WFNX Best Music Poll gets off to blazing start

On Thursday evening, under a baby blue sky and brilliant sunshine, part one of the annual WFNX Best Music Poll bash kicked off on an outdoor stage on Lansdowne Street.

Seven hours and 13 acts later, inside Avalon, the event's largest venue, the Secret Machines were wrapping up. The Texas trio matched towering indie-rock passages with crystalline vocal harmonies, moving away from the juxtaposition of hard guitars and sometimes-catchy, sometimes-flimsy melodies that dominated the night. Meanwhile, California crew Blackalicious pounded out tuneful hip-hop next door at Axis.

There were curiosities and next big things. While the ennui-drenched Elefant affected a dramatic, disaffected pose earlier at Axis, a similarly stylized Rock Kills Kid, performing at a packed Bill's Bar, actually made it work. RKK's songs were strong on melody and big on guitars, sometimes three of them. It was all led by the engaging disdain of singer Jeff Tucker.

The quintet's CD, ''Are You Nervous," Tucker didn't fail to remind, was just released this week.

Indeed, the commercial aspect of the event was undeniable. But earlier, with Lansdowne Street closed off and music blasting from the outdoor stage, people milled and mingled, and there was a feeling of community in the air.

On the outdoor stage, Boston trio Buffalo Tom was in top form, belting out ''I'm Allowed," ''Tree House," and ''Rachael." Reacting to being introduced as ''classic," singer Bill Janowitz scoffed, ''Classic, that just means old." Or timeless. The best any artist can hope for.

Directly facing the still-blazing sun, Chicago power-pop quartet Ok Go squinted through a punchy set that included a pouty cover of ELO's ''Don't Bring Me Down." Their finale ended with the band lining up for a synchronized dance routine that crossed Busby Berkeley with 'N Sync as they mimed, straight-faced, through a tape of their own ''A Million Ways."