Though she can’t bring her English self to adopt American slang like the word “awesome,” that’s exactly how the audience described Laura Marling at the Brooklyn Vegan CMJ showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn last night. The sweet-voiced vocalist ran through a set of crowd pleasers like “Ghosts” and “My Manic and I,” sprinkled in with a few new songs, mostly about what must be her favorite topic–love.

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.

The CMJ Music Marathon kicks off today and we’ve been resting up and drinking plenty of water in preparation for five nights of sleeplessness and perhaps one celebratory shot too many.

Over the next five days we’ll be bringing you coverage of the biggest bands and best surprises from New York City’s largest annual music festival. From highly anticipated acts like The xx and The Antlers to those with underground buzz like Boogie Boarder, ZAZA, Bodega Girls and nearly a thousand others, you’ll find complete festival coverage right here.

We’ll also be Tweeting from shows, so if you want to be in the know as we know, follow us over at our Twitter page. And hey, if you didn’t score a badge this year or just don’t have the money to fork over for a zillion shows, do it the Mogwai way.