I think, therefore I listen. Here you will find a collection of emerging artists and under-appreciated music that should be shared with the world, as well as an occasional Chicago concert scene update.
Bombay Bicycle Club played their first show in Chicago last week at the Subterranean, in front of a very enthusiastic packed house. Let's hope they come back again really soon.
I don't know how I forgot to post about these guys earlier, but in case you completely missed the boat last May, Friendly Fires dropped their sophomore album Pala, and it is so excellent that I decided to blog it late just in case. This trio of English boys from St. Albans sure knows how to jam, and their powerful brand of indie dance defies you not to tap your toe. If you're into Cut Copy or M83, you will go nutty over the driving synthpop of this album, and you will definitely want to catch them the next time they do a U.S. tour. Unfortunately, their record label is notoriously meticulous in keeping their tracks off the web, so I had to resort to these user uploads. They are definitely worth your time all the same:
Take the deep, rhythmic electro-pop indie that is so trendy right now and throw in some soaring 80's glam rock to imagine something almost as magical and moving as Brooklyn's duo Warm Ghost. Their multi-instrumentality and mastery of sound design shines through every track on their debut album, Narrows, released in September. While often grouped with the chillwave movement (think Washed Out, Toro y Moi) or the broader dream pop revival (e.g. Beach House, The xx), these guys are really pioneering their own genre and defying any solid classification.The slow songs are profound and inspired, the fast songs catchy and danceable; it was so hard to choose which songs to give you, I had to pick my top two for listening:
As expected, Washed Out was excellent at the Riviera Theater last night. Even without a proper sound check, Ernest Greene's ensemble adeptly played a selection of their more upbeat songs, drawn from both of his albums and some unrecorded material, and the dance-ability of their pioneering glo-fi style became even more apparent with a real drum set and guitars.
And naturally, the Aussie dance-rockers Cut Copy brought down the packed house, sounding every bit as catchy and brilliant as we have come to expect. They played an excellent balance of new and old songs, effectively promoting their wonderful summer release but not leaving out anyone's favorites from their previous albums. They will be on the road a while longer, so catch them coming through your town while they are still stateside.
Today's emerging act is another group of young and talented Chicagoans, born and raised. The four-piece YAWN started in high school and has been playing its unique brand of synthrock for the last couple years, first releasing an eponymous EP in July 2010 (which is still available for FREE on their website) in order to get their name out, and building up to the release of their full LP Open Season a couple weeks ago on August 30. At first listen, they could easily be Animal Collective's little brother; but apart from lead singer Adam Gil's synthesized vocals remarkably emulating Avey Tare's, YAWN is entirely their own creation, and the similarities quickly become superficial in light of the varied samples and driving beats that characterize their accessible sound. Psychedelic in the best possible way, the deep layers of each track beckon one to listen more closely every time, and the members combine electronic elements to create a sound much more mature than their years. Pump it:
One of my good friends introduced me to the marvelous synthpop of the Boston-based duo Magic Man when their album was released online last year, but since then they have not received nearly as much attention as their unique style and promising sound deserve. The project that became their debut album was begun while working together in the French countryside, then mastered in American dorm rooms after their return with surprisingly polished production quality. Self-classified as "glo-fi"(in the style of the aforementioned Washed Out), Magic Man blends heavy electronic beats with experimental synthesizers to create an engulfing and enthralling mix of lo-fi tunes. Some of the slower songs fade slowly in and out of focus in instrumental waves, while the more upbeat tracks captivate the senses with catchy beats and illustrative lyrics. The mystery behind their musical layers is only superseded by the mystery behind how this group is still unsigned by a record label. Hear for yourself:
In an effort to spread their album, you can even download it for free here. They have also made themselves available to play private or public East Coast shows, so if you happen to live over there and are interested you can contact them on their Facebook page or at this email address.
Ernest Greene began his career in the bedroom of his home in rural Perry, Georgia, and the sleepy origins of his music pervade through the style to the very core. From the myspace upload of his first few songs as Washed Out a couple years ago, he immediately became a music blogger favorite, and his first full-length album Within and Without, released last month, has already achieved widespread acclaim from the online music community. Like a soundtrack to a dream, the smoothly pulsating 80's-style beats and soothing unintelligible vocals lull you into the most peaceful nap of the summer. Developed in the Sub Pop studio with indie favorite Ben Allen and the same production crew as Animal Collective and Deerhunter, Within and Without delivers a more polished and enchanting sound than Greene's previous releases and, along with other chillwave acts including Greene's personal friend Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian, the album is crafting a new sub-genre appropriately dubbed "glo-fi."These two tracks are perfect for playing on the beach, in the park, on your daily commute, or just about anywhere that could use a little chill:
As mentioned in a previous post, Washed Out is opening for Cut Copy at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on September 20, and it is sure to be brilliant. Get your tickets NOW.
Many of you may already know of Columbia, South Carolina's Chazwick Bundick for his remixes of popular indie dance songs, but Toro Y Moi is becoming much more than just another indie DJ. His first album Causers of This, released January 2010 with generally positive reviews, played like a collection of well-crafted beats with thick layers of vocal dissonance on top, in the style of Baths or Animal Collective's Avey Tare. His latest album however, Underneath the Pine, provides a much more accessible and musically pleasant experience, tapping into the chillwave movement alongside his personal friend Ernest Greene of Washed Out. The album, released this past Fenraury 2011, makes allusions to a sort of smooth-listening disco, similar to the popular synthpop of Erlend Øyé's The Whitest Boy Alive but with its own unique brand of funk. The style of his new work is always notoriously difficult to predict, but one can only hope he continues to tap into this sound on his future albums. Check these out:
He is releasing a new EP titled Freaking Out on September 13, so make sure to get it from his website. He is also playing in Chicago at Lincoln Hall on September 24, so get your tickets NOW.
Today's group is hardly "emerging," but I felt that their latest album Zonoscope released this past February deserves to be raved about again.
Cut Copy is a four-piece outfit from Melbourne, Australia, who have achieved widespread popularity amongst the indie dance scene for their infectiously catchy beats and hooks since their formation in 2001. Headed by former DJ Dan Whitford, Cut Copy maintains their signature synthpop style on this third album, but the new melodies and instrumentation demonstrate the maturity and development of their sound. Try these on for size:
You can catch them coming through Chicago on September 20 at the Riviera Theatre with Washed Out and Midnight Magic. You'll want to get your tickets NOW, because this show will sell out for sure.
It has been a beautiful past couple weeks here on the shores of Lake Michigan, perfect for the great new sounds of this summer.
Memory Tapes is the brainchild of New Jersey-based Dayve Hawk, former frontman of the now defunct Philadelphia group Hail Social, and he has made great strides in the uniqueness of his sound on this new project. Generally classified as "chillwave" (think Cults or Washed Out), Memory Tapes combines styles from nu-gaze and synthpop to create a wonderfully fresh sound. His 2009 album Seek Magic received attention from the blog community for songs like "Bicycle" and "Green Knight," but his new LP Player Piano released last month reaches new heights in creativity and accessibility. Check out these excellent selections:
Memory Tapes is playing at the Empty Bottle in Chicago TOMORROW with The Field Auxiliary and The Ultrasounds. There are still tickets available, so get them NOW.
Having recently moved across the country from Los Angeles to Chicago for graduate school and finding myself supplied with an uncustomary amount of free time, I decided to begin sharing one of my greatest passions with the world and create an amateur music blog of sorts. Music is one of the greatest uniting products of humankind, as it reaches across lingual, cultural, geographical, political, and generational gaps. Music makes us feel better, feel worse, feel excited, feel angry, feel alive. I, like many of you, spend a significant portion of my life exploring and discovering excellent new music, much of which never makes it off the ground for lack of recognition. This trifling attempt to remedy the situation is my small contribution to the beautifully uplifting universe of music.
For my first recommendation, I find it appropriate to pass on an up-and-coming band that is starting to make a big splash in the world of "indietronica" this summer alongside leading acts à la Yeasayer, Animal Collective, etc. Hooray for Earth is a four-man group originally from Boston, masterminded by singer and producer Noel Heroux. They often collaborate with the Zambri sisters in New York City, with wonderfully harmonious results. After a commendable effort on the MOMO EP in June 2010, they released the marvelous full-length True Loves this past June 2011. Check out these two tracks:
