The hottest music from Chicago & beyond

Month: April 2014 Page 1 of 2

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 4-30-14

Class of 2014 update! It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these, so as we wrap up the first quarter of the year now’s as good of a time as any to reflect a little bit on how things are going with some of the 10 artists I chose to significantly raise their profiles this year. Let’s break this down alphabetically, meaning we’ll start with Banks. She’s just unleashed a new single called “Goddess,” which is definitely worth checking out. It’s the title track from her forthcoming album, expected to be released on September 9th via Harvest Records. You can preorder the 18 track deluxe version on iTunes right now. GEMS continue to work on their debut LP, but seem to be spending a lot of time on the road touring as well. They’ve actually played three shows in Chicago over the last three months, including dates with Classixx and Tycho. Honestly, when I saw them in February their live show could have used some improvement, so with any luck extensive touring has only helped. As you may have seen yesterday, Kelela just put out a new track called “Want It” that’s a collaboration with Chicago’s own Tink as part of the “Songs from Scratch” series by Yours Truly. With any luck, it’s a prelude to new material that will be out later this year. Looking forward to her set at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival as well. Speaking of live sets, while I missed Lo-Fang when he came through Chicago opening for Lorde earlier this spring, he’ll be rolling back through town this Friday night for a headlining show at Schubas. Tickets are $12 and I encourage you to join me if you can. Perfect Pussy continue their whirlwind 2014 by contributing a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Candy’s Room” to Rookie Magazine as the “theme song” for their new issue. That’s just one of many higher profile things the band has done of late. Their debut album Say Yes to Love received a wealth of positive attention, and I’ll be reviewing it myself in the next week or less. Royal Blood continue to plug away at their debut full length, but I did hear their single “Out of the Black” on the radio a couple of times in the last month or so. It’s an early sign of bigger things to come, and Lollapalooza this August will be one of them. Saint Pepsi released his Gin City EP at the end of February, and will be going on tour with Painted Palms this summer. That includes a stop in Chicago at the Empty Bottle on June 27th, which you can bet I’ll be at. Should be a lot of fun. Last but absolutely not least, there’s Sam Smith. At the start of 2014 he was scheduled to play a show in March at Subterranean in Chicago, which has about a 300 capacity. By February the show was moved to the 1,000 capacity Vic Theatre due to demand. Then SNL asked him to perform on the same night as the Chicago show, so it was postponed to the end of April. The additional exposure turned the rescheduled show into a sell out. To say the guy’s profile is on the rise would be an understatement. He’s a fantastic performer and sounds even better live than he does on record. At the Chicago show, girls were screaming like he marked the second coming of The Beatles. Most waited around to try and meet him afterwards, and eventually security was forced to turn about half of them away because it was all too much. And to think his album doesn’t come out until June! People are going to completely flip out, more than they are already. So 25% of the way through the year, how is the Class of 2014 doing? So far, so good if you ask me. Let’s keep it going for the next 9 months! Now then, as to today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s some good tracks in the mix from EVVY, The Hudson Branch, Lily and the Tigers, Sam Roberts Band and Shane Gamble. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, don’t miss streaming songs from Chance the Rapper, Donovan Blanc, Hooray for Earth, Megan Bonnell (covering Bob Dylan) and remixes from Julia Holter and Mogwai.

Animic – Hannibal (Jupiter Lion Remix)

EVVY – Haze

The Hudson Branch – New Vision of the Sun

Jamie Isaac – Blue Break (Hyetal Remix)

kimono – Specters

Lily and the Tigers – Honey

Maudlin Strangers – Overdose (Bass Science Remix)

PoP Campaign – HAME

Sam Roberts Band – We’re All In This Together

Shane Gamble – Beautiful Work

VesperTown – Royal Flash (Tokyo Hands Remix)

Yuzima – Anarchy

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 4-29-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Andre Obin, Ben Watt, Chad Vangaalen, Damon Albarn, Death, DWNTWN, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, Ex-Cult, Fennesz, Floor, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Howlin Rain, Isis, Johnnyswim, Maria Minerva, Nat Baldwin, Old 97’s, Old Smokey, Olga Bell, Ought, Pattern Is Movement, Pigeon John, Pink Mountaintops, Pixies, Prefab Sprout, Ray LaMontagne, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Secret Colours, Strange Talk, Survival Knife, Thee Oh Sees, White Lung and Wye Oak. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from 1,2,3, Copper Lungs, Dead Stars, GRADES, Monster Rally, not to mention TWO different artists (Perfect Pussy and Sam Morrow) both covering different Bruce Springsteen classics. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Bob Mould, Class of 2014 artist Kelela (with Tink), Papertwin, Sharon Van Etten, Sylvan Esso and TOBACCO.

1,2,3 – When the Levee Broke at the County Fair

Broods – Bridges (ASTR Remix)

Copper Lungs – Lego

Dead Stars – Crawl

Frugal Father – Threat to Narrative (Brothertiger Remix)

GRADES – Freedom

Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – Fancy (Terry Urban Remix)

Monster Rally – Sunflower

Perfect Pussy – Candy’s Room (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Sam Morrow – Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Shinichi Osawa – Breaking Through the Night (Eggo Remix)

Shunkan – Dust in Your Eyes

Album Review: Real Estate – Atlas [Domino]



If you’ve heard a Real Estate record before, very little may surprise you about their new one Atlas. It’s another collection of lackadaisical songs with weaving guitar melodies supplemented by jangly chords. This time however, everything gets alternately clearer and cloudier. How so? Well, to start this is the first Real Estate album that’s been cleanly produced and doesn’t have touches of lo-fi haze built into it. Matt Mondanile’s serpentine guitar work benefits most from this adjustment, glimmering like a freshly polished diamond. It’s most effective on tracks like “Primitive” and “Had to Hear,” when you could almost refer to those lead guitar parts as another voice that acts in tandem with Martin Courtney’s silky vocals. This is a band that has quietly become a well oiled machine, as they now know what works and how to get there with the least amount of trouble. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the lyrics on Atlas, which bring the dizzyingly fun highs of their previous records down to earth. Real Estate were the sort of band that wrote songs about spending time at the beach or bumming around suburbia with your friends on a summer day, but now the sky has become overcast and the temperature has taken a nosedive. “Our careless lifestyle, it was not so unwise,” Courtney sang on “Green Aisles” from the band’s 2011 record Days. As nice of a sentiment as that was, those days (so to speak) are over, and now it’s time to grow up and be a responsible adult. Going along with that are relationship struggles (“Talking Backwards”), crippling anxiety (“Crime”) and the realization that everything changes and we can never truly go back (“Past Lives”). Pairing those emotions with the band’s trademark sound proves to be a rather inspired combination, resulting in their catchiest and most mature album to date. It’s also their best, right down to the carefully structured sequencing. All of this shows that Real Estate have certainly learned a thing or two both personally and professionally over the last few years. Now it’s time for them to teach us, and that goes well beyond simple guitar tab videos.

Music Video: Talking Backwards
Music Video: Crime

Buy Atlas from Domino Records

Pick Your Poison: Monday 4-28-14

I think we can all agree that Arcade Fire put on one hell of a live show. If you’ve never seen it, that’s something you should seek out immediately, or as soon as the band rolls through your city next. They’ve pretty much been that way since the beginning, however it has been fascinating watching how they’ve changed things and evolved over time. These days surrounding their latest record Reflektor, Arcade Fire have put together their most elaborate show yet, complete with costumes, giant papier mache heads and a whole bunch of additional musicians to help flesh out many of the arrangements. I won’t get the chance to see it in person until this August, however if you’re like me and are interested in learning more about how this big stadium show comes together, there’s good news. The band has put together a six minute short film that goes behind the scenes on their current tour and talks about their goals and the aesthetic they’re trying to achieve at each new stop. It’s pretty fascinating and worth a watch. Check it out here. Now then, let’s get to this Monday edition of Pick Your Poison. There’s some good tracks today from Doss, Fat Goth, Irie Idea, Mustard Pimp and Vienna Ditto. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Baths, Bleachers, Blood Orange, Doprah, French For Rabbits and Kirin J. Callinan (covering K.D. Lang?!).

Daddy Lion – Perpetual Flower

Doss – The Way I Feel

Easy – Foxholes

Fat Goth – Class A

Hundreds – Please Rewind (La Boum Fatale Remix)

Irie Idea – Good on Paper

The Len Price 3 – Swing Like A Monkey

Lorde – Tennis Court (Flume Remix Dolphin Tears Edit)

Mmdelai – Raw Wave

Mustard Pimp – Renegade

Vienna Ditto – Feeling Good

Zorr Alex – Forever Walking

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 4-24-14

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Music Video: tUnE-yArDs – Water Fountain

Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold offers an update on the band

Watch Coldplay perform new song “Oceans” live on BBC Radio 1

YouTube Audio Stream: Lykke Li – No Rest for the Wicked (Remix ft. A$AP Rocky)

Music Video: Lily Allen – Sheezus

Watch Beck cover Arcade Fire’s “Rebellion (Lies)” at Coachella

Music Video: Damon Albarn – Heavy Seas of Love (ft. Brian Eno)

Music Video: Owen Pallett – Song for Five & Six

Check out the lineup for The Pygmalion Festival in Champaign, IL

Music Video: Veruca Salt – The Museum of Broken Relationships

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Ash Grunwald, Futurecop!, Hannah Diamond, Morning Ritual and Record/Start. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Ben Frost, Cold Beat, Siinai, Silverbird, Verma and White Lung.

813 – XOXO

Ash Grunwald – Longtime

Bastard Mountain – Meadow Ghosts

Futurecop! – Eyes (ft. Lyon)

Hannah Diamond – Attachment

Kypie – Caught

Mock Suns – Last Time

Morning Ritual – So Cold

Phantogram – Don’t Move (Last Guest at the Party Remix)

Rabbitsss – Incdntlly

Record/Start – Electric Minds

Slim Wray – I Gotta Girl (With A List of Needs)

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 4-23-14

As I like to do from time to time, let’s chat for a brief minute about a worthwhile show that’s going to be happening in Chicago in the near future. It’s something that I like to do for all of the locals who keep up with the site, just to make sure we’re all on the same page. So this upcoming Saturday two really interesting UK bands who have recently released their debut albums will be playing a show together at Lincoln Hall. Think of Drowners as the sort of band that grew up on Britpop in the early 90’s, probably because they legitimately did. Their self-titled record that came out earlier this year feels like a cross between The Smiths and Blur, which is to say it’s remarkably catchy with equal parts energy and melancholy. Check out the videos for “Luv, Hold Me Down” and “A Button on Your Blouse” to get a better idea of what these boys are all about. Headlining the show will be Temples, who I like to call “Tame Impala Jr.” Yes, they play buzzy, psychedelic tunes that are economically composed and stick in your head for days. Their album Sun Structures is packed with worthwhile singles such as “Shelter Song,” “Keep in the Dark,” “Colours to Life” and “Mesmerise.” Yeah, this is a band on their way to stardom, and without a doubt they won’t be playing small-ish venues like Lincoln Hall for much longer. If you’ve already got tickets for this 21+ show, consider yourself lucky. If not, hold out hope that some additional ones might be released before Saturday. Here’s a link to the ticket purchase page, just in case. What a great way to spend a Saturday night in Chicago! Okay, let’s get on with today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s some great tracks in this set from Frances England, Grace Joyner, Pamina, Shelf Nunny and The Wonder Revolution. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Dub Thompson, Hercules & Love Affair, Little Dragon, Movement, Torres. Trash Talk and Flume’s remix of Lorde’s “Tennis Court.”

Bad Suns – Salt (Peter Thomas Remix)

Frances England – Light Brings Color

The Furrs – Get On Your Horse

Grace Joyner – Be Good

Librariun – SF Clue

The Lovely Eggs – Allergies

Pamina – Blue Mountain

Rush Midnight – Closer (Tokyo Police Club Remix)

Shelf Nunny – Dancing in My Chair

Thief – Closer (Acoustic Version)

The Wonder Revolution – Wonder Lensed

ZZT – Givin In (Donovans Remix)

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 4-22-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: The Apache Relay, Augustana, Black Bananas, Death, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Eels, Future, G. Love and Special Sauce, Iggy Azalea, Keb Mo, Kelis, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, The Menzingers, Neon Trees, Purling Hiss, Semi Precious Weapons, The Shackeltons, TEEN, To Kill A King and The Whigs. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Astrid Swan, Indianapolis Jones, NO CODA, The Penelopes, Pujol, Stumbleine and Trophy Scars. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from BOOTS (ft. Beyonce), The Julie Ruin, Juun (ft. Sam Smith), Mastodon and Percussions.

Astrid Swan – Black Bear & A Hoofer

Bon Iver – Holocene (Satchmode Remix)

Chaz Langley – Song of Sorrow

ILLA – Sundays

Indianapolis Jones – Not Ghosts Yet

Lindsay Cohen – Speechless

NO CODA – Heretic

The Penelopes – Time to Shine

Pollen – Not A Test

Pujol – Pitch Black

Rig 1 – Duality

Stumbleine – Her Touch (ft. Violet Skies)

Sye Elaine Spence – Is This Love

Trophy Scars – Gutted

Pick Your Poison: Monday 4-21-14

Okay, so I’m pleased to be back after a couple of days out of town for non-site related business. Unfortunately, I’m still working on catching up and don’t really have time to write a proper intro to today’s Pick Your Poison. So let’s just get right to it, and we’ll hopefully be back to normal on Tuesday. Don’t miss tracks in this set from Collarbones, Ephram, Futurecop! (ft. DWNTWN), La Sera, Pixies and Thee Idea Men. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Chet Faker, Chromeo (ft. Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig), Fear of Men, Gold-Bears, Matthewdavid, The Proper Ornaments and Yuck. Pretty good set for a Monday, if you ask me!

Bridge City Hustle – Too Good for Me

clintongore – I Need A Star

Collarbones – Burnout

Ephram – Mary Jane

Futurecop! – Lost Love (ft. DWNTWN)

Hybrid Theory & Nu Era – Special

Kate Boy – Northern Lights (Black Matter Remix)

Kilter – They Say (Tyord Remix)

La Sera – Running Wild

Lee Paradise – Breaker

Matt J Bishop – Gimme A Sign

Pixies – Women of War

Soonbe – Tanuki

Thee Idea Men – All the While

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 4-16-14

There comes a time in every person’s life when they need to do a little traveling for work. For me, that time is over the next couple of days. With my flight taking off earlier than the crack of dawn, I need to make this quick. I’ll be unable to update the site during the time I’m gone, so basically this will be the last post until Monday. There’s some good stuff in today’s edition of Pick Your Poison that will hopefully tide you over while I’m gone. Don’t miss tracks from 1,2,3, Alex Cameron, DZ Deathrays, Lydia Loveless, Midnite on Pearl Beach, So Many Animal Calls, Trummors and The Valery Trails. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Amen Dunes, Percussions (aka Four Tet), Soundgarden, plus remixes of tracks from Chvrches, Sam Roberts Band and Blood Orange.

1,2,3 – Porch Swing Song

Alex Cameron – Mongrel

The/Das – Parallel Worlds

DZ Deathrays – Gina Works at Hearts

Lydia Loveless – Really Wanna See You

Midnite on Pearl Beach – No Mystery in That

Paul Cook & The Chronicles – Radar

The Rebel Light – Be My Baby

So Many Animal Calls – My Blood’s Not Mine

Thief – Closer (Cesare Remix)

Trummors – Bogus Bruce

The Valery Trails – Hollywoodland

We Are the Brave – Sparrow (Alcala Remix)

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 4-15-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Afghan Whigs, The Alchemist and Budgie, Alpha Consumer, Amps for Christ, Andrew Liles, Battle Lines, Bill Pritchard, Bobby Bare Jr., Chet Faker, Chuck E. Weiss, Cloud Cult, Crookes, Dan Wilson, Danny Brown, Deleted Scenes, Duck Sauce, Emmylou Harris, Esme Patterson, Hecker, Ingrid Michaelson, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Meyhem Lauren, Nas, Needtobreathe, The Oath, Pharoahe Monch, The Secret Sisters, Woods, Zee Avi and Ziggy Marley. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Arum Rae, DWNTWN, Manicanparty, Overlake, Silverbird and Twin Shadow. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Bleeding Rainbow (covering Smashing Pumpkins), Fear of Men, Hey Champ, It Looks Sad., Miniature Tigers, A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Xeno & Oaklander.

Arum Rae – Something’s Happening to Me

Diamond Mine – Dragon Egg

Manicanparty – Warpaint

New York Trouble – Light Stakeout Part 2

NoPop – O, TV

Orangatang – Fog Swimming

Overlake – Our Sky

Owenstone – Summer Lane

Psalmships – Flesh Turn

Silverbird – Hollow Heart

The Toothe – Mustard

Twin Shadow – To the Top

Veda Rays – Wait for Teeth to Show

Vogue Dots – Skinny Thing

Pick Your Poison: Monday 4-14-14

Like many people, I spent a good part of my weekend at Coachella. By “at Coachella,” I mean watching some of the sets that were streaming online. There were plenty of enjoyable moments thanks to artists like Chvrches, Ty Segall, Lorde, Future Islands and Arcade Fire, but I want to take a quick second to talk about what many might say was THE set of the entire weekend. Naturally, I’m referring to Outkast. It was their first show back in action, and like many groups reuniting after a breakup or extended hiatus, absence seems to make the heart grow fonder. When Big Boi and Andre 3000 both went their separate ways back in 2006, I was sick and tired of Outkast. As a fervent supporter of their records Aquemini and Stankonia from 1998 and 2000 respectively, I felt there was a significant dip in quality after that, and hearing “Hey Ya” on the radio ten million times only enraged me further. So the last seven-ish years have been kind of a nice break, actually. But when it was announced that they would be returning in 2014 to help celebrate their 20th anniversary, I was moderately happy with the news thanks to a bout of nostalgia. That was quickly in effect during the first quarter of Outkast’s Coachella set, as they powered through some of their best tracks like no time had passed at all. It was fun and exhilarating, and they had a decent stage setup with a band to help supplement some of the melodies. Here was a reunion that appeared to be working great. Then came the middle section of the show. Andre 3000 disappeared for about 20 minutes, and Big Boi did a couple of track solo before bringing out Janelle Monae to perform her hit “Tightrope.” When Andre did return, Big Boi stepped out for a 20 minute break. It was during Andre’s solo portion that I noticed how much he was half-assing it. Thanks to performing with a backing vocal track, he was only actually singing or spouting off lyrics about 75% of the time. When Big Boi returned, they brought out hip hop up-and-comer Future and let him do three tracks plus promoted his forthcoming album. I’m still wondering what the point of that was. Things got quite a bit better the last 20-30 minutes of the show though, as Outkast blew through some of their greatest hits (“Ms. Jackson,” “So Fresh, So Clean,” and “The Way You Move,” among others). Of course when it came time for the big finale with “The Whole World” and a guest spot from Killer Mike, the guys got their microphones cut off due to a steadfast curfew before they could even get started. So we missed out. Overall I’d classify Outkast’s set as a little shaky, a little awkward, and a little great. They definitely could have done better, but the good news is they have at least 40 more shows to finally get it right. Okay then, let’s get into today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s some good tracks today from Baby Baby, DWNTWN, Killer Mike (speak of the devil!), Ought, Two Harbors, Vire and Your Wildest Dreams. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Alex Metric & Oliver, Alpines, Dasher, Disclosure & Friend Within, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Baby Baby – You Can’t Spell Conch Without the CH

DWNTWN – Missing You

Frances Cone – Better Man

Katie Coleman – One More Lonely Heart

Killer Mike – The Boonies

King Eider – Whisky

Night Noise Team – Suddenly

Oiseaux-Tempête – Ouroboros (Justin Small of Do Make Say Think Remix)

OUGHT – Habit

Three Days Dark – The Breaks

Two Harbors – There Is Love

The Van Doos – Airborne

Vire – Control You

Your Wildest Dreams – Folds of Splendor

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 4-10-14

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Music Video: Kevin Drew – Mexican Aftershow Party

Watch Arcade Fire cover Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” live in Houston

The Smashing Pumpkins will reissue Adore with 3 discs of unreleased music plus a live DVD

Music Video: Lykke Li – No Rest for the Wicked

Watch Real Estate perform “Talking Backwards” on Letterman

Watch St. Vincent cover Nirvana’s “Lithium” live in Chicago

An unreleased Aphex Twin album Caustic Window is being sold digitally on Kickstarter

Music Video: The Both – Milwaukee

Music Video: Queens of the Stone Age – Smooth Sailing

YouTube Audio Stream: tUnE-yArDs – Wait for a Minute

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Cajita, Francobollo, Gidge, The Hudson Branch, Owls of the Swamp and Yalls. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Curtin, Gorgon City, MNEK, New Madrid, plus remixes of tracks from Phantogram and Say Lou Lou.

Audialist – Serpent

Cajita – Shake

Cosmonaut Grechko – Anytime

DaVinci & Sweet Valley – Hello Stranger

Francobollo – Hot Cars

Gidge – You

The Hudson Branch – Korea vs. Canada

Owls of the Swamp – Shapeshifter

Pharrell – Happy (Damaged Goods Remix)

Sebastian Carter – Stranger Sights (ft. Henry Green)

Shambles in a Husk – Medications

UZ – Trap Shit V19 (ft. Problem)

Yalls – DC
Yalls – High Society

Yung Lean – Gatorade (Dolphin Tears LIDO Edit)

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 4-9-14

When it comes to owning music, while I’ve fully embraced the digital age, a large part of me still loves the physical side of things. Specifically, vinyl records. Like so many music obsessives, I have been collecting vinyl records for quite awhile now, to the point where there’s seemingly never enough storage space to hold it all. For me, owning vinyl goes beyond the superior sound quality and into more tactile pleasures such as the weight of it, the large artwork and fascinating inserts. In a sense, you feel like you own a piece of history, perhaps because our parents owned vinyl records long before we ever did. That’s not something you can say about an mp3. And while I love walking into a local independent record store and browsing their vinyl for hours, one of the greater pleasures of collectors is also the occasional record fair. There’s a great one happening this upcoming Saturday, April 12th in Chicago that I want to encourage you to check out should you be in the area. The 12th annual CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights will be taking place at the Chicago Journeymen Plumber’s Union (1340 W. Washington Blvd.) this Saturday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. More than 50 independent record vendors will have thousands of records for sale, including used, rare and out of print titles. In addition to selling some great vinyl, there will also be DJ sets, a music quiz, plus food, drinks and alcohol. It’s $7 to get in the door after 10 a.m., but $5 if you have a flyer. $25 will get you early access between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. so you can browse and buy stuff before the masses get their hands on it. I’ve been before and it’s a really fun event that raises money for the non-profit, independent CHIRP Radio. Learn more about the event by going here. Okay then, let’s get to some mid-week Pick Your Poison. There’s some gems in this set of music, including tracks from HM Hammarin, Japan Soul, Midnite on Pearl Beach, Stars in Coma, Unicycle Loves You and What Moon Things. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Brett, Cheap Girls (ft. The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn), Haley Bonar, PHOX, Total Control and White Reaper.

Fever High – That’s So Typical

Heart-Sick Groans – Black Hair Typography

HM Hammarin – In Insanity

ILLClinton – New Alexandria

Japan Soul – War

The Jones Rival – Uncle Frank

Midnite on Pearl Beach – Noah

Red Wanting Blue – Black Canyon

Stars in Coma – Tricks

Steve Strong – Marta

Unicycle Loves You – Falling Off

We Will Be Lions – Sunflower

What Moon Things – The Astronaut

Work Drugs – Half Love

SOUNDCLOUD

Brett – Chalon

Cheap Girls – Man in Question (ft. Craig Finn)

Haley Bonar – Kill the Fun

PHOX – Slow Motion

Total Control – Flesh War

White Reaper – Half Bad

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 4-8-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, Chuck Inglish, Colourmusic, De Lux, EMA, The Faint, Highasakite, Incan Abraham, King of Prussia, The Mary Onettes, OFF!, Protomartyr, PUP, Ratking, School of Language, Screaming Females, Sivu, Sleepyhead, Sohn, Stanley Brinks and the Wave Pictures, Stumbleine, Sweet Apple, Teebs, Thus Owls, Todd Terje, Tweens, Young and Sick and Your Friend. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Daytrip, Frugal Father, Girl Talk & Freeway, The Honey Trees, Myke Brown and Okapi Sun. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Atmosphere, BORIS, Cut Copy’s remix of Jagwar Ma, Landlady, Little Dragon, and Pharmakon (covering Nancy Sinatra).

The Cure – Just Like Heaven (The Penelopes Remix)

Daytrip – Flight 43

Farra – Spotlights

Frugal Father – Threat to Narrative

Girl Talk & Freeway ft. Jadakiss – I Can Hear Sweat

The Honey Trees – By the River

Juston Stens & Jessica Lea Mayfield – Strange Love

Ki:Theory – Open Wound (ODESZA Remix)

Lily and the Tigers – The Hand You Deal Yourself

Lorde – White Teeth Teens (Alexie Gratia Remix)

Myke Brown – Good Hair, Bad Credit

Okapi Sun – Judy Baby

Stanton Warriors – Just Another Groove (Stanton Warriors Re-Bounce)

that spike kid – Chaotic Behavior

Pick Your Poison: Monday 4-7-14

This past Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. Not exactly the most pleasant subject to talk about, but it’s just hard for me to think that it’s been so long since the Nirvana frontman took his own life. There’s plenty of people who will tell you stories about where they were and what they were doing when they found out the news, in part because it was such a shocking thing. I’d share my story, but unfortunately there isn’t one. Not quite old enough to know who Nirvana or Kurt was, I’d only discover the music they made a couple years later when learning of his death wasn’t so much this massive and sudden tragedy as it was a sad fact. What would hit me much harder on the exact same day eight years later would be the death of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley of a drug overdose, though that was more the result of a slow decline than anything else. Alice in Chains had broken up and Staley’s drug habit had become all-consuming many years earlier. It’s easy to imagine Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis falling victim to that same fate had he not gotten sober and cleaned up, which is ultimately what I had hoped Staley would do for the sake of his own life and career. Sadly, drugs will take everything from you if you let them, and we continue to lose some of the greats as a result, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman most prevalent in my mind at the moment. To wrap this whole sad, death-filled discussion up, you could say that April 5th is the day that grunge music died, initially in 1994 and then with a true death rattle in 2002. There have been plenty of tributes to Cobain this year, including an official day in his hometown of Aberdeen, Washington, but perhaps most fitting will be Nirvana’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in just a couple of days. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how Dave Grohl, Courtney Love and Krist Novoselic will highlight the legacy of a man who changed so many lives for the better by turning the angst-riddled feelings of a generation into songs we could all identify with. Twenty years later, he’s still doing it. We should be grateful to have gotten him for as long as we did. Following that upbeat introduction, there are some tracks to look forward to in today’s Pick Your Poison. Don’t miss music from Bedouin, Beecher’s Fault, Bonsai, Dead Stars, Eli Escobar, FIM and The Singles. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new stuff by Brian Eno & Karl Hyde, Childhood, Chrome Sparks, Helms Alee, The Neighbourhood and TOBACCO.

Bedouin – Bright Lights

Beecher’s Fault – Heather

Bonsai – I Fashion You’re A Dreamer

Brash Flair – Your Line

Dead Stars – Someone Else

Eli Escobar – Let Me Love You

FIM – Love Die

Jinwoo – Solo Man (ft. Alasdair Roberts)

Mike Adams At His Honest Weight – I’m Worried

Nathan Aeli – Whirlwind, I’ll Do

Redvers – Laughing at Rainbows

Revere – Boy Child (Scott Walker cover)

The Singles – Inamorata

Stage Hands – The Populating of Empty Space

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