Windy City Watch
A weekly look at bands on the rise in the Chicagoland area.
We here at HEAVE are proud Chicagoans. We like ridiculously deep-dish pizza, we argue about Chicago baseball teams and most of us like Wilco. So we feel it's our duty to spread the word on wonderful bands in the Chicago land area, putting people in the know on all the up and coming talent here in the Windy City. But before we start educating you on the new; we must first deal with the now. The following is a list of the top five acts in Chicago that are already getting some much-deserved attention.
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Posted by Lisa White on Sep 20, 2007 @ 12:00 am
Your Listening Pleasure
Les Savy Fav, Thurston Moore and Tuung featured on this week's
Les Savy Fav – Patty Lee [mp3] - Les Savy Fav starts this track off with a dancey groove, complete with guitarist Seth Jabour's trademark high-pitched, angular guitar riffs. Vocalist Tim Harrington's distinctive, wordy lyrics are also present...
Posted by Jason Prechtel on Sep 18, 2007 @ 12:00 am
Your Listening Pleasure
We give you some songs - you listen to them
Gus Gus – Moss [mp3] - Iceland-based electronica trio Gus Gus gives us a different take on the country that brought us Bjork and Sigur Ros with a song that both hearkens to techno and house music, while conveying the frigid kind of melancholy Icelandic artists are known for. The song starts out with a cool, laidback back-and-forth two note synthesizer melody. Soon, the high-hat driven disco beat kicks in and the morose, distant vocals float in and out throughout the track. This is a must hear for anyone with a passive interest in electronic music, and would be the perfect addition to a late-night drive through the city.
The Iceland Airwaves Eruption compilation is out now on Icelandic Music Export.
Talib Kweli – Stay Around [mp3] - One of hip-hop's finest rhymesayers comes back with undoubtedly his best track off of his new album, Eardrum. The Pete Rock-produced "Stay Around" consists of a Roots-style midtempo drumbeat, a female background vocal hook, smooth, jazzy trumpet accents and what sounds like a cross between banging a tin can and "Drop It Like It's Hot" style-tounge clicking. All the while, Kweli addresses criticisms of his work and fan expectations with lines like "Kweli why don't you rap on beat?/why don't you rap more street?" Basically, this is the kind of jam you should blast on a sunny day while smiling and nodding your head, because it's that good.
Eardrums is out now on Warner Brothers.Posted by Jason Prechtel on Sep 11, 2007 @ 12:00 am
Your Listening Pleasure
We give you some songs - you listen to them
Maps - You Don't Know Her Name [mp3] - Ever since the advent of the Postal Service, laptop-based electronica groups who record their music in their bedrooms have sprung up left and right, to mixed results. However, Northhampton-based Maps, creates lush shoegaze-influenced soundscapes backed by tight breakbeats. The effect is equal parts Ulrich Schnauss, My Bloody Valentine, and Mum, with a dash of Ratatat and New Order's groove...
Posted by Jason Prechtel on Sep 04, 2007 @ 12:00 am
Facial Hair: Where would it be without music?
The story of my life
Let's face it. Rock and roll has been and always will be about looks. Not exactly pretty versus ugly, but rather, cool versus lame. That homeless-looking guy you see at Wal-Mart could be part of the working poor or he could be Doug Martsh from Built To Spill picking up a family-size bag of Funyuns. When did the idea of looking dirty become related to creativity and artistic sense?
Posted by Greg Herald on Sep 03, 2007 @ 12:00 am