Tonight! The Forms & Cloud Cult @ Schubas
Hey there fellow denizens of Chicago it is raining pretty fiercely here in the Western ‘burbs right now, but have no fear. You should go check out The Forms and Cloud Cult tonight at Schubas. The show starts at 10:30PM and I’ll be headed out after I play some moon sand with Hailey and jog (Read more…)
Review: Harris Newman – Decorated
Despite the title of Canadian acoustic guitarist Harris Newman’s third album Decorated there isn’t much extraneous ornamentation or decoration aside from Newman’s own guitar. It is a great (and mostly solo) exploration of hypnotic steel-string modalities that walk the line between improvisational avant-garde meandering and pleasantly captivating nearly new age folk-isms. His wonderfully fingerpicked runs (Read more…)
Review: Hail Hornet – Hail Hornet
Hail Hornet ia band that features members of Alabama Thunderpussy and Weedeater (among others). On their self-titled debut album, they dish out grime-metal that’s brutally aggressive and thunderously sludgy. This is some gnarly shit that will put hair on your chest and is out now on the awesome Dwell Records label. MP3 | Hail Hornet (Read more…)
Review: Bayard Russell – Selftitled
Selftitled is a nice little record full of hushed but playful bedroom indie pop tunes from NYC singer/songwriter Bayard Russell. They are catchy, melodic, bouncy and everything you could want out of a record like this. Very recommended for fans of The Incredible Moses Leroy, The Softlightes, Say Hi, etc… MP3 | Bayard Russell – (Read more…)
Review: Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Sam Beam vs. TV On The Radio + Northwestern Wisconsin = Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. This is a stripped-down and low-key but amazingly beautiful folk album that is hushed yet fervently soulful. As far as debut albums go, this one from Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon) is stunning. MP3 | Bon Iver – (Read more…)
Buckets Full of Emo (or) I Might Be Wrong (Part 3)
Perhaps this one will get the kids talking. MP3 | The Trigger Quintet – Slept For Seven Days MP3 | Orwell – Angular Momentum MP3 | Gameface – Everything I Do Is Wrong MP3 | Mineral – Five, Eight, And Ten MP3 | Clikitat Ikatowi – DNA Timebomb MP3 | Sensefield – Different Times MP3 (Read more…)
Review: Burial – Untrue
When I saw Burial’s Untrue at the top of many 2007 year-end lists, I was puzzled. After hearing the album for the first time, I was skeptical and wondered what all the fuss was about. But now, some months (and many many listens) later, I’m thoroughly enjoying Untrue and his twisting turning dubstep. What exactly (Read more…)
Review: Cloak/Dagger – No Age
Cloak/Dagger’s latest album No Age fires up on all cylinders from the start. Their no-frills dirty old-school hardcore punk is incendiary but refreshing to hear in a world over-populated with over-produced mediocre songs. No Age is overdriven and relentless and makes me wanna jump in the pit and flail around (or at least pogo) with (Read more…)
Buckets Full of Emo (or) I Might Be Wrong (Part 2)
Here is part 2 of the revised and reexamined Buckets Full of Emo series (you can find part 1 here). This one covers (roughly) 1994 and 1995 and reminds me of a funny conversation I had with my brother this past Friday evening that went something like this: Brother: Okay. There is this great band (Read more…)
