" by a tight and punchy power trio line-up. But it’s not like they are just rude shredders – no… these guys develop Fugazi’s inventive and aggressive post-punk, minus the guttural screaming, in a tad more melodic direction. You MUST see them live asap, they’ll play Pianos on 11.10 and Glasslands on 11.16.

My last day of CMJ was spent in LES. And what a great day to listen to great music! The weather was perfect, which made it easy for hopping around from bar to bar to check out local bands, and the day was young, which meant drink specials and a long night ahead. I first hit up the Delancey day party to hear Brookyn-based folk darling, Anni Rossi. I wrote about Ms. Rossi recently and was really looking forward to see her in action. I’m happy I did – she’s talented and uses her musical gifts to her advantage. Ms. Rossi’s a string queen, and puts on quite the brilliant performance.

I then caught the second half of ArpLine’s set. I have written about these Brooklyn guys too – (thank you Delancey for hooking me up!) and was really digging their music live – the synth sounded really nice in the cozy confines of this grungy space. They seemed like cool dudes and got me pumped up with their upbeat, funky pop sounds. The music whizzes and the guitar gets things really moving amidst the electronic influences. I then saw Savoir Adore play and still loved it the second time around! Check out my Thursday recap for deets on this adorably fun group.

Next up was the Brooklyn quartet, Miracles of Modern Science. These boys definitely know how to handle their instruments: there’s a cello, a violin, a mandolin, and bass. There’s folky, funky movement to their music, emphasis on the strings of course, with a mix of classical, jazz and pop. Overall, what makes them good is how unique they are. Next up was the Living Room to see BK-based North Highlands.

This quintet make free flowing tunes with pretty, folk vocals, nice harmonies and smooth instrumentals that, at certain moments, build into beating crescendos. They sounded great. Later on in the night, I hit up Pianos to see LA-based Young the Giant – see my review on the LA Deli site here.

I then hit up Cake Shop to see the four man group, Woodsman. Their sound is definitely creative, and super psychedelic – a sound that is becoming increasingly attractive to Brooklyn-based DIY kind of bands. Their music is dark and very ambient, shifting between a focus on naturalistic synth and loose guitar. Very innovative. – Alex Vann

I met the Young the Giant dudes at a show during CMJ and was happy I did because it got me into listening to their poppy, catchy, Cali-cool jams. I accepted their invitation to see their show at Pianos on Friday. These guys were awesome to see live – the energy in the space was hopping. The instrumentals are ethnic-infused, subtle and smooth, but the most notable of the group is the singer, who belts the songs in a very gushing, romantic, and extremely sexy way. – Alex Vann