Remember on Monday when I encouraged everybody to vote in the presidential election? Yeeeeeeah. Feeling quite disillusioned and depressed right now, courtesy of President-elect Trump. Ugh, never thought I’d have to type that title in front of his name. Anyways, if you can work your way past the misery, there’s some new music that might lift your spirits a bit in today’s Pick Your Poison. Don’t miss downloads in this set from Adam & Elvis, K V A S I R, Minor Moon and OG Maco. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from AUDUR, Black Lips, CHILDCARE, COTE, Day Wave, Drunker Masters (ft. Portugal. The Man), Father John Misty (covering Tim Heidecker), Fickle Friends, Kartell, Laurel, Lil Peep and Run the Jewels (ft. BOOTS).
Author: Faronheit Page 58 of 192
Okay, it’s the day before Election Day. If you’re reading this and are a U.S. citizen over the age of 18, please vote tomorrow if you haven’t already. It’s one of the more important things you can do to help our democracy. This election feels more important than previous ones, or at the very least the stakes seem a lot higher. While this isn’t a political site and I’m not going to go all partisan on you, let’s just say there’s one candidate who shouldn’t have access to the nuclear codes. But just as a presidential election offers you freedom of choice, so too does Pick Your Poison. There are more than a few good candidates in this set that you may want to give control of your speakers too. Mark your ballots for downloads from Beyonce (ft. The Dixie Chicks), Jordan Burchel, Metro Boomin and Rootwork. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2, David Bazan, DIANA, Gucci Mane (ft. Young Thug), Homeshake, Major Stars, Porcelain Raft, Queen of Swords, RL Grime x What So Not x Skrillex, Salt Cathedral (ft. Matisyahu), Surfer Blood and Urulu.
Beyonce – Daddy Lessons (ft. The Dixie Chicks)
J.Leshelle – Whatever You Want
Jordan Burchel – Why They Call You Blue
As I’m writing this, there’s a very intense Game 7 happening in the World Series. The Chicago Cubs are fighting for their first championship in 108 years, which is pretty much forever when it comes to sports franchises. Wishing them all the best. Let’s Fly the W, boys. Maybe some of these tracks can provide the necessary motivation. Of particular note are downloads in this set from BOYO, Everyone Is Dirty, Goon and M7. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Coldcut (ft. Roses Gabor), Frida Sundemo, Japandroids, matt pond PA, Mega Bog, Moon Duo, oddCouple (ft. Jamila Woods & Kweku Collins), San Cisco, SHEARE and more!
Everyone Is Dirty – Andy Warhol
Jo Mango – If I Could Choose (Live at the Pond)
As young adults, we are led believe that with time and age comes a greater sense of maturity, stability and overall well-being. We think our parents have these things figured out, and so will we once we reach their age. If making more money and starting a family of your own count as figuring things out, then that’d be an accurate impression. But in a broader and more emotional sense, we slowly come to the realization that nobody ever truly pulls their life together and we’re all still struggling to make our way in this crazy, mixed up world. Things don’t get easier or clearer, and in many cases get harder and cloudier. The sooner we understand and embrace the chaos, the better we are able to manage it.
The struggle to define our identity and find a path to consistent happiness are the primary themes of Mitski’s latest album Puberty 2. And while songs about depression and anxiety might not sound like much of a good time, the emotions they wring out of you are so relatable and cathartic you can’t help but be compelled to keep listening. Then there’s her overall sonic approach, which feels very ’90s in nature. Distorted guitars and catchy choruses provide some surface sheen, but dissonant noises are also buried in the mix and reveal themselves through close listens. The depth is what keeps you coming back, along with her dynamic vocals, which stretch from smooth crooning to aggressive ferocity to desperate pleas at the drop of a hat. Mitski exercises control in all things, and that’s a big part of what makes her music so brilliant.
That same brilliance translates extremely well in a live setting. Unconstrained from the studio, Mitski’s songs tend to feel like exposed nerves when performed on stage. This rawer, more primal nature reveals alternative interpretations that often change your perspective of the recorded versions without lessening their impact. The drama and intensity are even more heightened along with the fragility as everything consistently teeters on the edge of falling apart. Her voice is the primary conduit for those emotions, but the times when she trades her bass for an electric guitar feel like an ascension to her firing-on-all-cylinders highest self. It is an awesome thing to behold, and if you’ll be in Chicago this Saturday you have the opportunity to do exactly that. Mitski is headlining at show at Thalia Hall, with the excellent Fear of Men and up-and-coming band Weaves also on the bill. Really it’s the rare show where you should arrive early and stay late, because the music will be great from start to finish. Check out the full details and hear some songs below:
Mitski – Your Best American Girl
Fear of Men – Trauma
Weaves – Tick
Mitski / Fear of Men / Weaves
Buy Tickets
Saturday, November 5
8PM / $18 (advance) / All Ages
It’s a weird feeling to have warm temperatures in the 70s to kick off the month of November in Chicago, but I guess that’s global warming for you. Got to take advantage of these last few nice days while they last. Here’s a soundtrack to go along with it. Quality downloads in this set come from Countless Thousands, Hypocrite in a Hippy Crypt, Men of North Country and Tsutro (ft. Sunday Lane). In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Big Sean, CHILDCARE, Dragonette, Ellie Herring, French Horn Rebellion (covering Weezer), GFOTY, Kristin Hersh, Michael Hollis, Newman Wolf, NV (ft. Deradoorian), Studio OST and Taylor Hawkins (of Foo Fighters).
Countless Thousands – Webster’s Dictionary Defines Marriage As
Hypocrite in a Hippy Crypt – New Friends
Men of North Country – Wendy Rene
Happy Halloween! I wish there were some terrifying songs to share with you as part of today’s Pick Your Poison, but instead it’s just the normal crop of good, bad and ugly. Don’t miss downloads in this set from The Airborne Toxic Event, Chimney Choir, Kristoffer & The Harbour Heads, Monster Rally and Pussy Riot (ft. Desi Mo & Leikeli47). In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Coaster, Corey Hanson, Dante DeCaro, Emily Reo, Frankie Cosmos (covering Krill), Fred Thomas, The Griswolds (ft. Lizzo), Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Skott, Sporting Life (ft. Devonte Hynes & Wiki), You Blew It and more!
The Airborne Toxic Event – America
The Chainsmokers – All We Know (Hook N Sling Mix)
Kristoffer & The Harbour Heads – Nervous In Berlin
Monster Rally – Moonlight Chase
Pussy Riot – Straight Outta Vagina (ft. Desi Mo & Leikeli47)
Insert the obligatory excitement and praise over Chicago Cubs baseball here. Yes, the city is united around this baseball team, and it feels like that’s all anybody can talk about these days. I’ll spare you the effusive praise and just get straight to the music. You won’t want to miss downloads in this set from Liana Bank$, The March Divide, Mincer Ray and Run the Jewels. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Alexx Mack, Autolaser, Hand Habits, Horse Thief, Joey Bada$$, Miniature Tigers, Miya Folick, Punctual, Tori Amos, TYuS (ft. C A S S O W), Zella Day and more!
Have you ever felt like you needed another weekend to recover from the previous weekend? That’s kind of how I’m feeling today. An extra couple of days off just to sleep and not do much else would be ideal right now. Guess the crisp fall air and earlier sunsets don’t help much either. To help snap out of this Monday funk, a new edition of Pick Your Poison is ready and waiting for your ears. There are some great downloads in this set from Almond&Olive, Blankus Larry, Mike Will Made-It (ft. Eearz), Monster Rally and Spelling Reform. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Alpines, Coaster, Dragonette, Elephant Stone, Fortunes., The Good Life, Jai Wolf (ft. MNDR), Kehlani (ft. Little Simz), Lacuna, Nicole Atkins, Sad13 and Young Sierra.
Almond&Olive – Standing at the Precipice
Blankus Larry – Tight Pants or Less
Loframes ft. Anoraak – Since You’ve Gone (Ride the Universe Remix)
Mike Will Made-It – Pull Ova (ft. Eearz)
Rae Sremmurd – Swang (Travis Scott Remix)
The Cubs are playing baseball and the presidential candidates are having their final debate. It’s a packed night of television, so let’s skip the pleasantries and just get right to it. There are some solid downloads in this set of music from Blake Banks, Ender & Valentine, Lazy Legs, Pepe Deluxe and Someday I Will Miss You. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Girl Tears, The Griswolds, The Homie, The Mary Onettes, Redspencer, SWIMM, Uranium Club, Young Mammals and more!
Congratulations to Bob Dylan on winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. I’ve long maintained the Dylan is one of, if not the greatest songwriter of all time. His lyrics are the purest form of poetry and continue to have great meaning many decades later. The man has been responsible for entire movements, though he may never acknowledge it himself. Which is why I guess the Nobel Prize committee had to do it for him. Now they’re reportedly having trouble reaching him, or at least he’s not responding to their calls. Given his history with subversion and general attitude of doing whatever he wants, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t show up to claim the award. The party will go on, with or without him. Either way, it’s great to see Dylan get this extremely prestigious recognition. Perhaps one of the artists in today’s Pick Your Poison will be the next Dylan and win all the awards someday. You’ll never know until you give them a try. That said, don’t miss downloads in this set from The Burgeoning, Kitty, Tallisker and Ty Richards. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from The Blow, Cloud Nothings, Connor Pearson, Lou Barlow, Lower Plenty, Michael Chapman, Michael Mayer & Joe Goddard, Miniature Tigers, Slothtrust, Stef Chura and more.
Da Village Woes – Lend Me Some Sleep
Hotel Del Salto – Bigger Than Elvis
There are some top notch downloads in this set from the likes of Belinda Esquer, DJ Karaoke, Michael Jablonka and Soft Pyramids. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Desert Planes, Drakulas, Hannah Diamond, iLoveMakonnen, Joseph Hein, Porches (covering Big Star), Robin Thicke & Nas, Skylar Spence, Tori Amos, Winter and many more!
Solange – Cranes in the Sky (Kaytranada DJ Edit)
A Tribe Called Quest – Bonita Applebum (Rhythm Scholar Remix)
After taking a day of R&R because Christopher Columbus oppressed a native people and made two Home Alone movies, it’s time to get back to the music with yet another collection of piping hot new tracks for your listening enjoyment. Don’t miss downloads in this set from BAYA, Best Friend, Eyelid Kid and M Ross Perkins. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from American Wrestlers, DAWN, Hazel English, Honeyblood, Jacuzzi Boys, KAYE (covering Britney Spears), Lost Animal, NxWorries, Suburban Living, The Tins (covering Bob Dylan), Walter Lukens and more!
Okay, let’s jump right on it. There’s a new collection of songs for your listening pleasure as part of today’s Pick Your Poison. That includes downloads from Child Actor, Computer Magic, Sremmlife Crew and Suntrodden. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from All Our Exes Live in Texas (covering Tame Impala), American Football, gobbinjr, Golden Suits, Marie Davidson, The Radio Dept., Ryan Hemsworth (ft. Nebu Kiniza), SALES, Thee Oh Sees, Timberwolf, Uniform and more!
Computer Magic – Lonely Like We Are
Jus Now ft. Chalmer John – Alone (Road Man Remix)
Someday I Will Miss You – Broken Toy E
Sremmlife Crew (ft. Bobo Swae & Swae Lee) – Ball Out the Lot
Good old fashioned rock n’ roll doesn’t get nearly enough attention these days. People are so interested in finding the next great innovation in genre that they fail to remember that certain styles of music are truly timeless and can still offer fresh surprises at every turn. Not only that, but who’s so jaded they aren’t impressed by a complex guitar solo? It’s a certain skill that very few can truly master, so all credit should be given to those that can. Case in point, this Saturday at the legendary Metro here in Chicago you have the unique opportunity to see two of the greatest rock guitarists still making music today do their thing: J. Mascis and Steve Gunn.
Dinosaur Jr. has been around for what seems like forever, and in the musical world 30+ years kind of is. Of course they were inactive for eight of those years, so that gap decreases their legendary status just a little bit. But that’s neither here nor there, because they’ve been back in action for the last decade and have arguably eclipsed the great work they did in the 80s and 90s that earned them a place among alternative rock royalty such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Mascis may be their anchor, what with his aching vocals and fuzzed out guitar solos that are distinctive enough that you can easily pick them out of a crowd, but don’t discount a force of nature like Lou Barlow, who is a spectacular bassist and singer in his own right (as evidenced by his work in Sebadoh). Should I compliment their drummer Murph too? Oh, sure. He does an excellent job keeping the rhythms tight and heavy in the face of each song’s relative unpredictability. Dinosaur Jr’s new record Give a Glimpse of What Yr Not only reaffirms all of these assertions, and proves their inspiration and creativity remains sharply intact even after all these years. The question at this point is how long that will last. This latest revival of the band has already lasted longer than their first two stints, and with any luck it’ll stick for many more records. Or not. Best to see them while you can. If you’ve never witnessed J. Mascis destroying guitar solo after guitar solo right in front of you, that’s something to put on your bucket list. It’s a genuine joy to watch him and the rest of the band work.
Lesser known but no less talented is Steve Gunn. The Brooklyn-based musician first earned his stripes by playing in Kurt Vile’s band as one of The Violators. Of course he’s also been releasing solo albums for nearly a decade now, at a pace of about one per year. Toss in some collaborative efforts as well, and the guy becomes positively prolific. While much of his early work has been rooted in gorgeous lo-fin instrumentals, by the time 2014’s Way Out Weather arrived he felt like a fully formed entity, complete with a backing band and confident vocals. A big part of what makes Gunn’s music so compelling is his ability to compose these complex folk and rootsy songs while making it all seem completely effortless. Nothing is ever hurried or panicked in both voice and melody. You put on his records while relaxing with a beer on the porch or cruising across the heartland of America. That’s particularly true on his new album Eyes on the Lines, which is thematically embossed with the call of the open road. Simplistic as his songs may seem on the surface, closer listens reveal light touches of psychedelia, krautrock and blues, among other genres. Solos bob and weave through otherwise standard melodies, like eels writhing around in the ocean. Think about My Morning Jacket or a less jam-heavy Grateful Dead or The War on Drugs as bearing similar or shared sonic markers with Gunn and you’ll gain a much better understanding of what he’s all about. In a live setting, it’s equally relaxed and thrilling to watch him work through songs as they divert down unexpected paths and tear through the fabric of expectation. Don’t miss him if you can help it. The Metro show this Saturday is virtually sold out, but here are the details anyways in case you’re lucky enough to get tickets.
Dinosaur Jr. / Steve Gunn / Thalia Zedek Band
Buy Tickets
Saturday, October 8th
9PM / $31 / 18+
If you miss Steve Gunn this weekend, the good news is that he’ll be back in Chicago next Saturday (October 15th) for a performance with Jim Elkington at the Logan Square Food Truck Social. Tickets for that one are $5 and you can find out more information here.
To put it briefly, I moved over the weekend. Just got my internet connection back up, and we’re off to the races once more with another collection of tracks I like to label Pick Your Poison. There’s some excellent downloads in this set from Crocodiles, Jorge Andre, The Lampshades and Warning Light. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Big Wild (ft. IDA HAWK), Capital Cities, The Duke Spirit, The Faint, GTA (ft. Tinashe), Julia Jacklin, King Henry (ft. NAATIONS), La Sera (covering Led Zeppelin), matt pond PA, Palmas, Terry Malts and more!
Crocodiles – Not Even in Your Dreams
Human Behavior – As We Remember That No Prophet Is Accepted in Their Own Country
Totemo – Dreamit (Zammuto Remix)
