The seventh track on our countdown comes from a band that has been mentioned several times on The Deli over the last year. Loyal Divide’s "Vision Vision" is my favorite track from their 2009 EP Labrador.
Top 15 Chicago Songs of the Year: No. 8
The eight song on our countdown comes from I Fight Dragons and their debut EP Cool is Just a Number which was released this past Spring. The track is "Money".
The Deli’s Year End Best: Submissions Closed, 2nd phase starts in January
Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweethearts in Bands,
As usual, The Deli’s Year End Poll (for emerging artists) will assign the cover of our Spring Issue 2010. The polling process is as complex as rocket science (if you want to try and get your head around it be our guest and go here).
The submissions for the open contest that will select minimum 3 artists for the next phase is now closed. We are currently receiving the jurors’ votes. The next phase will be the readers’ vote, which will start on January 3.
All the bands that submitted to our open contest were also added to our chart system for indie artists – which will get them some exposure in the future.
Here we are taking a little bit of a holiday break – we’ll still have some content up in the next few days, but not as much. We will see you back in early January – in the meantime Happy Holidays to you all!!
The Deli’s Staff
www.thedelimagazine.com
BANDS: Submit Your Music for The Year End Best of Chicago 2009
Three nominees for our Year End Best of Chicago Poll will be chosen through an Open Contest (the others from a jury of local "scene makers").
Submit your music for The Deli’s Best of Chicago Year End Poll HERE by 12.23.2009.
To be eligible your band needs to have music available online and have played live at least once in 2009 (and not to be signed to a major). By submitting, you will also add your band to our chart system, which will get you some exposure in the future.
The process we have implemented to choose the Best Emerging Chicago Artist of 2009 is a little complicated – if you are interested in knowing how it works please go here.
The Deli’s Staff
The Deli’s Year End Best of Chicago 2009 Poll Begins! Sponsors and Prizes
Musical peoples from Chicago and beyond,
A few weeks are left before the end of 2009, and the time has come for our end of year musical "summary". Yes, you got that right: The Deli’s "Best of (emerging) Chicago 2009 Poll" is upon us!
This year we’ll have an overall chart including the votes from Jury, Writers and Readers, and a Readers’ charts including only the readers’ votes.There will be other prizes in vouchers, software and studio time for all the top artists in both charts.
We have a lot to tell you about this, but as this poll couldn’t happen without sponsors, we’ll start by listing them all, and by thanking them for being part of this.
Instructions about the poll coming soon!
![BMI](http://www.thedelimagazine.com/nyc/bestofs/2009/logos09/bmi.gif)
![Shure](http://www.thedelimagazine.com/nyc/bestofs/2009/logos09/shure.gif)
Software
providing a total of 18 audio plug in for the pool of prizes (9 iZotope, 9 IK Multimedia)
Recording Studios
providing free recording for the pool of prizes
![Knack Mastering](http://www.thedelimagazine.com/nyc/bestofs/2009/logos09/knack.gif)
providing free mastered songs for the pool of prizes
If your company is interested in sponsoring "The Deli Year End Best of Poll" it’s not too late! Just contact us here.
The Deli Staff
www.thedelimagazine.com
Top 15 Chicago Songs of the Year: No. 9
The ninth entry on our Top 15 Chicago tracks of 2009 countdown is a fun song and video from the dynamic duo of Yea Big & Kid Static. The track "Bots" comes from their sophomore release The Future’s Looking Grim.
IFD’s Christmas Tune
The Christmas tunes just keep rolling in from Chicago’s best, and what would Christmas be with the sounds of NES controllers and video games in the background. That’s right I am talking about our favorite comic book geeks and dragon fighters. I Fight Dragons has pull off a Nintendo charged cover of Fountains of Wayne’s song “Alien For Christmas”. I don’t know what else they would have covered, but a Christmas song about aliens.
Album Review – Themselves: Crownsdown
Oakland hip hop veterans Themselves (Doseone and Jel) can usually be found on the more adventurous side of their genre, twisting, spinning, pushing, and at times ignoring hip hop’s limits while still keeping its roots and principles somewhere nearby. Their new record, Crownsdown, is Themselves’ attempt at creating 10 tracks that each represent an essential hip hop theme, i.e. the diss track, the dj track, the story rap, etc. Not an easy task, especially considering how muddied and forgotten the origins of hip hop have become to the common listener. For a genre that can at times seem to be stuck in its formula, Themselves bring new ideas and energy to hip hop with a respectable and well informed nod to where it came from.
Doseone’s (emcee for Themselves) style has evolved over the years, at times being a slow loose screeching mix of talking and singing and other times a sharp syncopated onslaught of rhythms and rhyme schemes. On Crownsdown Doseone raps with incredible syncopation, his voice and the drums seem locked on every syllable. The few times when he strays away from the beat only make you listen closer, paying attention to his words as he hangs them loosely around the rhythm. His lyrics are challenging and even sometimes hard to understand at first listen. Eventually, with a little effort, the random rapid-fire syllables begin to align and fall into place and a rich and complex world of poetry unfolds as you listen. The best example of this is probably the “dj track” “Skinning the Drum”. Doesone takes a concept that has been around since hip hop’s inception, an emcee given his dj props, and does something completely unique with it. After a chorus of cut up samples via Jel, Doesone begins “You CDJ press play on the mix nah/ I’m drum with no sticks till calloused of hand/ Blowing the glow of these computer can bands and step sequencer Rembrandts/ All me me me, myself, and an Ipod/ Getting jive on the hi hat and volume knob”. The song then ends with what is probably the best 4 lines of the record, “There’s a fine line between who invented it and who was wrenching it/ Who infected it and who protected it/ Who perfected it and who collected it, who came correct with it/ It aint your bag so why drag it.”
The beats for Crownsdown are crafted by Anticon and weird hip hop veteran Jel. His style has also evolved over the years becoming more complex and incorporating a vast amount of new influences and sounds. The beats on Crownsdown are much more electro than the Anticon beats of years ago. Trading in the slow string samples, bass lines, and compressed drums for synthesizers and up-tempo break beats that fit the current musical context well without sounding clichéd. Jel’s beats have layers of complexity and subtle nuances that aren’t found in a lot of modern hip hop production while still having an incredible ear for drum breaks and grooves. Although not the highlight of Crownsdown, Jel’s beats are solid and perfect for Doseone’s delivery and style.
Crownsdown is not, and probably wasn’t intended to be, a genre changing record. Hip hop is still stuck in its current state for who knows how long and no amount of genuinely creative and unique records is going to change that anytime soon. Underground and/or alternative artists will just have to keep challenging themselves and their listeners and be happy with what success comes from that. Themselves are a shining example of this type of artist and hopefully will continue to pull hip hop apart and put it back together for the love of it.
-Glenn Jackson
Where the Strange Boys At
Though we haven’t been sleeping much lately, we slept on this a bit: here are the Strange Boys’ upcoming, recently announced, 2010 tour dates, kicking off with a show at Emo’s Feb. 19th.
Friday Feb 19th Austin @ Emo’s *#
Sun Feb 21 Marfa TX @ Padre’s *
Tues Feb 23 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space *
Wed Feb 24 San Diego, CA @ Casbah *
Thurs Feb 25 Isla Vista, CA @ Biko Garage *
Fri Feb 26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Sat Fat 27 San Francisco CA @ Elbo Room *$
Sun Feb 28 Reno, Nevada @ Rainshadow Community Charter High School *
Tues March 2 Salem, OR @ The Space *%
Wed March 3 Olympia, WA @ Northern *%
Thurs March 4 Seattle WA @ Comet Tavern *&
Fri March 5 Vancouver BC @ Media Club *
Sat March 6 Portland OR @ East End *
Sun March 7 – Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective
Mon March 8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Tue March 9 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
Wed March 10 – Boulder, CO @ University of Colorado – Club 156
Fri Mar 12 – Lubbock, TX @ Bash Riprock’s
* = w/ Chain and the Gang
# = w/ Yellow Fever
% = w/ The Hive Dwellers
& = w/ Lovvers
$ = w/ Ty Segall, Nodzzz
Last Christmas
Daniel Knox has the type of voice that makes you believe what he is saying. I truly believe he wants me to have a merry little Christmas (listen to that cover here). I am sure you will feel the same. Listen to his cover of “Last Christmas” below. The song appears on the free Holiday album from Tight Ship Records.
Daniel has two shows scheduled in January. Monday, Jan 4th, he’ll be back at the Hungry Brain for a You, Me, Them, Everybody event with special guests from the Classical Revolution Chicago outfit performing pieces for 2 flutes, bassoon and piano. Then he’ll join Can.Ky.Ree and Singing in the Abbey (album release) at the Hideout on Thursday, Jan 14th.
Top 15 Chicago Songs of the Year: No. 10
The tenth song on our countdown comes from Flosstradamus. "Big Bills" features Caroline Polachek and was released as a single early in 2009.
For a special performance of "Big Bills" feature Kid Sister tune into IFC’s "Dinner With Band" tonight at 10pm. The crew and Kid Sis also help host Sam Madison make some spicy curry and play "Control" from Ultraviolet. You can find a sneak peak of tonight episode here.
Last Minute Plans: Bullets In Madison at The Empty Bottle
Bullets In Madison will debut some new tunes from their forthcoming album, We Became Your Family When You Died, at the Empty Bottle tonight, December 22nd. Have a listen to a brand new sampler track from the album (mp3) and come on out to the show. Camera and Milk At Midnight will also be performing. This 21+ show gets started at 9pm and tickets are $5. – Brendan Losch