The all-caps, three-letter bands CSS and MEN partnered up for their “Falling in Love” tour, and made a pit stop in New York just in time for CMJ. We pretty much danced all night long, stopping only for brief seconds at a time to snap some pics. The politically-loaded dance music team MEN showed that JD Samson could hold her own outside of Le Tigre — and that girls with mustaches can be hot. And CSS gave a bangin’ performance that made me want to listen to them again after having put them in the back of my mind for the past three years. Enjoy our photos from the show!

Technorati Tags: CMJ 2011, CSS, Men

Though BrooklynVegan’s early Friday showcase wasn’t *officially* CMJ, they managed to wrangle many of the must-see bands of the week, like Xeno & Oaklander. The king and queen of coldwave just dropped a new album, Sets & Lights, and frankly we cannot get enough. It’s got the iciness that settles well with the fall season, yet it’s an album we love to dance to. Also, the balance between Liz’s feminine whispers and Sean’s mechanic baritones is parfait. Stream a track below and check out our gallery above:

Technorati Tags: CMJ 2011, Xeno & Oaklander

Balkans kicked off an intimate showcase at Spike Hill with a nerdy high school look that was all too endearing to pass up. They were a little bit disheveled and never quite on pitch, but their uncontainable restlessness was a charm we couldn’t resist. Plus, I was standing next to a friend who claims to be their biggest fan and listens to them everyday. Check them out!

The Twees took the stage next with their fast-paced songs and got some dancin’ out of the crowd. I found out about them through mutual friends Jangula and they definitely do appeal to a similar crowd with their poppy, high-energy sound and a setlist of non-stop catchy tracks. These guys are a lot of fun — make sure to check them out also.

Technorati Tags: Balkans, CMJ 2011, The Twees

On Wednesday night, we got the full ‘VICE Music Experience’ at the CMJ showcase that was thrown by Vice’s music platform, Noisey. The openers were a mix of awesome and what sounded like an awful Prince cover band gone wrong, but everything was made up for by headliner Twin Shadow, who easily takes the cake as the best thing we’ve seen all week. Frontman George Lewis Jr is the full package — good-looking, stylish, charismatic, artistic, and conscious of how he utilizes his influences. He grew up listening to new wave and post-punk and thus every beat and shimmery synth line is glazed with wistful anecdotes that are brought to life in performance.

Were you there? Check out our gallery above and a video below recorded by our very own editor Alexandra.

Technorati Tags: Bleached, Caveman, CMJ 2011, Main Attrackionz, Noisey, Twin Shadow

The Stereogum/PopGun showcase on Tuesday night took off with an energetic set from Hollerado, who are not actually from Colorado but rather from Canada and thus had a lot of ‘weird things about America’-type of banter to offer. I guess Applebee’s is fascinating and repulsive to our northern neighbors. They went on just as the open bar was closing, which meant the crowd was bustling from having hustled a few last minute drinks. (TRIPLE FISTING WHAT UP).

Cuckoo Chaos took the stage shortly after. Their boisterous presence kept us at an energetic high, with extended jams using every sort of instrument that was probably strewn over their practice space. The Cuckoo boys are a stand-out in the recent trend of multi-instrumental cutesy scrambly type bands. Ch-ch-check for a CMJ discovery.

And who are these handsome fellows hanging out backstage? Mr. Dream, of course. If we have ever given you any sort of sound advice, it is that you should go see these guys. Those who are already familiar with their debut album Trash Hit will be pleased to hear the batch of fresh new tunes they’ve got in store for CMJ. Do we smell a sophomore album?

Delicate Steve are always such a pleasure to see, because they always put on a hell of a show. Even if it’s just to watch namesake Steve work it on stage. It’s like his butt has a mind of its own? Amazing.

Titus Andronicus headlined the showcase, which meant a lot of jumping and spilling, capping the night off with wild flailing and lots of sweating. Goddamn, Titus, you killed it again. Check out the rest of the photos on our slideshow, thanks to the awesomely awesome Andrew St. Clair.

Technorati Tags: CMJ 2011, Cuckoo Chaos, Delicate Steve, Hollerado, Mr. Dream, Titus Andronicus