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Grunge greats L7 return with the new Scatter the Rats
As a serious young grunger, I was determined to turn over every mossy Seattle-sounding rock. In addition to the big boys (though we all knew Pearl Jam were poseurs), I was a fan of sub-poppin’ bands...
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Icelandic cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir performs music that reflects nature...
Cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir performs with orchestras and smaller ensembles all around the globe and teaches at the University of Washington in Seattle. But Vernacular, her new CD on Sono Luminus,...
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Cloud Rat’s experimental grindcore is just as potent slow as fast
On Cloud Rat’s October compilation Silk Panic, vocalist Madison Marshall howls, “Sister wolf eats the throat of the jester / Here to fucking perform.” That line might make a fitting mission statement...
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Memphis rap hero Tommy Wright III makes a rare Chicago appearance
Polite but excruciatingly thorough Canadian music interviewer Nardwuar likes to bring his subjects gifts inspired by obscure details of their lives. During his September 2018 interview with Miami MC...
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Chicago Open Air returns with headliners System of a Down and Tool
After taking a hiatus in 2018, Chicago Open Air is back for a third edition. The two-day festival celebrates the legacy of heavy metal, and each night’s headliner is one of the biggest bands in the...
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Indie-rock veterans Pedro the Lion revisit the past without nostalgia on Phoenix
In January, Pedro the Lion released their first album in 15 years, Phoenix (Polyvinyl), though in some ways it enjoys that distinction in name only. Anyone who’s followed Pedro the Lion front man...
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Weyes Blood confronts our decaying world with beauty on Titanic Rising
Singer-songwriter Natalie Mering, who records and performs as Weyes Blood, was nine years old when Titanic hit theaters in December 1997. On Weyes Blood’s fourth album, last month’s Titanic Rising...
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Former Houndmouth keyboardist Katie Toupin reveals a great solo voice
As the keyboardist of Indiana roots-rock group Houndmouth, Katie Toupin was mostly in the background. But when she got a turn at singing, such as on the band’s 2012 single “Houston Train,” she was...
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Jazz-funk legend Roy Ayers remains unstoppable
The 70s might have been the last time the media treated jazz music as part of the mainstream: Sun Ra appeared on Saturday Night Live, John McLaughlin arguably received as much coverage in rock...
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Snarky Puppy sharpens an even finer melodic focus on the dense yet nimble...
Merging elements of funk, jazz fusion, rock, international music, and jam-band fare—plus undeniable groove and melody—Snarky Puppy has emerged as an eminent name in crossover jazz. Formed in 2003 and...
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Avant-pop songwriter Mary Ocher leads a blindfolded adventure on The West...
Getting a handle on the music of avant-pop singer-songwriter Mary Ocher is like volunteering to board a canoe piloted by a blindfolded Sandra Bullock: given who’s driving, you’re going to enjoy the...
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The Mushroom Cure chronicles one man's quest for relief from OCD
If you've ever been to a 12 Step meeting, this will feel familiar. After undergrad, I spent a dreary year in social work. I was terrible at it for a number of reasons, but most of all, I was spending...
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Black women and the city
'Ain't nobody want to hear us,' say the stars of the joyous Single Black Female. Part Sex and the City parody and all celebration of Black female culture, Single Black Female at Congo Square Theatre is...
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Detroit band Shortly balance vulnerability, propulsive rock, and Americana on...
Built around the demos of Detroit-based singer, guitarist, and pianist Alexandria Maniak, Shortly has evolved from an emo-tinged indie-rock solo project into a full-fledged band. The four-piece group...
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New York singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson captures intimacy in a bottle on...
Listening to The Big Freeze (Don Giovanni), the fifth album from New York singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson, feels a little like eavesdropping on her innermost thoughts—an impression that owes as much...
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Sebadoh cranks out timeless yet timely tunes on Act Surprised
Listening to some of the tracks on the new Act Surprised (Dangerbird/Fire), Sebadoh’s ninth studio album, you could almost imagine yourself back in 1992. But though the band’s signature lo-fi sound...
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Jamila Woods asserts her place among the greats with Legacy! Legacy!
In November, Chicago poet, teacher, and singer-songwriter Jamila Woods performed her 2016 debut album, Heavn, at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Grand Boulevard. She brought in dozens of...
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Los Mirlos add rock flavors to Peruvian cumbia
Many an artist claims to have psychedelic or surf influences, whether you can hear them or not. But in the case of Los Mirlos those flavors are immediately obvious.…
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Full of Hell give you something to cry about with Weeping Choir
Grindcore and powerviolence were born in part from a desire to push the limits of what music can do. But like countless other artistic movements, somewhere down the line many practitioners got stuck...
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Chasms make dream pop with a difference
Chasms, the Los Angeles duo of Jess Labrador and Shannon Madden, is essentially a dream-pop outfit. But while Madden’s ethereal voice sighs and meanders breathily toward nirvana—in the tradition of...
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