Faronheit | A Chicago Centric Music Blog

Let’s get right down to business, because it’s Tuesday and ain’t nobody got time for anything else. Some rather diverse highlights in today’s Pick Your Poison, depending on your personal preferences. Love a good and catchy pop song? Bossie has you covered. If hip hop is more your jam, the team-up of Freddie Gibbs, G Perico, and Mozzy is rather inspired. Let’s not forget about rock and roll though, because a new Tokyo Police Club song is reason enough to celebrate. Keep going past the jump for more music from audiobooks, Bearson (ft. Ashe), Bluestaeb, Chris Robinson Brotherhood (covering Gram Parsons), Howie Lee, Katuchat, Kotek, L8LOOMER (ft. Banoffee), and The Magic Lantern.

Bossie – Post Teen

Freddie Gibbs, G Perico, & Mozzy – Colors

Tokyo Police Club – New Blues

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Call me skeptical if you must, but I’m in the habit of not trusting cover songs. In my mind, it’s more often than not an attempt to gain success and attention by doing a pale imitation of someone else’s work. That said, if you manage to put your own spin on a song and reveal something new about it, or are an already well-known name and choose to cover a song by a relatively unknown artist, it can be a worthwhile thing. Carla dal Forno pulls off the rare quality cover in taking on Lana del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness”, which you can stream below. Also worth a listen in this set are tracks from Jesse Jo Stark and Young Thug (ft. Nicki Minaj). After the jump you’ll also find more music from ALYUSHA, boerd, Deem Spencer, Ekali & Medasin (ft. Elohim), Madison Ryann Ward, Mr Gabriel, Tanners, Upstairs Open, and Wax Chattels.

Carla dal Forno – Summertime Sadness (Lana del Rey cover)

Jesse Jo Stark – Fire of Love

Young Thug – Anybody (ft. Nicki Minaj)

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The stars have aligned, and brought an edition of Pick Your Poison that’s simply too good to skip! I love it when that happens, even if it takes a good 45 minute chunk out of your day to listen through it all. The highlights include fresh tracks from incredible artists like Empress Of, Jenny Hval, and Omni. But don’t hold back from moving beyond the jump, because there’s plenty more greatness thanks to Bent Denim, Birds of Chicago, Cautious Clay, The FMs, Kreggo, Michael Rault, Mothica, Powers Pleasant x Joey Bada$$ x A$AP Ferg, and Washed Out.

Empress Of – Trust Me Baby

Jenny Hval – Spells

Omni – Sunset Preacher

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Today’s Pick Your Poison is one of the more fun collections in recent memory, though there’s also a darker undercurrent running through many of these tracks as well. Eternal Summers kick things off with the buoyant “Forever Mine”, which will hopefully have your toe tapping at the very least. Then there’s the delightful return of Peach Kelli Pop with an energetic number that’ll make you think about sunshine and sugar highs. And while A Place to Busy Strangers aren’t exactly the first band you think of light and upbeat, their latest “Frustrated Operator” has a strong energy to it while maintaining their abrasive, post-punk aesthetic. Keep going past the jump for more music from The Beths, Cevilia Gault, Chuck D & Bishop Lamont & Mykill Miers (ft. Create & Devastate), Cool Company, The Goldberg Sisters, Mobley, Valley Queen, The Yada Yada Yadas, and more!

Eternal Summers – Forever Mine

Peach Kelli Pop – Hello Kitty Knife

A Place to Bury Strangers – Frustrated Operator

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One of the best things about living in Chicago is its vibrant music scene. There’s a serious wealth of talent in this city, and part of the reason this site exists is to help promote that to the rest of the world. Of course we’re also not Chicago exclusive in our coverage, which is why that new A$AP Rocky jam is featured right at the top of today’s Pick Your Poison. And hey, it uses a piece from a classic Moby song too, which is cool if you’re familiar with it. But in terms of local talent, you’ll also find new songs from Maps & Atlases as well as Ryley Walker in the highlights portion of this set. Both have albums out in the coming months, so be sure to keep an eye out for those! Moving beyond the jump, there are also tracks you might want to hear from Buzzy Lee, Cyborg 95, Fakear (ft. Ana Zimmer), Howlin Rain, Jon Hassell, Millionyoung, Nedelle Torrisi, Superheart, and Yellow Days.

A$AP Rocky – A$AP Forever (ft. Moby)

Maps & Atlases – Fall Apart

Ryley Walker – Opposite Middle

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While we continue to await spring’s arrival, dive into a new set of songs that will hopefully warm you up a bit – even if the first artist right up top is Cold Fronts. Chicago’s own Jessica Risker has a new record of psychedelic-tinged folk songs on the way, and you can get a preview of that below. Then go a bit nuts with Sofi Tukker’s latest “Batshit” single. Keep going past the jump and you’ll also be treated to tracks from Boys, Brazilian Girls, Disco Fries (ft. Raquel Castro), Ellevator, Flora Cash, Juliana Daugherty, Lowell, Valley Queen, and Yeule.

Cold Fronts – Aftermath

Jessica Risker – I See You Among the Stars

Sofi Tukker – Batshit

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Today’s Pick Your Poison is one I’m particularly excited about, as it seems like every few weeks there’s a collection of songs that’s just incredible all the way through. You can get another preview of Eleanor Friedberger’s upcoming album, with a track that’s just a little different than what she’s done in the past. Take a slow and beautiful trip with a ballad from Grouper, then get into the groove with a woozy synth pop track from Makeness. Keep going past the jump and you’ll be treated to more awesomeness from the likes of The Bones of J.R. Jones, BOYTOY, Gallant, Chicago’s own Ganser, ggnoaa, Lion Babe (ft. Leikeli47), Michael Paradise, Orchards, and Shakey Graves.

Eleanor Friedberger – Make Me A Song

Grouper – Driving

Makeness – Who Am I to Follow Love

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Hope you had a great Easter! Or Passover, depending on what (if anything) you celebrated. I promised I’d provide a few thoughts on the Lorde and Justin Timberlake shows I attended last week, so let’s do that now in very brief fashion. Basically it boils down to this: Lorde at Allstate Arena was fantastic. The energy and the passion she delivered on stage were remarkable, and the crowd ate up every second of it. Definitely one of the best performances I’ve seen so far this year, and having Mitski and Run the Jewels as openers didn’t hurt either. Justin Timberlake, on the other hand, wasn’t quite on top of his game. Then again, if you’ve listened to his latest album Man of the Woods you probably already knew that. The last time I saw him perform was a few years back in support of The 20/20 Experience, and it blew me away. Not so much this time, as the second half of the show dragged a bit with a half hour of slow acoustic numbers around a campfire. Also, I take small issue with artists that don’t perform their songs in full, and Timberlake would do a verse or two of his hits before moving on (while holding out his microphone and telling the crowd to sing along half the time too). The dancing was great though, as was his band. Let’s say the show was good but not quite great. So those are my capsule reviews of last week’s pop double header in Chicago. On to the business at hand, which is today’s Pick Your Poison. Highlights include new tracks from Club 8, DJDS (ft. Khalid, Charlie Wilson, and Charlotte Day Wilson), and Luna Shadows covering a Dua Lipa hit. Cruise past the jump for more music from Berel, Colin Magalong, DanielOG, Holy Boy, Matt Costa, The Rare Occasions, Steve Aoki & Loopers, Win and Woo (ft. Ian Gott), plus Jacques Greene’s remix of a Rhye track.

Club 8 – Give Me Love

DJDS – No Pain (ft. Khalid, Charlie Wilson & Charlotte Day Wilson)

Luna Shadows – Be the One (Dua Lipa cover)

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Taking a couple of days off for the Easter weekend coming up, but certainly don’t want to leave you empty handed for the holiday. There’s a pretty boss new Flatbush Zombies track you need to hear below. Fujiya & Miyagi have unleashed something fresh in celebration of their new U.S. tour kicking off, and I’d suggest giving that a try too. For those in search of something longer and more ambient, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is diving into long-form electronica with a brand new record label and a 22-minute song called “Abstractions”. Devote some time to that adventure as well. Other artists with tracks beyond the jump include Ama Lou, BE3K, Blu & Nottz (ft. Sene & Elisa Meri), Erin Rae, L8LOOMER, Laura Jean Anderson, Paris (ft. Gunna), Spielbergs, and Mogwai’s remix of a song from Frightened Rabbit offshoot mastersystem. have a great weekend!

Flatbush Zombies – U&I (ft. Dia)

Fujiya & Miyagi – Subliminal Cuts

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Electronic Series Vol. 1: Abstractions

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Sad to hear that Frog Eyes will be calling it quits after their upcoming album is released. Then again, they’ve been active for nearly 2 decades and have put out close to 10 LPs in that time. It’ll be interesting to hear what Carey Mercer does next. In the meantime, get your first taste of that final album below. You’ll also want to dive into a new one from illuminati hotties, a band that’s definitely one to watch. And Frightened Rabbit side project mastersystem has shared another song off their forthcoming debut, which you might dig. More good stuff after the jump too, including songs from Air Waves (ft. Kevin Morby), Bhad Barbie (ft. Lil Yachty), Chicago’s own Deeper, Jaunt, River Whyless, Synead, Violet, Westerman, and YellowStraps (ft. VYNK).

Frog Eyes – Idea Man

illuminati hotties – Paying Off The Happiness

mastersystem – Old Team

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Always a delight when Black Moth Super Rainbow drop a new track into our collective laps, and you can hear one such song right below this paragraph. Big Thief’s Buck Meek has also shared something new from his forthcoming solo debut that you’ll hopefully enjoy. Then get a taste of South American R&B with Florentino & Bad Gyal’s collaboration. Slide beyond the jump and take in additional songs from boerd, Coping Skills, The Dead Tongues, Harlequiin (ft. Amelka May), House of Feelings, joan, Kitty, Still Woozy (ft. ODIE), and ViVii.

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Baby’s in the Void

Buck Meek – Ruby

Florentino & Bad Gyal – Por Ti

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Today’s Pick Your Poison is a particularly interesting and diverse collection of tracks that I hope you’ll explore from top to bottom. Seriously, it’s packed with goodness, and the highlights up top are just the start. Dive into new ones from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Gold Connections, and Wavves (covering The Electric Prunes) – all of which do something worthwhile and just a touch unexpected. After the jump, you can find more delights from the likes of Aisha Burns, Chad Valley, The fin., Ganser, Little Boots, Sama Dams, Split Cranium, Whethan (ft. Broods), and WHIPPED CREAM & KTRL.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Right Moves

Gold Connections – Bad Intentions

Wavves – Onie (The Electric Prunes cover)

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