The latest album for the prolific band Berry was released yesterday by Indiana’s Joyful Noise. Joey Lemon, Paul Goodenough, Shane Bordeau, Matt Aufrecht formed the band in 2002, but didn’t arrive in Chicago until 2007. In the last eight years the band has written and recorded over 100 songs and have released 10 albums and eps. Blue Sky, Raging Sun is the bands eleventh release and their first since singing with Joyful Noise back in March. What is interesting about this album and its sound is that the band decided to stop touring by van and only traveled by train while writing this album. The result is a new sound that is both fresh and classic at the same time. The album is a twelve track travelogue of sorts and pop adventure at every turn.
Yes, it’s Tuesday night, but sometimes a show is just so good that you have to make a point to attend. Tonight that show is the Love of Everything record release show at Empty Bottle. Best In Tensions is the latest release from the duo of Bobby Burg and Elisse La Roche. Over the years the band has received additional help fromTim Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Make Believe), Jeremy Bolen (Chin Up Chin Up), Jeanine O’Toole (1900s) and others. I haven’t heard what the line-up will be tonight, but the show is only $5 at the door and with an album like Best In Tensions to support it will be a great time.
If you are going to be a highly confident band that does not hold a very high regard for media support you have to be able to deliver and do it in a big way. On their latest digital single, "Weapons for War", A Lull gives the world a sample of they can expect on the band’s forthcoming full-length debut Confetti. This album will be the follow-up to their 2009 ep Ice Cream Bones. Weapons For War is a force, and a track you really need to hear. I fully wanted to dislike this track but it has won me over and I am now looking forward to Confetti. The track has this tribal feel that really pulls you in, and this massive building energy that they utilize perfectly.
A Lull will be performing at Subt on June 13th, and "Weapons for War" b/w "Spread It All Around" can be purchased at all digital outlets.
With their June 15th release of Apparitions on Carpark Records Light Pollution has decided to hit the road today in support of the album. Their coast to coast tour starts tonight in Ohio and goes through June. The band will play at Lincoln Hall on June 4th with This Will Destroy You.
Next month the local trio known as Future Rock will release an epic 52-minute live album. "Live in Wicker Park", set for a June 1st release, features live remixes of Black Moth Super Rainbow and Death from Above 1979 as well as a lot of the bands original material. Mickey Kellerman and Felix Moreno, alongside drummer Darren Heitz have been playing together and perfecting their technique since 2004. Filled with live samples, progressive rhythms, big beats, and party-ready rhythms, this album is a true showcase of the bands abilities. This is the band’s first release since their 2007 album Gears.
Check out the band’s popular new Neon Indian remix.
Lollapalooza has put out a question to the mass of music fans in Chicago to name their favorite Chicago music blog. We would love it if you would nominate The Deli Chicago. We are not sure what they are going to do, but I am sure it will be great! Go nominate us please.
This week the fuzz-pop band Panda Riot released their ep Far & Near, and is heading back east for a mini-tour. They are originally from Philadelphia and I thought it would be the perfect time to ask them a few questions.
The Deli (TD): What can fans except to find on Far & Near? Panda Riot (PR): Between our last record, she dares all things, and this new EP, far and near, we’ve added a bass player, Justin, and an aux percussionist, Melissa. As a result, I think the songs are more dance-y and textured. Also, while our last record was more or less a collection of singles, Far and Near has a stronger theme. It’s like a little novella.
TD: The video for “Motown Glass” was very cool. How did you decide to make a video for that song as opposed to others on the EP? PR: Rebecca and I both started out as filmmakers so we had a few ideas of what we wanted the video to look and feel like. Motown Glass just seemed to match up nicely.
TD: How did you come to score the film Apocalypse Story? How did that process differ from your typical writing process? PR: When we write a panda riot song, it is intended to stand alone. But in the soundtrack, the music has to compliment the mood, the arc of the plot, and the interactions of the characters. So, it’s a completely different approach. Also, a lot of what you’ll hear on the soundtrack was done on the first take.
TD: How does the music environment in Chicago compare to the scene in Philly? PR: In Philadelphia it was just Rebecca and myself recording songs in a tiny apartment. We had never really written or recorded songs before. As a result, I think that our first record reflects that intimacy and newness in the recordings. So you could say she dares all things was our Philadelphia Record.
Shortly after moving to Chicago Justin joined the band and his bass playing added a new dimension to the band. We also moved into a huge raw loft space where we can record and practice whenever we want. That gave us the time to rehearse and record the songs exactly how we wanted them. So if She Dares All Things was an intimate, spontaneous record, Far and Near is a more expansive dance-yer, more textured record.
Far & Near was released this week and is available here. Panda Riot is currently on an east coast tour.
It’s exciting when a quality band just seems to appear, and for me that band right now is Young Jesus. They gritty hybrid sound is enticing and their debut ep Late Night Standards shows remarkable amount of skill and command. The band credits influences such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Brand New and Cursive, but I also hear a little bit of Cracker and Wilco in their sound. Their ep is now available and did I mention it is free.
