Local new wavers Big Science are gearing up for the release of their first full-length album, Difficulty, and they’ve given fans a taste of what’s to come by sharing the LP’s first single. more ›

Big Science, whose debut made our Best of local music list in 2008, is back with a new EP Skyscraper Sound. It's coming out at the end of the month on June 29 on AEMMP Records, Columbia College Chicago's student-run independent record label. In past years AEMMP has confounded us with the bands they partner with, but this time around we applaud their taste since we think Big Science is one of the city's most underrated musical gems. Their live shows carry a punk energy through songs that lean heavily towards the college rock of the late '80s. Brainy and danceable, Skyscraper Sound continues down the path the group laid out on their debut. We've got a sneak peek at the new EP with our download of the track "1000 Years," so snag it and if you enjoy it grab the rest of the EP when it comes out. more ›

Grand Duchy is Frank Black's electro-pop rock side project he's got going with his wife, Violet Clark. Actually, maybe it's not a side project. Black seems to like to keep incredibly so maybe all his bands are main projects? Semantics. What is clear is that Grand Duchy is a delightful listen, and Clark and Black act as excellent foils to each other, teasing out gentle melodies and crafting delicate and ingratiating tunes that linger on long after the stylus has hit the label. more ›

The following ten groups released albums or EPs that we believe launched them far above the roiling masses making up the Chicago music scene. While these are our favorites it should be noted that this was an amazingly strong year for the local scene, and we could have easily made a top 50 list without much of a problem. In fact, just reviewing the bands while making this list we realized how thankful we are to be located in such a musically fertile city! more ›

A bit of tasty localvore fare for you this week. more ›