Backstage Pass

7 p.m. JUSTICE. This once-underground French dance-duo is now famous for two things: Its T-shirt-themed video for "D.A.N.C.E.," and prompting an outcry from Kanye West after edging him out for an MTV Europe Music Award. Don't miss the warm-up synth group Midnight Juggernauts. (Terminal 5, 610 W. 56th St., Manhattan. 212-260-4700.)

8 p.m. AEROPLANE PAGEANT. Brooklyn will get a taste of Strong Island when this wonderful sad-pop outfit shares the bill with another local troupe, the ever-quirky Beat Radio. (Union Hall, 702 Union St., Brooklyn. 718-638-4400.)

9:15 p.m. ANATHALLO. The Michigan orchestral pop collective is full of gorgeous surprises. (Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., Manhattan, 212-219-3132.)

10 p.m. THE COLOR FRED. Ex-Taking Back Sunday guitarist/ singer Fred Mascherino's new band hits the ground running with the power-pop debut "Bend to Break." The live show will likely be just as hard-hitting. Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., Manhattan, 212-219-3132.)

10:30 p.m. BABY ELEPHANT. The latest project from Amityville's Prince Paul delves into jazzy, funky grooves. (Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery, Manhattan. 212-982-0740.)

11 p.m. THE BRUNETTES. The delightful pop-rockers from New Zealand are less cutesy and more charming on the new "Structure and Cosmetics" album. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St., Manhattan, 212-533-2111.)

Though M.I.A.'s CMJ showcase is technically tonight at Terminal 5, her show Thursday night showed why she is growing into one of music's most important new artists. Her 75-minute set was a potent mix of world beats and truly populist politics that was made even more thrilling because of its simplicity. Though fans of "Arular" and her new "Kala" album have come to expect the African and Eastern rhythms in her music, M.I.A. also threw in some new wave influences that drove the crowd wild, ending "$20" with New Order's "Blue Monday" and "$10" with Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." Perhaps most surprising was the injection of Lil Mama's "Lip Gloss" into her hit "Galang" -- true signs M.I.A. can please the crowd as well as move it.

(Thursday night, Terminal 5, before the M.I.A. show. The crowd had been booing for about five minutes, after a long delay and some turntable sound issues. M.I.A. guest rapper Afrikan Boy takes the mic to try to calm the people down. It worked for a bit. Then he pushed too far.)

 AFRIKAN BOY: When I say, "M.I.A.," you say "Whoomp! There it is!" M.I.A.

CROWD: Boo!

AFRIKAN BOY: M.I.A.!

CROWD: Boo!

(Tuesday night, Mercury Lounge, during the acoustic set of Jesse Lacey and Vin Accardi of Brand New.)

GUY IN CROWD: Brand New's the best! [Expletive] TBS!

JESSE LACEY: That kid's from 1999. He came here in his time machine.

GUY IN CROWD: [silence] 

7 p.m. MGMT. Glam-rock chords, sleek synths and Bowie-esque vocals define this Next Big Thing out of Brooklyn. (Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery, Manhattan. 212-982-0740.)

8 p.m. AS TALL AS LIONS. Long Island's best indie-rock troupe is moving on up, playing a prime-time gig at a hot new downtown venue. (HighLine Ballroom, 431 W 16th St., Manhattan. 212-414-5994.)

9 p.m. SCOTLAND YARD GOSPEL CHOIR. Is the orchestral pop outfit from Chicago this year's Arcade Fire? It should be. (Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow St., Manhattan, 212-253-0036.)

10 p.m. M.I.A. Miss Maya is this year's queen of CMJ, as her wild, world-beat experiments on "Kala" win her more fans. (Terminal 5, 610 W. 56th St., Manhattan, 212-260-4700.)

11 p.m. EL-P. If we define what El-P does as rap-rock and not that lame noise Limp Bizkit used to make, it would still be thriving. (Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn, 212-260-4700.)

12:30 a.m. THE WARLOCKS. One of the best bands from California's never-ending '60s revival scene, The Warlocks play delightfully gloomy, swooning psych-rock with a sense of humor. (Luna Lounge, 361 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn. 866-468-7619.)

6 p..m. DATAROCK. The headliner on this seven-band bill is Spoon, which laces its stripped-down indie-rock with funk and disco, but don't miss Datarock, a vastly entertaining Norwegian dance-rock duo that sings about geeky pursuits such as BMX biking and computer programming. (Blender Theater at Gramercy, 27 E. 23rd St., Manhattan. 212-777-6800.)

7:45 p.m. BENZOS. Think Radiohead with even more experimentation and less of a chill. (Blender Theater at Gramercy, 127 E. 23rd St., Manhattan, 212-777-6800.)

10 p.m. NIGHT KILLS THE DAY. Singer Luke Brian and keyboardist Timothy Falzone of Bayville hammer out Goth-tinged rock with themes of addiction, depression and other psychodramas. (Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery, Manhattan. 212-982-0740.)

10 p.m. EISLEY. The sweet sounds of the DuPree sisters and their rocking brothers are stronger than ever on the recent "Combinations" album. (Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, Manhattan, 212-777-6800.)

10:30 p.m. ENON. The Go! Team crossed with an electronic-leaning Beck, with more consistently great experiments than both. (HighLine Ballroom, 431 W. 16th St., Manhattan, 212-414-5994.)

Midnight. SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO. Along with pals Justice, Manchester's Simian Mobile Disco are pushing a revival of good time electronic disco. (Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn, 212-260-4700.)

8:30 p.m. THE FORECAST. If all the guy-gal indie-rocker bands around now had a cage match, The Forecast would win hands down – musically and physically. Bowery Poetry Club.

9 p.m. MATES OF STATE. The power-poppy “it” couple of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel start their New York run of shows with a free one. Avalon.

9:50 p.m. SERJ TANKIAN. The System of a Down singer previews his solo album, out on Tuesday, for the CMJ crowd. Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza.

11 p.m. COBRA STARSHIP. Put your fangs up. Cobra Starship will unveil songs from its new “Viva la Cobra” album, also out Tuesday, as well as the usual good-time fun of “The Church of Hot Addiction.” Don Hill’s.

Cobra Starship, "Send My Love to the Dancefloor"

The 27th annual CMJ Music Marathon, headquartered at the Puck Building this year, kicks off today and rocks through the weekend. (If you’re not registered for the conference, each club has its own policy about how many, if any, non-badgeholders can get into the shows for a separate admission fee.)

Who's worth checking out? Some of today's suggestions:

7 p.m. JAY BRANNAN. Though he got attention for his acting (and doing other things) in the John Cameron Mitchell movie “Shortbus,” Brannan’s singing and storytelling is even more charming. Mercury Lounge.

8:15 p.m. JESSE LACEY & VIN ACCARDI. The Brand New boys make a rare acoustic appearance. Mercury Lounge.

9 p.m. LIFETIME. The emo pioneers make a much-deserved comeback. Webster Hall.

10 p.m. DEAN & BRITTA. Dreamy, orchestral pop from Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips. (Stick around for the sweet synth pop of The Rosebuds at 11 p.m.) Bowery Ballroom.

Dean and Britta, "Words You Used to Say"

12 a.m. CELEBRATION. Joy Division-like rhythms and atmospherics, handclaps and Moogs, and a female singer. What’s not to like? Union Pool.

The five-day CMJ Music Marathon ended -- finally! -- in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Check out the night-by-night reports in the blog below, or read a wrap-up of the entire ear-splitting, head-banging, sleep-depriving experience here.

From Long Island to Scotland, from piano ballads to heavy metal, Saturday marked the last and most diverse night of the marathon.

In order for hip-hop culture to continue to flourish, it needs to revert to its independent roots and bust out of the stereotypes that corporate culture pushes it into, speakers at the CMJ Music Marathon's "Hip-Hop Under Fire" panel said Saturday.

"The industry is messed up right now," said rapper Rampage. "They're going into a depression."

Rapper Chuck D likens the current state of hip-hop to a lavish Thanksgiving dinner. There would be plenty of food for everyone if they all acted orderly, but with so many people just looking out for themselves, so much gets wasted.

"We've got to break out of that," the Public Enemy rapper said. "It's this scavenger effect of guys just going for broke. There's chaos at the table."

Part of that chaos is an ongoing mistreatment of women, a movement of rappers pretending to be dumber than they are, and a rise in rap beefs, a war of increasingly violent words.

Angela Yee, who manages GZA and is a DJ on Sirius Satellite Radio, said beefs are becoming more popular, even among artists who don't really have anything to fight about. "Obviously, a lot of it is for show," she said. "Some have agreements behind the scenes. They know it helps sell records."

However, Derrick Parker, the former NYPD officer who spearheaded the department's effort to gather information about hip-hop artists, said that police officials continue to take beefs seriously. Parker, who recently worked with police on the Oct. 17 shooting of Fabolous, said the department continues to gather information because "there are still some criminal acts associated to hip-hop and they need to keep abreast of what's going on."

Chuck D said hip-hoppers need to stop feeding the stereotypes. "I'm sick of smart -- -- acting stupid," he said. "Your father's a doctor, son. Stop it."

Another night, another round of going from club to club holding out your CMJ badge like Oliver Twist offering his empty bowl. Friday marked the ultimate ignominy: Getting shut out of an Albert Hammond, Jr. show.

It's only been a few months since Joseph Arthur hooked up with his new band, but the change has been nothing short of spectacular. Not only has the band -- which includes guitarist/keyboardist Golden Smog's Kraig Jarret Johnson, guitarist Jen Turner from Furslide, bassist Sybil Buck and drummer Greg Wiz from Telescope -- made songs from Arthur's already-excellent "Nuclear Daydream" (Lonely Astronaut) even livelier, it has freed Arthur from the meticulous creation of loops and atmospherics that he was previously known for and let him stretch as a performer.

At Southpaw Friday night, Arthur and his band played up the Bowie-ness and Jagger-osity of "Nuclear Daydream" songs like "Slide Away" and "Electrical Storm," while reimagining "You Are Free" and "Enough to Get Away" with Clash-like ferocity.

He also unveiled a new, awesome invention: using rolls of toilet paper on a broom as streamers, blown out into the audience with a leaf blower. As if he needed any more help with turning his appearance into one of the best shows, not just of CMJ, but of the year.

Listen to Joseph Arthur live on WNYC's Soundcheck here

The Puma Store at Union Square couldn’t have been a worse match for the Silversun Pickups’ ‘90s-rock-drenched guitar atmospherics, yet somehow the L.A. quartet made it work. With people smashed together amid the Chinese-slipper running shoes and these fashion-forward boots that were made for walking, singer/guitarist Brian Aubert still commanded the crowd’s attention Thursday afternoon with a strong set of songs from the gorgeous “Carnavas” (Dangerbird) album. Though the album is a mix of Smashing Pumpkin prettiness and My Bloody Valentine spaciness, the Silversun Pickups live show is far more raw and in-your-face, especially "Comeback Kid" from last year's "Pikul" EP.

Aubert also managed to keep things light, asking store workers if they had enough security, “because there sure are a lot of shoes here.” When babies began to cry in the audience, he asked, “Could we turn down the babies? We’re doing a rock show here.”

Quite a rock show, in fact. One of the best of the CMJ Music Marathon.

Listen to "Well Thought Out Twinkles" here

Sometimes being a CMJ badge holder makes you feel like royalty. Other times it means squat. Tonight was squat night.

FRIDAY

8:15 p.m. PORTASTATIC. What started out as Mac McCaughan’s quieter, prettier side project from Superchunk has turned rockier and peppier on the new “Be Still Please” album. Knitting Factory.

8:30 p.m. JOSEPH ARTHUR. Backed by a rocking new band, Joseph Arthur can release his inner Jagger as he struts through his happiest and, yes, sexiest album in years, “Nuclear Daydream.” Southpaw.

9 p.m. SECRET MACHINES. The Brooklyn transplants keep a tight rein on their neo-prog rock, balancing grand atmospherics with taut guitar riffs and sharp lyrics. Warsaw.

10 p.m. BLACK KEYS. The Akron, Ohio, guitar-drums duo’s new “Magic Potion” album is so packed with powerful blues-rock it should bury those White Stripes comparisons once and for all. Nokia Theater Times Square.

11 p.m. MEW. Denmark’s Mew is like a time machine back to the early ‘90s, when shoegazers walked the earth and every hipster wanted to sound like Lush. Bowery Ballroom. (Stick around for Aussie charmers The Grates at midnight.)

12:30 a.m. JUCIFER. Guitars so loud, you think they will rip your face off. Luckily, Amber Valentine’s cool vocals will keep a smile in place. Ace of Clubs.

1 a.m. LONGWAVE. Judging from the swirling, dreamy new stuff on its website, Longwave’s follow-up to last year’s standout “There’s a Fire” will be just as impressive. Mercury Lounge.

SATURDAY

7:15 p.m. CHRIS CONLEY. The Saves the Day frontman goes solo and acoustic. Knitting Factory.

7:45 p.m. THE SCOTLAND YARD GOSPEL CHOIR. If Belle and Sebastian were from Chicago and, you know, not suddenly preoccupied by disco and frogs, they would sound like this. Fat Baby. (Also 1 p.m. at Union Pool.)

9:15 p.m. THE FALL. Hey! Luciani! The future’s here today! Oh Mark E. Smith, how you’ve been missed. Hiro Ballroom.

11 p.m. THE WATSON TWINS. Before they hooked up with Jenny Lewis, the Watson Twins were still singing alt-country in sweet harmony. Irving Plaza.

Talk about diversity: Wednesday's highlights included Swedish techno, theatrical glam rock, and Chris Brown.

John Ralston's "Gone, Gone, Gone"

OK, so I broke the No. 1 rule of CMJ Marathon-ing Wednesday night. I ditched the plan. On my way to Bowery Ballroom to check out What Made Milwaukee Famous, I noticed Brakes were playing Ace of Clubs. Well, I liked “All Night Disco Party” and the British band’s second album is out next week, right before they head out on tour with The Killers, so I figured I would go there instead. Yeah, I thought it was weird they were playing at 7 p.m., but with CMJ showcases, you never know.

Turns out the band playing Ace of Clubs was THE Brakes, a blues-tinged, roots rock band from Philadelphia, not the Britpop band Brakes. Oh.

7:01 p.m. THE BRAKES. Ace of Clubs. Luckily, The Brakes were a likable enough band, especially singer/guitarist Zach Djanikian, who rolls out a peaceful, easy feeling that sets off guitarist Derek Feinberg’s fiery guitarwork even more.

8:00 p.m. JOHN RALSTON, Irving Plaza. The singer-songwriter from Lake Worth, Fla., is far more upbeat than his Indigo Girlish dashboard confessional “Gone, Gone, Gone” would suggest. The revved-up rocker “Fragile,” with its buzzing guitar, and the demonic waltz “Hang a Sign” from his new album “Needle Bed” (Vagrant), show why he’s well on his way to bigger things.

Now, some schedules had the great Ben Lee following Ralston at Irving Plaza. Others had the, um, not-so-great Rooney in the 9 p.m. slot. Would my luck hold out?

(At this break, I’d like to send a shout-out to Irving Plaza’s Mike Connors, the city’s best doorman. In a week where so many of the guys working the door at the city’s clubs get stressed – often understandably – by long lines of attitude-filled badgeholders, Mike and the rest of his crew always manage to keep their cool.)

4 p.m. SILVERSUN PICKUPS. A little Smashing Pumpkins, a little My Bloody Valentine, a lot of catchy, guy-girl harmonies and indie-rock guitar buzz. Puma Store, 33 Union Square West. (Or at Pianos at 8 p.m.)

8 p.m. OXFORD COLLAPSE. The Brooklyn-based Sub Pop band aggressively bounces between Luna cool and Modest Mouse spikiness. Bowery Ballroom.

9 p.m. THE ELECTED. The grand team of Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett and The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello make pretty, delicate electro-folk on “Sun, Sun, Sun.” Bowery Ballroom.

10 p.m. THE WALKMEN. In the spirit of friendship and experimentation, The Walkmen tackle a song-by-song cover of “Pussy Cats,” a 1974 collaboration between John Lennon and Harry Nilsson that includes Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and Doc Pomus’ “Save the Last Dance for Me.” NYU’s Skirball Center for Performing Arts.

11 p.m. ACTION ACTION. Long Island’s ever-clever, new-new-wavers rock out with songs from the underrated “An Army of Shapes Between Wars” album. Bowery Poetry Club.

8:30 p.m. TIM EASTON. Stunning alt-folk with an edge. Southpaw.

10 p.m. BEN LEE. Sing along, “My head’s a box full of nothing and that’s the way I like it.” Irving Plaza.

11:25 p.m. COLD WAR KIDS. The most engaging Britpop-blues band ever to come from Long Beach, Calif. Bowery Ballroom. (Stick around for TAPES ‘N TAPES at 12:30 a.m.)

1 a.m. GIRL TALK. His mash-ups are so great (Ciara + Elastica = magic), Gregg Gillis makes Steve Winwood’s “Valerie” sound hot. Mercury Lounge.

CMJ kicked off Tuesday, and once again the gift-bag did not contain the space-age jet-pack needed to blast oneself from venue to venue in order to keep up with the concert schedule. Good thing God made taxis.

The CMJ Music Marathon, which opened its 26th annual conference yesterday at Lincoln Center and in 50 clubs across the New York area, has always had a strong do-it-yourself attitude, as more than 1,000 bands try to get attention almost any way they can.

Chuck D., however, proposed a whole new level of D.I.Y. yesterday at a panel discussion on musical activism that kicked off the five-day event. The Public Enemy rapper said that instead of spending time “looking for a fantastic recording artist, be one.”

He urged the audience to be vigilant about their beliefs. “I have never seen the level of disrespect for young adults higher than right now,” Chuck D. said. “Older people are leading them to the grave.”

It’s a concept that moderator Janeane Garofalo and alt-country singer Steve Earle echoed throughout the panel, applying it to politics, as well as music. Earle said the majority of the country gave its tacit approval for the Iraq War. “If you weren’t saying something against it, you were saying it was OK,” said Earle.

The panel was trying to encourage attendees to get informed and speak their minds, instead of simply accepting what their leaders tell them. “They are trying to get people to be crash test dummies for consumption,” said Chuck D. “Make sure someone else doesn’t make up your mind.”

CMJ has always been on the cutting edge of hip new music. But bloggers and downloading can't compete with a real, live concert.

Full story here.

7:30 p.m. MATT NATHANSON. The underrated singer-songwriter tells tales of answering machine arguments and sex in cars. Knitting Factory.

8:45 p.m. CUTE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR. The pop-punkers may sing, “This is a party without the people,” but they’ll be wrong. Irving Plaza.

10 p.m. YOUNG LOVE. New York’s next dance-rock party kings. Sin-e.

11 p.m. THE RAPTURE. New York’s current dance-rock party kings. Bowery Ballroom.