Archive for April, 2011
Arcade Fire live!
Arcade Fire often blurs the lines between a nuts-and-bolts rock show and performance-art extravaganza. Despite an absence of costume changes, a cadre of flashy backup dancers, or life-size props, Win Butler and co. managed to dazzle the senses
Won’t you be, won’t you be my neighbor?
A trio of local record-releases (Cameron McGill, The Part Five, Scattered Trees) pound the Chicago coast this weekend, bringing stormy emotions, windy verbage, and thunderous applause something.
Electro Pure, eh?
Don’t try to make sense of why some bands become critical darlings and others are denounced as namby-pamby trash. You’ll make neither heads nor tails of it, and everyone will still laugh at you.
Clean the wall when you’re done
Accept fans quietly rage when they run into people who only know the band for their biggest hit, “Balls To The Wall.” The German band did release two earlier albums that were more in line with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal — speedy, aggressive — and never intended to become the teutonic AC/DC. […]
Dawn bringing
Almost as if they’re New York and Los Angeles, the Chicagoland’s suburban and city metal scenes have more differences than simple geography.
The hardest Parts
Within the first couple minutes of Parts & Labor‘s Constant Future (Jagjaguwar), a surge of electronic and other malfunctioning noises conspire to produce
At the movies!
A new, Scion A/V-backed film won’t boast the legal fireworks caused by Fix at the CIMM festival, but this Tuesday’s local premiere of New Garage Explosion!!: In Love With The Times is all about the warm fuzzies.
Sometimes it . . .
Some of you suburbanites have seen it already this month, but for the first time the city woke up with the white stuff. So it’s time to: http://bit.ly/hjbNzo
Sunday’s best
Zion I, the forward-thinking hip-hop duo from Oakland, hits a particularly marvelous groove on three consecutive tracks halfway through the 13-track Atomic Clock
A Waxy salute
Some people plan to purchase a record when they turn 33 1/3rd, a quaint self-acknowledgement combined with retro consumerism. If you’re Wax Trax, however, you throw a party.
Record Store Day is Saturday!
Three years ago, Record Store Day seemed like a quaint, underdog rebellion in the face of foregone extinction. What music that was selling put change in Steve Jobs’ pocket or served as a tax loss for Walmart and Best Buy. Now it’s an event bound to outlast the stores themselves.
Rush live!
Coming up on four decades of touring, it makes perfect sense that Rush has perfected the formula for their live show. And while it offers repeat customers few surprises, it never disappoints. The latest proof of this came Tuesday night, as the Canadian classic-rockers brought “The Time Machine Tour” to the United Center.
Win tickets to Cornmeal on Saturday!
The first five people to contact us will gain access for themselves and a friend for this Saturday’s Cornmeal gig at House Of Blues!
Win tix to Bass Love 4 Japan!
Yes, it’s a benefit, so the idea of free passes might seem somewhat self-defeating. But you can still donate when you arrive! Read on.
International Pop Overthrow returns!
International Pop Overthrow is about to make its 10th anniversary swing through Chicago, with a two-week run that will present more than 75 power pop and indie rock bands at The Abbey Pub and Red Line Tap.
Recent Comments