For the love of music
Badwater incarnate is just as likely to be wearing a poetry slam beret as it is a Norwegian sweater, and when invited over for a film night is likely to bring copies of Gene Wilder's Chocolate Factory and the Science of Sleep. The album provides an aural recap to a dimly lit bar in the Mohave circa '76, whilst simultaneously retaining aesthetic … [Read more...]
The first time Andrew Bird’s music graced my ears, I had the good fortune to be outside. On a balmy summer evening in August of 2008, I was in attendance at Tanglewood – the western Massachusetts summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – meandering around the manicured lawns in preparation for a show being headlined by Wilco. … [Read more...]
Though Marc Hellner and his Pulseprogramming art collective have been in operation for more than a decade, it’s damn near impossible to listen to their new album without at least conjecturing its place in the fledgling chillwave movement of 2010. Acts like Toro y Moi and Washed Out are among the most recognizable names in the unsubstantiated … [Read more...]
Lo-fi music can, to some extent, be viewed as a reactionary gesture to the slick and meticulously produced recordings of mainstream pop music. Though the subgenre’s roots can be traced back to The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan, its crude and occasionally cacophonous textures began to enjoy broader appeal in the 1980’s while commercially viable … [Read more...]
Hailing from Illinois and currently residing in California, TiRon represents the more straightforward, earthly side of Hip-Hop cultivated by Blu and Fashawn amongst others over the past few years. His second LP MSTRD is an example of everything that is right with Hip-Hop and an example of where Hip-Hop should be headed. Its ten track 36 minute … [Read more...]
Chicago native Pugs Atomz has been paving his own way in the underground scene forever now and it's about time you start taking notice. His new record The Decade is released in a little over a week (Oct. 26th) via BBE Records. The Decade is a collection of material written between 2000-2010. The lead single “Now Baby” is out now and features … [Read more...]
If there's one thing which Coltrane Motion inspire, it is adjectivity. The Chicago duo's press variously describes them as: Lo-Fi, Laptop-Folk, 60s Psyche and inevitably, Shoegaze (amongst various other descriptive terms) and whenever I hear of a band provoking its commentators into ever increasing reliance on their Thesauruses, I mark this as a … [Read more...]
The expression "originality" is frequently applied as a flattery to the inventiveness of artists. The idea that something is innovative and could be distinguished from copied works is often viewed as encouraging and outstanding in the world of music, nevertheless one must ask- does originality equal quality? The Syllable Section is one of those … [Read more...]
Nice to hear a reversion to the Chicago post-punk sound on this release from Pride Parade. There's definitely a Jesus Lizard vibe to this stuff: heavy but not too metal, Yow-like vocals, Denison guitars, pounding rhythm section. The tracks can hit on grunge, too, with a bluesy Mudhoney feel to certain cuts. The best ones, though, rock straight … [Read more...]
[MP3] “Your Mere Presence”: http://tinyurl.com/theams-yourmerepresence The Ams is an orchestral pop duo from Chicago consisting of siblings Frank (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Anna Carey (keyboards, vocals). The Ams debut album, The Release of An American Soul, a collection of thirteen tracks that showcases the siblings’ knack for … [Read more...]