It wasn’t that long ago that I had someone say to me that metal was dead in Chicago. I tend to believe that there are no dead genres in Chicago, but just people looking in the wrong or not looking closely enough. The latest album from Angel Eyes, Midwestern, is powerful in both sound and message. This album is a guttural call-to-arms in a declining economy with a Midwestern perspective. It’s album that can strike a chord with many Chicagoan with an emphasis on struggle, and way it often feels endless.

Sonically, the album is just as heavy as its message. This is a hardcore album, but Angel Eyes mixes is subtle cinematic and atmospheric elements. This blend keeps that listener guessing and engaged with the band continue to blow the audience away.

Angel Eyes will be performing at Quenchers on August 21st with Czar.

In anticipation of their album release show on Saturday, Aug. 14th, Secret Colours have released a beautiful cover of The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows”. The bands much anticipated self-titled debut can be streamed at their bandcamp site.

Secret Colours will perform at Beat Kitchen on August 14th with Panda Riot and Geronimo.

Thrill Jockey announced today that the new album from Sam Prekop (The Sea and Cake), Old Punch Card. The album will be released on September 7th, and it is Sam’s first solo record in five years. The album is inspired by early electronic music and avant-garde composition and is comprised entirely of modular synthesizers. There is only one instance of guitar and no vocals or beats.

Sam will be touring with Broken Social Scene this fall and will be playing at The Riviera on October 2nd.

I’ve spent the weekend digesting the debut album, Messy Snarls, from Laura Granlund and Curt Swank (aka Chew Heart). The duo has been performing together for the last six years, and finally entered the studio, with the talented Brian Zieske (Gallery of Carpet), to capture some of that live energy. Messy Snarls finds the duo wearing their influences on their sleeves and pouring everything out through their instruments. The album was recorded live and you can tell in the sound, but I feel that adds to the nostalgic feel of the album.

What sets Chew Heart apart is that they do give a subtle nod to their love of ‘60’s pop, but they don’t drown in it like many bands today. In fact I would say they are more influenced by ‘90’s indie rock than anything else. In fact, I would say this band is a combination of Saturday Looks Good to Me and Frente. There is a raw edge, but sweet innocence that ultimately prevails.

Chew Heart celebrates the release of Messy Snarls on Sept. 12th at The Whistler, but you can purchase it from their etsy page for just $5.

We recently brought you the details of the new album from Tub Ring, and now the band has released ar new video for the song “Flash” from Secret Handshakes. The video premiered last week at Friday Night Videos.

Archie Powell & The Exports will be releasing their debut LP, Skip Work, this fall, but they recently dropped a fierce single called “Enough About Me”. The band will be launching a nationwide tour this fall, but they will be performing at Schubas on Aug 23 with Two Star and Stay Golden.

Young Man (aka Colin Caulfield) is starting to draw some national attention, and deserves every bit of it. Colin premiered his new single “Up So Fast” this week, and announced that his debut ep Boy will be released by Frenchkiss Records on October 12th.

Are you ready for Wolf in A Spacesuit? Algebra Huxley and Arthur Aircraft are currently working on their first full length LP, entitled Safari, to be released in two parts. Part one has a projected release date of September 2010, and part two is tentatively set to be released in March 2011.

The duo will be performing at Subterranean on September 2nd.

The Interiors are back with a brand new drummer and will be performing at Lincoln Hall on August 19th.

aria Photo, alias photo sans nom (roughly translated: photo without a name) will be the first to tell you that she is not a singer-songwriter. Though the French bent is an inspiration of the 60’s YeYe movement – and a pun on her surname – this girl is unfamiliar in any archetypal sense. Actually turning down gigs that would perpetuate stereotypes, Maria has spent over a year and a half crafting a layered mini-lp of songs, for which she overdubs a majority of the tracks.

At once it is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the electronic music that has romantically captured her by night and at the next turn it is the sobering alarm of garage rock that wakes the day. A thread of authenticity holds this genre-less masterwork together. Miss Photo makes no apologies for her style-hopping ways. At the end of the day you will discover her faithful voice through many lenses. This is not a mix-tape. Her name may be pseudo, but rest assured she is nothing short of genuine and she’s only just begun.

A couple of weeks ago we brought you the news of the new album from Unicycle Loves You, Mirror Mirror being released this September. Now we have a track from that album called “Justine”. The video for “Justine” was released a year ago and was directed by Athony Dixon.

The release of Mirror Mirror will be celebrated at Schubas on Sept. 11th with The Nurse’s Novels and Village.

Chicago indie rock veteran/guitar virtuoso Victor Villarreal (Cap’n Jazz, Owls, Ghosts and Vodka) and DeKalb, IL’s math rock wunderkids Loose Lips Sink Ships are gearing up for the pressing of a split 7" record, entitled Eating Happens. The record is set for release August 27th on Chicago newcomers Whaleplane Records. Eating Happens is Villarreal’s second release under his own name (the first being 2009’s Alive), and is Loose Lips Sink Ships’ second 7" record on Whaleplane, a label that got its start in the college town of Fredonia, NY. The record features a track from each artist, Loose Lips contribute the knotty, spastic "Sarah Palin’s Parasailing" and Victor offers up a fingerpicked folk song entitled "Prophesying Hypothesis." The record is a limited edition item (just 500 hand numbered copies are to be released this August) and is available for preorder now.

Preordering the record not only includes immediate download of this album, it also ensures that it will be shipped out before the release date. A free stream of both tracks is available, as well, at Loose Lips’ webstore.