We should probably mention right off the bat that New Orleans foursome Mute Math is kinda sorta a Christian rock band. Despite this, they a) sound nothing like Creed and b) never flat-out name-check Jesus. In fact, the group actually sued their label when they were marketed as Christian rockers, fearing it would limit their fan base. So we're giving ourselves permission to like them. And apparently so are the scores of folks who showed up for their gig at B.B. Kings' Blues Club last night. For almost two hours, the quartet brought the house down with their emo-meets-Radiohead brand of atmospheric rock, ripping through tunes from their debut album. Frontman Paul Meany (who plays keyboards and a keytar) hopped around stage like a chimpanzee on a sugar high, and drummer Darren King taped his monitor headphones around his head to allow for maximum rocking out. And unlike most every other CMJ act, these guys supplemented their songs with a killer light show: Rows of fluorescent tubes were illuminated behind them, lending them a downright ethereal glow. Praise the Lord, we guess.

Perhaps we just have nukes on the brain, but last night in the basement of B.B. Kings' Blues Club, Chicago prog-rockers Wax On Radio kicked up ambient explosions to rival Kim Jong Il's latest nuclear tests. Already darlings of the indie music scene in their hometown, the foursome snagged their first headlining show at venerable Chi-town venue Metro less than a year after they formed, and subsequently got signed to Downtown Records (home to Gnarls Barkley and Art Brut). Their debut album, Exposition,was released in September.

Last night, despite some sound issues, the boys pushed through thirty minutes worth of taught jams, showing off their talent for expansive melodies and harmonic change-ups as bold as prime Zeppelin. The night's most peculiar moment arrived with the rendering of the track, "Today I Became a Realist." Normally a stripped-down acoustic platform for lead singer Mikey Russell's soaring vocal range, this version shimmered with tambourines and doubled-up bass drums, inspiring the otherwise low-key crowd of hooded hipsters to shimmy like a pack of "Solid Gold" dancers . If that's not enough to convince you, let us spell it out: Expect great things from this promising act.

I've seen lots of bands worse than The Horrors. I saw Morningwood once. And Jamiroquai, they weren't very good at all. Neither were Jonathan Fireeater. I used to live behind a bakery whose staff had a Dead cover band called Caution (Do Not Step On Tracks)--they sucked. Okay, I never saw Jonathan Fireeater. The point is, The Horrors could have been much worse, and they looked great, and they played this "garage rock" music that I hear is going to be the next big thing, and they were like the scenes in late Woody Allen movies where there's a wacky "rock" "band" to show how sick our society is today, and you could tell they were trying, plus cool hair, that's gotta count for something, right? But did they suck? Yes they did. Have I already heard Birthday Party records? Yes I have. Would I go see this band again? Depends on (1) if they learn any songs, and (2) how much the beers are. Last night the beer was free. Awesome!

The Sounds did their perky Swede synth-pop thing ("Tony the Beat" will always be one of those songs that whisks me back to the summer of 2006 -- do it do it real good) and the Crystal Castle DJs kicked ass (who ever gets sick of doing the handclaps to The Presets' "Are You The One?" -- not me, that's for sure). But CSS didn't show up, leaving The Horrors to headline, something those poor boys were no sooner qualified to do than anybody else in the room. Many people left, which meant more beer for us, so let's give The Horrors the benefizzle of the dizzle and figure it wasn't their night, and let's also recommend a chord or two. D, that's a good one. A, that's good too. Look them up. Now get crackin', Horrors! See you Friday at Studio B!

Say what you will about jam bands, you gotta give Medeski Martin and Wood props. What other group can get a room full of people to dance to freakin' keyboard jazz? MMW did just that when the costumed threesome returned to New York's Hammerstein Ballroom for their annual Halloween bash, one of the best gigs they play all year. The band warmed things up with some ambient dub explorations before kicking into high gear with tunes that showed off drummer Billy Martin's ass-shaking grooves and John Medeski's maniacal organ and clavinet attacks. The group's special guest, guitarist Dave Tronzo, breathed new life into the jazz-funk staples they've been playing live forever. Tronzo and Medeski thrilled the audience on fan favorites like the gospel-style rave up "Think" and "Is There Anybody Here That Loves My Jesus?" Everyone cheered when someone tossed out a huge handful of raver glowsticks, and when jams got a bit too noodly, revelers dressed as Borat, and the Super Mario Brothers offered a welcome diversion. We can't wait til next year.

This afternoon a care package composed of bandages, Band-Aids, aspirin, and Jack Daniels may be delivered to the hotel rooms of UK goth-punks the Horrors. Why? Because band frontman Faris Badwan was, as you may have heard, attacked onstage at Stereo in NYC last night. Originally it seemed like the incident wasn't a big deal, and Badwan was joking about the experience after the show. "I would never hit someone unless they hit me first. You should have seen his face afterwards," Badwan reportedly joked post-battle. But in truth the band was more shaken up than they let on, or at least their handlers were.

According to Sarah Lewitinn, head of Stolen Transmission, the band's US label, the Horrors may not play the rest of their CMJ shows. "I'm very concerned about the safety of the band and I'm considering pulling them out of the rest of their shows, except for the Stolen Transmission showcase on Thursday since I will be making sure there is a lot of security there for them," Lewitinn told us. Adding that she planned to send the band those aforementioned injury-soothing gift bags.

Theories are being battered about regarding what exactly inspired a collection of fans to get so aggressive with a relatively unknown band. Was it because everyone was drunk on pumpkin-flavored Jello shots, or are people generally jealous of a band with such great hair? Whatever it was, we might have to start one of those uber-fan petitions in which we urge the Horrors to soldier on. Halloween is over. Tonight we'll all be drunk on whiskey like normal hipsters. We promise to play nice.

The annual CMJ Music Marathon kicked off last night as scores of music- loving hipsters from all over the country descended on New York, crashing on friends' couches and whining about four dollar PBR's all in the name of good tunes. Some 1,000 bands will rock the city's venues for five days.

Lower East Side dungeon Sin-e hosted last night's MySpace.com Records showcase, featuring up-and-comers Ima Robot, ABO, Young Love, Heavens, Sherwood and Mickey Avalon. So who gets the new band award for potential to blow up like Panic! At the Disco?

Young Love, aka Texan-born Dan Keyes, who -- along with his four-piece live band -- treated the crowd to a delectable mixture of disco, pop and New Wave. Keyes tried to get the crowd into the Halloween spirit but got shot down by the audience: "Where's YOUR costume!" someone yelled back. Unperterbed, Keyes and the rest of his bunch got behinds moving with the show's closing song "Discotech," which they performed beneath a motionless disco ball.

The disco ball was most assuredly moving at the Bowery Ballroom a few blocks away, where NYC dance-rockers the Rapture, playfully clad in skeleton costumes, delivered a performance worthy of the Halloween-crazed crowd's enthusiasm. "We say something, you say something!" bassist Mattie Safer shouted to the audience, initiating a sloppy call-and-response for their classic "Sister Savior."

Saxaphonist Gabriel Andruzzi brought the funk on newer tracks like "Get Myself Into It" and "Whoo! Alright Yeah . . . Uh Huh," whose lyrics -- "People don't dance no more/ They just stand there like this/ They cross their arms and stare you down/ And drink and moan and diss" -- couldn't be further from the truth. Frontman Luke Jenner jumped around and pumped up the crowd with some Mr. Roboto moves from the ledge of the stage. The mood was a full on throw-your-hands-up dance party.

Ah, autumn. A time for raking leaves, drinking Dark & Stormies (dark rum and ginger beer -- look into it), and running ourselves ragged trying to see every worthwhile show on offer during the week-long whirlwind that is the CMJ Music Marathon. Every year around this time, bands big (Medeski, Martin and Wood), medium (The Shins), small (Cold War Kids) and teensy (Annuals) descend on New York to prove their mettle, win new fans and in some cases, simply get signed to a label. Tomorrow it all begins. There are craploads of acts we're hoping to catch, and craploads more we've heard buzz about. With hundreds of artists and scores of shows, it's effin' hard to know where to go, who to see and what to ditch. But we're gonna cover the bases as best we can. Check back after the festival ends November 4th for the acts that rocked us for real. In the meantime, check out the bands we're looking forward to seeing most . . .

• Mew -- Danish art-rockers with whimsical lyrics and sweet melodies
• Tokyo Police Club -- The latest Canadian import, these guys have cornered the market on ragged indie punk
• Young Love -- Glammy, disco-infused dance-rock; has the potential to be the next Panic! At the Disco
• The Horrors -- Cramps-ish goth punk with a sartorial flare
• Ferraby Lionheart -- Scruffy folk singer-songwriter
• The Knife -- Uber-stylish Swedish electronica outfit
• We Are The Fury -- Guilty pleasure-steez Ohio pop-punkers
• Percee P -- South Bronx hip hopper with indie cred and an old-school sound
• Lavender Diamond -- Woozy folk pop that reduces even your most cynical New Yorker into an elated optimist
• Black Lips -- Garage rockers from the dirty south who make the girls weak in the knees