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