Weekly
Youth Group Reviewed
Youth Group Casino Twilight Dogs (Anti) It wasn’t too long ago Youth Group were unabashedly cute, younger brothers to Death Cab For Cutie, despite the transpacific gap between them. When they were touring with DCFC (and receiving stewardship from Chris Walla), it was practically overkill.
Rich Boy Reviewed
Rich Boy Rich Boy (Zone 4/Interscope) Mobile, Alabama’s Rich Boy (born Marece Richards) drops a great party debut, even if it lacks a great deal of substance.
Stephen Marley live
Stephen Marley Vic Theatre, Chicago Saturday, March 31, 2007 As Bob’s second eldest son, Stephen Marley’s talents have often floated under the radar. He has always played a supporting role for his siblings, whether it was singing background with the Melody Makers or producing and writing hit albums for Julian and Damian. But if his […]
Neko Case live
Neko Case Park West, Chicago Thursday, March 29, 2007 The scheduled reemergence of The New Pornographers this fall will effectively yank Neko Case (the solo artist) off the concert circuit for at least the next year. Yet if this, the second of three, sold-out shows at the Park West, was supposed to be some seat-of-her-pants […]
Mute Math live
Mute Math House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, March 28, 2007 From the first moments Mute Math meandered onto the House Of Blues stage in their designer suits — drummer Darren King duct-taping his large headphones on, lead singer Paul Meany strapping on his keytar — the nearly sold-out crowd knew they were in for a […]
Ken Andrews live
Ken Andrews Double Door, Chicago Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Towards the end of the ’90s, the onslaught of one-hit wonders was overwhelming and in-exhaustive. So it was hardly surprising very few noticed ’90s almost-weres Failure. But for those who did find out about the band, they were both rewarded and made to suffer: rewarded because […]
dada Preview
dada Park West, Chicago Friday, April 6, 2007 Hundreds of bands have soared to rarely seen heights only to be rebuffed just as quickly, but few did quite as exceptionally as dada. Nearly unavoidable when “Dizz Knee Land” hit the airwaves in the early ’90s, they found the industry and public less receptive to their […]
Northern Chorus, Twilight Sad preview
A Northern Chorus, The Twilight Sad Subterranean, Chicago Monday, April 9, 2007 What once was three is now only two: Scotland band Aereogramme were originally suppose to headline this tour, but visa issues delayed their arrival. Now they just hope to rejoin the tour by the April 13th gig in Seattle. So if you arrive […]
Amy Winehouse reviewed
Amy Winehouse Back To Black (Universal Republic) Bratty, husky-voiced U.K. sensation Amy Winehouse wraps her foul-mouthed public persona in the cheeky guise of ’60s girl-group pop for her sophomore album.
The Innocence Mission reviewed
The Innocence Mission We Walked In Song (Badman) Had We Walked In Song, based on the title, been placed in the wrong bin at Borders during Black History Month, it would have bummed out a lot of well-intentioned listeners.
Vincent Black Shadow reviewed
The Vincent Black Shadow Fear’s In The Water (Bodog) The infiltration of indie rock has created a shortage of sassy, street-smart pop punks. Appearing: April 6th at Metro in Chicago.
Bloc Party Live!
Bloc Party Congress Theatre, Chicago Friday, March 23, 2007 If you only had a passing knowledge of the group Bloc Party, you might not necessarily assume them to be particularly dynamic. And even if you have some level of familiarity with the band, it would be understandable if you didn’t automatically label them bombastic.
The Besnard Lakes Preview
The Besnard Lakes Schubas, Chicago Thursday, March 29, 2007 Layers-deep Montreal indie rock outfit The Besnard Lakes flirt with the Canadian border on their second album.
David Karsten Daniels Preview
David Karsten Daniels Empty Bottle, Chicago Thursday, March 29, 2007 “There is a joy that you can’t contain/there is a feeling you just can’t explain,” David Karsten Daniels sings on the first track, “The Dream Before The Ring That Woke Me,” from Sharp Teeth. Not exactly what you expect from a record whose cover depicts […]
Willy Mason, Thomas Dybdahl Preview
Willy Mason, Thomas Dybdahl Double Door, Chicago Sunday, April 1, 2007 It’s hard to remember a singer-songwriter lineup as top-to-bottom solid as what Double Door boast at Sunday’s Sondre Lerche show. While the cherubic Norse headliner merits the head of the marquee, his support, Willy Mason and Thomas Dybdahl, are no schlubs themselves. This show […]
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