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

While most music fans are familiar with The Watson Twins from their 2006 collaboration with Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, Rabbit Fur Coat, sisters Chandra and Leigh have a blossoming career of their own. While the Twins occupy the same slice of Americana-inspired indie folk pop as the aforementioned Rilo Kiley, they've quickly establishing themselves with their 2006 EP, Southern Manners, and their aptly-named full-length debut, Fire Songs, released last month on Vanguard Records. more ›

Rilo Kiley has been around for nine years, did y'all know that? In that time, they've achieved a modicum of success for an indie band: respectable records sales figures, critical acclaim, lots of pretty photos. Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis have both done well for themselves outside of the band, and the breakup of their romantic relationship a couple of years ago doesn't appear to have adversely affected the band they share. The band's latest... more ›

We hope you’ve been saving your money, because the shows we’re looking at this week are a bit pricey. We’ll be scanning Craigslist for someone looking to offload their tix cheap. Why, oh why, isn’t there a Hot Tix for shows? Now removed from the avalanche of hype that surrounded their last shows here, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah returns to town for a pair of shows at The Vic. Expect fewer people who “heard... more ›

At this year’s Pitchfork Music Fest, Band of Horses confessed to feeling mighty jet-lagged, and it showed. Hopefully, they’ll be more energized at Metro tonight, and you won’t have to worry about getting elbowed by a hippie-with-no-rhythm like at their previous sold-out Schuba’s shows. Tuesday, Metro, 9 p.m., $16, 18+. This week’s award for Best Band Name goes to local band Let’s Get Out of This Terrible Sandwich Shop. That wouldn’t be enough to recommend... more ›

Yesterday, we posted about a piece that ran on Billboard.com regarding a possible Smashing Pumpkins reunion at Lollapalooza. Our curiosity was piqued by one line in particular that said “Chicago media reports” had first carried this speculation. Since we hadn’t seen anything like that, we started doing a little research and sending a few e-mails. What follows is an account of our attempts to track down exactly how stories like this get legs and whether... more ›