Anybody else particularly excited for this upcoming weekend? The Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off tomorrow afternoon, and you can almost taste the sweet air of Union Park already. I wish all of you could come with and we’d have a blast, but most assuredly not everybody that is a regular visitor to this site will be going. You’ve got other options – like going to see the new Harry Potter movie, assuming it’s opening at a theatre near you. Alcohol is another solid choice, of the blackout variety kind, if you’re old enough. We’ll chat more about that later. For now, let’s handle the Thursday edition of Pick Your Poison. Tracks with my seal of approval today include ones from Army Navy, Ash Black Bufflo, Jacuzzi Boys, Male Bonding, Otherness, and remixes from tracks by YACHT and Blonde Redhead.
I’d like to take a moment here to light a candle for the loss of a bastion of my youth. When you’re young, there’s this perception that you’re invincible and that you’ll live forever. In that same vein, you expect the things and people that you love to stick around and never die as well. Sooner or later though, time passes and people die or things get destroyed or shuttered. Such is the case with Chicago radio station Q101. After 19 years, most of which I was an avid fan and listener, the station is switching on Friday to an all-news format. Alternative rock radio in Chicago will be officially declared dead. While I haven’t exactly listened to that much new “alt rock” in the last few years, there’s enough of the 90s and early 00s stuff that still gets played that I love. Also, thinking about it a little closer, I’m probably one of the few people my age that still listens to terrestrial, local radio on a daily basis. I’m too cheap to pay for satellite and appreciate the variety/the inability to guess what will get played next. So tomorrow will be a sad day. If you’re in Chicago and are near a radio, I hope you’ll tune in for at least a little bit. If you’re not in Chicago, you can listen online at Q101.com. Best of luck to all the employees of the station, too. I spent 2 of my summers in college interning there, and they’re all wonderful people. Pick Your Poison today isn’t quite the monumental equivalent of a radio station shutting down, but there’s still plenty of good songs in this collection. Highlights include tracks from The Bynars, The Castells, The Gift, and Soft Metals. Aeroplane’s remix of Grace Jones is pretty decent, and you can also download a free full length album from Chicago’s own Plastic Boots. In the Soundcloud section you may enjoy a new Simian Mobile Disco cut, if that’s your thing.
Every now and then, a music news story shows up that particularly entertains me. Not that music news ISN’T entertaining, but between new album or tour announcements, so much of it is routine more than anything else. The story I’m talking about this week was the one in which Morrissey was attacked by a dog. There are plenty of animal lovers out there, and I’m sure Morrissey has respect for animals (you don’t title an album “Meat Is Murder” and disrespect animals), yet his being attacked/bitten makes a whole lot of sense to me. The sense of entitlement, the ease with which he kicks opening acts off tour with him, the way he complains that his solo work doesn’t get nearly the praise that The Smiths do, and how he’s now refusing to release a new record until a label gives him the sort of deal he’s looking for all appear to be the actions of a smug, self-centered fool. In other words, the Moz is probably a cat lover. That’s not intended to be a slight against cat lovers in any way, shape or form, but a close examination into the behaviors of cats brings a certain alignment to light. Cats make you earn their affection. They make cat food commercials where felines eat Fancy Feast out of a crystal glass. As a contrast, dogs enjoy chasing their tails, being loyal, and begging for scraps of food. Though they often live in peace and harmony, cats and dogs are technically natural enemies. They’ve made not one, but TWO bad kids movies about it. If Morrissey is a cat person, no wonder a dog tried to bite his arm off. Now Moz has a good story to tell about it, and hopefully some pithy remarks to add during some live shows. He might write a song about it too, with the word “bitch” featured prominently in the title or lyrics. That sounds like something he’d do. And it’ll be fun. And funny. Because Morrissey is a character. I love the guy to death and think he’s tragically talented, but music aside he can be just a bit abrasive for my personal tastes. So there’s my extended rant for the day. Onto Pick Your Poison, which is excellent for a Tuesday. Smart choices in today’s batch include songs from Luke Temple, Max Tundra (covering Prince!), Mister Heavenly, Poland, Psychic Babble, Work Drugs and Young Buffalo.
It’s 7-11 Day, my friends. What that means, if you fail to understand, is that you can get some sweet deals at your local 7-Eleven convenience store. Free Slurpees, most importantly. Hopefully you’ve taken advantage of it already today, and if not, there’s a couple hours left to still make a run. The people I feel really sorry for? Those without a 7-Eleven in their vicinity. Maybe Pick Your Poison can help take away some of that sting. Top of the heap today includes tracks from Best Coast, Crystal Antlers, Dominant Legs, Early & Often, Megafaun, and Races.
Do I need to remind you that it’s Friday? I hope you’ve got some insane weekend plans coming up. Summer’s just the time to do wild things with time spent outside and such, so go all in and enjoy it. After my small rant against the Dave Matthews Caravan yesterday, if you are going I hope it’s tons of fun despite some of the artists playing. Of course you probably don’t have time to download and listen to new music if you’re booked solid, but if you’ve got a few moments or are just catching up after the weekend, there’s lots in today’s Pick Your Poison to enjoy. My personal stamp of approval rests on songs from Arc in Round, Broadcaster, The Earth Is A Man, My Brightest Diamond, Otherness, Pure X, Tidelands and Wooden Shjips. And for fans of Black Moth Super Rainbow, there’s a new track from side project/band member Tobacco in the Soundcloud section for your streaming pleasure.
Well, this weekend marks the Chicago stop for the Dave Matthews Band Caravan tour. If you’ve not heard of this monstrosity, it is a 3 day festival complete with a lineup of jam bands, alt-country and a host of other artists of a wide variety. It’s part hippie fest and part frat kid celebration, even if it does boast a few artists that I legitimately like. If you’re going, I hope you have fun. If you’re not going, I think you’ve spared yourself some cash and can probably find a better, more enjoyable use for it. Part of me hopes that the DMB tour bus has another “incident” in which a bus driver “accidentally” dumps human waste onto a boat of passing tourists. It’s been a few years since the last time DMB did that, so doing it again might help to keep things fresh. Just a suggestion. If you want to discover some great new music you won’t hear at the Dave Matthews Band Caravan, look no further than Pick Your Poison for today. Highlights include tracks from Dog Day, Fair Ohs, Go Rydell, Las Kellies and Young Circles. In the Soundcloud section you’ll also find Toro y Moi’s remix of Cut Copy, which is fantastic.
They say time flies when you’re having fun. Well, I don’t know if I’m having a lot of fun or it just has something to do with the holiday off on Monday, but to me it feels like this week is just moving at a super high rate of speed. Next thing you know 9 days will have passed and we’ll be celebrating the start of the Pitchfork Music Festival. Have I mentioned that I’m really psyched for that? If you’re going, you should be too. And if you’re thinking about going but haven’t put down some cash for tickets yet, you might want to hurry as from what I understand the days are getting ever closer to sell out status. Have a look at the official festival website for more details. There aren’t any Pitchfork Music Fest artists in today’s Pick Your Poison, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting or good. I can recommend tracks from Crystal Antlers, Fruit Bats, Grey Area, Old 97s, Simian Ghost and Tennis Bafra.
Hope you all had a delightful extended holiday weekend. Typically I’ve still posted some mp3s even when everyone else takes the day off, but for once I really wanted to simply chill out and not have to worry about a post. Sorry if you were hoping for some 4th of July music on the actual date. I tried to help you out on Friday’s Pick Your Poison. I’ve actually got a couple 4th of July-related songs for you today. A day late and a dollar short, but better late than never. Songs I can recommend in today’s edition include ones from Austyn Sullivan, The Grownup Noise, Little Deadman, Little Horn, The Soft Moon and Unnatural Helpers.
Break out your grills, America. It’s 4th of July weekend. Independence Day is that time where we celebrate the United States getting free from the rule of the British. No offense, UK people. We’re all friends now. But this holiday weekend is all about getting together with family and friends, eating some delicious food, and watching some spectacular fireworks shows. If you’re in the US, I hope you have lots of fun. There will be no posting until Tuesday, so hopefully this Friday edition of Pick Your Poison is good enough to tide you over. Highlights include tracks from Abandoned Pools, Damndogs, Handsome Orders, Marlon Rando, The Shivers, Sleeping Bag and The Young Things. In the Soundcloud section, songs from The Features and DoublePlusGood covering Beach House are worth streaming. America!
If you’re in Chicago at the moment, even if you’re on vacation, it might be advisable to go check out the Taste of Chicago. It runs through July 3rd (so only a few more days) and showcases some of Chicago’s best food. Plenty of dining options for you no matter what time of day you show up, and while the prices aren’t entirely cheap, the sheer variety confined within a few blocks along Lake Michigan makes for a great time. Longtime Chicagoans may view it as a tourist trap, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. Pick Your Poison has its share of tasty treats as well, only in audio form. My personal thumbs up goes to tracks from 33Hz, Bright Archer, Gem Club and Teddybears.
Oh hey, it’s Wednesday. I’ve got no witty banter for you, as I need this post written like it was yesterday. Songs I can recommend today include ones from Acid House Kings, Eternal Tapestry & Sun Araw, Extra Classic, Oax, Painted Palms, Pallers and Zola Jesus. I’ll also advise checking out the Cloud Seeding track in the Soundcloud section, complete with Marissa Nadler cameo.
For the last few summers in Chicago, the city has been sponsoring a free concert series on Monday nights called “Downtown Sound”. Basically its purpose is to showcase up-and-coming artists both on a local and national scale. I’ve seen performances from St. Vincent, The Feelies and She & Him for that over the last couple years. This year’s lineup is great as usual, and last night’s was no exception. I caught Glen Hansard (The Swell Season/The Frames) playing a few solo songs before his pair of gigs with Eddie Vedder in town later this week, and the night’s headliner was Low. I’m not going to write a show review on it because I walked in with no idea of how long I might stay, along with no camera. I like to take photos when I can. All I’ll say about it is that Hansard is still excellent, even when playing by himself – a key thing he most certainly picked up in his earliest days as a musician busking on the streets for cash. If he had his guitar case on the ground in front of the stage I probably would have tipped him. As for Low, much of the crowd found them to be disagreeable, and I completely understand why. It’s not that they put on a bad live show, it’s more like at the end of a hot summer’s day in a spacious park, Low isn’t exactly the band you want serenading you into the evening. They’re far better in a more intimate space under the cover of blackest night. The sun was setting as they played, but a restless crowd there for free didn’t wait too long before the mass exodus started. My friends would have abandoned me had I not gone with them, but only after convincing them to stay for 3/4ths of their set. So good effort Low, hopefully things will turn out differently next time. Now, onto Pick Your Poison for today. Positively great stuff in this set from Arrange, Bad Passion, Cannon Blue, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Pillars and Tongues, along with Small Sur.
Welcome to Monday, otherwise known in Chicago as the Blagojevich verdict day. If you at all follow the news (or American news if you’re elsewhere), we’ve got this ex-Governor by the name of Rod Blagojevich. He was removed from his position and put on trial for allegedly trying to sell a Senate seat that was vacated by then-Senator and now President Obama. Welp, earlier today the verdict came in, and it seems he was found guilty on 17 of 20 charges against him. That means several years of prison, if not more. Now and then it’s good to see a corrupt politician get what’s coming to him or her, and in this case justice appears to be served. As I’ve echoed before in my mentions of politics, it matters less what your views are on the various issues, I think that no matter what stance you take, corruption and bribery and extortion are all bad things. One hopes that lessons are learned from this and that Chicago and worldwide politics are less corrupt as a result, but who knows if that impact will really be felt. Okay, let’s get on with Pick Your Poison. To start the week, songs I can recommend include ones from Cassettes Won’t Listen, The Irrepressibles, John Maus, John Tejada, KidCity, Parts of Speech and Xeno & Oaklander.
Everybody’s working for the weekend. Well, it’s finally here, and I hope you’ve got some grand plans to help celebrate not having to work. Go catch a movie or a baseball game or just veg out in front of the TV. You’ve earned it. Here’s a fresh set of mp3s in Pick Your Poison to close out your week right. Highlights include tracks from Halloween, Alaska, Liam Singer, Moonbell, Razika, and Water Lilly. In the Soundcloud section, have a listen to the Bombay Bicycle Club track. It’s a good one.
Oh hey, Thursday. Didn’t see you there. Here’s another edition of Pick Your Poison to whet your whistle and get you excited for the weekend. Great set of songs today, as always, and I can point you in the direction of songs from Cult of Youth, Gang Gang Dance (and the Lee “Scratch” Perry Remix), Jim Ward (with Tegan of Tegan and Sara), Mekons, Nurses and Sufjan Stevens. Oh, and in the Soundcloud section enjoy songs from SSION and Woods, among others.
