Month: January 2018

Live Review: Typhoon at Metro 1/19

Following a lengthy 4-year hiatus, Portland indie rockers Typhoon returned to the Metro stage as part of Tomorrow Never Knows to bring their third full-length album, Offerings, to life. Centered around a man’s loss of memory and identity, the record is a grand, sweeping, and ominous instant masterpiece. Luckily, their Chicago performance did justice to both this daring conceptual opus as well as the band’s long absence from the stage.

Following a lengthy 4-year hiatus, Portland indie rockers Typhoon returned to the Metro stage as part of Tomorrow Never Knows to bring their third full-length album, Offerings, to life. Centered around a man’s loss of memory and identity, the record is a grand, sweeping, and ominous instant masterpiece. Luckily, their Chicago performance did justice to both this daring conceptual opus as well as the band’s long absence from the stage.

The set opened with “Common Sentiments,” the penultimate track on Typhoon’s previous album, White Lighter. Yet as soon as the chords struck for “Rorschach” — the debut track from Offerings — the change in tone was immediate and unmistakable as lead vocalist Kyle Morton’s voice fluctuated back and forth between a haunting, static and discontented shout.

What allowed the performance to succeed with all its instrumentation was its breadth and subtlety. Staying true to the quiet moments in the live show with the same level of intensity as the loud ones, Typhoon effortlessly wove in and out of each movement with the expertise of a symphony orchestra. Artfully utilizing their two drum kits, strings, keys, and three guitars, the band played even the softest parts of each song with the utmost intention…the silences holding the same importance as the notes themselves.

Offerings, with all its grandeur and its 23,000 words, was an ambitious undertaking. Yet it’s clear that Typhoon is here to deliver a powerful live performance to match. –BY JULIET CANGELOSI

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 her mental and sensory needs in “Blood In the Cut,” while discussing the worry she injects into her family in “Champagne” (in a fast-paced hip hop style Twista would appreciate). “You Felt Right” dreamily discusses another failed relationship, but with no hard feelings. She has enough of those in reserve for the people who really deserve it.

WITH SIR SLY
7 PM LISTEN
$20 TICKETS

YUNG LEAN

BY JULIET CANGELOSI
PHOTO BY ZAK AROGUNDADE

Transformation is the story of Swedish rapper Yung Lean. Three years since the release of the viral video for “Ginseng Strip 2002” that put him on the map, he hit a stride in 2017 as he found himself featuring for big names on the scene like Frank Ocean and Travis Scott. He closed things out with his third studio album Stranger, riding into the new year on the back of his most innovative, personal work yet. In Stranger, he’s leaving behind the lyrical cliches that incited skeptics of his past work and is delving deeper into his roots backed by a softer, more minimalist take on the dreamy production that has defined his sound from the jump. If he keeps up with this progression, the 21-year-old is looking less like a one-hit wonder and more like a young hitmaker to watch in 2018.

WITH SAD BOYS
6 PM LISTEN 
$22 TICKETS 

Festival Preview: Tomorrow Never Knows 2018

Chicagoans bitch about our dreadful winter weather just as much as we choose to embrace it. Even in the recent temperature drop, parka-covered civilians flood the streets with an air of normalcy and frigid determination. If there’s one thing we’re willing to brave the cold for, in particular, it’s good music. So when Tomorrow Never Knows sets up its thirteenth annual run during the freezing month of January, what happens? Chicago shows up.

Chicagoans bitch about our dreadful winter weather just as much as we choose to embrace it. Even in the recent temperature drop, parka-covered civilians flood the streets with an air of normalcy and frigid determination. If there’s one thing we’re willing to brave the cold for, in particular, it’s good music. So when Tomorrow Never Knows sets up its thirteenth annual run during the freezing month of January, what happens? Chicago shows up.

The festival, taking place January 17-21, is a bold move considering the month is usually one of the slowest for touring artists and ticket sales. Patrick Van Wagoner, who booked the Lincoln Hall shows for TNK, says this is precisely what allows the event to stand out. Fans bundle up and come together at what he calls “the worst time of the year, celebrating up and coming bands and comedians.” Contrary to a typical music festival that is put together by major promoters like AEG and Live Nation, TNK’s host venues—Schubas, Lincoln Hall, Metro, Hideout, and SmartBar—are all independently owned and booked.

Lovers of all kinds of music will find something at TNK, with a lineup that features artists showcasing a variety of sounds from Latin, R&B/soul, indie, Americana, and, as Van Wagoner puts it, “that classic Chicago staple, garage rock.” Both Typhoon and Allan Rayman have delivered provocative, darker-toned albums in the last year that should translate into some seriously cathartic experiences on stage. If you’re into enjoying some unadulterated fun, the Madrid-based ladies of Hinds are guaranteed to deliver a healthy dose of their upbeat, charming rock and roll. For something fresh and innovative, check out OddCouple, the producer for top Chicago artists like Chance the Rapper and Jamila Woods who is bringing a solo set to the TNK lineup that is nothing short of a must-see.

If you’re looking for a place to warm up this January, the subwoofers at Lincoln Hall might be a good place to start. For full lineup and ticket information, visit tnkfest.com. –BY JULIET CANGELOSI