Just as quickly as Andrew Langer left the Redwalls, formed the Sleeptalkers, released an LP, Back to Earth, and played a few shows around Chicago, he seemingly abandoned the project, perhaps to focus on Ezra Furman & the Harpoons. Glad to see the Sleeptalkers, now consisting mostly of Harpoons and Jason Roberts from Hymns (I think), are playing a few shows here and there. Here’s a video of their SXSW performance of “Cruise Control.”
Saturday, as a part of this year’s Record Store Day, head over to the Bottom Lounge with a ticket stub from any independent record store (for 4/16) and get into the show for FREE. If the price isn’t incentive enough, check out the lineup:
Michael Lux & the Bad Sons – 8:30-9:00
Hollows – 9:15-9:45
Secret Colours – 10:00-10:40
The Light Pollution – 10:55-11:35
SUNS – 11:50-12:40
Last month, Disappears brought their reverb rock to the Coach House Sounds basement, resulting in one of my favorite sets to date. Though the slow burning approach to the Velvet Underground isn’t necessarily a new idea, Brian Case’s single syllabic vocal stylings definitely offsets the heard this before feeling. And because there are no close ups on the bass player, I’m forced to go on believing it’s Carson Daly. Enjoy.
Miss the Half Rats show last month at the Empty Bottle? While that definitely sucks, today’s your lucky day. The Empty Bottle has graciously given you the next best thing to a time machine: they’ve posted the audio of the entire show for free download on their Bandcamp page. You can also download Ty Segall’s set from the same night. Just look to the right under “discography.”
As White Mystery tours and awaits release of their new album Blood & Venom, set to be released on 4/20, they have given us a taste of the new album a month early with a free download of the title track and a performance on Giant System. At a time where it seems all of my favorite bands are determined to let me down in some way or another, I find myself relying quite heavily on local bands like White Mystery to give me my much needed fix of organic rock and roll music. On the title track, White Mystery has never sounded better. They seem ready and willing to take over the world with Blood & Venom.
Merlin Wall’s debut EP, Crushin’ From Afar, begins with an undeniable truth. They try to slip it past us with their swirling reverb and a surf pop guise, as they comically inform us, “Everyone you know is gonna die someday.” As if to press their luck, they try for more. ”Everyone you know is gonna die in a horrible way.” Merlin Wall, similar to the likes of Woody Allen, is able to bring us so close to the truth about the inevitability of death, while allowing us, with a shrug of the shoulders and a slight smile, to simply keep on listening.
And that’s how fun Crushin’ From Afar really is. One glance at the tracklist and its apparent. With song titles like “Pizza Party,” ”Chick Track” or, my personal favorite “Hey Babes,” you get the feeling this band is not aiming to alter your life in any way other than to simply entertain. When I asked the band to talk about about Crushin’ From Afar, they replied, “Our vision was to do for Chicago what Nelly’s Sweat/Suit did for STL, which is to mostly amuse / mildly confuse / give everyone a reason to party.” Put Crushin’ From Afar on at a gathering of friends and you have just that, a reason to party.
With touches of surf pop, Jesus and Mary Chain, and the Ramones, Merlin Wall have created a fun sound that is all their own. It’s drenched in reverb, perhaps more than is tasteful, which is just how I like my reverb. If Phil Spector taught us anything, it’s the beauty in a wall of sound.
Merlin Wall was nice enough to sit down with me, me at my computer and them at theirs, to talk about Crushin’ From Afar, their influences, and their sound. Here ’tis. Catch Merlin Wall this Sunday (3/13) at Empty Bottle. 3 bucks and they go on at 7.
1. Does the name Merlin Wall hold any significance or is it just word play?
-Our friend Marty has a sleep disorder where he falls asleep at parties at a very early hour. It happens so quick it’s like magic! That sleepy moment is when a Marty Party becomes a Merlin Party. So yeah, Merlin is our friend and Merlin Wall sounded cool together as a play on words. Also, we just found out some people are trying to push it as Tim Duncan’s official nickname? It could just be a rumor, but I hear he does play D & D.
2. What were your 3 biggest influences while writing “Crushin’ From Afar?”
-Babes
-Bikes
-Babes on Bikes
3. You guys have an undeniably west coast sound. How did you attain that being from Chicago?
-With the internet it doesn’t matter where you’re from anymore. Like some of the best tropical blisspop comes from Sweden and that place is usually pretty cold and dreary. We are similarly dreary boys trying to get dreamy. You could bring up escapism, but we’re pretty happy where we are. Of course we still maintain a Chicago aura about us, whether it’s by having big shoulders and a gritty attitude or enjoying the best encased meats (except Wade…he’s vegetarian – and also we don’t have big shoulders we’re all pretty skinny beanstalks trying to get buffffff).
4. What was the last album each band member listened to?
-Derek: Cloud Nothings – Turning On
-Wade: Neu! – Neu!
-Erik: Jackie Wilson - Sweetest Feelin’: The Very Best of Jackie Wilson
-Stu: Fugazi - 13 Songs
5. Was there any type of artistic vision you had for “Crushin’ From Afar” or are they just 6 songs you recorded for an EP?
-Our vision was to do for Chicago what Nelly’s Sweat/Suit did for STL, which is to mostly amuse / mildly confuse / give everyone a reason to party.
6. What part does Chicago play in your music?
-Chicago is in a nice transition period right now and depending on how you look at it it can be a beautiful, sprawling mix of people trying to make their lives better, or it can be another dying midwestern former powerhouse of industry. We don’t think it’s dying at all (even if it seems there’s a lot of shit going down) and we dig contrasts like that. It’s all going to be a lot easier after the Singularity, but until then we’re going to keep making dumb pop songs for this lovely human race.
7. What are your 3 favorite local acts?
-California Wives
-Pagan Youth
-YAWN
8. What can we expect from Merlin Wall in 2011?
-A full-length album and a jump up in wrestling weight class.
In case, like me, you missed their recent show at SubT with Paul Collins Beat, Lafayette’s Half Rats will be strolling into Chicago’s Empty Bottle next monday (3/14) to give us yet another dose of their beautifully minimal rock ‘n’ roll. This time, they bring with them San Francisco’s Ty Segall, who specializes in frantic caveman beach stomps, and Nashville punks Heavy Cream. Slushy opens the show with their demented bubblegum pop.
Earlier this month, Daytrotter posted Gold Motel’s session. Greta Morgan, also of the Hush Sound, has perfected the sunnier side of the 60s spectrum with her new group, Gold Motel. I’ve bookmarked this session and plan to repeatedly return to it sometime around June. Something about scraping ice off my car windows and blasting the heat doesn’t lend itself well to Gold Motel.
If you were planning on going to Martyrs’ Local Music Showcase on Friday, February 25th featuring Secret Colours, Hollus, Warm Ones, and King Sparrow, the Chicago Reader’s Real Deal might interest you. If you buy your tickets now, you’ll save 53%, making a $15 value just $7. Plus, you get a free pint of Half Acre Beer brewed right here in Chicago. So that’s $7 to see 4 bands that would make Chicago music’s All Star Team, if there was such a thing, and a pint of free beer.
Here’s a recap of last Saturday’s Windy City Winter Ball at the Double Door through the lens of Mr. Amir Prellberg.
