Often, these songs recall the best of 70s folk songs but with a little bit more jangle added in at times and the double vocals make for an enhanced experience.
So catchy, it spreads like wild fire. So fun and unpredictable, you don’t quite know what rhythms you’ll hear next or how to move to it. And this same music is so exciting that it can literally feel like it has the power to speed up time so that 45 minutes feels like the blink of an eye.
To behold her, you have to reassure yourself that this stunning creature is not a mirage.
It is truly a revelation to experience both this level of intensity and gentleness of a human in the very same night. Talbot’s capacity for a such a depth of emotion is what makes each song feel genuine and exceptional both live and on album. This is no ordinary band or live show and you will be changed by listening.
Murdoch commented on all the wonderful bands later on while headlining and his sincerity as always came through. “If you can’t run into a member of Belle and Sebastian at Bowlie, what’s the point?!”
Belle and Sebastian have been a band for over 25 years and they have yet to disappoint with any of their albums or shows. Like a fine wine, they just keep getting better and one can’t help feeling more nostalgic the longer you’ve lived with their music as a daily comfort.
Though it was the last night of their tour, Allah-Las still played an engaging albeit somewhat short set that left the crowd yearning for more.
These songs became heartfelt anthems for a packed crowd believing in the power of music and grateful for the experience.
Olsen quickly began thrilling the audience with her ravishing songs but also making fans laugh with her jokes about taco bars, bad knees, teleprompters, green bandanas and Argo Tea. Even though she now lives in North Carolina, she can always come back to visit and be Chicago’s darling!
At the same time, her songs move at such a gentle pace to make the listener appreciate time passing and all the tender moments of her vocals over her guitar caresses. These songs are filled with heart and genuineness indeed.
Though Epiphany is not a typical rock club or music venue, it seemed perfectly fitting for the community who enjoyed sharing the type of shared spiritual experience occurring when any group of people come together to experience something which unites them as people.
There is a world you can escape to when you see Le Tigre play and it isn’t as much a world of the reality of the existing world but one of possibilities in which we all can have fun if we’re kind and not careless with each other and if we continue to pay attention and be engaged in our communities. I want to Keep on Livin’ in that world!
On a stage filled with illuminated elegance, Weyes Blood emerged to dazzle a sold out crowd with the type of lovely folk songs that harken to a different sort of time. These tracks have a beautiful melancholic feeling with exceptional melodies carried by creator and lead singer Natalie Laura Mering, who gives the self assured sense that she finds singing more natural than talking. Adding to the rich ambiance, Mering danced around in a floor length ball gown with a glorious ease throughout the 80 minute set
Both the lyrics and the song structures on The Smile’s 2022 album A Light for Attracting Attention go places that, if they were bodies, would be strange contortionists. One might find yourself wondering if a chord progression can actually evolve like that the way you’d wonder if a knee can bend in a certain direction.
It’s impossible to be unhappy while listening to Alvvays. There’s something so sincere and also buoyant about lead singer Molly Rankin’s vocals that reassure a human in their most melancholic of moments that everything is going to be alright. It’s not merely catchy pop songs she sings but lullabies to get you through your darkest days.
It goes without saying that The Roots are an absolute legend and they proved on top of their game. It was especially wonderful to see Questlove play drums again as well as to have “Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.Bryson playing sousaphone, adding another layer to their songs and live set that was super animated! Captain Kirk Douglas was also hamming it up on guitar as usual. It was a fantastic way to close out the weekend!
People sometimes say that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that might be because of the complexity of all the layers upon layers of city built by human hands throughout its history. These are humans who bled and suffered yet still managed to create something that will stand the test of time and be a witness to what humans can actually achieve at their absolute height. The very same accomplishment can be applied to the songs by the band Low and it would be best if you experience their multifaceted layers as you would The Colosseum : in a state of perpetual awe.
The energy the chord progressions take on is incredible enough to write a dissertation on how feedback can evolve into something that feels a little dangerous and also a little healing at the same time. This time around seemed even more precious because, let’s be clear, in a pandemic like this touring isn’t easy. Yet, if there’s one thing to live through a pandemic for, it’s seeing Spiritualized play again.
It was no surprise the devoted audience knew all the song by heart, even when Present Tense was just released last month. Just about every song in their catalog could easily be a pleasing radio friendly hit. “Right Track / Wrong Man,” “Give it Hell,” and “In the Eyes of Our Love” are the kinds of songs that have the sort of light-hearted sensibility to elevate anyone out of a dark funk and came off especially well in concert.
The way the intensity was built up really brought to home the fact that Hana Vu is hopefully on the verge of what is to be a long an artistic career and is as genuine as they come.
There have been a few Music Frozen Dancing events when it is has been even unseasonably warm and the outside heat lamps didn’t even really need to be on. But, there’s always that Music Frozen Dancing day temperature the matches the February date perfectly. And, who would hold a festival outdoors in Chicago at the end of February anyway? Luckily, the same people who know the necessity of booking fantastic bands that bring the energy. You can’t get frostbite or die of hypothermia if you’re too busy dancing, right…..right?
Sometimes, it takes a single voice to evoke a mood. Slowly drifting across an audience of connected strangers and lingering in all the cracks between them. Then, suddenly a keyboard comes in and then a guitar, bass, and drums all connected by the grounding melodies of the vocals. In the sense of a shared experience, fans feel the intensity build in a way that strengthens the pieces overall. Yet, in the building is a strange sort of reckoning with the way the lullabies soothe.
While Williams dominated the stage throughout the set with a very lovely glam style and her luscious folk vocals, she also provided a safe space for the sold out audience to be in the moment enjoying the wonder of the songs.
No worries about Nada Surf’s ability to deliver the same kind of high quality live show that urges devoted fans to try to catch multiple tour stops. In fact, their over 2 hour set surely must have left the audience satiated and joyous.
Van Etten has also grown better at projecting her voice to fill larger venues in a way that doesn’t seem forced but more emotionally in depth in a way that makes the songs greater than ever. When she thanks her audience for coming, it’s just as heartfelt.
Neil Halstead: I would never write those exact songs at this point in my life. They are songs that come out of being 18 or 19 years old. It’s interesting how they still connect with many younger people. We’ve noticed that when we’ve been doing these shows there are some really young kids that are coming out and really loving the band and the records. We’re aware they are the same age as when we were first recording these tracks.
In a word, their hour long set was epic. We overuse that word in the human race just like we wear out words like amazing but nonetheless if you were hesitating even in the slightest about seeing them as they embark on their upcoming tour, think again. It could easily be the best show you’ve seen all year and one you’ll remember and cherish for decades to come. It will make any doubters a believer in the blissful power of shoegaze music.
It is strange to be anything at all and still we’re all glad for the shared experience of hearing someone like Jeff Mangum who is not like anyone else we’ve ever known.
England’s Factory Floor three piece started out slow but pretty soon female lead singer Nik Colk was starting to dance to her own rhythms as the heightened sense of beats took over the crowd and made for an awesome beginning set for many people. Some fans were even so appreciative of the beats by live drummer Gabriel Gurnsey that they started crowdsurfing!
If there’s no other Pitchfork festival band that you check out the full set for, make it Slowdive and you won’t regret it!
Yes, the night has darkness on it’s side but Elbow makes it all the more brighter and worth living, even if we still end up on the losing side.
Sunday proved to be another very exceptional day of gorgeous sunny weather and psychedelic bands that challenged the mind and explored both the outer reaches of the genre and the melodic harmonies that it could fulfill. Unlike the way many shows and some festivals are right now, Austin Psych Fest is filled with people who want to actively listen and learn and that makes all of the difference for the bands and the mood overall.
It was another lovely day in Austin to experience all kinds of psychedelic music with influences from folk to drone to metal to pop to rock. The day seemed to be about people experiencing how far the genre could take them and enjoying both the onslaught of noise from the more aggressive bands to the relaxing sounds of music with a much different tone. Austin Psych Fest offered the whole spectrum of the genre for those with an adventurous spirit.
It was clear from the lineup that the entire festival is chocked full of psychedelic wonder but the ultimate and constant pleasure of experiencing that all day long under the sunny Austin sky was remarkable.
JACCO GARDNER: Everything that is beautiful is sad at the same time, just because it’s so beautiful. I think that’s what melancholy is. Even beautiful memories can make you feel really sad at the same time so it seems very natural to me to combine them.
I really liked collaborating but it became really clear that I just needed to put out something on my own for sure and have as my vision. It can be more difficult and bittersweet because there’s no one to bounce ideas off of and no shared responsibility. There’s only you and there’s high risk and high rewards but it’s my name on it and it’s mine for better or for worse.
JULIA HOLTER: It’s usually pretty intuitive but it’s hard to know at one point when my brain is doing what. I change things depending on the song sometimes..there are certain things you have to do quickly like getting ideas out. You have to catch in real time what your brain is trying to get out and it’s hard to know how much of that is your thoughts and how much is actually something you are consciously figuring out
Though they are incredible on any sized stage, Yo La Tengo made the large one seem quite smaller by crowding together stage right/audience left which conveyed the truth of the band of how close knit they have become over the years both while recording albums and performing.
intellectuals rejoiced at the twee sounds of Belle and Sebastian with the many deep feeling and sometimes long winded lyrics arising from poets in their own right who read tons of books and relish in every moment of it. Theirs was almost a set where the fans made the experience even better than it would have been. It was almost a musical baptism dancing along to so many lost and found souls in the rain to some of our favorite songs with “I’m a Cuckoo,” “Piazza, New York Catcher,” “Stars of Track and Field,” “If You’re Feeling Sinister,” “The Boy With the Arab Strap,” “Judy and the Dream of Horses,” and the fantastic but very bittersweet encore “Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying.”
From the minute Bjork walked on to the stage, this reviewer actually started having heart palpitations as the bass was so loud it seemed to shake the very Earth. Also, the sense of anticipation in the air was so thick one could cut it like a delicious chocolate cake and eat it like a shared secret. Bjork was, in short, awe inspiring.
This year, Pitchfork Music Festival has arguably the best lineup it has ever had. For fans of a wide array of independent music, the festival boasts a variety of musical styles and genres to suit your fancy as well as some incredibly substantial headliners. The trend is such that many of the bands that play earlier on in the day end up playing the next year at Lollapalooza, so it behooves the music fan to get to the festival at the start of each day, which also might secure a good spot for experiencing the headlining band’s set of the night. It’s also clear that now perhaps more than ever, Pitchfork is making a concerted effort to represent creative women in music as well as men, which helps make the overall lineup for 2013 rather exquisite, not to mentioned well balanced.
An incredibly intimate and rare treat to see so many East Coast musicians amongst the West Coast mountains of Big Sur.
Timber Timbre is a trio from Montréal, Canada but their sound seems to have emerged straight from the heart of Twin Peaks. Needless to say, their moody tracks don’t seem to fit along with those of any other bands hailing from their city and that’s perfectly fine because it makes their songs even more intriguing. Taylor Kirk establishes an ambiance which is both unnerving and charismatic. His vibrato delivery makes one think of Elvis, if Elvis was possessed by darker and much more interesting spirits.
“When I think of rhythm, I think of trains going over tracks and things like that. I also like the sounds in forests—whispering kinds of sounds and birds singing.”
Saturday’s offerings at Pfork included a wide range of eclectic styles from the more experimental but deeply enriching music of Julianna Barwick and woods to the dream pop of Wild Nothing, the angular rock of The Dismemberment Plan, the gothy synth pop of Cold Cave, the punk rock of OFF! the dj stylings of DJ Shadow, and the folk music of Fleet Foxes. It would be impossible not to love a couple of bands from that kind of lineup and it seems many people were able to see bands they hadn’t listened to before and found it an enjoyable experience.
Day One at Pitchfork provided a rather eclectic lineup, offering a little something for everyone, including legends like Thurston Moore and Guided by Voices and relative newcomers like Tune-Yards and Ema. It was marvelous to witness both the creativity in the more experienced bands as well as the inventiveness of those newer to the scene. Much like the varied ages of the bands on stage, fans of all ages gathered to enjoy their favorite bands as well as be exposed to new music.
It’s that time of year again, Chicago. We’re all recovering from that epic BBQ holiday weekend wondering what we have to look forward to next…well, here it is!
It’s possible there is no musician finer to see on the eve of Independence Day than Bill Callahan. Considering both his prolific nature and the distinctiveness of his voice, he recalls a stunning and vibrant modern Johnny Cash.
One might not immediately expect the Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche to have a dynamic stage presence.
One can’t witness the charming spectacle of lead singer Eddie Argos without thinking of a reincarnated (though straight) version of Oscar Wilde.
Keren Ann is somewhat of an atypical chanteuse.
While I like a lot of experimental music, I really like the specific ways you can communicate through pop music that you can’t communicate with any other medium. I really like pure pop music. I feel most attracted to pop music made by experimental musicians just dabbling in pop music.
Low sings many of their songs as if they have an anguish to share with their very willing fans. After 4 years of staying away from these parts, the audience at Lincoln Hall was more than eager to listen.
Van Etten has the ability to carry a show on her own and has demonstrated this many times.
The Joy Formidable may look to have a simple more bare bones set up compared to a great deal of indie bands today. The three piece is comprised only of drums, guitar, and bass and while some of their guitar pedals create a sense of spiraling near shoegaze effect for some of the songs, the structure seems first and foremost and a clear sense of a very accessible and strong sounding rock band emerges.
It’s difficult not to notice the professional musicianship inherent in many bands from Canada these days. Toronto’s four piece, The Golden Dogs, is no exception. Like fellow Canadians Sloan, the band members switch up instruments without ever missing a beat and deliver on rock moves that might seem cheesy if the band didn’t seem to be so obviously having a great time. With that kind of joy projected, the feel good vibes are infectious and made for a perfect Saturday night musical experience.
Wild Nothing, the brain child of Virginia’s Jack Tatum, has been to Chicago before but this is the first time he’s come with a secured headlining gig. Tatum more than deserves all acclaim considering the strong release of 2010’s Gemini. He’s only claiming his natural spot in an indie rock kingdom meant for blissful pop music. For, Wild Nothing is an appropriate band name, not because the music disintegrates with a reckless abandon, though one might see Tatum pursuing that direction in the future. Instead, the title suggests a sweet reverie like a piece of chocolate that melts in your mouth. Gone forever, sure, but it’s the kind of thing a longer of lush treats truly appreciates.
The High Dials are largely a band of unsung heroes, led consistently by the brilliant Trevor Anderson, who was previously known for his work with the band The Datsuns. The Montréal five piece have recently released their fourth full length album, 2010’s Anthems For Doomed Youth and visited Chicago to play some of their new songs as well as old favorites last Saturday night.
The fact that The Dandy Warhols could play such a strong tracklist for two straight hours and still leave out some of their arguably best tracks (“Cool as Kim Deal” or “Minnesoter” for example) only serves as a further testament to both their longevity and quality as a band that so few others in the music industry are able to proffer. It also led to an unforgettable show.
We’re in an age where it seems each and every day a new band forms and the challenge sometimes becomes to create something refreshing and new as well as distinctly memorable from both the wreckage and glory of the long history of music. In Two Door Cinema Club, you won’t find too much that is new right now but you will spot a potential in the band in terms of their catchy energy and their rising fan base.
It goes without saying that Teenage Fanclub, Glasgow’s power pop darlings know their way around a stage. They have two decades worth of experience behind them and it shows. When they play a song live whether it’s from their most recent album, 2010’s Shadows or all the way back to 1991’s Bandwagonesque, their dynamic stage presence can’t be denied. Even more so apparent, however, is their genuine love for music and a passion that helps them put on one of the top shows you’ll see all year.
It’s no wonder that lead singer of Titus Andronicus, Patrick Stickles, has cited Bruce Springsteen as an influence. Both NJ natives have a sense of anthemic rock that has the ability to be widely embraced with passion from all who are lucky enough to hear it.
