MFR

Thursday, July 26, 2007

27 Songs From "The Simpsons"

Labels: Chicago Music, Green Day, Sonic Youth, The Simpsons, Yo La Tengo

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Chicago F'in Rocks: Chicago Rocks

No, I'm not being redundant. This past weekend (6/8 and 6/9) was the 5th annual Chicago Rocks Hip-Hop Festival, with the first night being held at the excellent Abbey Pub and the second night being held at the Metro. The show is a two-day all hip-hop extraveganza, and all of the artists involved are based in Chicago. This year included The Cool Kids, Flosstradamus and Crucial Conflict, amongst others, and years past have included the likes of Rhymefest and All Natural. Below you will find video clips of past performances from the festival. Enjoy!

(Jonathan Graef)

(Immortal Technique, Chicago Rocks 2005)

(Capitol D, from All Natural, Chicago Rocks 2005)

(The Primerdians, Chicago Rocks)

(Rhymefest, Chicago Rocks 2005)

Labels: Capitol D, Chicago Music, Chicago Rocks, Hip-hop, Immortal Technique, Rhymefest, The Primerdians

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Star - Devastator

Download: Star - "Acting So Tough"
Download: Star - "Pure Gold Reason"
Download: Star - "Switchblade Heart"

Star
Devastator (Lovely Rebel Records)
Grade: B

As you may know based upon previous posts,I love me some shoegaze. So when I read the descriptions of Star's debut album, Devastator, which compared the Chicago band to The Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, and My Bloody Valentine, I, of course, flipped my gourd.

After a few half-assed (and one whole-ass) searches, I finally found the album. I have to say that upon first listen, I was disappointed. Sure, Devastator sounds like those other bands, but a little bit too much like those other bands, if you know what I mean. However, after that initial listen, the album grew more and more favorably on me. It's still too deriviative in some places, and loses stream toward the end. But there are several tracks on here that are warm, poppy and fuzzy, like the best of all shoegaze music.

"Pure Gold Reason" is one strong example of that kind of hazy, highly melodious music and it just so happens that it's the album's first track. After a brief, wavy sound collage, the band starts off with super-charged guitars, echo-laden vocals and a steady pulsating drumbeat. During the verses, the band backs off a bit and emphaises the more ambient aspects of their guitar sound while singer Shannon Roberts rips into the pretentious doofus who's hitting on her.

The music for the rest of Devastator is pretty straightforward, with the band hitting every dreamy verse and chorus that they should. Every song here is meant to be a people pleaser, as the songs get in, get out and do what they were meant to do. Only one song, "Jailor," is longer than three minutes. Even the more introspective, more soundscapey songs are barely above two minutes long.

One interesting aspect about the band is the lyrical perspective. The words in the songs have more in common with Guyville-era Liz Phair (and, when Roberts is using her lower range, she even sounds a bit like Phair) than they do with most shoegaze fare. The aforementioned "Jailor" actually begins with "This is what you get for being such a prick" and another lyric is "Your parents should of had a girl."

Wow. But the hostility in the lyrics and the laidback vibe of the music make for a great contrast, and the result is that Devastator is much more interesting once you grasp what the lyrics are (which you may not do on the first listen, due to the fact that Roberts' vocals are so reverb-heavy, as well as that the songs are so brief).

All in all, Devastator is a solid listen and a good start for Star.

Those of you in the Chicago area who are reading this can check out Star tonight (5/23/07) when they play Quencher's (corner of Western and Fullerton) at 9:00 p.m.

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Chicago Music, Devastator, Lovely Rebel Records, Shoegaze, Star

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Chicago F'in Rocks: Flameshovel Records

Download: The Narrator- "All the Tired Horses"
Download: The Narrator- "Breaking the Turtle"

May is going to be quite the month for Chicago's Flameshovel Records. First off, the Windy City label releases a very strong album from The Narrator today, 5/15/07 (which I have reviewed here, on this very blog). The Narrator record will very likely be on my local best-of at the end of the year. By clicking the link in the previous sentence, you can read my more in-depth thoughts on All That To The Wall. Also, The Narrator was profiled in the last issue of Chicago's alternative newspaper, The Reader. Read that article here.

MySpace Page

Download: The Race - "Feathers" (from Ice Station)
Download: The Race - "Safe and Sound" (from If You Can)

Also released on Flameshovel today is the latest record from Chicago's The Race. The album is titled Ice Station. As you may have guessed already, I have written about The Race on this blog before, and you can click on the link to read my thoughts about this excellent band. The Narrator's success may threaten to overshadow The Race. If that is the case (which I obviously think it shouldn't be, as they are both praiseworthy bands deserving of success), then expect Ice Station to become one of the year's most underrated records. The Race plays a record release party at Chicago venue The Hideout on June 2nd, 2007. Read more about the band here.

MySpace page

Download: Bound Stems - "Andover"
Download: Bound Stems - "Western Biographic"

Last, but not least, are the Bound Stems, who released their most recent record, Appreciation Night, on Flameshovel in 2006. Click the two links above to get a sample of what the band is about (fans of Modest Mouse may find a kindred spirit in this band). The stems are playing a FREE show at Chicago's Double Door on May 27th, 2007, at 8 p.m. with...(drum roll)...you guessed it, The Narrator and The Race. Good times, indeed. If you don't have anything going on that night, you should definitely go, as you'll be seeing many of Chicago's finest bands for a price that's almost too good to be true. Get a better background on the Bound Stems here.

MySpace page

You can stream or, better yet, order all three albums from the Flameshovel website

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Bound Stems, Chicago Music, Flameshovel, The Narrator, The Race

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Chicago F'in Rocks: The Race - Ice Station

Download: The Race - Walls
Download: The Race - Feathers

Chicago band The Race are going to release their latest album, Ice Station, on May 15th. It's just really good indie-pop with vocals that croon, then soar, all delivered with a slightly melody-ramatic touch (did you like what I did there?) drums with an electronic tinge, and the warm, echo-laden trebly guitars that will make your heart melt. It's very warm-sounding, and absolutely perfect for complementing your mood on a rainy day.

The record was written after a period of inter-band creative strife that ended with the line-up of the band being completely reconfigured. It's certainly unfortunate that The Race had to go through so much trouble after recording their well-regarded If You Can, but if anything, Ice Station shows that they came out at the other end of the proverbial tunnel (because I'm not entirely sure they're any actual tunnels in Chicago, or at least in the downtown area) with an album that should be as renowned as their last record.

Ice Station will be released on Flameshovel Records on May 15th. Stream the album here. Better yet, buy it through Flameshovel or Insound.

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Chicago Music, Flameshovel, Ice Station, The Race

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Chicago F'in Rocks: The Jai-Alai Savant

Download: The Jai-Alai Savant - "Scarlet Johansson, Why Don't You Love Me?"

I saw The Jai-Alai Savant (pronounced hi-a-lie- sa-vant) open for Art Brut at Chicago's Subterrenean club this past weekend, and the Savant were totally rockin'. Like their fellow Chicago compatriots The Eternals, The Jai-Alai Savant take the bass-heavy sounds of dub reggae and filter it through post-punk. Essentially, The Jai-Alai Savant sound like a dance-punk version of The Police.

Their performance on Saturday was energetic and charismatic, with just the right blend of confidence and self-deprecation. Everyone looked good on the dancefloor, and The Jai-Alai Savant were more than happy to supply the tunes for the party. Special shout-out goes to bassist Nash Snyder for laying down some particularly sick bass lines.

If you go to the band's MySpace Page, you can stream other songs from their brand-new album Flight of the Bass Delegate , including the single "White on White Crime." Stream the rest of the album here, through the band's webpage.

And, apropos of the song posted in this entry, here is a picture of the lovely Ms. Johannson herself:

Why don't you love us indeed...

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Chicago Music, Scarlett Johansson, The Jai-Alai Savant

Friday, April 06, 2007

Chicago F'in Rocks: Environmental Encroachment

“Download: Environmental Encroachment - Gnowee.”
“Download: Environmental Encroachment - Congo.”

“MySpace Page.”

Environmental Encroachment are an aptly named (due to the fact that they're into the whole parade thing) Chicago-based performance art group/marching band who combine the theatrics you'd normally find in a circus with African rhythms, funky basslines and unusual instrumentation (theramins are used quite frequently) to create a musical and visual experience the likes of which have never been seen...unless you live in Chicago.

A co-worker of mine told me about them today, and so I decided to check them out. They're pretty odd, but also pretty groovy. If you want to see video documentation of EE's merry shenanigans (and they certainly do engage in merry shenanigans), then head over to their “official webpage”.

If you want to see them live, you can catch them TONIGHT on their annual "Beers and Ears" Pub Hop, which starts at 6:30 and goes til midnight, where they will be playing in "full Bunny regala" at Quenchers, a Chicago bar located at the corner of Fullerton and Western. Suggested donation is ten bucks, which will go toward a benefit for Burning Man.

This is probably the funkiest you can get over the Easter weekend. I suggest that you take full advantage of it.

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Chicago Music, Environmental Encroachment, Funk, Performance Art

Thursday, March 29, 2007

The Eternals, Heavy International

Download: The Eternals - "Patch of Blue"

The Eternals
Heavy International (Aesthetics)
Grade: A-

If the Liars ever get into dub, and start throwing down some scary-tight bass lines, they might sound an awful lot like Chicagoland trio The Eternals. On their third LP, Heavy International, The Eternals mix the robust bass lines of reggae with the radical politics of punk, and the experimental, genre-bending sounds of their best indie peers like TV on the Radio.

After a spoken-word intro (which I’m willing to bet is a sample from some uber-obscure cult classic just waiting to be re-discovered), The Eternals kick off the album with an odd, frenzied, and utterly hypnotic track called “The Mix is So Bizarre.” The shuffling drums, menacing bass and attack-dog vocal attack of singer Damien Locks is, initially, very off-putting. Also, the fact that The Eternals have very little regard for traditional song-structure doesn’t help their first-time listening cause either (by the time the flying-saucer mimicking keyboards arrive in the first jazz breakdown, you’ll be wondering just what the hell the band is going to do next).

The Eternals shift styles with ease so uncommon that it borders on frightening. However, trying to navigate their stylistic maze is also very rewarding. For example, while Locks may bark in one song, he may also settle into an eerie falsetto, as he does on “Patch the Blue.” The track begins with a rattling percussion sample and a staccato bass line, before harmonizing, echo-laden vocals sing an off-kilter melody. At the end of the phrase, the drums kick in with a syncopated snare hit and they send the snake-charmer groove of the "Patch the Blue" into overdrive, and the song stays that way for its duration.

As Heavy International marches on, The Eternals' music starts to make sense in its own fragmented way. When the record is enjoyed on a more casual level, the sensation of having the musical wind knocked out of you at any given moment becomes an adrenaline pumping experience. If studied more carefully, then Heavy International becomes as engaging for the mind as the trickiest of Sudoku puzzles.

If there was ever an album made for repeated listens, it's definitely this one. The problem, though, with this listening experience is that the album becomes exhaustingly unpredictable. When you hear songs for the fifth or sixth time, it still seems like you are just discovering them for the first time, due to the dense layering of the tracks. That, in and of itself, can be incredibly awesome and annoying.

It’s a good thing, then, when The Eternals slow down – and they do frequently on Heavy International’s more straightforward second half, because the listener can finally catch his/her breath. But just because the band slows down the tempo doesn't mean that The Eternals lose their musical focus. The band still manages to come up with some sounds that can only be described as being from another galaxy on tracks like on the title track or "Too Many People (Do The Wrong Thing)."

In essence, Heavy International is like listening to genre-hopping as a confrontational manifesto. Some parts may infuriate you, but they also will challenge you. And, ultimately, you are convinced by what you are hearing and take up the proverbial cause of The Eternals. Or, at the very least, you will be convinced of the fact that this is an amazing record.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Aesthetics, Chicago Music, Heavy International, Indie, Reggae, The Eternals

Monday, March 26, 2007

CoCoComa

(Photo by Sherry Cardino, taken from the band's MySpace page)

Though they've only put out a few 7" records (their first proper LP is due out later this year on Goner Records), Chicago based trio CoCoComa is quickly becoming a local sensation. Clubgoers are packing the group's shows like sardines. And for good reason:

As you can clearly (well, maybe not-so-much clearly, due to the lighting) see, CoCoComa rock like golden gods of the garage. I read the Chicago Reader's profile about these merry band of garage punk pranksters and decided to check out the band's MySpace page.

The band has four songs posted on the site. Worth noting are the intense rocker "Fever," which is just a few very pissed-off baby steps (and a bump or two up in tempo) away from sounding like Motorhead, and "Premonition," which sounds like Mudhoney co-opting the wavy keyboards of Elvis Costello's "Radio Radio."

Read more about them in Time Out Chicago's "Local Artist Forecast" piece . CoCoComa prove that, while Minneapolis certainly fucking rocks, Chicago isn't doing too badly either.

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Chicago Music, CoCoComa, Garage, Punk

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Bird Names

MySpace Page

I've got to tell you about this band I saw open for Bobby Conn a few weeks ago. Bird Names are from Chicago, and listening to them live was like hearing confusion as a musical aesthetic. I'm not entirely sure if that's a compliment or not. All of their songs had the same "Muppet-Babies-form-avant-garde-rock-twee-band-and-rehearse-in-their- basement-then-tour-funhouses" kind of vibe. As exhausting as that description is, it's the only way I can accurately describe them without drawing a giant question mark. Click above for their MySpace page and judge for yourselves.

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Bird Names, Chicago Music

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Record Review: Bobby Conn, King for a Day

Bobby Conn
King For A Day (Thrill Jockey)
Grade: A-

Bobby Conn has been a fixture on the Chicago music scene for ten years now. His notoriety in the Chi-town scene is more than likely due the fact that, in past interviews, Conn made the following claims: that he is the anti-Christ; that he chopped off a finger to remove a wedding ring; and that he is the last frontier of rock-star sexuality. Conn is also notorious for his absurd, hypersexual lyrics. For example, on “Whore” (found on 2001’s The Golden Age ), he sings from the perspective of a half-toothed prostitute giving a blowjob (!).

With this information in mind, it’s easy to say that Conn’s outlandishness has overshadowed the music he has made in the past decade. However, with his last two records, 2004’s The Homeland , and the just-released King for a Day , Conn has made strides toward maturity. He’s made the sexuality in his music implicit rather than explicit, and his lyrical concerns are now more political than sexual. The Homeland was a work of political satire, but at times was too explicit with its message, too obvious in its intent.

King for a Day , on the other hand, leaves the excess strictly in the music and shifts the emphasis from satire to allegory. The result of Conn’s focused ambitions is an album that stands up on repeated listens and is compelling from beginning to end; also, it rawks like a beast!

The best part about listening to King for a Day is hearing Conn-the-ambtious-songwriter-storyteller go head-to-head with Conn-the-entertainer. It’s a battle that goes on throughout the album, and one that makes King for a Day delightfully idiosyncratic.

You’ve got songs like the 8-minute epic opener “Vanitas,” (which starts off with a quiet, Texas-style blues riff, adds prog-rock and jazz influences, then ends with a some jamming worthy of Sabbath) standing next to “When The Money’s Gone,” a song that is essentially Motown with a harpsichord. Other of King’s highlights include the grinding bass of “(I’m Through With) My Ego,” the uptempo glam-rocker “Anybody,” and the reflective, Aimee Mann-influenced ballad “Mr. Things” (sung by violinist Monica Boubou).

With King for a Day , Conn gives the listener a strong example of what can happen when an artist channels all of their ambitions and influences into one quirky, memorable, grandiose statement. The result of Conn’s efforts is his most cohesive album yet.

Also, did I mention that this album will rock you like a hurricane?

(Jonathan Graef)

Labels: Bobby Conn, Chicago Music, Glam Rock, Music Reviews, Thrill Jockey