New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Even though their myspace page currently reads New York I am still claiming Erza Furman as a Chicago musician. The band will be back into on June 19th at Metro and that news made me want to listen to my favorite track from the band. “We Should Fight” appears on Inside The Human Body (Minty Fresh, 2008).
BBGUN (Maxim Bohichik & Alex Bergman) have created a great new video for the track “Vision Vision” by Loyal Divide.
The band will be performing at Elk Grove Community Center on May 22nd and at Empty Bottle on May 31st.
Over the weekend we sent our photographer Shalimar Beekman over to Lincoln Hall to capture the performance of Andrew Belle.
Tomorrow night at Late Bar you will have the opportunity to hear the new ep from The Maybenauts spun by Members of the Maybenauts Vee & Emily DJ directly. There is no cover to the event and Hors d’oerves and complimentary space shots will be served. There is really no reason why you shouldn’t be at Late Bar between 8 and 10pm tomorrow night.
The Maybenauts will celebrate the release of Big Bang on May 21st at Darkroom. A full review and much more on this ep to come in the following weeks.
With his latest mixtape, Can I Borrow A Feeling?, Mic Terror is finally getting his due. Released this week and mixed by Mic Terror and DJ RTC, the mixtape is drawing attention from local radio stations and a radio friendly version of “My B**** Tonight” called “My Chick Tonight" is getting play on stations WGCI and Kiss FM. We have a bonus track to the free mixtape called “Get Down” for you.
Judson Claiborne’s Time and Temperature was released late last month and now we a video directed by Japeth Mennes for the track “Moonraker”.
The latest session over at Giant System has been posted and it features the band Tirra Lirra.
Tirra Lirra will be performing at Cole’s on June 5th with Black Math and Casual Encounter.
Logan Square’s own psych/garage/droners The Clams have placed their two EPs (Close To The Clams and Mindbanging) on Bandcamp for name-your-price or free download. Here’s the link, go make your music collection slightly, but pleasantly, weirder.
The Clams play at Ronny’s on Friday, May 21 with Chicago duo Woo-Man and The Banana and The Hi-Tones, on tour out of Austin, TX. Here’s the video for The Clams’ song "Two and Too Makes Three", featuring Robert Vaughn!
Two things happened last week, I got way too distracted at work by the very cool new game Super Mario Crossover, and I received the “new” ep from I Fight Dragons. That has to mean something right? So, I decide to contact lead singer of I Fight Dragons, Brian Mazzaferri to ask about the band forthcoming debut album, their current tour, and more.
Deli Chicago (DC): The new label is rereleasing the Cool Is Just Number EP. What can old fans expect to find on this new release?
Brian Mazzaferri (BM): Well, first of all all of the tracks have been re-mixed and re-mastered, which was really cool because we did the original on a shoestring, mostly in our home studio. Also, there’s a new track, "Don’t You?" which is one we’ve performed live but wasn’t on the first version of the EP.
DC: The band built a following in a very unique way. Do you feel that The Advanced Guard help built a case to present to Atlantic records? How important is it to have such an engaged fan base?
BM: I think it’s incredibly important to have an engaged fan base, since that basically is the band. I feel like our fans and our connection with them was a big part of why Atlantic wanted to work with us, in addition to liking our music.
DC: How has Photo Finish/Atlantic accepted the lifetime membership model? Do you see this type of fan building and support spreading through the industry like the name of your price model has spread?
BM: The label has been really enthusiastic about keeping the lifetime membership model. There was never any question that everyone who had a membership would have it honored for life. That said, I really don’t think of it as a long-term model, since as you start to expand lifetime membership past a certain number, it starts to cannibalize your living as a musician.
DC: Do you feel or have you thought that the chiptune and NES aspect of the band will begin to wear thin at any point? Are there any plans to move beyond this or add any other elements to the sound?
BM: We’ve always said from the beginning that we’re a band that wants to grow and change as time goes on. Right now we’re still incredibly intrigued by chiptune and the possibilities it presents. For our upcoming album we’re using it in ways that we hadn’t even thought of to begin with, and it’s definitely something we’re still passionate about. As time goes on, that could change, and if it does we’ll stay true to what’s moving us artistically.
DC: Are there stops on The Too Fast For Love tour that the band is more excited to hit than others?
BM: Well of course Chicago, we haven’t gotten to play a show there since December and are really really excited to play our home town again. Also I know we’re really excited about Denver, San Francisco, DC, and a ton of the historic venues we’ve dreamed of playing that we’re going to get to play.
DC: Whats next for I Fight Dragons?
BM: A robot-supported global takeover, followed by a new album hopefully coming out in the fall.
I Fight Dragons will be playing Chicago on May 15th Charter One Pavilion @ Northerly Island as part of Bamboozle Chicago. The Photo Finish Records release of Cool Is Just A Number is now available at the IFD store and at I-tunes.
Maps and Atlases found their beginnings at Columbia in 2004 and have recorded two EPs prior to Perch Patchwork -work that garnered comparisons to TV on the Radio and Deerhoof. For those who haven’t heard the band’s previous work, you’ll find a group who is certainly talented, inventing their own brand of indie folk pop complete with custom guitar playing methods. Though "Perch" is catchy as hell, none of the songs stand out as particularly special.
Instead Perch Patchwork comes off sounding as if producer Jason Cupp manipulated the band’s signature quirk into a palatable mainstream framework that could potentially alienate old fans while attracting a new and perhaps less indie base of listeners.
David Davison’s unique and brassy vocals highlight the group’s folk routes on an album clearly about breaking up. The second track on the album, "The Charm" finds Davison crooning "I don’t think there is a sound that I hate more than the sound of your voice, when you say that you don’t love me anymore." The tragic lyrics continue against a backdrop of ironically upbeat music throughout the album. While Erin Elders’ acclaimed slap guitar playing still sounds interesting, many of the songs on Perch Patchwork sound too similar, for instance "Solid Ground" and "Pigeon." Having a common thread or theme on an album is certainly necessary, but Maps and Atlases may have pushed theirs a touch too far on this most recent effort.
Despite all these criticisms, one would be remiss to deny pop lure of the tunes on Perch Patchwork. Regardless of their similarities, the album-as one big song-gets caught in a listener’s head after a single play through. The blend of folk and pop is almost pastoral and reminiscent of the group’s mid-western roots. If not an album to absolutely love, Maps and Atlases have created a piece that at least has a little something for everyone.
Perch Patchwork comes out on Barsuk Records June 29th 2010. Catch Maps and Atlases opening for Frightened Rabbit at the Metro this Saturday, May 8th at 8pm. – Erin Keane
The latest album from the thoughtful bunch known as Canasta is beautiful and complex and filled with subtle goodness. The sound is a blend of ‘70’s AM pop and sea shanties (i.e. The Decemberists). A good example of this would be “Becoming You”. The song talks about not fitting in and really not waiting to, and despite the slight references to The Decemberists this sums up the Canasta sound. They really do pave through own path and the results are remarkable. The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather is the album the band was always meant to make and they have made it look effortless. My favorite track on the album is “Magazine (Songwriter on a Train)”. It reminds me slightly on Mountain Goats territory and is a fast paced stomp.
The album will be released on May 18th but Canasta is celebrating the release on May 8th at Schubas. They will be performing two show that night, one with Gregory & The Hawk and on with Brighton MA.