The Wednesday nightcap of CMJ at The Delancey featured 5 uniquely different bands. San Diego-based duo Tape Deck Mountain played a laid back set to compliment their post-fi sound. Their songs “Scantrons” and “80/20” got the most reaction from the packed Delancey basement. A vast majority of the crowd was unfamiliar with the band, but gave a very warm applause as they completed their set.

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Also from California, Young Prisms followed with a similar lo-fi shoegaze sound. Rocking their San Francisco Giants gear, the Bay Area quintet delivered solid rock music and airy vocals while psychedelic patterns were projected to create the atmosphere. The song “Eleni” definitely stood out as the strong selection from their set. The band will cheer on their NL Champs from the road as they prepare for a tour with Small Black.

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Candy Claws, the highly buzzed band from Denver, took the stage next. With fancy equipment and an eclectic sound, the capacity audience anticipated the band’s performance. Immediately, the crowd was captivated and into their set. The band’s single, “Catamaran”, had fans singing along, and those who didn’t know the lyrics were dancing along.

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Running way behind schedule all night, Houses took the stage, but unfortunately to a much sparser crowd. The national music blogs have noted Houses as one of the up-and-comers in the psychedelic rock world. The second consecutive band from Denver performed a bunch of songs from their Winter EP, including my personal favorite, “Soak It Up”.

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For those that were patient enough to wait around till 4:00 AM, How To Dress Well, the stage name of Tom Krell, treated them to an absolutely incredible performance. One of six performances at CMJ, Krell featured a very low-key set of deeply personal songs that artfully combined lo-fi with an R&B flavor to create a revitalizing sound.