Exactly one week from tonight, I hope if you’re in Chicago that you’ll join me at Lincoln Hall for what’s set to be a great double bill that’s worth your time and money. The two bands performing are City States and Au Revoir Simone. If you’ve never heard of either of them, let me provide you with a quick primer. City States are a fascinating Chicago band who describe their sound as art-pop, which feels like a really apt descriptor when you listen to their songs. Starting from a synth base but not content to let that be the only weapon in their arsenal, their songs consistently evolve to make unexpected and experimental turns that keep you on your toes and fully engaged. They strive to achieve a similar level of off-kilter brilliance as heroes like Brian Eno, Radiohead and Talking Heads. Their debut EP Resolution showed a lot of promise in that regard, and you can download the whole thing for free over at Bandcamp. They’re currently finishing up recording and mixing their debut album with John McEntire of Tortoise/The Sea and Cake fame. Expect to hear a lot of new material as they play Lincoln Hall for the first time ever. With any luck, by this time next year they’ll be performing at even larger venues on a national scale. But headlining the night is the nationally touring, decidedly not-French-but-Brooklyn-based band Au Revoir Simone. Where did the all female trio come up with their name? Why it’s a quote from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, of course. These are girls after my own heart, especially after the recent release of the music video for their song “Crazy”, which re-enacts the plot to the often overlooked 1985 Martin Scorsese film After Hours. In terms of sound, Au Revoir Simone skirt the line between synth pop and dream pop. So while they don’t use guitars or even have a live drummer, they love their keyboards and vocal harmonies, which often leads to either fun and catchy songs or otherwordly psychedelic ones. Their new album Move In Spectrums is definitely one of their best to date, and owes quite a bit to Stereolab. Have a listen to their song “Somebody Who” to get a pretty good idea of where they’re at sonically these days. All that said, these two bands are playing a 21+ show at Lincoln Hall next Monday, October 28th. Tickets are $15 in advance, and can be purchased via this link. Come on out to the show. It promises to be a great time. Speaking of which, let’s get to the great time that is your Monday edition of Pick Your Poison. Don’t miss tracks from Drop Electric, Englishman, Floating Compass, Maya Vic, New Regulars and Tape Deck Mountain. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from Baio (of Vampire Weekend), Deep Sea Arcade, Kelela, Sufjan Stevens and Rustie remixing Pusha-T’s latest.
Englishman – More Than Insects
Invasions – Ballad of the Faithful
Jackson Fishauf – Mystery Books
London Future & Djemba Djemba – Look At Me Now (ft. Ifa Sayo)
Tape Deck Mountain – Slow Hell
Will Buck – Muscle Memory
SOUNDCLOUD
Baio – Welterweight
Deep Sea Arcade – Black Cat
Kelela – Go All Night
Marika Hackman – Cinnamon
Pusha-T ft. Tyler, the Creator – Trouble On My Mind (Rustie Remix)
Sufjan Stevens – It’s A Long Life Live Jam (Impossible Soul Demo)
