Rockin' Our Turntable: The Republic Tigers

We almost fell off our chair when we learned The Republic Tigers were from Kansas City. To us their dreamy pop sounds far more suited to the fog filled late-night / early morning streets of London. But we suppose that just goes to illustrate how convincing the musical tableaux the band has managed to craft around themselves really is.

The band's debut, Keep Color, is chock full of layered vocals and gently insistent melodies. Most of the songs are heavy on the synthesizer side, but that doesn't mean we're venturing into electronic pop. Instead the keys work to bolster the guitar work, much of which is strummed acoustically, to pack a brighter punch. The result is a rock band covered in shimmering layers of aural color.

A perfect example of their approach is "Feelin' The Future," a song whose choruses bulge with plinking keys, sweeping synths, soaring guitar leads over acoustic strumming, alternately driving and soloing drums, and multi-part vocal cascades. We now, it sounds like that's just way too much to process, but trust us when we say it's a truly pleasant earful.

Sadly the band is skipping Chicago on the current tour, but adventurous souls can head to Indianapolis next Monday at The Music Mill. As for the rest of us, we'll just have to settle for the excellent new album until they do make it to Chicago.

Thanks to our ever alert commenters, we've learned the band has been added to Sunday's Ribfest Chicago line-up as a last-minute additon. They play at noon which, if you'r elike us, is way too early to be up on a Sunday. However in this instance, we'll happily drag our asses out of bed and chug a pot of coffee to make the show.

Ribfest Chicago is at the intersection of Damen, Lincoln, and Irving Park. The Republic Tigers play at noon on Sunday, June 8.