Last week La Scala released their new ep The Last Carousel by performing at Empty Bottle. The EP was recorded at Stereophonic Studios by Marshall Terry in April of 2010 and was mixed by Balthazar de Ley at Audio Bordello. It mixes traditional indie rock with a flair for the dramatic. The band has that cabaret style that bands like My Gold Mask and The Loneliest Monk are perfecting. You can stream the ep and purchase the vinyl 12” here.

Speaking of My Gold Mask you can download the track that Gretta Rochelle of My Gold Mask performed with La Scala here. It is a cover of "Tu Farai" by Mina.

The latest video from Giant System TV features the electro sounds of Chandeliers. The band will be performing at Reggie’s on August 8th with Health.

When you listen to the music of Black Moth Super Rainbow (BMSR) you can tell that it is the culmination of many different sounds and styles. The release recently by Tobacco provided an explanation of the darker and more electronic elements in the sound. Now comes the latest released from band member (and the only Chicago-based member) Dreamend aka Ryan Graveface. It’s clear while listened through So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite (Graveface Records, 8/10/10) that Ryan supplies the more the folk-ladden, banjo-soaked moments of BMSR. This album is a pure and gentle psychedelic freakout, but it is not without an element of the darkness and derangement that you might expect from BMSR. Complete with bells, guitar, organ, and the humble and honest vocals of Graveface this album is the soundtrack to a campfire attended by zombies and other creatures.

So I Ate Myself Bite by Bite will be released on the 10th by Graveface Records and the LP version will be presented like a phenakistoscope, a classic Victorian animation machine. The LP was designed by William Schaff and will be a sight to behold.

White Car has been generating a fair amount of buzz for a while now, and finally we will be able to get their new ep No Better on August 31st. The ep will be released digitally and on limited 12” numbered vinyl by Hippos in Tanks. The ep finds Elon Katz and his counterpart Orion Martin in top form bringing their distinctive brand of dark electro-funk. You can feel the influence of growing up in a city that was home to Wax Trax, but their also feels so fresh and creative. There is a level of darkness in these tracks, but it feels a little tongue-in-cheek.

This is the follow up to the band’s self-titled debut ep which was released in February. The band will be at Pilsen Music Festival on July 31st. They will also be performing at Empty Bottle on Aug. 1st, and the official record release show will be at The Hideout on August 6th.

When I was in high school, yes it was a while ago, Q101’s local 101 was can’t miss radio. I would record (on to tape) every episode and insert these great Chicago bands into the mixtapes I would love to make for everyone. The song from Tub Ring that made many of my mixes was their cover of The Carpenters’ “Close To You” which appeared on their 1993 album Music From The Bathroom. It is still my favorite cover of that song to this day.

Well, Tub Ring is back with their first release in three years, Secret Handshakes. The album will be released on August 31st by The End Records, and it features fourteen new and energy packed tracks. The group recorded the 14-tracks on Secret Handshakes at Chicago’s Electrical Audio and at keyboardist Rob Kleiner’s own Studio Edison, with Kleiner doing double duty as producer.

Tub Ring will headline a special record release show on Saturday, August 28 at Subterranean.

The San Antonio based small press Kendra Steiner Editions is branching out into the realm of recorded music and one of their first three sonic releases just happens to be the new album from Plastic Crimewave. The album is called string/soul/eye and features five new ambient tracks. Although just five tracks the album spans over 50 minutes in length. The album is a perfect meditation on sound and allows the listen to search through the various layers that Sir Plastic Crimewave creates. Built mainly on guitar, banjo, & raagini, this album is filled with texture and soul. When you take in the catalog of Plastic Crimewave as a whole, this is a fine and expected addition. The release is on cd only and is printed in an addition of 100.

Last weekend Pitchfork Music Festival may have been what everyone was talking about, but there was actually another festival taking place at the same time. Sheffield Garden Walk attracted some quality local bands and their fans. We sent Bonnie Stiernberg to check it out and report back on what she found. You can read her full report here.

Eighties Ska legends, Heavy Manners are back and preparing to thrill audiences with some new tracks as well as their classics. The band is releasing a new 12” on Jump Up! Records which features the rather fitting track “Get Me Outta Debt”.

Heavy Manners celebrates the release of their new 12", featuring two brand new singles and a Peter Tosh produced dub mix, with a performance at Taste of Lincoln Ave. There will also be an after party at the Elbo Room, Chicago, 2871 N. Lincoln 8PM – Featuring DJ Chuck Wren spinning 80’s Ska and Reggae.

Here is our coverage of the Sunday’s events at Pitchfork Music Festival. Neph Basedow started the day by taking in two quality Chicago bands and ended up at Pavement with the masses. You can read her coverage here.

The new album from The Streets on Fire also was released today. This Is Fancy is an eleven-track parade of beats and rock mixing both humor and aggression. We have a new track from the album called “That’s Hard To Find”. This is Fancy was released by The Currency Exchange.

The bands plays tomorrow night (7/21) at Angels & Kings.

Mahjongg has released a new track from The Long Shadow Of The Paper Tiger which is out today on K Records. The track is called “Whoop”. There is also a tour video that was recently released that you can watch here.

We sent writer Neph Basedow to Pitchfork Music Festival this year to suffer through the Chicago heat, catch the local band when possible, and report back on the festival through her eyes. Here is her breakdown the bands she caught on Saturday.