Xoe Wise has completed her new album, Archives of Illusion, which will be released on May 1st. On March 6th she will be releasing her first single for the album, "All You Gave". She was kind enough to let us stream the single for you in advance of its release. Archive of Illusion is the follow up to her 2010 release Echo.

Joe Pug’s new album The Great Despiser will be released on April 24th through Lightning Rod Records, and this week he posted a track from the album on his facebook page. Below is a preview video for the album.

Pug will be headed to SXSW month, and will be playing two shows here at Lincoln Hall on May 18th and 19th.

White Mystery kicks off March with a 3 month tour including SXSW! White Mystery is the ferocious rock’n’roll sibling duo of Miss Alex White and Francis Scott Key White from Chicago. Named an MTV Top Act and Best Video, Top Ten Album by The Chicago Tribune and Austin Chronicle, the two-piece shared stages with Weezer, the Gories, and Mavis Staples in 2011. White Mystery returns in 2012 with a North American tour and new releases! Do yourself a favor and catch a White Mystery show. Five Penn Films, filmed their TMK Schubas Performance in January and have begun releasing tracks to give people an idea of the energy they bring live. More cuts from that show, including a new song are to follow!

Helicopters have released a video for their track "jpns_pls". The track comes their 2011 release "The Honey and The Hiss". Yesterday the band also released 7 track retrosprective sampler that spans their 7 albums/eps. You can find that here.

The video for Willis Earl Beal’s haunting track ‘Evening’s Kiss" has been released. It was directed by Beal himself and animated by Michael Zauner.

There is a new music collective in town called, Yes Club, and they have released their first project. They have sign the band On Again Off Again, and released their the band’s debut album, Acres, today. The video for the album’s first single, "Gemini" was directed by Elijah Alvarado.

You can grab a copy of the album here, and you can check out On Again Off Again live on March 1st at Subt with Musikanto and Chaperone.

Local producer Radius has partnered with Moment Sound to release an ambitious new project called Sleeping Wide Awake. The free digital album sleepy, dream-like, mediation on how too people live their day to day. This is instrumental hip-hop for the mind.

You can stream and download the album over at Moment Sound.

Tonic Room is hosting a free show tomorrow night, Feb. 29, that features The Sham Band with Sad Brad Smith (video below), Fletcher Rockwell, Barefoot & Santiago, & Anthony Ablan.

Doors open at 7:30pm and the music hits at 8pm.

S/S/S is a new project that features Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and our very own emcee Serengeti. This unique supergroup have recorded an ep called Beak & Claw that will be released on March 20th via Anticon. I can’t wait to hear what this group can come up with. Stevens latest album, 2010’s The Age of Adz, was much more beat-driven that anything he had previously done so his partnership with Serengeti is not that insane. Another "s" name, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond lends here voice to the track "If This is Real".

Beak & Claw Tracklist
1. Museum Day
2. Beyond Any Doubt
3. If This Is Real
4. Octomom

Pitchfork has announced the artist currently signed on to perform at this year’s music festival. The initial line-up includes one of our favorite Chicago musicians right now, Willis Earl Beal. Others announced are Vampire Weekend, Feist, Hot Chip, Grimes, Cloud Nothing, and others.

Visit the Pitchfork Music Festival site for more information.

Big Science has announced the release of their debut full-length album Difficulty. The album will be self-released on May 29th digitally and on a limited vinyl pressing. Here is our first look at the album and the new track "No One Ever Wakes Up".

MP3: Big Science "No One Ever Wakes Up"

Handshake Media is releasing the first two ep’s from the duo The Soft Jolts on April 1st. The release will be a limited cassette release with digital download for free. The Soft Jolts are Dan & Jim Duffy, they create gritty pop-tinged garage rock.