White Rabbits were the last show I saw at CMJ; I ended up there on a whim, and I probably shouldn't have even gone, as a good friend of mine was having a going away part that I needed to attend. All that being said, holy shit am I happy that I went. This was another one of those magic moments where you end up at a show with a band you've never heard of and they completely blow your mind.
The Cake Shop was pretty packed, though I'm not sure for who. Allegedly Michael Stipe was there (I didn't see him, but my friend claims he did). Then the band started playing. I have (as I'm sure many others do as well) a 30 second test for bands that I've never heard of. Even though when I'm not in a hurry I'll usually give a band at least two songs to win me over, I can usually tell in about thirty seconds whether or not they are worth listening to. White Rabbits passed that test with flying colors. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, it was more of a general "wow, these guys are fucking gooooood!" What did it sound like? Something that has a lot in common with both the Walkmen and Cold War Kids, but different. There was something in the melodies, something in the harmonies, that neither of those reference points touch on. This show was really, really good, and a fitting end to my CMJ. I can't wait to hear more of their stuff and to catch them again; I just hope they can live up to the very strong first impression they made on me.

Labels: CMJ, Concert Reviews