Thin Hymns isn’t a religious band, but they do craft their own variety of minimalist experimental pop that sounds like the hymnals of a cult that worships the synthesizer. more ›

Redd Kross was just in town to play the Hozac Blackout Fest, and everyone we've heard from that was there said they were in excellent form. The band has been on a long hiatus, but that show saw the start of them revving up their engines ahead of unleashing their first new album in 15 years later this summer. This line-up teams bandleaders Jeff and Steven McDonald with their '80s-era compadres Robert Hecker and Roy McDonald (no relation to the other McDonalds) to create what they're calling the "classic" Redd Kross line-up. Judging by the sound of their first single, "Researching The Blues," this "classic" quartet is fully rejuvenated we welcome their reunion with each other. If this is a taste of what to expect from the rest of their new album, they may actually fall in the rarified category of "reunions that don't suck (see also: Dinosaur Jr)." more ›

Chicagoist's mail slot is constantly clogged by the numerous press releases we have coming over the transom, and while most are mediocre and unworthy of coverage at best, occassionally we get a real gem. Today's winner was tossed our way by Chicago band Unicycle Loves You. It reads: more ›

We've been following Denton's Riverboat Gamblers for quite a while now, watching the once spazz-punks gradually refine their sound. By this point they've sanded the sharpest corners off their songs, so they no longer draw blood. But what they've given up in danger they've made up for in melody. One could argue whether that's a good or bad thing, but to us it's wholly dependent on our mood at a particular second. Sometimes you want to throw yourself through a wall of plate glass, spewing blood as shards explode all around you. Other times you want something that sounds good bouncing off the tiles of your shower while feeling slightly like a rebel. more ›

Chicago folk-pop act The Future Laureates are preparing to release their new album Fortress Sessions this Saturday, and they’re teasing with a few free tracks. more ›

First, we've been quiet on this subject for far too long, but WE LOVE PURRFECT THE CAT. To those not in the know, Purrfect is the surprise breakout star of NBC's The Voice. Seriously, that cat has gotten more attention than any of the actual contestants (sorry Jamie). Of course there might be a bit of nepotism at play here since Purrfect belongs to Cee Lo Green, but we're not going to complain about being introduced to this wondrous creature. more ›

Our love for The Naked And Famous is reasonably well documented, but aside from seeing them perform a single song at the end of their set on the rooftop of a hotel a year ago we have yet to see the band in concert. They're still touring on the power of their debut Passive Me, Aggressive you, so there's no new material per se, but we did get our hands on a remix of "No Way' by Bloc Party's Russell Lissack. They swing through Chicago this weekend to play The Vic on Sunday, April 15, and you can exect to see us in the crowd as we procrastinate filling out our tax forms. more ›

The Dandy Warhols are putting out their eighth record in eighteen years; it doesn't seem possible they've been around that long, does it? But then again it kind of feels like they've always been around. And, aside from what in our opinion was one minor misstep, the band's created a solid and dependable body of work. Their new record, This Machine, finds the band back in a hard driving rocker mode. It's all built on a groove but there's a laid-back aggression that runs throughout the album's eleven songs. We've been addicted to this disc for weeks now and can't wait until everyone else gets a chance to hear it (full review forthcoming) but until then we'll have to be satisfied sharing the disc's lead off track the band's released. more ›

Today we recommend two albums—one released a month ago, and one that comes out today—as two prime examples of Springtime listening. Behold, new efforts from instrumental electronic hip-hop duo Tensei, and experimental pop act Sonoi. more ›

With the prevalence of electronic-based, manipulated “rock” music the past couple of years, good rock ‘n’ roll has been harder and harder to find - especially from younger musicians. That may be why Howler, the main project of 19-year-old Minneapolis native Jordan Gatesmith, snapped our ears to attention earlier this year with the precocious debut America Gives Up, a blazing, buzzy homage to the kind of guitar-based, DIY sound that used to give kids something to feel hopeful about. Songs like “Beach Sluts” and “Back of Your Neck” infused the kind of quirky-yet-tough garage sound of Television (and later The Strokes and Elephant 6) with the brash, irreverent, sometimes off-color but always full of heart Midwestern rollick of The Replacements. Considering that Gatesmith was eight years old when Is This It was released, he’s done an admirable job of twisting that sound into something capable of cutting through the clutter of chillwave without alienating the trend watchers. more ›

Sometimes corporate sponsored music actually brings us something pretty awesome. So kudos to whoever in Converse's marketing department was able to convince Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and Andre 3000 to to collaborate on a brand new track, "DoYaThing," so they could release it for free. Sure it's ostensible reason for existence is to pimp the brand's new collection of shoes, some of which is Gorillaz-related, but we're willing to mix a little commerce with our art if it means getting the art for free. more ›

Listening to Narrow Sparrow's debut EP is a little bit like floating through space in your jammies—part bedroom pop and part dreamy space adventure. more ›

On Wednesday, the band revealed the first single from their upcoming third album Pre-Language, titled "Replicate." Download it here. more ›

The Chicago kids in Unicycle Loves You won't let you hear all of their new album, Failure, until February or so of next year, but they're more than happy to give you a preview of what to expect with "Wow Wave Cinema." Between it and "Sun Comes Out (And I Don't Care)," streaming on their website, it appears they're hoping to share a nice huge bonfire on the beach while enjoying the Wavves tickling their toes. Given the grey days and blustery chill that's settled over the city, this is an enjoyable reminder that you can always enjoy a summer day through a good tune. more ›

Pretty Good Dance Moves may operate our of Brooklyn but they were born here. We've got a taste of what to expect from their next album LIMO, due next February. more ›

I'm still digesting the self-titled debut from Mwahaha, but judging by the fact I've listened to it five or six times bodes well for my opinion of it. Admittedly after the first listen I was ready to delete it from my hard drive, thinking it was just another woozy, semi-psychedelic pop group -- a genre I truly enjoy but am noticing it's also becoming the default for an increasing number of musical groups -- but something stopped me from doing so. OK, full disclosure; I DID delete it, and then added it right back moments later due to the nagging feeling I was making a mistake by writing it off so quickly. This happens. One pitfall (oh man, here come the tears) of writing about music for OH SO VERY LONG is that you have SO MUCH to listen to!* But the upswing is that you're well aware of the pitfall so you develop an internal radar that keeps you from dismissing the good stuff too quickly. Sadly this doesn't stop you from adding not-so-good stuff to year-end lists prematurely but that's a whole 'nother story. more ›

In which we take a quick look at a few recent or upcoming musical releases. more ›

Local folk-pop project Está Vivo has been keeping it quiet since his January debut, but he’s back now with a new track, “Wonder Away,” and word of an upcoming album. more ›

Billy Corgan's Smashing Pumpkins™ are on tour and we suspect that all that time spent digging through unreleased material for their reissues has awakened some sort of nostalgia in The Bald One. The group's set in Las Vegas recently was steeped in golden oldies (and, c'mon, who out there is hoping that's still the case when the band comes through town this Friday at The Riv?) and their nascent Smashing Pumpkins Record Club is giving us glimmers of the nuggets we can expect from said reissue campaign. Last night Corgan released an early version of a classic Gish track, titled "Rhinoceros Version Two (Reel Time Sessions)," into the wild and it casts the guitar burner in a slightly different, organ dominated light. more ›

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya is a 21-year-old drummer/songwriter out of Chicago’s South Side. We don’t know much else about the guy, except that he’s involved in a bunch of other acts we’re not familiar with (The Para-medics, Nervous Passenger, Richard Def and the Mos Pryors, Albatross, Pisces at the Animal Fair, and Water House). Oh, and that he recently released a ridiculous album called Rotissabooty. more ›

Liturgy brings brings their raging turmoil to The Empty Bottle tonight. These kids may hail from Brooklyn but don't insult them by calling this hipster metal. This is the real motherfuckin' deal and it's beautiful. Their latest album, Aesthethica, is the sort of record you can really get lost within and have a good time. Of course we're assuming you're idea of a good time is standing in the middle of a tidal wave bound in barbed wire. The band doesn't form songs as much as they create ridged instruments meant to knock you off your feet and leave you as disoriented as possible before strapping you back in for a brief moment of stability before taking you out for a second round in a twister. more ›

Stepdad formed in Chicago a few years ago and then moved away but they return to town tonight for a show at Subterranean. You should go see them play. more ›

Little Red hails from Melbourne, Australia and craft the kind of dance rock fellow countrymen Cut Copy have already made familiar to most Americans. They'll be hitting these shores next month to promote their album Midnight Remember but we have a sneak peek for you to enjoy to whet your appetite and get your mouth a' waterin'. more ›

Ume is based in Austin but you might think they hail from an English factory town. They traffic in a sound that fits rather nicely in the midst of the current revival of all things '90s the music world is currently in the throes of. They're particular specialty is crafting big guitar songs that are equal part shoegaze and frenetic shredding and tops it off with floating, sweet female vocals. This is definitely band brought up on equal parts 4AD and alt-guitar majesty, and while some could fumble that mixture Ume pulls off the trick of making it all their own. Their sophomore album Phantoms carries a familiar feel to it and its easy to fall prey to its charms as the songs blend together in one furious, churning wash. more ›

We miss when Deerhoof used to give their music away like it was a ticking bomb. That was back in the day before the San Francisco experimental rockers blew up to their current state of renown. But yesterday was just like old times when they dropped a free, downloadable album, 99% Upset Feeling. more ›

The guys from Finding Fiction work fast. This Brooklyn-based indie-pop quartet formed through Craigslist in 2008 and by the next year had toured the country, dropped their debut, and begun to cause a stir among bloggers. Now a couple years and albums later, they’re still going strong and celebrating the release of a new EP, Try This At Home. more ›

Tokyo Police Club is remembering the first decade of the Aughts by recording a new cover daily to correspond with each year. Today's cover lines up with 2008 as the band tackles M83's sublime "Kim & Jessie" and they do it up right. It's slightly sloppy but that meshes well to offset the pristine perfection of the source material and allows Tokyo Police Club to stake their own claim to the tune. more ›

Team Bayside High are mainstays of the Chicago club scene and to celebrate a prime slot at this weekend's North Coast Music Festival the duo's released a new song for free. more ›

Van Hunt's What Were You Hoping For? isn't out until late September, but tickets for his show at Lincoln Hall on October 7 go on sale tomorrow at noon so this is as good a time as any to try and get you excited about him. We're big fans of folks who push against boundaries and manage to concoct thick stews of sound with conflicting influences. It's the ability to bring all those separate pieces together into a singular rhythm that separates the merely sonically experimental from the gifted alchemist of melody. more ›

Brontosaurus may be new to the local music community -- the band formed just last year -- but its members are no strangers to music. Both multi-instrumentalists, Nicholas Papaleo was raised on classical and indie rock, while Nicholas Kelley grew up to the sounds of metal and prog rock. The duo has already developed a solid sound, merging their musical backgrounds into sometimes charming, sometimes ominous experimental pop, and yesterday they released their debut album. more ›