During the first of two sold-out shows she played at Lincoln Hall, Van Etten was captivating as ever. Playing a set loaded with her latest material, Van Etten activated her remarkable ability to grab your ears and your attention almost effortlessly. more ›

Yesterday we clued you in to the Chicago Department Of Cultural Affairs' Edible Audible Picnic noontime summer music series. The fine folks at the Department of Cultural Affairs have pulled out all the stops to make this a musically memorable summer as they follow up the lunchtime tunes with Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays, an evening series featuring both local and international indie-rock and pop voices. more ›

Former Okkervil River bandmates Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff formed Shearwater in 1999 to give public life to the piano-based ballads that didn't have a home among their main band's emotionally-charged pop. Perhaps not surprisingly, the near-brilliant songwriting duo found no drop off in critical acclaim just because they dialed down the volume. The stunning "Rooks," from the full length Rook (Matador) combines one of the neatest guitar lines of 2008's first half with a haunting, death-defying trumpet and emotionally-charged organ. Rook is an album full of menacing grandiosity and a deeper, more accomplished and ultimately more satisfying experience than its still-excellent predecessor, 2006's Palo Santo. more ›