All Entries in the "Around Hear" Category
Around Hear: February 2011
Local Band Reviews
Dubasaurus boast that they all read music (they’re real musicians), which goes against the historical grain of rope-smoking reggae born in Jamaica. Fortunately these guys understand that reggae
Around Hear: January 2011
Local Band Reviews
Where some faith-based acts shroud their lyrics in metaphor to broaden their appeal, DeKalb’s Fue instead blanket their brooding alt-pop in mystery.
Around Hear: December 2010
Local Band Reviews
You don’t have to be a jazz aficionado to appreciate the bubbly fluidity of cascading notes that percolate through the sultry, hopeful vibe of “Until Tomorrow Comes.” That’s the exuberant skill of Pharez Whitted, trumpeter extraordinaire.
Around Hear: November 2010
Local Band Reviews
Roxy Swain (above) is the name of a band as well as its dynamic lead vocalist. On The Spell Of Youth, a full-length follow-up to the New Love Designers EP, Swain belts out power-pop tunes crafted by guitarists Tom Valenzano and Matt Walters.
Around Hear: October 2010
Local Band Reviews
Algernon’s intentions of blending hippie grooves with kraut rock, art punk, and avant-garde jazz are certainly admirable, but the results throughout the entirely instrumental Ghost Surveillance are scattered at best.
Around Hear: September 2010
Local Band Reviews
Aevumin (a band with an instantly recognizable moniker but with pronunciation challenges) plays tight and peppy post-punk rock on a seven-track, self-titled CD. Some, like “Cliché,” value frantic power-chords, riffing and lyrics. But the band shines when jamming to groovier, more deliberate midtempo rhythms like on “Lonely Walks Away.”
Around Hear: August 2010
Local Band Reviews
Bird Show Band’s self-titled CD is flat-out bizarre at first, but for those willing to embrace its unconventional mixture of jazz, progressive rock, and synths, it’s one of the more alluring projects to come from the Amish Records catalog. Though the group is avant-garde at its most indulgent, the European undertones provide a [...]
Around Hear: July 2010
Local Band Reviews
It seems only yesterday Canasta were youngsters joyfully tossing sand on the beachhead of local indie-pop. With The Fakeout, The Tease & The Breather, however, Matt Priest and Elizabeth Lindau’s band have matured not beyond recognition, but what used to be heartbroken odes to young loves lost have acquired desperation. Priest opens the [...]
Around Hear: June 2010
Local Band Reviews
The Love Me Nots bust out some serious hip-shakin’ grooves and spastic garage rock on Upsidedown Insideout (Atomic A Go Go). Bristling keyboard stabs tangle with spiky guitar clatter as fiery Chicago-native Nicole Laurenne snaps out lyrics of bruising honesty. A jittery keyboard swirl smacks against snarling guitars in “You’re Bringing Me Down” [...]
Around Hear: May 2010
Local Band Reviews
Admiral Of Black
Admiral Of Black has recorded the template for fundamental hard rock/metal debut albums with The Hand Of Chaos. The eight-track CD — already a year old — has the right production to stand out from other newcomers, thanks to a party-metal swagger that overcomes any minor first-effort deficiencies.
Around Hear: March 2010
Local Band Reviews
Hailing from Chicago, blues trio The Black Oil Brothers‘ sound is 100-percent pure Mississippi. The band’s debut, Long Way From The Delta, actually sounds like it was recorded right in the heart of it, with soul-stirring blues from start to finish.
Around Hear: February 2010
Local Band Reviews
“Break Little Branches,” one of the five tracks on Arboreal by the Chicago/Austin, Texas-based band Box Of Baby Birds, sounds like one of the more introspective and meandering songs by Red Red Meat. The folk-rock offerings, penned by Gary Calhoun James, are delicate compositions that rely on hushed vocals augmented by guitar, keys, [...]
Around Hear: January 2010
Local Band Reviews
January 2010
There’s a lot to like in the mostly straightforward, rockin’ R&B-esque boogie a la Aerosmith/Bad Company on Blue Moon Revue’s self-titled, eight-song CD. But when opener “Hot Flavor” launches into a totally unexpected banjo solo you really take notice and understand why BMR has become the local, opening-band-of-choice for much bigger visiting [...]
Around Hear: December 2009
Local Band Reviews!
The Additives
Should It End, the second release from The Additives, offers inventive keyboard and guitar arrangements that fall somewhere between prog rock and jazz. Unfortunately, Joe Ryan’s talky, off-kilter singing doesn’t go with the flow, especially on some of the more awkwardly phrased lyrics he’s written. Having background vocals on the catchy “Miss [...]
Around Hear: November 2009
Local Band Reviews
The six tracks on Abysmal Lullabies from Arctic Sleep (a one-man show written, performed, and produced by Keith D) deliver what the title promises: sludgy, bottom-heavy alt-rock that is heavy on fuzzed-out riffage. The mostly instrumental tracks are lengthy and languid, pausing often to let the distortion ring out like a crashing wave. [...]
