Chicago

Brighton, MA on Rock The Route

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Brighton, MA launches an interesting one week tour tonight with a show at The Kinetic Playground. The band will be filmed for a television show following two bands on tour from Chicago to Los Angeles via historic Route 66. The TV show, sponsored by Red Bull, is called "Rock The Route", and will be focusing on the joys and travails of life on the road.

Not only will there be a film crew following the band, but the band will also be carrying Flip cameras around with them. The band will be performing music from their upcoming release, and they are currently in the studio with Archer Prewitt of The Sea & Cake.

The other stops on the tour are as follows: Saturday, October 30th: St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill, Sunday, October 31st: Tulsa, OK – Crystal Pistol Saloon, Tuesday, November 2nd: Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater, Thursday, November 4th: Los Angeles, CA – The Viper Room.

Chicago

The Smith Westerns’ Dye It Blonde

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We finally have details on the sophomore album from The Smith Westerns. The ten track LP called Dye It Blonde will be released by Fat Possum Records on January 18th. The band will be through out the month of November in Europe with MGMT. Here is the tracklist for the new album.

Weekend/ Still New/ Imagine Pt. 3/ All Die Young/ Fallen In Love/ End of the Night/ Only One/ Smile/ Dance Away/ Dye the World

Before they depart on their European adventure the band will be performing at Lincoln Hall on November 5th.

Chicago

Scattered Trees

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Fresh off of three performances at CMJ the six-piece Scattered Trees (Roll Call/EMI) are returning home to celebrate the release of their second single “A Conversation About Death on New Year’s Eve”. The band’s first single on their new label Roll Call, “Four Days Straight,”was released earlier this month.

The band has been getting a lot of buzz for their warm and inviting cover of John Lennon’s "Instant Karma" which is the b-side to "Four Days Straight".

Scattered Tress will be performing at Subterranean on Friday November 5th with Bully in The Hallway, Urbanities, and The Fallen Rivers.

Chicago

Suns @ Schubas

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To make their debut Suns have released not one, but two eps and they have released them for free. The band throws a large array of instruments on to these eps including glockenspiels, mandolins, banjos, and even dual drummers. Their sound is full and their eps are free. You can download Close Calls in the U.S. Space Program and The Howl and the Many from bandcamp.

You have three opportunities to catch Suns live over the next two weeks. They are performing at Schubas on October 27th (as Black Sabbath), at The House Cafe (Dekalb) on October 30th, and at Double Door on Nov. 3rd with Mutts, Asleep, Glittermouse, and Republic of Lights.

Chicago

I Luv Luv Birds @ Underground Lounge

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Marc Mozga and Holly Prindle (I Luv Luv Birds) have come together again to release their full-length album in two years. The 20-track (ten original and ten dub track of those originals) album, Cleaning Lady Uprising, is available on the band’s bandcamp site, but will also be sold at the release show tomorrow night (8/23) at The Underground Lounge as a 12” vinyl that comes with homemade, silk-screened cover art and download.

I Luv Luv Birds is self-produced, self-released bedroom pop at its best. These are lo-fi, but a surprising mix of sound with a few creative moody tracks like "Under Your Command" and "Power’s Out". You never know what sound is coming next, and that makes this album even more enjoyable. My favorite track is the inventive "Hook & Grid".

Chicago

Birthmark

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Birthmark is the alias of Nate Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Make Believe), and over the last three years he has been working on his second album as Birthmark. The album will be called "Shaking Hands" and will be released by Hidden Agenda on December 14th. This is the follow up to his 2007 release "The Layer"

Chicago

Animal City

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The latest album from the basement duo of Salvatore Cassato and Dakota Loesch (aka Animal City) finds the band bringing a fuller sound. For their new 14 track album, You Win Some, You Loser, Cassato and Loesch have added the rhythm section of Douglas Ryan and Levi Yastrow. This is their first release as a full band and Animal City’s first full-length album. Although fourteen tracks in length the album still only clocks in around 27 minutes. These songs are brief, but fun and at times hilarious. This is a band that does not take themselves too seriously, but does come across as more professional and polished on this release.

The album kicks off with a fun little track about a person has a mouse face. It sounds a little like the Hold Steady at first, but that comparison fades over the whole of the album. Animal City celebrated the album’s release last night at Empty Bottle.

Chicago

Shapers’ Virginia Reel

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It wasn’t that long ago that we were singing the praises of the debut album, Little, Big, from Shapers. However, they have already recorded a new single that will be released by Whistler Records on November 16th. The single features "Happy Birthday Polliwog" and "Virginia Reel". The band has made a video for "Virginia Reel" and will be celebrating the release at Empty Bottle on November 15th.