Recent Articles
Of God And Science reviewed
Of God And Science Of God And Science (Detach) The cover art of this debut album depicts a duel (the winner of which is revealed inside), but any struggle the band are experiencing gets swept up in lollygagging acoustic love songs.
Cortney Tidwell reviewed
Cortney Tidwell Don’t Let The Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ever) Growing up in the heart of country music territory had such an effect on Cortney Tidwell she has ignored it completely on her debut album.
Art Garfunkel live!
Art Garfunkel Genesee Theatre, Waukegan Friday, April 27, 2007 Considering Art Garfunkel reunited with Paul Simon in 2003 and released the CD/DVD concert chronicle Old Friends (Warner Bros.) a year later, the half decade between solo albums and tours doesn’t seem nearly so long. But that’s indeed been the gap between a Park West performance […]
Junior Boys/Amon Tobin/Cornelius preview
Junior Boys/Amon Tobin/Cornelius Chicago Three separate shows this week featuring the class of electronic music draw from Ontario (Junior Boys, Empty Bottle, May 3rd), Brazil (Amon Tobin, Metro, May 5th), and Japan (Cornelius, Park West, May 7th).
Fayrewether return
Fayrewether Chicago City Limits, Schaumburg Friday, May 4, 2007 Progressive rocker Paul Fayrewether and his band conquered Chicagoland as a top drawing club act in the dark age of the mid-’80s, back when the local rock scene was going through a decidedly lean period of major label record deals and commercial success.
Parts & Labor preview
Parts & Labor Empty Bottle, Chicago Friday, May 4, 2007 Parts & Labor attempt to prove the (nearly) impossible: Noise rock can be catchy.
Test Your Reflex preview
Test Your Reflex Abbey Pub, Chicago Saturday, May 5, 2007 Test Your Reflex are a group of five dudes from California between the ages of 19 and 21 who already have a record deal with RCA! Life must be sweet, huh? You sure as hell wouldn’t know it by hearing them.
Arctic Monkeys preview
Arctic Monkeys Riviera, Chicago Tuesday, May 8, 2007 England’s year-old next-big-things survive the sophomore jinx on Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino) but almost get stuck in gear.
Au Revoir Simone preview
Au Revoir Simone Empty Bottle, Chicago Tuesday, May 8, 2007 “Depressing things are empty beds and lonely dinners and women who are middle-aged with naked fingers” sing the interchangeable voices of Au Revoir Simone on “Fallen Snow,” a track from the trio’s first full-length release, The Bird Of Music (Our Secret Record Company).
James Apollo reviewed
James Apollo Hide Your Heart In A Hive (No Alternative) Hide Your Heart In A Hive sounds recorded not “on the road,” as the liners state, but in a single sitting, almost as if James Apollo never got up from behind his piano. And if he did it probably wasn’t for more than to dig […]
The Dreadful Yawns reviewed
The Dreadful Yawns Rest (Exit Stencil) It’s (pick one: stupid, lazy, comically shortsighted) to attach a young band to a 40-year-old song, but The Dreadful Yawns are everything right about The Byrds’ “Ballad Of Easy Rider.”
The Greencards reviewed
The Greencards Viridian (Dualtone) Tip-toeing around a traditional genre, The Greencards keep subtlely updating bluegrass with Viridian, their third album. Appearing: May 5th at Schubas in Chicago.
Cover Story: The Police
The Police Red Light, Green Light It is just after 10:30 a.m. on Monday, February 12th, and a group of about 150 international entertainment journalists, music-industry insiders, and rock star celebs are ushered into Los Angeles’ famed Whiskey A-Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard. Joining them is a small but fiery group of hardcore fans who won […]
Bebel Gilberto interview
Bebel Gilberto The Parent Trap Bebel Gilberto speaks with the same soft, sensual cadences she uses when she sings — that graceful blend of sun, urbanity, and rhythm that turns the familiar into something exotic and the exotic into something intimate. Given Gilberto’s singing style, this is probably to be expected (or, if you’re male, […]
JJ Grey & Mofro interview
JJ Grey & Mofro Ain’t No Place Like Home When speaking with JJ Grey, you’re not likely to hear this proud Floridian call himself an activist. But since dropping the Blackwater album in 2001 with his band Mofro, this singer-songwriter has stood up for the oft-forgotten residents who dwell in the swampy outskirts of his […]
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