Decent Days and Nights
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 12, 2007 8:07PM
Freezing cold? Check. Snowstorm on its way? Check. Another week of great music in Chicago despite (or "to spite") the weather? Check.
We're not going to employ any lame Valentine's Day digs or puns. It's Wednesday. Who cares? OK, that was a dig. Anyway, Flosstradamus is one of our favorite DJ teams around, anywhere, right now. Their files may be digital, but the beats they throw down are organic as hell. Their sets literally mash up (without resorting to "mash-ups") the duo’s influences into a super-freaking tasty blend.
Subterranean, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., $5, 18+
Dorian Taj performs an electrified power-pop firmly grounded in its own uniquely gritty soul. Brad Peterson is a Chicagoist favorite and blends sweetly sad vocals with lush songwriting delivered by a cracking live band. La Scala is led by Menthol mainman Blathazar de Ley, and their Latin/Franco-tinged rock is still developing, but the band has arrested our attention, and we're excitedly dedicated to watching their progress.
Darkroom, Thursday, 9:00 p.m., $7, 21+
Plane mines equal parts New Order, Krautrock, and noise pop to deliver a mixture that sways from hipnotic metronomic rhythms and full-on guitar freak-outs complete with deranged screaming. Trust us, it's lots of fun.
Beat Kitchen, Thursday, 9:00 p.m., $7, 18+
MarvelKind was so far ahead of their time one could accuse the electro-rock bandwagon of taking all of its cues from them. Most of the band would go on to form Assassins, but we always held out hope that the original line-up would regroup and tickle us with their brainy, funny (and, truth be told, slightly scary and creepy) pop. They reward our patience this week when the group makes their first appearance in five years at Darkroom.
Darkroom, Friday, 9:00 p.m., $5, 21+
The Trews are Canadian, but you'd never guess it from their blending of The Black Crowes and Counting Crows. OK, we know that doesn't sound complimentary, but trust us when we say it is. Milk At Midnight, another Chicagoist favorite, opens.
Beat Kitchen, Friday, 6:00 p.m., $8, All Ages
Photo of MarvelKind by B. Buttari.