Month: July 2017 Page 1 of 2

The Afghan Whigs – You Want Love

Let’s celebrate the end of July (wow, time flies) with another killer playlist filled with songs to inspire and energize. Notable downloads in this set come from The Afghan Whigs, Blake Banks, jane/john doe, and Lone Kodiak. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Andrew Weatherall, Brika, Dillon Francis (ft. Serko Fu), Elohim & Whethan, Hand Habits, kyd the band, LUUDE, PARENTZ, Savoy & Grabbitz, Soleima (ft. Kranium & Hoodboi), Soliterre, and Trapo.

Blake Banks – She Luv My Cocaine

Cross Culture – Faded Away

jane/john doe – Well It Really Does Matter Does It

Lone Kodiak – Calm Down

The March Divide – Cherry Bomb

Matt Tarka – Time Travels

Three For Silver – The Way We Burn

The Woggles – Hard Times

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 7-27-17

On 07/27/2017

I’m not entirely sure what city Company of Thieves officially call home these days, but up until a few years back, they were a Chicago-based band. Singer Genevieve moved out to Los Angeles and embarked on a solo career while the band was on hiatus, but they’ve now reunited and have a new album out this fall. You can hear the killer first single below. Fans of the band Ultimate Painting should already know that singer Jack Cooper is putting out his debut solo album at the end of August. Perhaps the relaxed vibes of “Gynn Square” will inspire you to give him a shot. You may remember the band Wild Cub from their hit single “Thunder Clatter,” which burned up on radio a couple years back. They’ve got a follow-up album out in September, and you can hear the upbeat, catchy, and pretty danceable new single “I Fall Over” in this set. You can find songs from Imitating Aeroplanes, Jason Nolan, Kiki (ft. Cactus Sauna), MORTEN, Ravenna, Satin Jackets (ft. David Harks), Shannon Lay, STeLOUSE (ft. Tilian), and Super Duper (ft. Louis Johnson) in this collection as well.

Company of Thieves – Treasure

Jack Cooper – Gynn Square

Wild Cub – I Fall Over

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 7-26-17

On 07/26/2017

Apologies for taking yesterday off from Pick Your Poison, but in all honesty, there simply wasn’t enough new music to share! We’re in the doldrums of summer, and I guess there’s a dead spot around now because while fall tours and such are being announced, there’s been a strange lack of new music (or new songs, that is) being released. So after skipping a day, things are back in action and arguably better than ever. This is a straight up home run collection of tracks, every single one being worth your time. If I had to single a few out, let’s start with another guitar-heavy taste of the forthcoming album from The Districts. They’ve got fantastic energy. Then Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen) covers a song from Irish folk band Shane MacGowan and the Popes as part of a charity compilation fighting against Islamophobia. Happy Hollows have another glittery slice of synth-strewn indie rock as a preview to their new record out in September. And then Spanish garage rockers Hinds participated in one of those “covers exchange programs” by taking on a song from their friends in Los Nastys. Check all those out, plus songs from Garren Sean, Helado Negro, Honey, matt pond PA (ft. Laura Stevenson), Skrillex & Poo Bear, Walter Ego and more!

The Districts – Violet

Hamilton Leithauser – The Song With No Name (Shane MacGowan and the Popes Cover)

Happy Hollows – Silent Partner

Hinds – Holograma (Los Nastys cover)

Pick Your Poison: Monday 7-24-17

On 07/24/2017

Brad Peterson – What the Open Heart Allows

I’ve just returned from an extended weekend trip to Minneapolis, and it’s left me inspired. Here’s hoping today’s Pick Your Poison provides a similar kind of buzz for you. There are some quality downloads in this set from Brad Peterson, Ephrata, Fronds, and Kazyak. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Baby!, Belly, Briana Marela, Coast Modern, Corbin, FYOHNA, Jachary, Jeals, joan, KINDER, Morly, and Summer Heart.

Ephrata – Odds

Fronds – Tower

Gestures & Sounds – To: Rivers, From: Chomp

J Hacha de Zola – No Situation

Kazyak – Basin

Rome Alexander – L.Y.G. (ft. Rederic)

Stephen Doster – Something Good

The White Russians – B Child

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 7-20-17

On 07/20/2017

Really impressed with the slow burn hip hop that A$AP Twelvyy is pushing on “Diamonds,” which also features a guest spot from A$AP Rocky. Fans of good old fashioned jangly rock ‘n roll will find plenty to love about “Rainbow Ridge”, the latest from The Cribs. Smart synth-pop artists know it’s always a good idea to ask Shamir to contribute vocals to a track, which is why House of Feelings’ “Falling” stands out. Something about the ramshackle charm of Swimm’s “Speak Politely” just draws you in the further it goes along, until it’s finally stuck in your head with no discernable way out. Delightful. Other artists in this set include 16yrold (ft. Desiigner & Ski Mask The Slump God), Blank Space, Gramatik & Galactic Marvl, Har Mar Superstar, Lina Tullgren, Oliver Tree (ft. Robot Koch), Saro, and Sam Valdez.

A$AP Twelvyy – Diamonds (ft. A$AP Rocky)

The Cribs – Rainbow Ridge

House of Feelings – Falling (ft. Shamir)

Swimm – Speak Politely

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 7-19-17

On 07/19/2017

Anastasia Minster – When I Die

It’s a special bonus extended edition of Pick Your Poison today, just because. You won’t want to miss downloads in this set from Alesso, Cross Culture, Marc Baker and Mark Bryan. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, check out some quality streams from Amy O, A-Trak (ft. Quavo & Lil Yachty), Glacci, Jim-E Stack, Jordan Rakei, Lowphile (ft. Moss Kenna & Nick Grant), Luna, SD, Simian Ghost, Slotface and more!

Alesso – Move Like That

the black watch – Satellite

Cross Culture – Leap Frog Loverz

Drezo – Dead

Dynamic Africana – Igbehin Lalayo Nta (Tunnelvisions Edit)

Liz Asaro – 1000 Years

Marc Baker – No Place I’d Rather Be

Mark Bryan – Forgetting About Me

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 7-18-17

On 07/18/2017

Get a taste of one of Chicago’s most promising new acts, Bunny, as part of today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s a certain sauntering delight at the heart of Guantanamo Baywatch’s latest “Blame Myself” that feels very Walkmen-esque in a good way. If you’re a fan of heavy synths and strong BPMs, the new TOBACCO song will push you into a stone cold groove. Other artists in this set include BAYNK (ft. Shallou), BOSCO, Kelsey Bulkin, NexXthursday (ft. Quavo & Lil Yachty), Noble Oak, Razz (ft. Jack Wilby), Umm, and Whispertown

Bunny – Not Even You

Guantanamo Baywatch – Blame Myself

TOBACCO – Slaughtered By the Amway Guy

Pick Your Poison: Monday 7-17-17

On 07/17/2017

Childish Gambino – Redbone (DJ Mustard Remix)

It’s Monday and I’m very much in recovery mode following a wild weekend at Pitchfork Music Festival. Make sure you check out all the coverage, including recaps of each day, by going here. It was a good one, and I’m worn down but very happy. Hopefully today’s selection of new music will make you happy as well. DJ Mustard did a great job with his remix of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone,” to start. Other quality choices in this set include downloads from Fawns of Love, The Shivers and The Sighs. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from a l l i e, CYN, The Duke Spirit, Jazz Morley, Juiceboxxx, Katie Von Schleicher, Max Styler (ft. Goldn), NAV and Metro Boomin, The Radio Dept, Together Pangea and TR/ST.

Dmoney Clay – Tune In (Who Is Dmoney Clay)

Fawns of Love – Standing

The Human Circuit – How It Used to Be

John Elderkin and ¡Moonbeams No Mas! – Messy Down Below

The Shivers – Soulmate

The Sighs – It’s Real

Sven-Erik Olsen – Sketchbook Traces

Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Sunday Recap

On 07/17/2017

In chicago, lineup, live music, music, music festivals, pitchfork music festival, pitchfork music festival 2017, show review

The 2017 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival is now officially in the history books. It’s been three incredible days of music, and arguably one of the festival’s best years in recent memory. Sunday brought another fair share of surprises and delights, though one truly disappointing piece of news created a minor hiccup in an otherwise smooth day (and weekend). That disappointing news was that experimental electronica duo The Avalanches were forced to cancel their set at the very last minute due to a serious family illness. These things happen, and of course wish nothing but the best for the group and those they care about. It would have been their first-ever show in Chicago, so hopefully they’ll make up the date at some point in the near future (though that would likely be at a separate venue for a separate ticket price). The cancellation resulted in a minor schedule change, moving Jamila Woods from the small Blue stage over to the much larger Green stage to take The Avalanches’ place. More on her performance in the recap below. Please join me after the jump for further details about all the various performances that took place on Sunday. And if you missed the recaps from Friday or Saturday, just click on the links and you’ll be transported directly there. Keep an eye out for photos posts here within the next few days.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Saturday Recap

On 07/16/2017

In chicago, lineup, live music, music, music festivals, pitchfork music festival, pitchfork music festival 2017, show review

Two days down, one left to go. While I’m always impressed with the general lineup and flow of the schedule for just about any day of the Pitchfork Music Festival on any given year, there was something about Saturday this year that stood out. I had a strange sense of uncertainty about how some of the performances would go, and about how the crowds would react to them. Sometimes you’re expecting a rousing success and instead it turns out to be a tepid mess that nobody likes. Other times you watch an artist pouring his or her heart out while a bunch of people chat instead of paying attention to what’s happening on stage. The music festival world can be a complex and fickle beast. So on a day where it felt like there were more question marks about artists than usual, I’m pleased to report that the entire day went tremendously well. So much so that it handily bested Friday and I can’t imagine Sunday improving upon it. But we’ll just have to wait and see! In the meantime, please join me after the jump for a lengthy summary of every performance I witnessed on Saturday. They’re all sorted by paragraph, with the artist name bolded for easier navigation. I’ll be sharing a full photo set from Saturday at some point in the coming days, so keep an eye out for that!

Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Friday Recap

On 07/15/2017

In chicago, live music, music, music festivals, pitchfork music festival, pitchfork music festival 2017, show review

Day one of Pitchfork is done, and boy was it a lot of fun. Apologies for that rhyming introduction – I immediately regretted it after I had typed it, but still liked it enough to not delete it. But yes, on the whole it was a delightful day and a great start to another year of the festival. The primary lesson that I learned – well, rather had reinforced on me – was that the best performances always had genuine passion and respect behind them from both the artists and the crowds. There are some examples of the good, the bad, and the middling peppered throughout this recap, so join me on the other side of the jump for a chronicling of all that went down from a musical perspective on the first day of the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Sunday Preview

On 07/13/2017

In chicago, lineup, music, music festivals, pitchfork music festival, pitchfork music festival 2017, show preview

Here’s the portion of the preview guide where I provide sound and sane advice on how to make the most of your Pitchfork Music Festival weekend. Advice such as: wear lots of sunscreen and drink lots of water. The current forecast isn’t particularly hot, but that doesn’t mean you won’t wind up dehydrated. Try not to drink too much alcohol either, because as fun as that might be for you, most large crowds don’t like drunk people all that much. Plus, it’d be a big help if you wound up remembering everything you did and all the music you saw. To put it another way, drink all you like, just maybe don’t do it to blackout levels. Don’t forget to take a seat at least a couple of times each day. I’d recommend about 15-20 minute sit breaks every 3-4 hours if you’re going to be there all day long. There are some good, grassy spots in the shade at Union Park to hang out under, where you can at least hear, if not see the stages. Your body will thank you for the breaks, and you won’t wind up all sore and aching by the time Sunday rolls around. Make sure to explore! There’s a lot of really cool stuff happening just a short walk away from the stages, so if you’ve got a break between bands be sure to investigate some of the tents. There are posters, books and records all for sale, some companies give out free snacks to anyone passing by, and if your phone battery winds up drained there are some charging stations just in case. Everybody’s friendly and there to have a great time, so I hope you enjoy every aspect of your festival-going experience! Good luck!

So there’s your non-music advice column. Let’s get to the nitty gritty for Sunday, shall we? At this point in the weekend you’re probably a little worse for wear and just want to have a pretty chill final day. The great news is that this can be achieved with relative ease. Follow me after the jump, and we’ll break that schedule down by the hour.

In case you missed it:
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017 Lineup Playlist
Friday Preview Guide
Saturday Preview Guide

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 7-13-17

On 07/13/2017

Get a little Chicago hip hop into your life with a brand new track from The Cool Kids as part of today’s Pick Your Poison. Fans of wild times and heavy guitar riffs should definitely check out the latest from Oh Sees (formerly Thee Oh Sees). Then a little something for the synth pop crowd courtesy of SOFI TUKKER’s rebellious “Fuck They”. Other artists in this set include Carmen Villain, Cosmo’s Midnight (ft. Kudu Blue), Glacci, Kllo, Nyck @ Knight, Poppy Ackroyd, RahRah, Suicideyear, and White Cliffs.

The Cool Kids – Checkout

Oh Sees – Animated Violence

SOFI TUKKER – Fuck They

Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Saturday Preview

On 07/12/2017

In chicago, lineup, live music, music, music festivals, pitchfork music festival, pitchfork music festival 2017, show preview

One of the things I admire most about the Pitchfork Music Festival every year is the dedication to crafting a lineup that’s diverse in style, background and gender. While that is always showcased throughout the entire weekend, it feels particularly prominent on Saturday this year. You can gravitate from rock to folk to funk to pop to R&B to hip hop all in the course of a few hours, and at least half of those artists and bands prominently feature female members. A third have persons of color, though that’s actually the lowest amount of all three days. The point being, other festivals should take note, and make more of an effort to be inclusive. I feel like it creates a better sense of community among the attendees too. The strangers I encounter at Pitchfork Fest every year are among the nicest and coolest people you could ever meet, so don’t be afraid to say hello to me or anyone else.

Okay, let’s get into this preview of Day 2. After dancing yourself clean with LCD Soundsystem the night before, I can understand that it might be hard to get out of bed and be ready to hit it hard first thing the next day, but there are rewards to those willing to show up early. Join me after the jump and I’ll explain why.

In case you missed it:
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017 Lineup Playlist
Friday Preview Guide
Sunday Preview Guide

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 7-12-17

On 07/12/2017