AltWeeklies Wire
Noah and the Whale Establishes Itself on the Indie 'Cute Rock' Scenenew
Handclaps, xylophones and whistling solos make Peaceful a toe-tapping good time. Charlie Fink's lyrics, however, weave lovelorn, wistful themes.
Chicago Newcity |
Andy Seifert |
09-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sydney's The Presets Don't Quitnew
Since the band's inception, the classically trained musicians have been churning out dance-pop music with electronic proclivities. There's not much of a dance scene in Australia, so they looked to the dance floors of Europe and Aussie rock 'n' roll progenitors AC/DC and Midnight Oil.
Chicago Newcity |
Garin Pirnia |
09-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Maps & Atlases Finally Give Us More Songsnew
When Maps & Atlases' Tree, Swallows, Houses EP broke in 2006, it felt as if the band was taunting you, that the math-rock wizardry was almost antagonistic in its assault.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
09-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Aesop Rock Reaches His Peaknew
Much like his Def Jux boss and labelmate El-P, Rock has defied commercial logic by developing a successful career dropping notoriously esoteric (and at times, indecipherable) rhymes over highly textured rhythms and angular bass lines.
Chicago Newcity |
Brad Knutson |
08-20-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Kid Sister, the New Queen of Hip-Hop?new
With only a minute amount of material actually released, the buzz around this potential new queen of hip-hop is so overwhelming that when her mug graced the cover of URB this summer the immediate gut reaction was "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense," and not "Wait, she doesn't even have a record yet!"
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
07-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Bound Stems Returns with 'The Family Afloat'new
In nearly direct opposition to its sprawling predecessor, the ten-song album is just a lightning flash instead of the whole damn thunderstorm, and, while the group still crafts songs filled with unexpected left turns, each song, as catchy as the next, boasts a newfound confidence.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
07-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Icy Demons Chills with Some 'Miami Ice'new
A psycho funk-jazz dance party warped together with a collection of keyboards, guitars, bass, energetic drums and elusive, sharply goofy vocals (the lyric "You better buy a breath mint with that last dime" makes an appearance), Icy Demons perplexes.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Icy Demons, Miami Ice
The Dials Toss More into the Petri Dishnew
Amoeba Amore not only builds on the band's previous work, but across-the-board boasts the band's best work, each song a fist, some of them featuring colossal crescendos of multiple vocal parts, thrilling moments that overwhelm with jarring conviction.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
06-25-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Amoeba Amore, The Dials
Defender Side Project Alla Releases Album in Spanishnew
It took four years to complete the band's debut, Es Tiempo, perhaps because Jorge Ledezma set his goals high when the band was born.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
06-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Ladytron is Burning Upnew
Once again on Velocifero, it's Ladytron's scathing lyrics that make the group so incendiary.
Chicago Newcity |
Garin Pirnia |
06-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Ladytron, Velocifero
Trekking Through 20 Years of House Musicnew
John Larner and Slater Hogan's secret to keeping their music relevant? Balance fresh cuts from the new school with classic sounds of Chicago and Detroit. Simmer high-octane bass with jazz, funk and fluidity and there’s good reason why history repeats itself.
Chicago Newcity |
Jenn Danko |
06-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
M83 Looks to the 1980s for Inspirationnew
Saturdays=Youth finds Anthony Gonzalez venturing deeper into the pop realm, even stating openly that this collection of songs are a celebration of his teenage years.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
05-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: M83, Saturdays=Youth
The Long Blondes are More Than Just Clothesnew
"It wasn't our intention to make a dark record. We maybe got a little bit annoyed with the press from the first album, who compared us to the Fifties and Sixties girl groups, [talked about] the fashion ... we wanted to get away from that, be recognized for musical achievement rather than the fact that some of us like to dress up pretty."
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
05-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: couples, The Long Blondes
UK Grimer Dizzee Rascal Teaches Us 'Maths & English'new
"It sounds like a step up sonically, musically it's just bigger," Dizzee, aka Dylan Mills, says of his new album. "I wanted to make an album you could have a party to, or have a rave to."
Chicago Newcity |
Brad Knutson |
05-14-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Dizzee Rascal, Maths + English
How the Chicago Symphony Landed the Music Director New York Wantednew
Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, who had reportedly turned down the music directorship of the New York Philharmonic at least twice in recent years, is signing a contract to become the CSO's tenth music director.
Chicago Newcity |
Dennis Polkow |
05-14-2008 |
Music
