From Long Island to Scotland, from piano ballads to heavy metal, Saturday marked the last and most diverse night of the marathon.
7:48 p.m. Envy on the Coast, Knitting Factory. In the venue's small downstairs space, Envy on the Coast played a solid set of clever, catchy emo before an audience of about 30 people that eventually doubled. The band was impressively confident and natural on stage, never trying too hard and never coasting. Props to the guys for flying the hometown flag: "We're from Long Island and we're happy to be here," singer Ryan Hunter proclaimed.
8:12 p.m. Straylight Run, Knitting Factory. Upstairs, Envy on the Coast's manager, Will Noon, was drumming with his own band in the big room. The group opened with a new song, "The Miracle That Never Came," featuring Michelle Nolan's unusually wry vocals and a speedy, almost comedic rhythm. Two other new songs went in different directions: One leaned more on rhythm than melody, and the other featured John Nolan alone on stage singing in a countryish vein, "What did her friends say? Who was involved? I'll call it all off."
10:01 p.m. The Fall, Hiro Ballroom. Perhaps the angriest and most prolific band on the planet, The Fall is now in its fourth decade and continues to churn out records with the sole intent of irritating people. Saturday night the band succeed, though whether by accident or design was unclear. Singer-sneerer Mark E. Smith has grown increasingly incomprehensible (if that's possible) and his hard-driving grooves were ill-served by a new lineup of musicians whose hearts weren't in it. That said, let's hope Smith keeps going forever.
Listen to "Blindness (Alternative Mix)."
11:45 p.m. Priestess, Bowery Ballroom. One of the leaders of the new wave of "heritage metal" -- that is, hoary old rock played by hairy young bands -- Priestess brought massive riffage to the hipsters without a single ironic wink or nudge. The band also played its marvelous pop-metal single, "Talk To Her." And kudos for perching the drummer on a super-tall riser in vintage rock style.
12:36 p.m. Diamond Nights, Bowery Ballroom. With tongue in cheek, Diamond Nights harked back to the '70s power-rock of Thin Lizzy and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, laying down chunky riffs over nifty pop structures. The band has a handful of terrific tunes on its debut album "Popsicle" (Kemado), particularly the fuzzy, sunny "Destination Diamonds." Singer Morgan Phalen couldn't quite reach all the high notes -- who could, in pants that tight? -- but he put some juice into the low, husky verses of "Saturday Fantastic."
1:05 a.m. The Idyllists, The Annex. At a semi-official, after-CMJ event, this American band (featuring a British singer, Ian Webber) was a nice discovery. The group took its cues from the New Romantics of the 1980s, with slightly bouncy, slightly sad melodies and appealing synthesizer lines. Is there still room in the world for this kind of well-written pop?
Listen to "Touch and Go" and "Runaways."
1:30 a.m. The Cinematics, The Annex. These four Scots came across like a kinder, gentler Franz Ferdinand, sporting asymmetrical haircuts, collared shirts and tasteful sweaters. But instead of flashy pop, we got half-speed rhythms and calm melodies that eventually all blended together. That's okay -- at CMJ, you win some, you lose some. And thus ended the marathon.