We are definitely suckers for nostalgia here at the Chicagoist offices. The office stereo has been know to blast '80s enthusiasts such as Cut Copy, Kisses and Twin Shadow regularly. The mellow vocals, swirling synths and dreamy sound-scapes are enough to transport us to the back seat of the family station wagon any time we delve into the genre. Even though we have gravitated toward these sounds during its recent resurgence, that doesn't mean that we are not discerning about what we're listening to, especially when there have been a slew of artists trying to capitalize on the genre's popularity. more ›

With Passion Pit's steadily growing popularity, it's no surprise the electro-pop fivesome quickly sold out their show this Friday at the Congress. If you're one of the many fans who perhaps waited on a tax return before buying tickets and now find yourself ticketless and forlorn, then cheer up, kiddo. Because not only have they added a second show at the Congress for April 22, but Beauty Bar will also be holding an after party following this Friday night's show featuring a DJ set by the band. more ›

Swedish combo Shout Out Louds release their new album Work next Tuesday, and from what we've heard it's another breezy but bouncing bundle of bubbling pop. They allowed one of the album's tunes, "Fall Hard," to fall into the hands of the dance rockers in Passion Pit. The Passion Pit boys actually slow the tune down, strip it of it's effervescent rush and replace that with a lurching groove, turning a giddy song to spin to into a darker tune more suited to a sweaty make-out session. more ›

[Ed. note: Lizz was our eyes and ears at this year's SXSW ... here's our last peek at what she saw.] more ›