Chicago

Salem

Posted on:

Salem released their debut album King Night through I Am Sound on September 28th. The trio consists of John Holland, Heather Marlatt, and Jack Donoghue, and they have been receiving a lot of positive buzz for this release. Their sound is all at once gritty and forceful and atmospherically beautiful. The album is densely layered, menacing, and oddly peaceful. This strange contrast is felt in the haunting video for the track "Asia". You can also find a free remix of "Asia" by oOoOOO here.

Chicago

CD of the Month: King Sparrow

Posted on:

King Sparrow has a new self-record that will be released on October 15th in conjunction with a release show at Schubas with Pet Lions and This Is Versailles. The album was recorded and produced by Brian Zieske of Gallery of Carpet. The end product has such a warm and balanced sound. It kicks off with the energetic track "Resonator" which is complete with guitar solo and driving drums.

The pace doesn’t slow with blue-collar anthem "Conveyor Belt". "You give up to on, You get up to get off." It’s the perfect 5pm rush hour track. However, my favorite track on the twelve track album is "Leave it All Behind". It is the song on the album that adds a refreshing dose of acoustic contrast and it shows that the band can slow things down when they need to. It is also a beauty love song without any bitterness or trickery. The album is filled with great lyrics, inventive instrumentation, and layers of warmth and energy.

Chicago

The Opus The Save me Gallery

Posted on:

The Opus has released a free digital ep that features six very different remixes of their track "Save Me". The ep features remixes from Radius, Crushcon7, and The Opus among others. My favorite remix is the Void Pedal with its dense beats and orchestral overtones. The Opus has been prolific in 2010 releasing two eps and two full-length albums in addition to several remixes.

<a href="http://theopus.bandcamp.com/album/the-save-me-gallery">THE SAVE ME GALLERY by the OPUS</a>

Chicago

Upright Ape

Posted on:

Upright Ape is the pen name and stage name of a local musician and writer that just released what is essentially his life’s work. The Blue Collar Diaries are five concept albums and autobiographical Novella. The albums are essentially a musical diary of a man living with both bipolar and schizoaffective disorder. The recordings are fascinating, beautiful and always humble. What is even more thrilling about this project is that Upright Ape is giving away all of the proceeds of this project. You can read more about the project over at his website.

Chicago

From Our Open Blog: Silhavey @ Subt

Posted on:

Silhavey has released a video performing an excellent live cover of both the Colbert Report and Daily Show theme songs, replete with an overdose of American flags and suits and ties. In the video, Silhavey announces that they will be attending the rally in Washington on October 30th. After asking Colbert directly to actually perform at the march, the music is a tight, dead-on live cover of the theme songs, including live trumpet played by keyboard player and lead singer Stephen Dranger — and despite being live, the sound quality is actually quite good. If you want to see Silhavey in Chicago, come to their show at the Subterranean on Wednesday, October 13th at 8:00PM!

Chicago

Chaperone’s Cripple King

Posted on:

The debut ep from the five-piece Chaperone is called Cripple King and will be released next month. The band mixes lo-fi aesthetics with a strong sense of pop. The band used everything from laptops to untuned pianos to space-heaters to create a interesting texture for this ep. The ep was recorded in various spaces and at various times which it also lends itself to the lo-fi sound.

Chaperone is celebrating the release of Cripple King on October 14th at Subterranean with Dastardly, Elephant Gun, and Dylan Kloska.