Imperial Teen Saves the Day at a CMJ Party

It's an illusion that the SoHo/Lower Eastside/Brooklyn CMJ territory promotes club-hopping - the  venues are too far apart to navigate without fear that you'll never be able to get back in at that first club. Staying put in one venue appears to be the easiest option, but so far it means hearing some mediocre music before getting to the one band that piques the interest. Hence, I'm not writing about St. Vincent here.
After three days of heading to showcases and parties to hear bands we may never hear from again - or may become bigger than Arcade Fire - I may have stumbled upon something noteworthy, a Providence, R.I., band called Deertick. Guitar, standup bass and drums, a modern folk-rock twist and a lead voice (21-year-old John McCauley) that's a combination of gravel, growl and high-pitched whine,  Deertick's songs possess a sentimental simplicity in their lyrics.
Might have been one bad breakup or one impossible-to-get girl, but they express romantic desperation cogently and concisely.
McCauley has a splendid list of influences in his bio: Neil Young, Townes Van Zant, Ritchie Valens (he closed with "La Bamba"), Tony Bennett and Sammy Davis Jr.   
Earlier in the day, after staring at band after band of guys who could potentially date my daughters, it was simultaneously invigorating and jarring to watch Imperial Teen showcase material from their new album, "The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band." Together for 13 years, three members of the quartet look like they could be the parents of the audience members. (One wonders what they must think by looking out over the crowd - pull your pants up! did that neck piercing hurt? jenny! you didn't eat lunch and that's your third beer!) This what so-called infectious pop is all about; five years away from the recording studio and the band does not appear rusty one bit as composers or performers, a strong antidote to the unfocused and unsure bands that populate CMJ.
With a forged identity Imperial Teen stands out as  a unique ensemble - even the best of these young acts sound like a pastiche of  acts and sounds from the '70s and '80s.  (They were preceded by Doors-meets-hard beats unit We are Wolves and the Clash-Smiths-Walkmen punks Cut Off Your Hands. For what they do, both were impressive).
PS The latest no-show was the Len Price 3, a brilliant garage rock band that I have been trying to see for two years.