(photo: Wikimedia Commons)
I might be alone here, but as much as I love Yeah Yeah Yeahs I found myself let down by Wednesday's performance at the Aragon (aka the worst venue in all the land). Yes, Karen O was amazing. Yes, the band played a couple of my favorite songs and a good selection from their new album. But really, that's where the praise ends. Here's why.
Didn't get a chance to check out Ellen Allien last night at Sonotheque, but am looking forward to seeing fellow BPitch Control kingpins Apparat and Modeselektor joining forces tonight at Bottom Lounge as "Moderat." In addition to the sonic bass assault these Berlin techno heavyweights will be unleashing, there will also be a tripped out live visual spectacle of synchronized videos projected on three screens put together by multimedia design guru Pfadfinderei. Show is 18+, WLUW Abstract Science DJs Chris Widman and Luke Stokes get things rolling at 8pm.
Chicago's Stranger Waves have been getting quite a bit of press lately. They've done in-stores at Permanent Records and have started playing an increasing number of shows in the city. Last weekend alone, they played two shows, one at Schubas on Friday of course and another the very next night at The Hideout. The three piece are young...so young they have x's on their hands and attend their high school prom. Yet, their youth brings a promising start to a band that could continue to garner many more fans with this kind of pace and focus.
Continue reading "Stranger Waves w/ Clues @ Schubas 5/22/09" »
Hard to believe, but with Memorial Day unofficially kicking off the summer season this weekend, 2009 is nearly half over! With that in mind, we thought we'd take a quick look back and round up some of the best local music that found its way to our desktops so far this year:
Bitter Tears - "Slay The Heart of the Earth"
It's a shame that this band is so damn spazy and obnoxious live, because their latest record, Jam Tarts in the Jakehouse, makes me want to be a big fan of these guys.
Bird Names - "Taxicabs and Bicycles"
Speaking of spazy local art rock, Bird Names released a new album this spring called Bird Names Sings The Browns. Unlike Bitter Tears, I'd recommend seeing Bird Names in a live setting first (preferably in a small loft space), however more tracks like this may start to change that perception.
On a completely different note, I've never seen Loyal Divide live or heard much about them really, but was quickly won over upon hearing the dark, electronic sounds of their Labrador EP.
Scott Tuma and Mike Weis - "On Cox"
Huge thanks to Jason for turning me on to this one, a great experimental ambient collaboration here from local artists Scott Tuma and Mike Weis from the extremely limited edition (only 300 copies pressed) vinyl-only release Taradiddle.
Marc Bianchi-- better known to the world as Her Space Holiday-- is rolling through Chicago next Tuesday to promote his newest studio album XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Renewal, and we've got a pair of tickets for anyone who feels like spending their night snuggling up to one hell of a jam session. Her Space Holiday is a former member of Indian Summer and Mohinder, a refugee from the 90's California hardcore scene. He's remixed everything from Bob Mould to Bright Eyes to American Analog Set (and toured with all three) but be aware that the computer's out the door for his newest offering. Panda is all about folk/pop jams, simple lyrics, and a fundamentally happy-go-lucky sound.
You know the drill-- if you're up for some Tuesday action, drop us a line at radiofreechicago(at)gmail.com with "HSH Tix" in the subject line. We'll pick a winner at random Sunday and kick you an e-mail with further instructions. Her Space Holiday plays at Subterranean; doors at 6:30, show at 7:00. The co-headliner is City Light.
School of Seven Bells (or, as it’s better known, SVIIB) is the musical triumvirate formed between Benjamin Curtis (formerly from Secret Machines) and identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza (themselves former members of On! Air! Library!). The trinity has been called everything from “dreamy and ethereal” to “a dark blur of life and art.” They’re also named after a probably-mythical South American pickpocketing academy. School of Seven Bells' debut album, Alpinisms, was released by Ghostly International in the U.S. on October 28, 2008, and they recently rounded up separate tours with the UK’s Bat for Lashes and White Lies, before embarking on their own US run with Black Moth Super Rainbow—which opens tonight at the Bottom Lounge.
I got a brief chance to chat with Claudia en route to Chicago until spotty cell service in the rural plains renedered our conversation complete. But nothing makes for better bonding than bad cell phone reception...
School of Seven Bells - "Chain"
I feel somewhat guilty (as I always do) throwing a band up here that I have the nasty suspicion must of you guys knew about even before I did. But since Scotland Yard Gospel Choir is a Chicago-brand outfit and you gotta pimp the home team, I figured a quik-pik featurette couldn't hurt. They're also at the Double Door June 5th, so this seems timely.
SYGC came into existence way back in 2001 and was "started by two college graduates with degrees in music." This sentence in album reviews always cracks me the hell up. I see the need to rush and remind all the kiddies to stay in school instead of joining the indie-pop circus (no I don't), but the fact that reviewers seem to sound so shocked as they type it down gets me. SYGC it's pretty obvious the training involved. I'm not saying college degree = exceptional songwriting and intricate musicality, but in order to manage the kind of tight-knit pinwheels SYGC does on a track by track basis you have to be practicing.
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir -- "Aspidistra"
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir -- "Bet You Never Thought It Would Be Like This"
As any of my friends/people who have read the sidebar of my multiple social networking Website profiles know, I don't want kids. I love my niece and believe the children are our future and stuff, but do I personally want a constantly starving sandbag sutured to my leg for 18 years? The answer is no...UNLESS I was guaranteed a gem like Henry here. Considering my childhood tendency to copy the moves while watching Soul Train and the fact that I was a ginger kid, the odds are in my favor! Henry, you're making me question everything I thought I knew about myself and my firmly "anti" feelings about children slapping their own ass while dancing. Kids are challenging.
The final round of names have been added to the Pitchfork Music Fest '09 line-up...joining the Saturday festivities will be Final Fantasy, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bowerbirds, and on Sunday, The Thermals and Killer Whales join in on the fun.
Continue reading "Pitchfork '09 Update - The Complete Line-Up!" »
Hailing from the misty
wilds of Eugene, Oregon, Mat Kearney has been climbing the singer-songwriter
circuit since the 2006 release of his sophomore album Nothing Left to Loose.
Specializing in soulful lyrics and everything from power-pop to blues guitar to
country ballads, Mat has toured with John Mayer and the Fray, as well as
headlined their “You Oughta Know” tour in 2007. His songs have also been the background
for the emotional indie music montages of 18 TV shows.
I got to grab Mat for
a sit-down just after checking into his hotel, so instead of a shower and sleep,
he got—
My brother lives in
Eugene!
Oh, really? (laughs)
When I saw your bio proclaiming you were
raised in Oregon by “hippie parents,” I cracked up.
Heh, that bio might be a little out of date.
UPDATE: Full album stream now available at NPR Music! Click here
--
What do you get when Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous) wrangle a rag tag group of kids including the likes of Black Francis, Julian Casablancas, Vic Chestnutt, The Flaming Lips, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, James Mercer of the Shins, Swedish chanteuse Nina Persson, Iggy Pop, Gruff Rhys, Suzanne Vega and....David Lynch?
You get Dark Night of the Soul.
The album is set to be released sometime this summer (very vague, I know). Keep your eyes and ears on the internet for more video and information on the release date.
Tonight at the Lakeshore Theatre, Solon Bixler and Rachel Stolte-- collaboratively known as Great Northern-- rock steady with the Dears. The L.A.-based group recently released their second album "Remind Me Where the Light Is," and ambitious sophomore-slump defying effort produced by Nic Jodoin and Michael Patterson (who was also behind the likes of Beck, Ladytron, and BRMC). I sat down yesterday with Solon to chew the fat about the wonders of dirty socks, of working maps, and of how to stay sane in the music industry.
So, just where are the two of you calling from?
Uh, I just got off the Blue Line in Wicker Park. I love Chicago— me and Rachel were talking about how it’s really a little better than New York, good pockets and areas. And public transport! There’s nothing like that in LA.
As an obsessive lover of music, I am the first person to get to a venue
early to check out an opening band. I've discovered some of my
favorites this way - The Duke Spirit, The Black Angels, The Presets, the
list could get very lengthy. So it was with great interest that I
walked into Metro to see the Magic Wands open for The Kills and The
Horrors.
This duo has a cute back story—Chris found Lexy on MySpace after checking out her demos, and they fell in love. Their love turned into musical collaboration after Lexy relocated to Nashville. And cute really sums up their sound, too. It's heavily 80s influenced, and the lyrics are all about young love and having fun. Lexy's "bubble-gum blonde with an edge" look is totally an homage to Debbie Harry, and her breathy vocals reminded me of her too. They're a fun band, and they have the potential to ride the wave of the electro-new wave-pop resurgence. With only a few EPs out in the world, it's tough to tell if they've got staying power. But if you want to have a good time and dance with a couple of cute kids in love, I suggest checking out the Magic Wands.
Continue reading "Magic Wands/The Horrors/The Kills @ Metro 5/9/09" »
The Felice Brothers shouldn't come as a surprise. They've been around since 2006 (albeit in settings from the New York subway to taverns the United States over), and their particular brand of grassrock (man, I love fake-genre names) has been burning ever since. Now, I seriously hate referencing specific musical artists in columns about different specific musical artists, but I feel the need to provide a disclaimer: if you don't like Langhorne Slim, you will not like the Felice Brothers. Other folkies, too, could be clumped in here as examples, but Mr. Slim pretty well covers it. The Felice Brothers are unapologetically Americana; they let their harmonicas shriek and their fiddles run. They feature washboard solos and four-part twang harmony. The name of their fifth album (though second in terms of major releases) was pulled from a Mark Twain quote. They have a member named Christmas that used to be a travelling dice player.
You can't even make this shit up.
The Felice Brothers - "Frankie's Gun!!!"
The Felice Brothers - "Tip Your Way"
Continue reading "Gems from the Pitch Pile-- The Felice Brothers" »
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