Archive for October, 2007
Rogue Wave preview
Rogue Wave Double Door, Chicago Wednesday, October 24, 2007 It isn’t hard to tell why Rogue Wave’s atmospheric pop often finds a home in the background of Hollywood movies and on prime-time television. Frontman Zach Rogue’s soothing vocals inject scenes with mood and weight without ever pushing actors from the forefront. That’s not to say […]
The Coral reviewed
The Coral Roots And Echoes (Columbia/Red Ink) When The Coral emerged from the garage rock onslaught of 2001, the influences they boasted made their future sound as colorful and vast as their namesake. Just hearing the words “Captain Beefheart” provided refuge amid a sea of bands prepared to blurt “Iggy! MC5!”
Stateless reviewed
Stateless Stateless (K7) If hard times are the sister of vibrant new music, then it shouldn’t be too hard explaining Stateless.
Gene Watson reviewed
Gene Watson In A Perfect World (Shanachie) Country veteran Gene Watson has emerged from his gospel era intact, entering a new relationship with Shanachie Records as a back-to-basics man.
Patrick Wolf live!
Patrick Wolf Metro, Chicago Tuesday, October 9, 2007 If he so chose, Patrick Wolf could probably get by on spectacle alone. Maybe on just his fans. One curiously dressed attendee donned a silver-sequined frock while another, sporting homeless chic, tapped away on an iPhone. Somehow the South London prodigy retains the headliner status at his […]
Beirut live!
Beirut Portage Theater, Chicago Thursday, October 4, 2007 Rock ‘n’ roll is a young man’s game, but what about European folk? For 75 minutes on Thursday night, 21-year-old Zach Condon led his Beirut on a pseudo-Old World tour with a bandleader presence that approached James Brown.
Liars preview
Liars Aragon, Chicago Thursday, October 11, 2007 During a post-millennial upsurge in one-word band names, “Liars” seemed as innocuous as any other. In retrospect it looks like a plan.
Kasey Anderson preview
Kasey Anderson Wise Fools Pub, Chicago Thursday, October 11, 2007 Without ever uttering the words “war,” “Iraq,” “president,” “Bush,” “Cheney,” “terrorism,” “Afghanistan,” “bomb,” or “impeach,” Kasey Anderson might have penned the most powerful anti-Dubya anthem yet in “The Reckoning.”
Brenda Weiler preview
Brenda Weiler Uncommon Ground, Chicago Saturday, October 13, 2007 On End The Rain (Speaker Phone), singer-songwriter Brenda Weiler grapples with her older sister’s 2005 suicide. Placed on the album in the order they were written, the 11 songs plaintively detail Weiler’s thought process throughout this tumultuous time.
Sea Wolf preview
Sea Wolf Schubas, Chicago Saturday, October 13, 2007 To revive a particularly crude analogy, a college friend of mine once speculated his girlfriend’s roommate had a mouth like a “velvet purse.” At odds with this theory was the girl in question was not so plush and silky.
The Go! Team preview
The Go! Team Double Door, Chicago Saturday, October 13, 2007 It’s an argument that will never die: Cheerleading – is it really a sport, or just an activity, like, say, jumping rope or solitaire? England’s The Go! Team raise another argument: Cheerleading – is it really music?
Sam Wheat!
Ghost Sighting Japan’s experimental psychedelic sextet Ghost mark the release of a live DVD/CD combo with a screening of Overture: Live In Nippon Yusen Soko at Chicago’s Rodan on October 18th at 10 p.m.
.40 Cal reviewed
Dipset Presents .40 Cal Broken Safety 2 (Koch) Dipset’s plan for manifest destiny includes keeping .40 Cal on an incredibly short leash.
Beastie Boys live!
Beastie Boys Charter One Pavilion, Chicago Thursday, September 27, 2007 Two sides of the Beastie Boys touched down in Chicago for the trio’s tour behind this fall’s all-instrumental CD, The Mix-Up. The first was a chilled-out, stripped-down, generally wordless affair held at the intimate confines of the RivieraTheatre (billed as “A Gala Event,” complete with […]
The Aliens live!
The Aliens Schubas, Chicago Tuesday, September 25, 2007 When the core members were known as The Beta Band, The Aliens dealt in a sort of musical disinformation campaign. The promise of their debut EPs was purposefully sent up in smoke, live performances abused patience, and it seemed their interest was inversely proportionate to their fans’.
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