Saturday, 6:30-8:30

Calvin Harris, Bloc Party, Twin Shadow, Walk Off the Earth, and Orchard Lounge will be performing at Lollapalooza 2012 between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 4.

‏CALVIN HARRIS
‏Few DJs who actually sing are able to achieve success like Calvin Harris, who in the past five years has become an international hit-making guru. But his mixing and beatmaking skills are only a fraction of the Scottish-born singer/songwriter/producer’s talents. Bursting onto the scene in 2007 with his gold-selling debut I Created Disco, Harris earned two top-10 singles with dancehall hits “Acceptable in the ‘80s” and “The Girls.” Harris only continued his chart-topping streak with the release of his second studio album Ready for the Weekend (2009), hitting number one on the U.K. album charts and delivering the number one single “I’m Not Alone.” But the most recent success for the Scotsman DJ that made him an American sensation was his collaboration with Rihanna on the summer smash “We Found Love.” Harris’ forthcoming album is slated for release in October and is set to include collaborations with Ne-Yo, Kelis, and LMFAO. (Saturday, 7:00-8:15, Perry’s) –text: Jason Oliva

‏BLOC PARTY
‏Expectations exploded after Bloc Party released its remarkably realized debut album, Silent Alarm, in 2007. A nimble blend of angular guitar riffs and punchy rhythms, the record became the archetype for the late 2000s post-punk revival. But rather than try to replicate their sound for future releases, a formula that led many of their peers to collapse, Bloc Party confounded prospects with their two follow-up albums, incorporating more electronics and even orchestral arrangements. While their sonic palette has undergone a change, what’s remained constant is the unguarded sincerity of Kele Okereke’s lyrics that have touched on everything from lost love to suburban sprawl to paranoia, illustrating the dichotomies of modern life. After a long 3-year hiatus, the band will be releasing new album Four just weeks after Lolla — offering them a prime opportunity to highlight their schizophrenic history while offering you a rare glimpse into their unpredictable future. (Saturday, 7-8, Sony Stage) –text: David Willming

‏TWIN SHADOW
‏Life on the road can be hard for an ever-touring musician, and some relationships are bound to suffer the consequences. Such was the lesson learned by Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist/songwriter George Lewis Jr. (a.k.a. Twin Shadow) after countless months of pushing his buzz-worthy debut album, the neo-new wave opus Forget. But instead of wallowing in the possible unraveling of said bonds, Lewis chose to soldier on and up the ante with a decidedly more rocking update to the Twin Shadow sound. Further inspiring his drive to succeed with LP number two was Lewis’ recent involvement in a motorcycle accident that no doubt left him thinking about life in new and impressionable ways. The self-produced follow-up record Confess (4AD) maintains the band’s sophisticated melodies and airy ‘80s new wave vibe but adds a more serious edge, even going slightly metal on tunes like “Patient” and “Beg for the Night.” (Saturday, 7:15-8:15, Google Play Stage) –text: Mike Scales

‏WALK OFF THE EARTH
‏Usually when watching a movie sequel there’s no comparison to the original, much like a cover of a song. But somehow, Walk Off The Earth completely falsifies that sentiment. They bring an earthy, West Coast-style relaxation to every song they cover despite hailing from Ontario, Canada. Walk Off The Earth is a multi-talented 5-piece collective armed not only with divine covers, but also affable originals well worth a listen. (Saturday, 6:50-7:30, BMI Stage) –text: Cody Lee

‏ORCHARD LOUNGE
‏With downtempo schwag being sold all over the world, it’s nice to know there is some quality stuff grown right here in our backyard. Orchard Lounge is a Chicago-based group of DJs poised to burst beyond the city. Using minimalist repetitive trance beats, they drive you further into the music to move you higher than the beat and deep into the stretched-out keyboard notes. Anyone looking to “zone beyond” rather than simply “zone out” should visit Orchard Lounge. (Saturday, 7:30-8:30, PlayStation Stage) –text: Carrah Bechtel

Bloc Party

I think we’ve set out to improve upon what we’ve done previously.

story by James H. Ewert Jr.
photo by Steve Gullick

The paradigm is not new and no matter how hard bands fight against it, breakout success can often be the biggest impediment in a band’s ability to establish a more lasting presence in the transient world of popular music. That axiom is no more clearly exemplified than in the meteoric rise of Bloc Party as a result of their universally praised debut record, 2005′s Silent Alarm. Their much-anticipated follow-up, Weekend in the City, was received anti-climactically by fans and critics alike in 2007. As with many sophomore albums, it wasn’t that the songs were all bad — but the public was still digesting Silent Alarm and comparing the follow-up to the debut, which packed so much into so little. For Bloc Party’s third album, the band set out to do things a little differently after much of Weekend in the City was leaked well before its official release. Instead of preparing for the release by sending out advance copies to the press and playing the songs while touring, Bloc Party gave the public a paltry three days of lead time before dropping Intimacy onto store shelves in October 2008.

The 14 tracks on Intimacy are much bolder and confident than Weekend in the City and while the lyrics are more introspective than those on Silent Alarm, the herky-jerky rhythms aren’t nearly as catchy as those on the debut album — a common criticism that Bloc Party has had to endure relentlessly since 2005. Yet tracks like “Signs”, “Biko” and “Better Than Heaven” do represent a positive step forward for singer Kele Okereke in his ability craft subtle electronic ballads. Though the record’s repetitive first single “Mercury” leaves much to be desired, while subsequent tracks like “Ares” and “Letter to My Son” often sound cluttered and overproduced, the album emphasizes a type of hardcore electronic rock that has yet to catch on in the States in the same way that it has in Europe.

As Bloc Party was embarking on their first large-scale tour in support of Intimacy, bassist Gordon Moakes took some time to speak with Chicago Innerview about the new album, downloading music and what might have happened had the band not changed their name some years back.

Chicago Innerview: What led up to your decision to release Intimacy with such little advance notice?
Gordon Moakes: The main issue for us, in terms of the outcome, was just about getting the record out quickly — that was the ultimate goal. We did not want to repeat what we had done previously by writing, recording and playing the record far ahead of the release. It kind of made it anti-climactic. We got a bit frustrated on the last record because we had it done and it was months and months before we could let anyone hear it, but there were ways to hear and it started to get spread around the industry and we were playing it, but yet it wasn’t there. We were kind of way off down the tracks before it got into people’s hands and so for this one, it was a real change just to not really talk about the fact that we were making it and just get it done and get it out before people could really hear anything.

Chicago Innerview: How do you feel about your music being downloaded?
Gordon Moakes: Honestly, we all see the positives and negatives. The positives being that you want to get your music out to people and that system of waiting for records to be released and exchanging money to hear it is an antiquated system. But on the other hand [with] the realities of touring now, if you’ve not made much money from the release how can you really expect to fund the tour? We’ve kind of gotten to a lucky position where our touring is cost-effective without figuring in the record stuff. If you’re a new band starting out you need some way of funding that initial push, so it’s kind of like there are positives and disadvantages at the same time.

CI: Have you ever downloaded music?
GM: Oh yeah, totally. I don’t know if everybody feels like this, but I tend to draw a line between what I see as big pop records — that tend to be a lot easier to find because there is more interest and more people have actually put that stuff up — and the indie record that I know what kind of budget they work on. I know what’s fairer from the point of view of the artists and labels involved and if I just downloaded the new Mogwai album, for instance, I would think I was shortchanging them a bit because I feel like they deserve that. But I don’t feel the same way about Britney Spears.

CI: Bloc Party used to be known as Union as the band was forming in London. Why did you change the name and what made you settle on Bloc Party?
GM: I think the timing of it was crucial, really. If we had left it any later, I think it would’ve been too late. The point when we changed the name, though, wasn’t at a point when you would open up a newspaper or something and know our band. At best, there were maybe a few music websites that had logged us in London. Beyond that, obviously our friends knew we were in a band, but at that point that was about it. And we came across another band that had the same name as us, and not just historically, but actually gigging at the same club as us…One of the references for Bloc Party was the Eastern Bloc, a block of countries, and in Canada they use that term for political parties. It was just a play on words. We all know what ‘block party’ means, so we were just kind of giving it a twist and we liked how it looked. At that point, we all really wanted to agree on something.

CI: Does the success of Silent Alarm ever get in the back of your head while you’re writing new music?
GM: Not consciously for me, really. I remember that coming out and all I thought was ‘we could do better’ — not because I had any issues with that record, but because it’s the logical thing [to think] ‘what’s next?’ I do see in retrospect how important that record was for us and for our fans for what kind of landscape and time it came out in. I don’t know if this is necessarily true, but I think Kele might have read reviews of that album and thought ‘no, people haven’t quite got it’ and wanted to show that we’re capable of doing something different. I think we’ve set out to improve upon what we’ve done previously.

Bloc Party :: with Longwave :: Riviera :: March 28.

Bloc Party, Cadence Weapon, Grizzly Bear, The Raconteurs

BLOC PARTY
This British quartet’s first record, 2005′s Silent Alarm, was an album that rang the bell of the post-punk revival of that time. The album’s brash, youthful exuberance manifested itself into smart, bratty quotations of The Pretenders, XTC, Gang of Four, and a whole host of acts of a similar ilk. Driven by sharp, treble-y guitars and energetic, fast tempos, Silent Alarm impressed many, especially with songs such as “Like Eating Glass” and the U.K. smash-hit “Banquet”. Its follow-up, A Weekend In The City, was much more divisive, as the group jettisoned many of Alarm’s charms to create a more mainstream album. Tracks like “Waiting For The 7.18″, “I Will Remember”, and “The Prayer” (with its Morrissey-esque witticisms) aimed for the rafters — and often times the songs successfully made the leap while just as often they missed the mark, feeling nakedly commercial. New track “Mercury”, which just debuted online, opts for kitchen-sink experimentalism. Regardless of Bloc Party’s latest direction, expect a bright, tight live show. (Friday, 6:15-7:15, AT&T Stage) –text: Jon Graef

CADENCE WEAPON
Born Rollie Pemberton, this teenage Canadian double-threat rapper and producer began rhyming at age 13 influenced by his father, a DJ at a local radio station. After a short run in college attempting a degree in journalism, Cadence turned back to his first love of music. Shortly after his debut dropped in 2005, he quickly found a place on the Canadian “Artists to Watch” list and was later nominated that year for a Polaris Music Prize. Signing to Epitaph Records for U.S. distribution in 2007, the rapper took advantage of the fresh ears of his newfound audience. Journalism still stirs in his blood and it’s not rare to find the occasional hip hop review penned by Cadence Weapon for online music publications like Stylus and Pitchfork. When it comes to producing, he’s also no stranger to showing support in the studio for other artists such as Ciara and Lady Sovereign. (Friday, 6:15-7:00, BMI Stage) –text: Jyn Radakovits

GRIZZLY BEAR
Grizzly Bear are often cited in indie music discussions and seem to be friends with everyone in the scene, yet they’ve only been mixing atmospheric experimentation with psychedelic-tinged folk since 2004. Avoiding Grizzly live is getting increasingly more difficult; they performed at Pitchfork Fest 2007, they’ve played with Beach House, opened for Feist, TV On The Radio, even Paul Simon, and will soon provide supporting duty for Radiohead. Not a concert-goer? Try remixes and collaborations from Beirut, The Dirty Projectors, CSS, and (most famously) Girl Talk’s Knife and Clipse mash-up. The band’s two proper LPs, free from revision or live alterations, provide a pretty nice trip too. A July post on the band’s blog lists 20 of their favorite songs of the moment, ranging from the older Sparks to contemporaries Bon Iver and Santogold to the bizarre Chaka Khan; serving as further evidence as to why they’re worthy of your attention at Lolla. (Friday, 5:45-6:30, Citi Stage) –text: Joseph O’Fallon

THE RACONTEURS
Listen to these talented bastards named Brendan, Jack, Jack, and Patrick — also know as The Raconteurs — and it’s quite apparent by their creatively spanning songs that they’ve been friends since their days of skanky mustaches and unforgiving, fiery acne. Their music is at times creepy and dreamlike, with fuzzy guitars and the familiar screeching slide of Jack White. At times it sounds like circus music, at times it reminds me of late ’60s supergroup Cream. And like Cream, they’ve taken blues, among other genres, to new levels of innovation. The Raconteurs wallop day one of Lollapalooza for their first show on American soil since returning from a string of European gigs. Their Lolla show is one of only two Stateside performances before another across-the-pond run, so catch these pals in Grant Park if you know what’s good for you. If not, there’s always their August 28 show in Luxembourg… (Friday, 6:15-7:45, Bud Light Stage) –text: Benjamin Smithson–photo: Autumn de Wilde

Bloc Party, Blood Brothers, SSM, Maria Taylor

BLOC PARTY
Surfacing in 2005 during the most recent explosion of British post-punk, Bloc Party outpaced similar bands like the Futureheads and Maximo Park with their menacing and intelligent approach to the genre. On first listen their debut from that year, Silent Alarm, is satisfactory — but with each listen it simply grabs a hold of you and won’t let go. Two years later, the immensely more popular band has released their follow-up, A Weekend in the City, receiving mixed reactions from critics and fans while quickly becoming this young year’s “love it or hate it” record. On Weekend, the band continues to explore social themes and the perpetual struggle in love, but this time their quest comes with a noticeably higher commercial appeal. A Weekend in the City isn’t nearly as impressive as Silent Alarm, but it isn’t despicable either. Despite the minor setback (and planned tour last year with Panic! At the Disco that was thankfully cancelled), Bloc Party remains a fascinating and hopefully prolific act. (Appearing with Albert Hammond Jr. at the Congress Theater on March 23) –text: Garin Pirnia

BLOOD BROTHERS
Six years after dropping their debut, The Blood Brothers now release a fifth record: Young Machetes. Released last October and co-produced by Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, it continues to blur punk, hardcore, and indie rock stylings, refusing to allow any one genre to limit the music. Although aspects of the Blood Brothers sound have evolved over time, many of the songs on Machetes are reminiscent of the band’s earlier chaotic style. This style is characterized by their two lead vocalists screaming angst-filled lyrics (often tinged with politics and social commentary) over heavily distorted guitar power chords and other noise. The experimental Seattle band employs piano, organ, and laptop technology to create more diverse and interesting sounds — and like all good experiments, the end result is far from certain. (Appearing with Celebration at House of Blues on March 25) –text: Ariel Sundel

SSM
In a town where rock comes from garages, techno comes from warehouses and car production comes from…well, China now, we are lucky to have such exports as SSM emerge victorious. Yes, Detroit’s assembly line of indie rock and electronic pioneers has sputtered out another quality American-made trio — this time consisting of the best of both of Detroit’s recent musical heritages. Featuring jangly blues guitar, frantic drumming and psychedelic keyboards that mix fuzz with electronica, SSM (Syzmanski Shettler Morris) further reinforces the often-discussed theory that the Detroit music scene was taken over by aliens after the fall of the Motown dynasty. Think about it. Expect distorted guitars, distorted keyboards, distorted drums, distorted distortion pedals…you get the idea. Just don’t be surprised if you see a distorted spaceship (Ford Taurus?) parked out front. (Appearing with CoCoComa at Empty Bottle on March 23) –text: Billy Kenefick

MARIA TAYLOR
When great musical duos split to go solo, sometimes listeners lose. But other times they reap greater musical delights. An example of the latter: the solo careers of Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Following 11:11, her sensational 2005 solo debut, Taylor releases Lynn Teeter Flower on the Saddle Creek label this month — treating fans to a collection of absolutely sumptuous songs distinctively her own. Yes, it seems impossible to separate her melodious voice from Azure Ray — especially on tracks such as “A Good Start” — but Taylor soon reminds us (as she has been working with Moby, Bright Eyes and others) of her ability to stand strong on her own. Highlights include the easygoing guitar and vocals of “Clean Getaway”, the static and haunting piano-dominated “Replay” and the poppy electronic number “Irish Goodbye.” Taylor’s distinctive voice and musical prowess delivers throughout this gentle yet powerful album. (Appearing at Beat Kitchen on March 23) –text: Jen Fischer–photo: Laurie & Charles