Lizz talks to the Fiery Furnaces' frontwoman in advance of her show tonight at the Hideout. more ›

Relaunched MP3 site Epitonic and Logan Square-based record store Saki are teaming up for a new online performance and interview series called Epitonic Saki Sessions, according to a press release. more ›

Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, known to strangers and loved ones alike as hyper-prolific indie-prog duo The Fiery Furnaces, will start recording their next album sometime before Christmas, according to a newsletter from label Thrill Jockey. Bets are 50/50 as to whether the album, their ninth overall since 2003, will be thrilling like 2005's EP or totally out-there and irritating, like Rehearsing My Choir. But give the duo this: Not many people have the artistic gumption to record an entire album with their nana, much less release it. That kind of musical fortitude is no doubt what informs Furnace-man Matthew’s decision to release not one, not two, but eight official solo albums in the next year. more ›

The Fiery Furnaces may now hail from Brooklyn but they were born in Oak Park, sprouting from the fertile crowns of brother and sister team Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. They've made their name creating markedly disjointed music, only recently cutting the artifice with steadier and more traditional drumming alongside the occasional glam chord. Their last album, Widow City, found the band finally channeling their weirdness through undeniable pop structures pocked with indelible melodies. To be honest, it was the first Fiery Furnaces album we honestly liked from start to finish. more ›

With the city being overrun by holiday bar crawls, it might be difficult to walk the streets this weekend without being accosted by a drunk dude in holiday vest or run over by a Santa in a hazmat suit. Throw on your best Cosby sweater and enjoy any or all of these weekend delights.... more ›

Hey, don't forget we're running a contest to win some cool Thrill Jockey swag through tomorrow. Have you entered yet? more ›

Thrill Jockey Records turns 15 this year, and in order to celebrate they've decided to throw themselves a couple of big-ass parties, one of which already occurred in London earlier month. However, the label has called Chicago home for over a decade, so we're expecting the 2 days of shows happening at Logan Square Auditorium on December 14 and 15 to blow London's party apart at the seams. more ›

The Fiery Furnaces have been a much discussed Chicago export over the last few years, but we admit they never really charmed us. We found their material a tad too unwieldy and impenetrable, and when they came out with that album narrated by their grandmother we were ready to just completely write them off. more ›

While Chicagoist plans on spending 24 of the 48 hours this weekend out at Intonation, allow us to put forth the hypothesis that this might be the perfect weekend for the live show novice to hit up a local club or two. We’ve gotten all Miss Manners on the subject of Live Show Jackasses before, but we’re also advocates of the Show No Fear mentality. All those clubs you’re intimidated by, be they of the... more ›

Do you talk about bands your friends have never heard of? Do you often rate the things around you in tenths of a point? Do you dislike money? Then perhaps an internship at Pitchfork is for you! more ›