More acts will be announced between now and the festival, which also includes panels, film premieres and College Day for college radio stations and non-commercial programmers. For complete lineup and ticket information, head to the CMJ website.

Elizabeth Harper of Class Actress sounds off on the kinds of deals record labels are now offering (especially after bands play at festivals like CMJ), and why it’s a good idea to consider the future.

Plans are always grandiose during the CMJ Music Marathon, but what happens in between usually stays with you. Such was the case for night three of the fest, in which we happily stumbled across LA band Grouplove at Public Assembly. The quintet ran through a set of confident, catchy songs with each member visibly excited to perform. Kinda rare these days, and so welcome.

Perhaps their giddiness is in fact dedication: Grouplove found each other while globetrotting between NYC, Greece, London and LA, and subsequently all relocated to the latter city to record. Catch them on tour with Florence and the Machine, Two Door Cinema Club and The Joy Formidable.

Though no one moved a muscle during Lower Dens‘ set at the Knitting Factory, the audience was quite appreciative of the Baltimore band’s dark, ethereal vibe. Frontwoman Jana Hunter’s vocals were on point while the rest of the band led the procession into their otherworldy sound. Don’t fret if you miss them during the Marathon; they’re touring the U.S. and Europe through December, playing select dates with Frankie Rose & the Outs, Woven Bones, Bear In Heaven and Beach House.

After touring with MGMT, Grizzly Bear, and Deerhunter, the guys are hitting the road on a tour of their own playing dates in the U.K. They also have a few shows in New York City, including CMJ.

We caught up with the guys long before they set a release date, and they told us about their contemporaries and finding their sound.

In keeping with the theme of the night, we bounced to a venue known for messy basement-style bands: The Charleston. Heavy Cream–three rowdy women and one token dude–wasted no time getting the party started. They’ve got the classic punk rock formula down: raspy vocals, mosh pit instigation and full intent on creating drunken sing along hits. Lines include “Gonna get wasted/gonna get high” and the inevitable, “I’m gonna drink til I puke.”

And here’s where we veer off our badass-bands-only course a little bit, but for good reason. One block over at Spike Hill, Norwegian band Sissy Wish was just finishing their bouncy, whimsy set.  Siri Ålberg was also rocking a vest made entirely of cassette tapes, which doesn’t exactly slay, but is pretty damn cool.

After a little guitar malfunction that had The Bloodsugars in search of an E string (and G strings from willing volunteers…), the band ran through a tight set of bass-heavy indie that ventured into dance territory and at times bordered on jazzy, perhaps due in part to newer drummer Kenneth Salters. They also performed some brand new jams from their upcoming album, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, out November 3. Alright, so they don’t exactly slay, but you can tell these guys  are accomplished musicians. They also genuinely enjoy playing together and the feeling is contagious, a seeming rarity these days. Bands, take note.

Turns out vocalist/guitarist Kristian Stockhaus could have been born Christian Stockhouse instead. You see, a distant relative by the name of Sven once stepped foot onto a boat bound for America. Alas, for reasons you’ll have to imagine yourself, our hero Sven decided to stay in Norway after all. Several generations later, had Ungdomskulen been American, Stockhaus noted, they would definitely be way less cool.

Then it was off to K&M in Brooklyn to catch Warpaint at a private FADER party. The three-piece had the honor of being the only band on the bill and performed for a hot, packed room. Band members didn’t stop after their set either, instead cutting the rug to some dance floor classics.

Much later, Uncensored Interview headed to Le Poisson Rouge for the Green Owl Records showcase. Though The Very Best weren’t able to play due to some travel issues, Virginia brothers Clipse were added to the bil. Ninjasonik and their crew spent a few songs goofing off on stage, and when energy in room died down, what better way to save it than with a Bad Brains cover and a mosh pit?

Theophilus London kept the crowd’s attention though it was after 2 a.m., as did some indie celebrities rumored to be in attendance. Clipse finally took the stage right before 3 a.m. to perform “Grindin’” and “What Happened to That Boy,” plus a couple off their new full-length Till the Casket Drops. Just as quickly they walked off stage, leaving fans not so politely questioning their incredibly short set.

What do Das Racist, Gordon Voidwell, Suckers, Bin Laden Blowin Up, Tony Castles and Bottle Up and Go have in common? Why, The MuseBox/PopGun Booking showcase tonight at The Studio at Webster Hall, of course.

Uncensored Interview is a proud media sponsor of the event featuring artists we’ve chatted with before and breaking new talent we’re excited to catch in action. It all starts tonight at 7pm and goes until…well, this is CMJ. The party ends only when you want it to.

With talent like this right in front of your very eyes, who wants to go home?

The Antlers took the stage next with a quiet opener, but it was lead singer Peter Silberman’s high-pitched vocals, highly emotive lyrics and the band’s abrupt changes that kept the crowd’s attention. Favorites included songs from their recent release, Hospice. Despite the serious tone, when someone screamed “We love you!’ Silberman couldn’t help a demure smile.

Over at Bruar Falls, Seattle Mariners baseball caps peppered the crowd for the Emerald City’s Mt. Fuji Records showcase. Despite The Maldives’ absentee steel pedal player (he’s scared of flying), the stage was packed with seven musicians playing guitars, drums, bass, a banjo, a melodica and a fiddle to round things out. Their rootsy mix of rock ‘n’ roll riffs and country intent was a highlight of the night.

And though Black Whales–also Seattle representatives–had their set cut short by the inevitable wee hours and a cranky neighbor, members made the best of it by running through a condensed set of tightly-knit songs. They knew they had to make their time count, so the band shunned the stage, instead playing on the main floor, up close and personal with fans of Black Whales’ poppy, reverb-heavy sound.

Slightly mad and wholly irresistible, flame-haired singer Florence Welch first nudged her way into my music-addled mind via a demo spun on BBC Radio 6 Music, the alternative digital station, around late 2007 (perhaps it was a cover of Beirut’s “Postcards From Italy”). At South By Southwest that March, I arrived early for BBC deejay Steve Lamacq’s terrific showcase at the Mexican restaurant Rio, where MGMT, Florence and the Machine, Wild Light and the now-belated I Was A Cub Scout held court.

MGMT might have had the Austin buzz, but Welch stole the show, slyly armed with her ferocious voice, plaintive delivery and daft on-stage persona. Barefoot and dressed in a diminutive frock, she gleefully channeled Zelda Fitzgerald, and mid-set, galloped to Rio’s ornamental pool and dived in, capriciously pulling in a friend after her. She emerged dripping wet and then, daring electrocution, strode back to the mic and finished her set. It was a magnificent moment of insane bravado.

Later that month I wrote about Florence’s infinite promise as part of a feature on fast-rising chanteuse Adele (for a jazz magazine, of all things), prodded another publication onto her path and then waited, spending the rest of the year wondering what South London’s Welch had up her sleeve and when she’d finally release a debut album (not yet).

First signed to indie label Moshi Moshi, former home of Kate Nash, present home to the terrific James Yuill, Florence And The Machine unfurled a string of eclectic U.K. singles and covers in 2008. There was the garage-punk, pugilistic yelp of “Kiss With A Fist” (not about domestic violence, she says), an elegiac rendition of Candi Staton’s disco spiritual “You’ve Got the Love” and her latest single: the romantically-vexed, hand-clapped anthem, “Dog Days Are Over.”

Though often compared to Kate Bush, Florence is the earthier answer to Kate’s etherealness, although both women have a fondness for diaphanous costumes and metaphorical lyricism and they carry their Union Jack freak flag proudly. Welch’s childlike eccentricity and fierce defiance of niche (she’s no bluesy, bleary-eyed Amy Winehouse, pop-friendly Little Boots or sleek, retro-brassy Duffy) has transformed her into one of the U.K.’s most exciting new voices without the benefit of a debut album. She’s number three on BBC’s prestigious Sounds Of 2009 list (Adele was number one last year) and recently signed a British deal with Island Records. When I first glanced at her MySpace page well more than a year ago, she boasted about 100,000 hits; she’s now far surpassed a million.

Florence and the Machine’s circle of musician friends include some of our Uncensored Interview pals, like Lightspeed Champion, Jack Peñate and Emmy the Great. And while we’ve not caught up with Florence yet, as her planned New York debut during CMJ was sadly scrapped, she’s someone we heartily believe could not only kick Katy Perry’s arse with one hand tied behind her back, but who absolutely deserves to be in the top 10 of your personal Sounds of 2009.

Best Dressed, Male: Project Jenny, Project Jan (Wednesday @ Pianos)
I expected some stiff competition from Yip-Yip in this category, but their new costumes aren’t quite as amazing as the old ones. As a result, Jeremy Haines from Project Jenny, Project Jan easily snags this spot by donning his white suit looking sharp and stylish at Ear Farm’s party Wednesday at Pianos.

Best Dressed, Female: Hottub (Tuesday @ Lit Lounge)
“Best” being a relative term here. One of the members of Hottub wore a red sequin top and blue spandex-style pants. Maybe I should’ve called the category “most interestingly dressed.”

Cutest Couple: Hexes And Ohs (Thursday @ Spike Hill)
I don’t know if these two are dating, but they should be.

Band I Didn’t Ever Intend To See But Ended Up Seeing Multiple Times Anyway: Crystal Antlers (Wednesday @ Todd P Party, Saturday @ Music Hall of Williamsburg)
I had seen Crystal Antlers earlier this year and thought they were alright. I didn’t feel their performance to be too spectacular; certainly nothing that would warrant show after show at various places around the city during CMJ. In fact, they ended up playing so much that I saw them twice without even trying.

Best Effort: Totally Michael (Saturday @ Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Totally Michael is like Matt & Kim’s offspring raised by Atom & His Package. His show involved a few audience participation parts, which I actually usually enjoy. However, the parts were either too speedy or too complicated to sing-along. Nice try, but, eh–it was a disappointment.

Best Performance: Monotonix (Saturday @ Music Hall of Williamsburg)
If I had seen one of Monotonix’s other performance, this might be a toss-up. I’m sure that the band just go fucking nuts interacting with the crowds and surroundings no matter where they are, possibly getting wilder with each effort. The music was actually pretty good too, when I was actually able to pay attention to it.

Best Party: Uncensored Interview (Friday @ Santos Party House)
Did you really expect me to say anything else?

Best Showcase: Panache Showcase (Friday @ Knitting Factory)
Best Fwends, Akimbo, An Albatross, The Mae Shi, Monotonix, Catcall, Shellshag, DMBQ, AIDS Wolf, The Homosexuals, Screens, Fiasco, Yip-Yip, Sole and the Skyrider Band, Aa…need I say more?

The best performance of the day was easily from Monotonix. In hindsight, I was sort of sad I left before their performance the night before at the Knitting Factory.

Monotonix threw water and beer all over the crowd, moved their drum set all over the venue (without really missing a beat), and made a complete mess of everything.

This isn’t to say other performances weren’t also great. The high energy of DMBQ at Monster Island packed the small space, and the guitarist climbed a nearby pole to poke his head above the crowd in classic punk rock fashion.

Upon returning to Music Hall of Williamsburg, I got there in time for the one and only Juiceboxxx, who continued in the vein of bands exerting a non-stop barrage of energy. In addition, I also caught performances from Totally Michael, Shout Out Out Out Out and Team Robespierre at iheartcomix’s showcase.