CMJ Preview: Datarock

When choosing the groups I wanted to preview for the CMJ Music Marathon previews and one group in particular stood out to me on the list.  Since I'm a father of a three year old, I only became aware of Norwegian artists "Datarock" when I bought a Yo Gabba Gabba CD for my son to listen to.  Their track on the "Music is Awesome Volume 2" compilation is called "Smile for the Camera" (see first video below) and I think I liked it more than my son did!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1R0ZSSVXJ0[/youtube]

Since first hearing that song, I checked out a lot of their other stuff and wow, do they cover a wide spectrum of musical genres. From the funk infused "Fa-Fa-Fa" on last year's release "Datarock Datarock" to the glam pop/disco track "California" from this year's EP of the same name, these guys can perform many styles and they do it well!  The frenetic rock-tinged  "Give it Up"  (second video below) is another great example of the fun type of sound these guys put out.  It was also featured in the video soccer game FIFA '10 (which I totally pwnd, just try me!).

Datarock will be playing CMJ on Friday, October 21st at 1015pm at the intimate Studio at Webster Hall.  Take note, I think three year olds are likely discouraged from attending.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmNR21tY-VM[/youtube]