We've got to teach them all a lesson more ›

It's really not hard to see why Sufjan Stevens, an artist known for making grandiose statements with his trademark softly sweet vocals, chose an artist like Simon and Garfunkel to draw inspiration from for his first new recording in five years, All Delighted People EP. The similarities on All Delighted People and Simon and Garfunkle's Sound of Silence aren't precluded to their lyrics, but the tone and story of portions Stevens' recording could easily fit in the same catalogue as the famous 60s-folk-masters. more ›

States like California and New York get plenty of songs dedicated to their greatness, but the Land of Lincoln seems to slip the minds of many artists. For that reason, we have nothing but love for Sufjan Stevens and his instant-classic, Illinois, the second installment in his ambitious (and now defunct) “50 States Project.” more ›

What better way to celebrate Casmir Pulaski Day than with a song (that's, admittedly, only tangentially related to the holiday)? more ›

The addition of soul crushing songwriter Bon Iver makes tomorrow's TNK show a must see for Chicagoist. more ›

We promise we love many elements about the Christmas season: the festive decorations, the spirit of togetherness, the delicious foods ... but other elements make us want to stab our eyes out. At the top of our list are awful Christmas songs. While there are some songs that make us reminisce about our childhood (anything from the A Very Special Christmas album is fair game), there are others that almost induce involuntary vomiting. We polled the Chicagoist office to compile a list of the Worst Fucking Christmas songs, and here's what was said. (You can wage your own bets about which Chicagoist writer said what): more ›

The Swedes are really fucking rad, and the latest evidence comes in the form of Jens Lekman having the number one record there this week. Lekman is a pop music master in a time when the genre is struggling to identify a true star, and his presence on the can't-miss Secretly Canadian label should help to expand his appeal Stateside. It's the combination of pretty, bouncy instrumentation and Lekman's unmistakably drole vocal delivery that set... more ›

With summer easing onto its laurels and panting in the heat, it's easy to get into a mindset that all the fun the season brings to Chicago is over. Not so! While the rest of the city is waiting for the humidity to give way to fall, you could squeeze in some more entertainment, in the form of Queerfest Midwest. The event, from noon to 10pm on Saturday at the Pulaski Fieldhouse in Wicker Park,... more ›

Chicagoist (this one, anyway) doesn't fancy ourself to be a music critic. We sometimes think the years we spent working "in the industry" may have caused us to prefer to keep our distance to avoid ruining all of our fun. But we do love music, obsessively so, and have been known to traipse all over the continent proving that fact. So when an internationally renowned music festival shows up in our backyard, there's not much... more ›

It’s that time again where we decide what to do with all this cash burning a hole in our pocket. Rufus Wainwright will be performing at Ravinia towards the end of the season. He’s been the darling of the critics for a long time now and it’s not just because of his musical pedigree. Release the Stars is due out May 15 – plenty of time to learn all the new songs to swoon to... more ›

The return of fall means no more suburban sheds or city parks filled with the sounds of rock. Instead, it’s time for live music fans to head inside to dark clubs that smell of cheap menthols and stale beer. We couldn’t be happier. Apparently, we’re not the only ones, as shows from Sufjan Stevens and Social Distortion/Supersuckers are already sold out. Here are a few with tix still available. We've never really bought what Cursive's... more ›

Now in its 13th year, the Chicago Underground Film Fest is almost becoming an institution. Yet after more than a decade of presenting challenging, weird and hilarious films, CUFF still manages to seem fresh. Music videos are no longer the delivery system for underground music. But many filmmakers still use film as a way to explore how one art form enhances the other. Several film series at the fest including Jeff Krulik’s "The Maryland Trilogy",... more ›

Day two of the Pitchfork Music Festival is already sold out, and after perusing the line-up it’s easy to see why. (UPDATE: We just found out day one is sold out too. Yow!) The only downside to sharing this lovely occasion with a capacity crowd is that the day is predicted to be hot hot HOT. Seriously, we hope their aren’t too many hippies in the audience to see Devendra Banhart because we no fo’... more ›

It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was buzzing about Sufjan Stevens latest installment in the 50 state series, Illinois. Everyone loved it. It had to be listened to, or else. How quickly Sufjan has slipped from that mountain of acclaim with his latest release, The Avalanche. Originally slated to be part of Illinois as a double album, these are the songs that didn’t make the cut when it was pared down. The Avalanche boasts... more ›

With new details emerging each week, Chicago’s summer of rock festivals continues to roll on. Yeah, that’s right. We said it. What fun is a cliché if you can’t beat it into the ground? We’re not the only ones excited though: Chicago Public Radio is putting together a “Listener's Guide to Chicago's Summer Music Festivals,” featuring Chicago rock fans talking about their favorite acts playing Lollapalooza, Intonation and Pitchfork this summer. If you’d like the... more ›

When we head out of the Chicagoist offices tonight, we’re totally taking a disco nap. There’s just too much going on this weekend. First, if you’re not getting enough “playful sex” in your life then allow us to recommend Asobi Seksu. No, it’s not the name of a boner pill, it’s an indie rock band from NYC with a name that’s colloquial Japanese for the above. If you like Sonic Youth but wish they were... more ›

For Chicago's entertainment beats, 2005 is best summed up by the phrase: change is good. At this time last year, if you had told us that 2005 would bring not one, but two world class rock festivals to Chicago’s parks, we’d have patted you on the head and cooed “Aw, you’re so cute.” But wonders never cease and so it was that the city of Chicago finally realized that in order for Chicago to become... more ›

This year, Sufjan Stevens solidified his status as an indie critic’s darling with Illinois, the second album in his Sisyphean “50 States” project. While Illinois did plenty of name-dropping, it left the history of the state largely unexplored. Operating on a smaller scale, recording artist Stace England focused on just one Illinois town: Cairo (pronounced kay-row) to create an album that’s more accessible and just as satisfying as his indie rock counterpart. England spent five... more ›

As the temperature is expected to hit 90 degrees again today, we’re having a hard time getting into the sweater-weather mindset of fall that usually hits us around this time. Luckily, the Tribune and Sun-Times have some fall arts previews to get us in the mood. We’ve already given you the lowdown on the upcoming fall seasons at various theaters around town. But two shows out in the ‘burbs have pushed our fey and geek... more ›

Interview, Steve Frisbie more ›

Liam Davis, Frisbie more ›

Indie kids the world over have been salivating in anticipation of the new Sufjan Stevens album Illinois, the second of fifty albums about the fifty states, that was to be released today. Pitchfork even gave the new album, due to be released today, an astounding 9.2 rating. Mr Stevens himself even appeared on NPR’s Eight Forty-Eight this morning to promote his album…due to be released today. Only it wasn’t released today. Sort of. DC Comics... more ›

Is bringing a live version of a song cycle about Illinois to Illinois like bringing coal to Newcastle? If so, then let’s hear it for redundancy as Sufjan Stevens will be appearing at Metro on September 16th following the release of his album Illinois on July 5th. Part of a series of albums Stevens is releasing as part of his 50 States project, Illinois is the audio equivalent of the movie Waking Life: a version... more ›