AltWeeklies Wire
Scout Niblett Sends Us Off To Our Deathsnew
Niblett, whose work has often been compared to the more minimalist output from PJ Harvey or Cat Power, is no rip-off artist -- her sincerity and, lately, sweetness comes purely from a songwriter on some sort of path to discovery, even if it's a path that leads directly to her own heart.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
04-16-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Yeasayer Breaks Throughnew
On All Hour Cymbals, the band mashed sounds that shouldn't have ever been dumped into the same pot. But it worked, as the band received bundles of press all along the blogosphere and invites to various festivals around the globe.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer
Head of Femur: In Plain Sightnew
The Chicago band went through a bit of a reinvention a couple years ago when the band decided to strip down the elements it was most known for -- the endless barrage of instruments on stage, horns to strings to whatever else -- and go with the bare essentials.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Great Plains, Head of Femur
Nada Surf Reminds Itself to be Happynew
Matthew Caws speaks quietly at a measured pace, not unlike how he sings one of his ballads. A tender tone persists just this side of protected laziness -- he puts you at ease, even if he isn't.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
04-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Murder by Death Returns for More Mayhemnew
As the band blends elements of punk, alt-country, airy instrumental and gypsy, Adam Turla weaves tales of power and adventure, religion and good's fight against evil.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
03-26-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Hush Sound is Not Emonew
The Chicago four-piece's third full-length record for the Fall Out Boy bassist's Decaydance imprint is unlike what you'd expect from a label spawned from Fueled by Ramen.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
03-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Goodbye Blues, The Hush Sound
Able Baker Fox Delivers Impressive Debutnew
When the band’s at its most aggressive and least hook-driven, it brings to mind Make Believe-era Tim Kinsella (and just how good that band’s records actually are), but also shows how impressive this band is, and how the sound is rather polished for a first record.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Able Baker Fox, Voices
Christy & Emily Create a Sparse Environmentnew
Hook-heavy yet delicately assembled, Christy Edwards' clean electric guitar is knitted with Emily Manzo's piano and keyboard work for a sound that, predictably, combines indie sensibility with classical-like piano-jogging.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
01-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Christy & Emily, Gueen's Head
Anatomy of Popnew
Ingrid Michaelson and her Girls and Boys.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
12-05-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Girls and Boys, Ingrid Michaelson
Thrill Jockey Records Crosses the 15-Year Linenew
"I was a really big fan of Touch & Go and Dischord," founder Bettina Richards says, "especially their ethos. You don't see it written about much these days, but it still means a shitload to me -- the open relationship with the artist, that fundamental thing."
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
11-28-2007 |
Music
Caribou's Dan Snaith and His 'Andorra'new
Undoubtedly inspired by the work of the Beach Boys, Snaith uses more vocals than ever to create bubbly, but somewhat vast, sweet tarts, each more memorable than the last.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
11-07-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Anne Elizabeth Moore Charts an 'Unmarketable' Pathnew
Her latest book is a terrific, jarring and informed account of underground culture's infiltration by the corporate world.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
10-31-2007 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
The New Pornographers Get Wise & Maturenew
"I'd rather have people pissed off at us for changing than be pissed off at us for not changing," says chief Pornographer Carl Newman.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
10-17-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Challengers, The New Pornographers
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir Sings a New Chicago Soundnew
It's an exhilarating time for Chicago music -- more specifically for bands that are about to burst on to the international scene with a vengeance like the Choir.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
10-17-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sweden's Jose Gonzalez Looks 'In Our Nature'new
While the pieces surely add up on paper, it's difficult to categorize Jose Gonzalez simply as a singer-songwriter.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
10-03-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: In Our Nature, Jose Gonzalez
