23 posts tagged “chicago”

Probably a fitting band name for a sunday-written review. 

Yawn. 

Doesn't really conjure up images of excitement, does it? I nearly wrote this band off before even listening to them (a very sally thing to do). Well... look at the cover art.... i thought "ooh, some sort of horrendous metal band". Who ever said i jump to weird conclusions?

Not a great deal of information on these guys (maybe my detective skills aren't up to scratch), but according to their MySpace page, they come from Chicago, are influenced by after-birth and biblical murals, and used to be called Metrovox, but have since changed direction musically and hence required a new name. I wouldn't say Yawn is a fitting name, but who am i to make that call?

As far as i can tell, this is their self-titled debut EP. The music? Simply, it's indie pop. I wont say cute, but there's some really quirky, but well put together songs. The music itself is thick, layers of indie guitar pop intertwine with a whole realm of unusual sounds (I'm sure there's a kookaburra in there somewhere - mmm well known as the greatest songbird in history *ahem*).  Seems a bit novelty-esque; a bit Vampire Weekendy, very similar sounding vocals, same sort of whimsical feeling, same bouncy beat, but just that little bit more quirky. Favourite track? Empress. Makes me feel as though I'm on a beach drinking cocktails out of coconuts (not that I've ever done that.... or really want to, come to think of it).

Yawn

The best part is that you can download the EP for free on their website and that would be right HERE.

Also, if you happen to be in Chicago, you might be interested to hear that they are playing a show (with Megachurch... great band name!) on the 31st October at Snack Manor (I'm imagining this place has an abundance of cheese toasties).

Short and sweet today.

Sally

sally@weheartmusic.com

Love in October is an indie band, formed in Minneapolis, but ultimately moved to Chicago. Todd's previously reviewed their record, and I've seen them live before. This time around, they are now a five-piece band, complete with new extra guitarist, keyboardist and new drummer. What hasn't changed is their Swedish heritage pride, which they proudly display their yellow and blue Swedish flag where ever they play.

Seeing them at both The Minnesota History Museum and at the 400 Bar, is like night and day. While their daytime show was a bit toned-down (hey it's tough to rock out when there's marbled statues and parents and children all around), their 'adult' show was all-out rock-out-loud. They certainly seem more comfortable and in their element in the dimly lit venue.

Love in October Setlist ♥ Minnesota History Museum, St Paul (05/09/09)

MINNESOTA HISTORY MUSEUM
Prior to the start of their daytime show, Erik came on stage to talk about why Sweden exported so many (good) music. They are the third behind the US and England, as far as music production goes. This is a feat, considering the size of Sweden is only the size of California. He goes on to talk about how this was possible due to the Swedish government decided to put .7% into the arts in the seventies. Of course, being a long-time Swedishpop fan, I knew all these facts, however, I don't think the general public knew about the Swedish arts & music program.

After ten minutes, the rest of the band joined Erik on stage and they did the indie rock thing. And yes, I was head-bopping and foot-tapping. Quite embarrassing when drummer Ivan Sosa said, "I want you to enjoy the show - like THAT GUY!" and pointed to me.

They did three songs in Swedish (including the "VI Går Till Stranden" song from their debut LP), which fit in the whole Celebrate the European "Year of Creativity and Innovation" event that was being held that day. The highlight for me was their cover of Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)". Yes, I I added my own dialogue to the song: "Hey did you hear about the party? I think I'm going, but my friends don't want to go. Can I get a ride?"

INTERMISSION
Warp speed to 10:30 pm (yes I did go out to dinner and saw the new Star Trek movie), and I've ditched the 400 Bar to see Kate & Lara as they leave their show at the Cedar Culture Center (this is only practically only a few doors down the road). I wasn't really expecting to see them actually, I had noticed a bunch of people leaving the Cedar so I went over there to see if the show was over (it was). I got first hand report/review from them about the show and we talked a bit about Chalakah and 'you got moted'. Kate has a band called Crush on Kristi, and they're playing June 12th, I think. Oh also, apparently 'beard rocker' bartender from the 400 bar was seen at the Cedar.

Love in October Setlist ♥ 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05/09/09)

400 BAR
Love in October took off their kids gloves, you would almost think they were two different band, based on the morning and night shows. Like I have previously mentioned, they look and felt much more comfortable. Even their playing and movement style was as different as their set list for tonight. Most of the set includes new (untitled) songs.

The highlight of the show was when they asked the original Minneapolis drummer, Travis (?), to come on stage to drum for one of their older songs. He definitely still remember the beats and did a pretty outstanding job.

They seem really excited about a brand new self-titled EP coming out on May 26^th, I am assuming available on CD and definitely it's going to be on vinyl. The cover artwork features a 9 year old Erik, the shirt was recolored to red stripes instead of blue. More details about buying their records and seeing them live are all on the official website.

Fountains of Wayne writes songs about two very important things in life: drinking and women. Although I'm over simplifying it, that was my first impression of them when I first put on their break-through album Welcome Interstate Managers. I will also admit to actually being a little embarrassed to actually liking their MILF song "Stacy's Mom"... but then quickly found it too annoying for words. Still, it's such a good pop album, I'm sure you all own it already.

Good news for fans: their first ever DVD called No Better Place: Live in Chicago is coming out this Tuesday on Shout Factory. I have a screener copy for review, and the first thing I noticed that I was disappointed in was that it's edited. Songs like "Bright Future in Sales" had the 'shit' word removed (the word is an important part of the song). I suspect the reasoning for this was that this was intended for broadcast television.

The colors are vivid and the audio is clear in 5.1 Surround sound, it's only really a shame that it's not in bluray. Between the quick MTV-style cuts of at least seven different camera angles, the show is never that boring - although looking at some of the audience members, they seem underwhelmed. It's clearly a sit-down venue and everybody is standing in a row.

The majority of the setlist is taken from Welcome Interstate Managers, so you get to see songs interpreted live. Most of the songs are pretty similar to their studio counterparts (such as the wonderful "Mexican Wine"), however songs like "Hackensack" lacked that intimacy and smirk of hearing "talking" rhyming with Christopher Walken.

The bonus features on the DVD includes brand new acoustic performances of some recent songs, recorded in a New York studio in 2008. Some of the acoustic songs are from Traffic and Weather, but there's a few I didn't recognize.

If you love Welcome Interstate Managers, then No Better Place: Live in Chicago will be a good companion. Hardcore fans will want to pick this up for the new acoustic songs, but I suspect most of you will probably already have a bootleg of it or something.

Fountains of Wayne's No Better Place: Live in Chicago can be bought at most music store, but of course you can buy it direct ($16.98 + S&H).

Trivia: Dar Williams recently covered FoW's song "Troubled Times" on last year's Promised Land.

 12/30/2008 07:15:54  ♥ written by vu ()

I know politics and music have little in common, but releasing music around election day might not be such a great idea. I think perhaps people will be watching too closely to the polls to pay much attention to album being released. Plus, combined with Thanksgiving and a weakened economy, well you get the idea...

So below are a few albums that were released on November 4^th that was largely ignored. I finally had the time to put them all in for a spin:

ROGUE MOTEL
roguemotel.com ♥ myspace.com
Rogue Motel are an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. I've been noticing lately that there seems to be a ton of bands coming from the upper west coast (mostly between the Seattle and Portland), and they all seem to be pretty good.

Anyway, to start off, this is one of my overdue review, but to be fair, there was a lot of confusion about the actual release date. I try and schedule reviews to go up just prior or around the release date, so it's kind of important to me anyway to make it timely. Unfortunately, they moved the release date to election day... see note above.

I think the band might have been named after living in a cheap motel while recording their album, far away from their home, in Kentucky. The result is this moody but intense album called Daylight Breaking.

The title, I think came from their best song (in my opinion) called "Hurry Up": "Early morning but the sun's not up yet, I came to look for something to ease my head". This is a pretty upbeat song with a simple, but memorable and catchy, chord.

I also really dig, "Smoke and Vines", particularly the line:

you want to change me, get in line

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but the lyrics has a rebellious feel to it and that the band will continue doing what they're doing.

You can currently get the album digitally via amazon or the itunes (I've been having a lot of crashes relating to itunes, so I hate them).

FUTURE CLOUDS & RADAR
futurecloudsandradar.com ♥ myspace.com
I wanted to mention these guys for my Christmas 2008 for their song "Christmas Day 1923", but obviously a lot of songs were left out this year. Well, I reckon there's always next year.

To talk about them, you'll have to go back to the late 90s when they were known as a the power pop band called Cotton Mather. They had a string of albums before rising to fame when Noel Gallagher asked the band to tour with Oasis.

Perhaps he was tired of the power pop thing, but singer Robert Harrison went on to form Future Clouds & Radar, a more art rock/orchestral/psychedelia, much in the vein of, say the Beatles' Sgt Pepper.

Listening to their second album, Peoria, released on Election Day, it feels very sixties. Check out their perfectly 60s pop song, "Old Edmund Ruffin". Doesn't it sound like something John Lennon might sing on ?

I generally enjoy all the songs with trumpets ("Eighteen Months", "Mortal 926"), but not so much the crazy synthy chaos sounds (the middle of "The Mortal"). Thankfully it's just one song that I didn't really get along with.

If you've ever liked later-The Flaming Lips or psychedelic Beatles, you really need to give Future Clouds a try. Get your own cloud 9 at the usual locations (amazon, emusic, etc).

BSTC
myspace.com/bstcollective
Finally we have Music for a Saturday Evening by BSTC, also released on Election Day. We don't normally get soul albums in house, but when we do, they certain stand out among all the indie-rock stuff we get.

Like the 60s-inspired music of Future Clouds and Radar, the BSTC (short for BlackStone Theatre Collective) is drowned in 70s disco, soul and jazz. They seem to be very proud to represent their deep roots in these genre of music.

The band/collective is mostly producer Andy C. and multi-instrumentalist, Tunji, with singer Keanna Johnson. I think Johnson only sings on a few songs, but she seems to be the face of the band.

I personally thought the two stand-out tracks for me are "B.S.T.C." and "Jazz in Outerspace". Both instrumental songs offers some outstanding beats and groove. Since I wanted to represent Johnson's vocals in the song, I thought the excellent hip-pop song "Get It" should be used.

Fans of soul music, Buena Vista Social Club, or Jason Miles, should really take note of BSTC.

Can't get enough of their music? Check out that widget thing, it will play a few other songs from them.

You can get Music for a Saturday Evening from various places, usually amazon or emusic.

 10/16/2008 18:54:58  ♥ written by jaklumen ( / jaklumen.vox.com)

Treologic originally started as a jazz organ trio (organ, guitar, drums) out of the DePaul University School of Music, according to the band's press kit. The group experimented with various instruments, sounds, and musicians before finally settling with 5 members. Treologic, as listed on their site, is comprised of:

• Billa Camp (MC)

• Lance Loiselle (organ, keyboards, vocals)

• Justin Boyd (drums, beats)

• DJ Savage (turntables, samples, beat drops)

• Eric Koppa (tenor saxophone)

• Jordan Lopez (lead voice, flugelhorn, percussion, trumpet, keyboards, flute)

• Anthony Massaro (guitar, vocals)

(Hang on-- 5 members? Well, contact information omits DJ Savage and Anthony Massaro as band members. A bit confusing.) As a side note, Eric Koppa has his own website, and works in a variety of projects in addition to Treologic.

Some of the band members biographies are serious (mostly the instrumentalists), and some are amusing. Lance Loiselle lists his hopes and dreams as “to be happy with good people and good karma.” DJ Savage is described as finding his “calling” after starving days of saved lunch money in 1983 at the age of 7 to buy Run DMC's self-titled album, and there is mention of being voted “most likely to wind up in jail” in high school. It's probably a good sign that some the band doesn't take itself too terribly seriously; as they've also been described as avoiding the negative messages and materialism of hip-hop, then they might be said to be lacking pretentiousness as well.

As a result of such an eclectic mix of instruments and styles by musicians with varying backgrounds, the sound is a stark contrast from mainstream hip-hop. The CD Baby site sums this up well as follows: “Using hip hop as the main vehicle, Treologic uses more than one genre or style to flavor the musical palate. The logic is to embrace the rich roots of Chicago hip-hop, gospel, and jazz and bridge the old school with the new.” At least one person commenting compared their sound to The Roots (not surprising, since Roots member Black Thought is listed as an influence, specifically by Billa Camp). A Tribe Called Quest is also mentioned as an influence on their sound, and certainly the smoother backings of jazz in some of their recordings would draw such a comparison Their latest album, Colabo, is set for release October 21^st.

At first listening, Colabo had a decidedly edgier feel to me than their last album, Thank You Lenny, and has a more contemporary (e.g., gangsta) rap tone to many of the lyrics. I found it less to my liking overall, especially with the f-bombs and use of the “N” word that seems to be part of the “keepin' it real” image that pervades popular mainstream hip-hop today. Fortunately, when I got the CD, a press release flyer was included that made this review a little easier-- not only were the explicit tracks marked, but some recommended tracks were highlighted as well.

Of the “recommended” tracks, “Notes to My Child” seemed to stand out the most. The beats sound like a swinging '70s style funk, with Massaro playing guitar licks reminiscent of Carlos Santana's “crying guitar” style. The other track I really liked was “Relax Your Mind”, which had a breezy piano backing with a classical-tinged jazz style.

It would seem the band is eager to break out into bigger and more lucrative venues. By simply sending your contact information to their “Street Team” project, and they'll send you promotional materials, including a free “Treologic” T-shirt. Reminds me a bit of Marvin “Young MC” Young's old “Delicious Vinyl” record label. Even though the label went bust, the logo was slick and I'm still kicking myself for not getting a T-shirt back in high school. Unfortunately, I'm a much larger guy these days, and the Street Team's sizes on tees capping out at XL just isn't big enough. Maybe I'll ask them if they quietly made some in larger sizes, or are willing to.

The band has been with Cigol Records (apparently an independent label) since their start.  They are currently touring (see dates above) and proudly declare that they have averaged 70-80 shows in the last 5 years.

 10/01/2008 09:25:32  ♥ written by vu ()

So I've been sitting on this album for quite a while. I don't know why I never got around to reviewing it, but hey, better late than never, right? Anyway, Chicago's minimalist dance rockers, Mahjongg bring a fresh sound to K Records on their new album, Kontpab, and now that they're about to embark on an epic European tour, now's as good a time as any to talk about this album. Repetitive lo-fi droning electronics, percussion ranging from syncopated and tropical to sparse, simplistic dance beats, and sparse melodies, all come together to create a pretty cool sound.

The opening track, “Pontiac,” consisting of the aforementioned syncopated drumming sounds like a dance party on a trashed beach, could not be more different from the sleazy lo-fi disco jam, “Problems,” with its repetitive melody and sparse electronic drums that do the bare minimum to great effect. “Kottbusser Torr,” on the other hand sounds like Kraftwerk, as influenced by electro and old-school hip-hop. Glitchy beats with rhythmically spoken vocals with a two-line sung chorus almost distract from the cool melodic synth line that sounds like something out of Metroid. “Tell the Police the Truth” is like the sound of someone playing Space Invaders, with added chaos and some vocals. Honestly, this is probably one of the weaker tracks on the album, in my opinion, mainly because of the vocal melody and the overly long outro. Still not bad, though. I really love the lo-fi pop on “Those Birds Are Bats,” though. This is about the closest this album comes to sounding like something that was released on K Records. It's a really straightforward, catchy pop song, with bursts of tape hiss and static interspersed throughout. “Wipe Out,” on the other hand, is just odd in all the right ways. Syncopated rhythms combined with glitched-out carnival organ flourish with Bee Gees style helium laced vocals. More a curiosity than a “song,” but I still think it's awesome. The electro-funk of “Teardrops” is more hilarious than anything. A strong bassline provides a backbone for glitchy, percussive electronic clicks, beeps, and bells and sleepy vocals. The tinny sound of”Mercury” is really cool. It's like hip-hop as played on a pile of cheap, secondhand keyboards by a bunch of nerdy kids. This track is awesome. Seriously, seriously awesome. The album culminates in the 8-minute dance party scorcher, “Rise Rice.” It starts with a slow build-up, from a bassline, adding tribal percussion, adding layers of vocals and percussion, and tearing them back down with just as much ease.

So I hope you're convinced of how great this band is. Here are the European tour dates. I'd definitely love to catch these guys live. Here's your chance to beat me to it! More info on these guys can be found at their official website.

 07/25/2008 09:59:26  ♥ written by vu ()