Archive for October, 2009
Monsters Of Folk preview
Auditorium Theatre, Chicago Friday, October 30, 2009 Supergroups have less allure than they used to, because today everyone plays on everyone’s records. In the ’60s and ’70s, many Draconian industry contracts codified label monogamy (at least if you wanted credit); now, comparatively, indie rock and hip-hop are like Playboy-mansion orgies. So what if M. Ward, […]
Thao With The Get Down Stay Down preview
Empty Bottle, Chicago Friday, October 30, 2009 Thao Nguyen appears to love obstacles — especially the kind you can stack. Already challenged in the heart department, confronting her are the dreaded sophomore-album slump, having to refresh her melancholic-sunshine milieu, and making a concerted stab at being more mature. Good luck.
Simian Mobile Disco preview
Metro, Chicago Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Simian Mobile Disco were already dead once, so it’s probably useless to alert them of their suicide mission.
Two Dethklok/Mastodon reviews!
Mastodon/Dethklok/Converge/High On Fire Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul Friday, October 16, 2009 A curious bill of artists mixing an odd hodgepodge of metal styles, a fictional band brought to life, and a psychedelic astral journey set to prog-metal made for an astounding, exhausting night of music.
The 69 Eyes preview
Reggie’s, Chicago Saturday, October 24, 2009 Rock ‘n’ roll has come a long way since “The Monster Mash,” incorporating all manner of ghosts and ghouls — even spawning a genre called “heavy metal.” But attempts at ferocity grew proportionately with ridiculousness, which has opened the door for levity via Alice Cooper, Gwar, Rob Zombie, and […]
David Bazan preview
Lincoln Hall, Chicago Saturday, October 24, 2009 For years, David Bazan was the bane of Christian rock. Not because of pointed, Christopher Hitchens-styled atheistic attacks or a hyper-commercialized bastardization of their idiom. Bazan, as Pedro The Lion, was the rare God rocker with credibility outside the genre and, to outsiders, the only “good one.”
Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard reviewed
One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur (F-Stop/Atlantic) Son Volt’s Jay Farrar and Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard met after being asked to record songs for the Jack Kerouac documentary that shares titles with this album. They then bonded and wrote some more. Appearing: Monday, October 26th at Lincoln Hall in Chicago.
Tinariwen reviewed
Imidiwan: Companions (World Village) Tinariwen are exactly the sort of guitar band who you feel could break Joe America’s skittishness toward “world” music, yet stand in their own way. The title of their fourth album translates to “companions,” which suggests an unfortunate, one-world Benetton pretense. If people only stayed to find out what’s meant by […]
Chromeo contest!
Chromeo are in town on Friday, October 30th at Congress Theatre with Crystal Castles and Boys Noize, and we have a pair of tickets to give away. All you have to do is e-mail us at ed [at] illinoisentertainer.com and see be the first to correctly guess our favorite Chromeo song, and you’re in! Deadline […]
Maxwell live!
United Center, Chicago Thursday, October 8, 2009 R&B singers have so many options, it’s at once understandable and frustrating how they get locked into one category and spend a lifetime there. Maxwell, whose Blacksummers’night (Columbia), has some comparing him to Marvin Gaye, used Thursday’s show to push back at the shrinking boundaries.
Rain Machine preview
Double Door, Chicago Saturday, October 17, 2009 TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone wants to keep a low profile. His solo project carries the Rain Machine pseudonym, his beard obscures his face like one of those zany beekeepers, and the artwork on his debut looks like an Outkast album done up in Crayon.
Grand Archives preview
Schubas, Chicago Saturday, October 17, 2009 A common complaint about The Beatles’ reissues is how poorly protected the CDs are, ready for a new scratch each time they’re removed from the digipack cases. Granted, they aren’t the only band doing this, but Grand Archives have pillowed Keep In Mind Frankenstein (Sub Pop) in a sleeve.
Elliott Brood preview
Schubas, Chicago Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Mountain Meadows, the second full-length album from Canadian trio Elliott Brood, was inspired by a 19th-century massacre that took place in Utah. Using this bloody and haunting event as their launching point, the band take their “death-country” to a sophisticated level.
Sleeping At Last reviewed
Storyboards (Asteroid-B) Sleeping At Last will be one of Chicago’s great what-ifs. Handpicked to open one of the first few Zwan gigs and given time to craft a sweeping, Radiohead-style debut, their success only seemed a matter of when.
Kylie Minogue live!
UIC Pavilion, Chicago Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Whoever originally booked Kylie Minogue at the Congress Theatre either had no appreciation for her ability to sell out a week’s worth of arenas in the one city overseas or the fact that she’s an underground club hero in America. Granted, the less-educated side of her U.S. audience […]
Recent Comments