Big Science has released a couple promising EPs over the last few years, but it's only now that they've finally put out a debut full-length album, Difficulty. During their existence they've gained a deserved reputation as a strong live act and their shows inspire more dancing than head-bobbing. Difficulty is chock full of tunes hewing to the group's signature sound, a mixture of new wave and more aggressive '80s-style rockin'. While the songs pack a wallop most of the time there's not a whole lot of sonic variety here, and what is a strength on something the length of an EP begins to grow slightly tiring when it's stretched out over 40 minutes. One of the things that makes their stage shows so excellent is the group's dynamic, and their ability to add nuance and switch the speed of the proceedings up offering an expert touch of variety to keep the crowd's attention. more ›

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 ›

I Break Horses was just in Chicago a few weeks ago opening for M83 and they return tonight to play a headlining gig at Lincoln Hall. Looking back to their last appearance, it's no surprise this Swedish duo was opening for M83 since they draw their sound from the same mid-'80s well. But while M83 goes deeper into teenage longing I Break Horses opts to layer on the shoegauze (sp. intentional) creating an effect that often feels as if you're about to float away. 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 ›

A few years ago we were sent a few demos by a group we only knew as Dirty Ghosts. From what we could tell they owned some really beat up synths and drum machines along with some ancient guitars and the resulting sound was delicious. It was lo-fi, but in the way that sounded like old Stax sides played through a punk rock Victrola. We fell in love with the tunes but could never divine anything solid about the band outside the fact that somewhere in the mix a woman was delivering vocals. 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 ›

A friend turned us on to French pop band Housse de Racket a couple of years ago after their 2008 debut, Forty Love. This album had us dancing in our seats on the bus, the train, and at our desk with a fresh mix of unmistakably French melodies, rock guitar, 80’s synth, and believe it or not, disco. The duo, Pierre Leroux and Victor Le Manse, have known each other since their school days in the Paris suburb of Chaville and, as you might have guessed, have connections to break out french rock bands Phoenix and Air as session musicians. They also nabbed the producer of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Philippe Zdar, for their latest effort, Alesia. But don’t expect a carbon copy: “who better than Phoenix’s producer to keep us away from the sound of Phoenix?” more ›

Tonight Lincoln Hall features a trio of must-see bands; one local, one from Brooklyn and one traveling all the way here from Australia. Opening the evening is YAWN, a band we've covered extensively (and always well worth checking out) so let's move on to the out-of-towners. more ›

Bad Veins are following their spectacular debut with an even better sophomore effort coming out next month. The Mess We've Made finds the duo of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz have taken the mixture of dance, rock and lush arrangements they're so good at and amped it up a notch. We've seen their live show and the new album's found the band focusing that exuberance and capturing it in the studio. more ›

Your 33 Black Angels may hail from Brooklyn but they sound like a lysergic rural dream slowly seeping out of the ground. There's a deep weariness to their songs and a sense that at any point they could just put their instruments down and walk away. But the music is so deeply embedded in the members' bones they can't resist. So songs tend to wind along, experiences surges of passion and electricity, and display an ageless inevitability. We're not implying the tempos are lazy at all, though, since there's a heavy Southern swagger at work here too. It's just that the whole package feels like something that's always been there. When you drive through the mountains in the east and the layers of rock appear and undulate and change color outside your window as you drive by one can imagine the cast of Your 33 Black Angel hard at work extracting musical goop and ooze to then drip over their songs. 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 ›

You could call The Asteroids Galaxy Tour a commercial band since their initial break onto the scene was through an Apple commercial with their tune "Around the Bend," and recently they resurfaced with "The Golden Age" and its prominent placing in an international beer commercial. So you could call the band commercial. Get it? Though the sound the band produces, while slick, isn't exactly commercial. more ›

Did you enjoy the new video for Wilco's "Dawned On Me" we posted yesterday? We discovered there's more the Wilco / Popeye collaboration than initially meets the eye... 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 ›

Billy and the gang dug deep into the pile of Christmas wreaths behind his garage and pulled out this gem from bygone days. It's simple, spartan and actually a nice little holiday tune. And, believe it or not, nakedly sweet. Between this, the SPRC and the recent re-embracing of the band's past, might Billy be on the road back into our heart? Could be! 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 ›

Chicago-based contemplative experimentalists Pillars and Tongues will be playing a special, intimate performance at Experimental Sound Studio for its Outer Ear Fall Series. 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 ›

Holy Ghost! have been putting in their time on the road, primarily opening for better known acts, to promote their excellent self-titled debut album. The duo of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel create electro-pop that is infectious and fun and, unlike many other in the genre, feels fresh and playfully new. There's a definite '80s bent to their approach but there's an approachability to their presentation that feels ver of the "now." There's a tropical feel mixed with an urban feel in their music so I guess you could say it feels like your dancing on a beach with a kick-ass light show surrounded by beautiful people. What's not to like? more ›

There's something not quite right going on in the middle of the noise that Wooden Shjips creates. The quartet looks like a band of slightly deranged denizens from some misty, eerie backwoods. There's probably a swamp or something hidden back there. And the music they create does its best to sonically evoke that image. Each song has a solid cor driving it relentlessly forward, like a slug stoically pushing its way through the soil, while muddy layers of guitar pile up on each other creating layers of noise that melt into a single flow. An interesting thing happens when the vocals come in, their sound evoking wide open yet desolate desert skies. This is psychadelia in the sense that its inviting you to hollow out your skull and fill it with red sunlight, dust and sweat. You take that, retreat to a bathtub filled with peat and submerge yourself in the music and the story will tell itself. So yeah, there's something not quite right going on here and we find that rather wonderful. more ›

This week we check out recent offerings from Chris Holmes' Ashtar Command and Rachael Yamagata, ex-Chicagoans both, and artists whose paths have frequently crossed. 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 ›