The 35th annual CMJ Music Marathon will begin October 13. Featuring live music from over 1,000 acts, CMJ is a great resource for discovering new music from the best rising artists. Here are our top 5 picks of who to look for:
MITSKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHFr3vRai90
With punk influenced indie rock and dreamy, haunting vocals floating through angsty lyrics, Mitski Miyawaki’s sound is both lovely and painful. The 24-year old Brooklyn native is fresh from her summer headlining tour with Elvis Depressedly and Eskimeaux and has been getting quite a lot of notice since her debut album in 2012.
PHONY PPL
Phony Ppl puts an old school hip hop feel with a chilled out, electronic-funk vibe. Their relaxing, but upbeat music is fun and just a little bit bouncy.
NGAIIRE
Born in Papua New Guinea and raised in Australia, this soul singer fuses electronica, folk, and funk into a sound that’s full of feeling.
DRINKS
Think California chill with some warped electronic sounds woven in. The creation between White Fence’s Tim Presley and vocalist Cate Le Bon, DRINKS is a kind-of improvised mix of two minds.
THE ALBUM LEAF
The Album Leaf, an eclectic mix of sounds ranging from ambient noise to jazz, is a solo project by Jimmy LaValle, the former guitarist for the Californian instrumental post-rock band, Tirsteza. His mostly lyricless tracks are beautiful with a touch of melancholy.
The CMJ festival runs from October 13-October 17. You can buy a CMJ badge for concert access here.
-by Kari Sonde
