Flashwork is actually a new Swedish duo that is making some noise by remixing the best the indie world has to offer. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had taken a crack at one of Chicago’s finest, Keith Masters. They have taken Masters’ electro-banger and turned it into a light, synth filled ode the best the ‘80’s had to offer. “I Love To Floss” is the track and it original appeared on his recent ep Discotheque which was released over the summer.

Greenkeepers make some of the most creative videos in town, and the video for “Lotion” has always been their strangest.

It’s been awhile since Daytrotter has featured a Chicago band, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a new session from Sleep Out on the site today. It was the summer of 2008 that Sleep Out released their second album Not Even Dust. This session features two songs from that album, and two previously unreleased songs.

Sleep Out will be performing on December 5th at Beat Kitchen with Field Music and Canasta.

ADVENT: A Modern Bible is the new album from emcee Gilead7 (G7) and producer I.B. Fokuz. The album will be released in December by The Secret Life of Sound, but to give you a taste of this epic project DJ Seanile has skillfully arranged a mix of the album. The goal of the ADVENT series is to snatch the ethics of several religious traditions and philosophies and show how they relate to issues of ecology, politics, racial identity, class, and the esoteric practice of spirituality. In other words, ADVENT takes in the way of the modern world as it is, and gives back to you an up to date natural way of life by which one can (they believe) create positive evolution within it. This is a message of hope during a time of need. This one makes a place for all religious or non-religious positions, its creed encompassing the most devout Hindu to the nihilistic atheist. Justice for all creation and responsibility for those other than oneself are the only non-negotiable factors. However, these boys since have fun, and absolutely have some crazy skills. This is a personal journey that these two have chosen to share with the city they love and with the world.

You can grab Seanile’s mix here (mp3) and keep an eye out for the album at TSLOS.

Over the summer the local cassette label Plus Tapes released a very popular cassette from noise rockers Implodes. The cassette was so popular that in September the label had to print up a second run. Their brand of rock falls in line with those bands that deal in sonic exploration and developing complex layers of noise and melody. Their songs have this loose structure that lends itself nicely to live sets that turn into fields of white noise and haze. Matt Jencik, Ken Camden, Emily Elhaj, and Justin Rathell all play distinct roles in the band, but when performing or recording everything seems to melt together into a wall of music that is a forceful and seductive as anything I’ve heard this year.

You can feel the noise in person this Monday at The Whistler (just Matt & Ken) or on December 6th at Empty Bottle with Magical Beautiful and Above/Below Sea Level.

It’s been almost a year and a half since the uniquely experimental Renee-Louise Carafice released her debut album Tells You to Fight. Her music is lo-fi folk with slight electronic elements, but it is more her quirky lyrics that give off an experimental feel. Take the first single, “Bodhisattva” (mp3), from her album for example, and her wondering tales of youth romance. She adds all of these wild references and images that catch the listener by surprise. That’s not to mention her tiger mask! That inventive storytelling continues throughout the album in tracks like “House on Fire” and “A Kick To The Head”, and are even more endearing because for her soft and breathy vocals at times. If you’ve missed out on Caraface’s debut I suggest you take a listen and try to check her out live.

Renee-Louise Caraface is performing four shows in the first eight days of December. She will be at The Whistler on Dec. 1st, Empty Bottle on Dec. 2nd, Elastic Arts on Dec 5th, and Funhouse Collective on Dec. 8th.

I’m not sure if Thanksgiving weekend is the best time for the blues, but perhaps you didn’t get the wishbone or didn’t make it to the Best Buy in time to get the best deal or possibly you wasted your morning in a mile long line. Whatever the reason if you feel your life could use a bit of the blues then you need to check out sound and soul of Rough Cut. These four musicians have a knack for making the blues fun, loud, and exciting. Rough Cut makes pro-quality, live recordings of each show in order to keep popular songs featured on their web page fresh, and listeners coming back. They offer free, constantly updated live versions of popular tracks on their web page, which is a unique strategy developed in order to keep fan content fresh. This also gives potential fans a good idea of the live experience may be like. So after you have your cold turkey sandwich head out to Bird’s Nest this Saturday (11/28) and check out Cris Lauer, Mike Tate, Josh Izzo, and Tom Rogus of Rough Cut.

We still have not seen an official release date for Rhymefest’s new album El Che, but he did release two videos from the album over the last year. MTV announced this week that both videos, “Chicago” and “Stolen” will premier on MTV Jams this Friday (11/27). Both videos were produced by the talented Chicago video director Konee Rok.

I don’t know if you could ever say that the members of Brilliant Pebbles are under the radar or quiet in anyway, but it seems like they managed to release their debut ep without making the necessary waves. I think it has more to with the new direction of the band the actually ep itself. The self-titled ep is high energy, glamorous, and well-produced, but the new direction of the band is more electronic than this material. I feel the releasing of this seven track ep is more of a ritualistic release to clear room for their new material than anything else. However, this should not affect the listeners approach to the record, this is a colorful carnival of sound and dramatic vocalization and should be a welcome addition to any collection.

Brilliant Pebbles’ debut Ep is now available on Itunes, Amazon, and Emusic, along with local fav Reckless Records.

New York based outfit Outernational is readying the release of their debut EP "Eyes On Fire,” produced by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, who is featured on vocals and guitar on “Fighting Song.” Rock at heart, Outernational reaches out to reggae, ska, punk, dub, polka, mariachi, hip-hop, and world music, much as their forward-thinking predecessors and audacious idols. Outspoken and loud, this rock quintet  will be celebrating the release of “Eyes On Fire” with an all-ages concert at The Highline Ballroom on Sunday, December 6, 2009 with supporters Japanther and R-Tronika. The doors open a-t 6PM, and tickets are $12 in advance with a free download of the six-song EP on their website, or $15 on the day of the show. – Meijin Bruttomesso

Travis Lee Wiggins continues to impress me not just by how prolific his but with the quality of his music. It was just a couple months ago that we were talking about the massive Essex Chanel love song collection, but now I have the latest effort from The Salts (formerly The Summer Salts) on my desk. Formed in 2006, The Salts are a trio fronted by Wiggins, but also include Mike Rice and Luke Krause on guitar and drums. Broomstick Rock Star will be released on December 22nd, and finds Wiggins presenting a more aggressive indie rock set. Tracks like “Go There” (mp3) and the title track and so many others have addictive poppy hooks, and Rice adds playful and nostalgic guitar riffs through out. There is also a heavy dose of pleasant dance rock on this album. This is a fine addition to the massive catalog that Wiggins is creating.

Chicagoans, you know you’ve heard of Kid Sister aka Melissa Young. She’s been burning up since her performance at Lollapalooza in 2008, and between being the protege of Kanye West and being backed by her little brother’s band Flosstradamus she’s only getting hotter. Before that she was on public aid and working two jobs just to make ends meet. Now, her debut album Ultraviolet just came out to great aplomb and she’s one of the big success stories of 2009. If there’s anyone who represents a true Chicago story, it’s Kid Sister.

The much anticipated Ultraviolet, released November 17th on Downtown Records, is everything that could have been expected from Ms. Young. But with people like Kanye West, Estelle, Cee-Lo, and A-Trak helping you along the way, how could it not? Kid Sister shows her diverse style on Ultraviolet and displays her capability of being a sultry songstress to a raucous rhyme-spitting snake in twelve tracks. Following suit of Young’s first single "Pro-Nails", the material on Ultraviolet is like one big dance party with the beats provided by Josh Young (who also provides backing vocals for his older sis) and Curt Cameruci creating a strong back bone to Kid Sister’s lyrics.

Kid Sister is playing at the House of Blues Wednesday, November 25th with Flosstradamus and with Rob Threezy and Green Velvet supporting. The show starts at 6:30 pm and is all ages. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Nothing like a big dance party to work up an appetite for Thanksgiving. — Amy Dittmeier