Pitchfork

Photos by Kathryn Yu; Above: Bowerbirds

Thunderheist [Highline Ballroom; 8 p.m.]

The Canadian gallery rap duo Thunderheist are made up of a DJ, Grahm, who resides in Montreal and has the endearing habit of timidly doing the choruses at the back of the stage, and an MC, Isis, who was born in Nigeria and who now calls Toronto home. At a time when many were still nursing the previous night's hangover, Isis introduced the scarce crowd to the act's special guest: a bottle of Grey Goose, which she was more than willing to share.

Her producer flipped the Eurythmics-- not the last time this trick would be pulled in the confines of Thursday night's Highline Ballroom-- as well as Baltimore club and electro, the standard grab bags for high-toned club-rap DJs in New York and, apparently, all over. "If ya'll can't get hype, I can't get hype," said Isis, but quickly found the Cognac, France-distilled loophole; a couple dead prez and Soulja Boy interpolations later, she was asking "Where the after party at?" like the night was ending instead of getting started. The crowd was won over: "Way better than Kid Sister," said a friend.

Yo Majesty [Highline Ballroom; 9 p.m.]

"Fuck the flu! New York said be there," said one half of the hoarse but definitely there duo Yo Majesty, though they looked like they barely made it. The Tampa rappers coasted up to New York with a reputation for nudity-- check-- and beats of the ESG, J.J. Fad variety, but they turn out to have more of a regional identity than that: one of 'em, in fact, sounds more like Mystikal than, say, Amanda Blank or Santogold. Makes sense though that they have the improbable downtown following that they do, second Eurythmics sample of the night aside. Confided a nearby and hardened rap writer: "This is my most riot grrrl moment since the 1990s."

Papercuts [Knitting Factory; 9:30 p.m.]




San Francisco's Jason Quever performs as Papercuts, and on tour brings three other guys with him to fill things out-- shades of the commune on which he reportedly grew up? Quever was one of many fighting an uphill battle at CMJ, drifting through earnest, jangling chords and sleepy organ sustains while an anxious crowd fidgeted and talked. His record, Can't Go Back, is wonderfully melancholy and orthodox pop-- the kind of thing that can't quite overcome a crowd that's at the halfway point in their evening, with a few shows down and a few more to go; succumb and you'd be sunk.

Bowerbirds [Knitting Factory; 10:15 p.m.]

Bowerbirds, from Raleigh, North Carolina, come out of the same nature-worshipping circles as the Microphones, and are similarly understated: Undersung male-female harmonies, accordion and plucky acoustic guitar, brushed drums, and the occasional violin. Phil Moore wore a cowboy shirt, enforcing the impression of the band as pastoral clique come to serenade New York about places with cleaner air and calmer evenings-- in a way, welcome respite, though isn't CMJ really about embracing all of New York's miserable flaws? (Full disclosure: Pitchfork's Grayson Currin co-owns the band's former label.)

His Name Is Alive [Knitting Factory; 11 p.m.]

Longtime 4AD soldiers His Name Is Alive returned to New York in a style befitting a band nearing their 20th year in existence: "Buy a copy of our album or we'll have to sleep in the park and eat bugs," said longtime frontman Warren Defever. Long-dormant after an acrimonious parting with 4AD, HNIA struck back with an album last year and two this year; the latest, Sweet Earth Flower, out in November on High Two, will be a tribute to free-jazz player Marion Brown, adding yet another odd-ball album to a catalogue that already includes 4-track bedroom pop, AM-folk, electronica, soul, and two r&b records.

Thursday night saw them in Andy FM-fronted, Patsy Cline country-blues mode, Defever occasionally breaking the frame to shred on his improbable Flying V-shaped guitar. "This song is a sing-along," said Defever, "unless you're chicken."

I was, and headed home.