Dungen +

CMJ updates continue -

I was en route to Bowery Ballroom in a taxi after seeing Regina Spektor and Devotchka (which followed an early Lady Sovereign show). ...

getting out of the taxi and arriving at the venue, I was told that they weren't letting in any more badges. It was maybe 12:30 at this point, the show still 15 minutes from starting. I was told to go wait in a line with other badgeholders, that they were only letting in people with tickets. Which I did. After a while of waiting the show started, and I was still outside in line. Started conversing with some of my fellow badgeholding optimists, Greg, Jean(ne?), and another girl. At this point - or maybe just before the music began - the Bowery personnel told us that we could buy tickets and go right in, but they were not letting in any badges. I really wanted to see the show but I felt like saving my 15 dollars and taking a chance so I stayed in line, thinking that eventually we'd be let in. Conversation was good but understandably annoyed that we weren't being let in to see the concert. Greg runs ARC magazine; Jean was here because a film she worked on (shooting the making of documentary) was playing as part of CMJ - Brick. Anyway, eventually, after much dismay/confusion/annoyance we ended up being let in about 2 or 3 songs into the performance.

Dungen was really, really good. I wasn't that familiar with their stuff but I was really blown away. Gustav [Ejstes, who composed all of the music and, on the recordings, does most of the performing] was all over the stage, singing, playing organ, guitar, tambourine, sometimes just rocking out while the other musicians jammed. It was far and away the best Swedish psych-rock band I've ever seen at the Bowery Ballroom... ok anywhere.

there was a little bit of between song banter before/after [I can't remember] "Ta det lugnt". Gustav said that the song's title means "Take It Easy", and the guitarist said that it's hard to take it easy when you're playing guitar. That was pretty much the English spoken for the night, except for the occassional 'thank you' or something.

The best musical moment was actually the very end of the show. The last song ended with the typical cymbal-crashing catharsis of a rock-show finale, but then the drummer hit an extra beat. then another. then the guitarist played a riff. then everybody jammed for a few minutes. 'jammed' doesn't really capture the intensity or tightness of what was going on. It was spectacular.

After the show Jean Greg and I headed to Motor City for what was reported to be the Merge afterparty... though i didn't see anyone i know from Merge. I made some joke with Greg about this really being a SubPop crowd due to the hard-party style, but mostly it was just other passholders looking for an after-scene. Greg mingled; Jean and I sat on a couch. Eventually it got to be late [430? 5?] and they told us to leave.

That's the Thursday music update. Friday will get posted... tomorrow?