Archive | December, 2010
Top 5 Releases of 2010: #1 Michael Lux and the Bad Sons-Neat Repeater Ep
31 Dec
As soon as Neat Repeater begins and Michael Lux nasally yells, “I get this feeling,” one thing comes to mind-Paul Weller. I haven’t checked any of the other press on the debut Ep from the side project of the guitarist and one of the vocalists of Chicago band Hollus, but I’ll put money on a similar take on Lux’s voice. The Jam is all over Neat Repeater. The thing is, the Jam were never this good. Lux may sound like a carbon copy of Weller at times, but Lux and the Bad Sons have turned out 5 consistently great garage punk/post punk tunes. It’s an Ep of 5 “In the City”s or “Modern World”s without the filler.
One indicator of a well done album or Ep is when each song is your favorite while it’s playing. When “So Loud” begins, you’re sure it can’t get any better. ”Posies” comes next and you start to doubt yourself with it’s Jam-like refrain and oddly but fitting Americana-style verses. Just when you think you have this group pegged as a Jam wannabe, they surprise you with a ballad..sort of. It still has the same bite as the first two, but with a gentler, dreamlike quality.
The only song that nearly misses is the closer, “Saturday’s Boys.” Perhaps it’s just me being cynical, but you lose me with overly sentimental nostalgia. You could almost see the 80s montage music video. The song itself, however, is just as strong as the other 4 on Neat Repeater.
No shows scheduled yet but I suggest checking in once in a while to see what’s going on with this group. I expect to be hearing a lot from these guys in the near future.
Top 5 Releases of 2010: #2 Secret Colours LP
31 Dec
Something about Secret Colours’ debut LP makes me want to watch Dig! Or should I more accurately say everything about this band’s debut makes me want to watch Dig!? I haven’t listened to the Dandy Warhols, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, or any of the other bands associated with that circle since high school, but thank god for Secret Colours for bringing me back to them. The first song, “Redemption,” immediately reminded me of the Warlocks, “Shake the Dope Out” in particular. Even the drug as seducer lyrical content of “Chemical Swirl” recalls the Warlocks. The whispering vocals of lead singer Tommy Evans can easily be compared to any of the lead singers of the above bands. And what about the token chick keyboard/tambourine player?
Though it’s hard to find anything on this great debut LP that is distinctly that of the Secret Colours, the group does demonstrate their ability to match, if not better, their influences in a few different ways. Perhaps the strongest song on the album is an instrumental called, “Western.” This is no knock on Evans; it’s simply a brilliant instrumental (this coming from someone who worships the 3-minute pop song and despises the instrumental). From the familiar western influenced surf chord progression to the oh so appropriate rattle, this song dares you not to listen to all 5 minutes and 22 seconds of it.
Then there’s the bonus track. Why “Popstar” is a bonus track and not the album opener is puzzling to me. This is the group’s most hit-worthy song, a fact Secret Colours realize and have thankfully made a video for the song. Secret Colours’ “Popstar” sure beats the shit out of The Black Angels’ bonus track about the Iraq War.
Top 5 Releases of 2010: #3 Radar Eyes-Shakes 7″
30 Dec
I love HoZac. They consistently give me great Chicago bands to listen to and this 7″ from Radar Eyes is no exception. Within the first 10 seconds of “Shakes,” I was sold, and the rest of the song didn’t disappoint; I might go as far as to say this is possibly the best song of the year. It’s so good, in fact, that I was convinced for days that it must have been aped from some lost 80s hit.
The b-side, “Not You Again,” follows the same “so good it must be stolen” formula. It’s refreshing to see a band relying so heavily on great songs rather than the old played out fuzz trick that makes it so hard to find a good Garage band these days. When I saw these guys at SubT earlier in December the power of this refrain was was the highlight of the show. It’s not quite as powerful on record, but few times it ever is. The band has said they have an Ep coming out early 2011 on Rococo Records. From what I’ve heard, I can’t wait.
Top 5 Releases of 2010: #4 The Laureates-No Kontrol
29 Dec
The Laureates had a very productive year. Not only did they release a great 5 song Ep, No Kontrol, they also were generous enough to release one cover song a month, some better than others, for free download on their website.
If you’re looking for The Laureates to live up to their name, than you’ve set yourself up for disappointment. The songs themselves are not great. There’s no Poet Laureate in singer Chad Preston or his fuzzed out lyrics. However, what No Kontrol is is consistent. Sure there’s a 60′s sunny psychedelic thing going on. Sure, there’s probably more fuzz on these 5 tracks than there is on all of the Nuggets collection. But each song, at the heart, is a well written pop song.
Top 5 Releases of 2010: #5 The Half Rats-For the Sake of Love 7″
27 Dec
No, The Half Rats are not technically from Chicago, but I’ll follow the same rule as any high school Battle of the Bands: one member will suffice.
This 7″, on Douchemaster Records, defines garage music in the most derivative sense of the word. After the Beatles appeared in front of America on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, every American kid picked up a cheap guitar, bass, or drum kit and started their own 4 piece band. It sounds like the Half Rats did the same exact thing, only they may have seen the performance a few years later. Both songs on this 7″ could easily be Meet the Beatles b-sides, although they display a sloppiness Brian Epstein would not have allowed.
The Half Rats come off as a Beatle-loving group on a Kingsmen budget. Though they don’t try anything that hasn’t been done on this 7″, it’s fun enough that you shouldn’t care.
The Orwells at the Metro tonight
26 Dec
If you’ve got yourself a ticket to see the Hush Sound tonight at the Metro and you’re thinking I’ll just show up later for the Hush Sound, don’t. You’ll miss the Orwells. That sounds like a pretty big mistake to me.
An evening with White Mystery, Hollows, Rabble Rabble, and Radar Eyes
19 Dec
If someone from Radar Eyes hadn’t climbed the spiral staircase during their opening set at Subt last night, someone would have. And that pretty much sums up the atmosphere at last night’s Beats and Blogs featuring 4 of Chicago’s favorite local groups. There was something in the air, and it wasn’t just the balloons and the candy canes. The cramped Subterranean crowd felt it as well as the 4 participating bands.
Radar Eyes opened the show around 10. They’re brand of fast-paced, noisy garage placed them somewhere with Lou Reed and Ian Curtis. Guitarist/vocalist, Anthony Cozzi, set the standard for the night when he spontaneously smashed his guitar to end their set.
Up next was Rabble Rabble. Often synonymous with that name is psychedelic, noisy, or even DIY punk. But judging by the amount of head banging I witnessed during their set (the title of their latest release is Bangover) and bass player Matt Ciarleglio, who looked like an extra in River’s Edge, there’s an elephant no one’s really talking about. Yes, Rabble Rabble is a noisy psychedelic band, and a very good one at that, but they absolutely seem like a band with metal leanings. Rabble Rabble wasted no time continuing where Cozzi left off.
Hollows got up on stage around 12. I’ve seen them 6 times in the last few months, so I knew just what to expect: organ-heavy, 60′s girl group pop. Ignoring all but 3 songs off their debut LP on Addenda records, the girls mostly played unreleased songs. The crowd was treated to 2 songs which they claimed were written earlier in the week, one song was introduced as being “about the beach,” and one called, “V is for Vulture.” Hollows didn’t waste any needless time talking to the crowd. I heard someone next to me scream into his friend’s ear, “I love how they don’t say shit to the crowd. It’s just, here’s our pop songs. Eat them up!” We did just that.
White Mystery finished the night off closing their set just before 2 a.m. They are a guitar/drums duo with the last name White…sounds familiar. Naturally, I’m a bit skeptical of their claim to be brother and sister. To add to the obvious comparisons, Alex White’s fuzzed out riffs when she wasn’t singing were reminiscent of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. While she may not be quite as gifted on the guitar as Auerbach or Jack White, Alex White has more personality than the two combined. She hopped through the entire set and even spent a moment or two on the dance floor with the crowd. Something else White Mystery has that the White Stripes and Black Keys don’t is their own person brand of underwear, which were on sale upstairs.
Brother Francis must be feeling pretty sore this morning after his animalistic affair with his tom-tom.
Beats & Blogs tomorrow at SubT
18 Dec
There’s no reason whatsoever not to go to Subterranean tomorrow night (12/18). 4 great local bands White Mystery, Hollows, Rabble Rabble, and Radar Eyes will be playing. The show starts at 10 and tickets are $10.
Classic Garage Thursday: The Del Vetts-Last Time Around
16 Dec
I wonder how many times The Chesterfield Kings have listened intently to The Del-Vetts’ “Last Time Around.” Surely singer Greg Prevost sat in his room with this song on repeat studying every nuance of Jim Lauer’s voice until he finally perfected his mock-garage voice that has become more of a cartoon than it has a real voice to be taken seriously (believe me, I love the Chesterfield Kings). In 1966, this vocal style was not a gimmick yet nor was the fuzz. You can hear it in the way Lauer sings, “I know this is the last time around for me,” that there’s a very good reason there are so many post-Nugget copy cats.
http://soundcloud.com/chicago-garage/the-del-vetts-last-time-around
