Basia Bulat: Heart Of My Own
A few weeks back I was fortunate enough to catch songwriter and Ontario native Basia Bulat (Ba-sha Bu-wat) at Schubas as she toured in support of second LP Heart Of My Own. I was actually only able to stick around for about three-quarters of the set, but, it was more than enough to confirm suspicions having previously been a fan of Bulat’s 2007 release Oh, My Darling. That is, whether hammering... [More]
Gorillaz: Stylo Remixed
The verdict is still out on Gorillaz new LP Plastic Beach. I haven’t been overwhelmed by first single “Stylo”, at least not the original that appears on the album. But the remixes, those have been fantastic. And, there are a ton of them. One favorite floating around is the Alex Metric remix. Among other changes, the addition of a great horn part and an increase in tempo make all... [More]
The Tallest Man On Earth: The Wild Hunt
Kristian Matsson’s The Tallest Man On Earth nods back to much of the inspired folk coming out of Greenwich VIllage way, way back in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Interesting, both because at just twenty-something Matsson’s only been recording as TTMOE for the past few years, and, because he’s from Sweden – far far away from the New York neighborhood that gave the world artists... [More]
Cults: Go Outside
The temperature has broken into the 40s here in sunny Chicago this Saturday. Just in time for the thaw comes Cults with the singalong “Go Outside” – a perfect choice for “song of the day”. No crazy critique or dissection of the song this time around, just load up your iPod, get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air and sunlight. You can rest assured it is a great... [More]
Aloha: Blackout
From the same big piece of cloth that cut bands ranging from Doves to Rogue Wave to icons Built To Spill, and about a thousand other bands between, come Aloha. Granted the band isn’t exactly new to the scene. Their forthcoming 2010 release Home Acres is their fifth (or sixth?) full length release. It is also quite good. Album standout “Blackout” is actually a slight outlier from... [More]
The Mynabirds: Numbers Don’t Lie
Well this was a very pleasant surprise. A few weeks ago I came across Laura Burhenn’s new project The Mynabirds (named after these guys) by way of “Numbers Don’t Lie”. The Dusty Springfield meets Jackie DeShannon reboot features a soulful, impeccable vocal from Burhenn. For a more current reference think Chan Marshall/Cat Power. Often, bands can ruin an otherwise great song... [More]
Hot Chip: One Life Stand
To these ears One Life Stand sounds and feels like the album Hot Chip has been building to for nearly a decade. It is far and away the group’s most consistent and cohesive release to date. It is also their most accessible – as the band themselves have agreed during interviews. It’s their Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. This claim will be great news to some and a huge turn off to others. So it goes. A... [More]
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