Pitchfork

Photos by Ahmed Klink; Above: Yo Majesty

Marc Hogan's coverage: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Amy Phillips' coverage: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Jessica Suarez's coverage: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

The Uglysuit [Cake Shop; 9:30 p.m.]


It took me several minutes after arriving in Cake Shop's tiny basement to get a look at the Uglysuit. It was worth it. The night's lineups were picked by show listing website Oh My Rockness and the Norwegian Øya Festival. The band, which features multiple burly members with long hair, could pass for Norwegian metal dudes, but they instead play bighearted indie rock-- and they're from Oklahoma City. They encouraged the space to "shake what your momma gave you," though their pretty, soaring songs are more likely to inspire fierce hand-holding.





Casiokids [Cake Shop; 10:30 p.m.]


Norway's Casiokids took way too long to set up their equipment. It wasn't their fault, really-- it's pretty difficult to plug in new power strips for all your Euro-equipment, especially when you've got four keyboards (not all Casios) to electrify. "We are now officially in business!" said their tall and blond singer (here was another show with excitable, cooing girls up front). Their business, it seemed at first, was twee, childlike instrumentals, complete with burpy synths and toy tambourines. But then they played their upcoming single "Grønt lys i alle ledd", which bridges their twee-er elements with their slinkier dancefloor ones. But I didn't get to hear much more-- they were done in less time than it took to lay their equipment out.



Yo Majesty [Blender Theatre; 12:30 a.m.]


Yo Majesty had already started when I made it to Blender Theatre, so I was surprised to see the venue barely a quarter full. Blame it on a million other shows going on, blame it on CMJ exhaustion, but you couldn't blame the women of Yo Majesty. "These people say they ain't afraid of shit, so...next track!" said Shunda K in way of transition. A song later she and fellow MC Jwl. B told the audience that "Yo Majesty is not about religion." I don't know how we would have made that mistake that night-- groups about religion don't usually rhyme "I love to fuuuuck" with "I go to the strip cluuuub." They don't have Yo Majesty's sense of humor: during a line about "yo' smell,'  Shunda did a quick pit-smelling B.O. check, grimaced comically, and continued on. Also, they don't usually play hyper-sexual Miami-electro-bass. Jwl. B did an insane chest-pumping dance during "Monkey", but she didn't take her top off. Still, both ladies mugged and crotch-grabbed for the cameras, working the photographers and audience. They ended by encouraging us to pick up their new Domino LP Futuristically Speaking...Never Be Afraid. "You can dance like this everyday, in your own house," Shunda K said. After this week, I'm more than happy to dance at home.