Search Results for lisa mrock
LUCIUS
BY LISA MROCK The opening track “Madness” off Lucius’ 2016 album Good Grief lulls about wistfully until it hits the powerhouse chorus, where singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig contemplate: “Maybe / I’ll drive myself to madness.” But they’re not quite sure about the logistics of such a feat. Drummer Dan Molad pounces on cue […]
PROPAGANDHI
BY LISA MROCK PHOTO BY AVRINDHER DHILLON Long-beloved Canadian punk band Propagandhi recently released their seventh album Victory Lap and, musically speaking, the title isn’t facetious. The self-titled track is a vicious adventure and a crash landing of an album opener, with “Letters to a Young Anus” speaking to the wannabe rebellious youth about the […]
K.FLAY
BY LISA MROCK K.Flay excels at diving headfirst into the underbelly of romance and attraction. When she sings about love and hurt, you can feel the knife she’s holding behind her back. Yet somehow, her latest album Every Where Is Some Where delves even deeper into her psyche. She describes her shortcomings before going into […]
DEATH FROM ABOVE
by Lisa Mrock photo by Lindsey Byrnes Time was scary and fans were heartbroken when Death From Above were just a single-album duo following the breakout up Jesse Keller and Sebastien Grainger, who split just two years after releasing their epic 2004 debut You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. After DFA released The Physical World a […]
CHARLI XCX
by Lisa Mrock photo by Olivia Malone It’s been three years that we’ve been living in a post-“Boom Clap” world, yet we still hear it on Top 40 and mainstream radio stations as a testament to Charli XCX’s prodigious talent for writing damn good hooks backed by majestic production. Her latest mixtape Number 1 Angel […]
JOEY PURP
by Lisa Mrock Chicago’s Savemoney crew is young, vibrant and changing the game by the day. One of its most essential next-in-line game-changers is Joey Purp, who is blessing Pitchfork with a Sunday set at a festival he could be headlining in a few years. He released his album iiiDrops last year, featuring a who’s-who of […]
JAMILA WOODS
by Lisa Mrock With a voice like a river, Jamila Woods has you floating on a cloud of critical acclaim generated by this rising poet/singer’s release of the near-universally adored HEAVN last year. Her gospel-inspired R&B discography bleeds with South Side Chicago pride, with songs such “Emerald St.” in which she asks a potential partner to […]
S U R V I V E
by Lisa Mrock photo by Alex Kacha Despite the ‘90s making an official comeback in the form of crop tops, chokers, and endless revival series, it’s the ‘80s that’s taking over music — especially with the analog sounds of Austin electronic band S U R V I V E. Comprised of Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein, Adam […]
KAMAIYAH
by Lisa Mrock XXL recently released its much-ballyhooed 2017 “Freshman Class” and, while it questionably didn’t include any Chicago talent, it did include Pitchfork performer and up-and-coming rapper Kamaiyah. She released her mixtape A Good Night in the Ghetto last year, and obviously it was good enough to earn her a nod in one of […]
WOODS
BY LISA MROCK What do you think of when you think of “woods?” Trees and poison ivy, maybe, but you should really be thinking of Woods, the veteran Brooklyn-based indie folk rock band of affable oddballs. You should also be excited because they released a new EP this year, Love Is Love, and you’ll hear […]
THE HOLD STEADY
BY LISA MROCK As a veteran of the Minneapolis indie and punk scenes, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady holds a special place in his heart for Chicago and a continued devotion to the Empty Bottle. And to help the legendary local venue celebrate its 25th year in existence, Finn and his Hold Steady bandmates […]
SILVERSUN PICKUPS
BY LISA MROCK PHOTO BY CLAIRE MARIE VOGEL Hard to think it was over a decade ago that Silversun Pickups released their debut album Carnavas off Dangerbird Records, but thankfully they’re still churning out quality songwriting and melodies — more recently with their fourth LP Better Nature released off their own label New Machine Recordings. […]
SIDEWALK CHALK
BY LISA MROCK Sidewalk Chalk is Chicago hip hop with big band attitude and theatrical style, and their upcoming album An Orchid Is Born is yet another extension of this defining aesthetic. The first track released from the album, the darker-toned and slightly industrial “Dig,” is a bristly commentary of how it feels to be […]
KERMIT RUFFINS
BY LISA MROCK Kermit Ruffins is as New Orleans as gumbo and zydeco, or as he says in his song “I’m So New Orleans” off his latest album #imsoneworleans, “I’m so New Orleans, I love Louis Armstrong.” It’d be hard to find someone more NOLA than the buoyantly trumpeting Ruffins, who was born and raised […]
HAR MAR SUPERSTAR
BY LISA MROCK Sean Tillmann has been involved in music for years, beginning in high school garage bands and soon going on his own in part to create his infamous alter ego (or twin, depending on who you ask) Har Mar Superstar. Ladies man and near-nude aficionado, Har Mar Superstar can seduce you with his […]
SCHUBAS
BY LISA MROCK Liverpool indie rockers Circa Waves know how to move and shake a crowd. With model-quality looks, members Kieran Shudell, Sam Rourke, Colin Jones, and Joe Falconer have braved legendary festivals like Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds while supporting bands like The Libertines on tour. So comparatively speaking, Schubas will be a piece […]
THE SWORD
BY LISA MROCK Indie metal heavyweights The Sword haven’t released an LP of new songs since 2015’s High Country, but they did release the acoustic version called Low Country last year and will soon release their first live album Greetings From… (recorded during their touring stint with Opeth this past fall). Already on Spotify is […]
THE SAPS
BY LISA MROCK Local indie group The Saps are back for North Center’s Ribfest this summer with their new album Easy on the Heart, Tough on the Lip in tow. They haven’t lost a step since their big 2007 release C’mon Already – Start a Fire, a friendly rock jaunt with bratty punk attitude that […]
JUICEBOXXX
BY LISA MROCK When the first results that pop up in a Google search of Juiceboxxx list him as “the worst rapper alive”, it’s hard to have much hope for the man or his music. Here’s the thing though: his music isn’t bad. Different? Yes. Hard to categorize? Yes. Bad? Too simple of a description. […]
FEIST
BY LISA MROCK Behold, reclusive indie/mainstream pop artist and part-time Broken Social Scenester Leslie Feist has returned to grant us the pleasure of a brand new album called, well, Pleasure. Six years after Metals, Feist says in an interview with Stereogum how the long break made her “want to try things…I did this for myself, […]