Best Music 2013 (Midterm)

I don't rank at this point, and I couldn't if I wanted to. Come November, I don't know how I'll decide a "number one". But for now, a little mid-year listicle. 2013 has been incredible for new music. Maybe my favorite year since... um... ever? Ok I don't know about that, but I am obsessed with all 15 of these albums. One line for each:

Phoenix - Bankrupt!

The glorious and turbulent emotions of the changing seasons, grow younger towards death.
LISTEN 

Toro y Moi - Anything in Return

All the swag and insecurities of Jaleel White, set to music.
LISTEN 

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

The biggest indie band in the world lives up to their hype without abandoning any weirdness.
LISTEN 

Charli XCX - True Romance

Impenetrable art and dumb accessibility, the former co-opting the latter.
LISTEN 

Classixx - Hanging Gardens

Nu-disco summer jams for the morning, afternoon, and evening, with guest vocals from Active Child and Kisses.
LISTEN 

Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety

The most challenging permutation of the indie-R&B fad yet is also the most thrilling.
LISTEN 

Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

Every sub-genre and generation of rock and roll manifest in one band, on all the drugs.
LISTEN 

A$AP Rocky - Live. Love. ASAP.

This is the rapper who gave Skrillex a chance, and got the best out of Drake and 2 Chainz.
LISTEN 

Bibio - Silver Wilkinson

A quiet Bibio album with few vocals, but when his voice does surface over the hum and buzz the lyrics are achingly melancholy.
LISTEN 

Ducktails - The Flower Lane

Real Estate's Matthew Mondanile takes cues from his full-time band as well as Destroyer's Kaputt, resulting in spacey soft rock.
LISTEN 

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

Extended tracks of pure pop and R&B with production that plunges the jaw to the floor.
LISTEN 

Kisses - Kids in LA

Lovey-dovey 80s synth-pop with bigger hooks and warmer vocals.
LISTEN 

Kurt Vile - Wakin' On A Pretty Daze

"Wakin' On A Pretty Daze," aka: phenomimes and psychomimes.
LISTEN

Shout Out Louds - Optica

Somber Swedish pop-songs, poignantly pleasant.
LISTEN

Wild Belle - Isles

Reggae-indie-rock (yeah, for real) performed by a hot Chicago babe and her older bro.
LISTEN

You Missed Out: Chad Valley

I saw Chad Valley at Schubas a few months. Hugo told me during a pre-show interview that he was dealing with a sore throat, an ailment he admits he deals with all the time. Since his live show is basically just his voice, this was troubling to hear. At that show, he still sounded strong on stage, all by himself with his keyboard and midi controller. Last night, his voice sounded strong again, but he admitted halfway through his set to again feeling sick. When it came time for an encore, he passed on it. Disappointing. So disappointing. Maybe he really is putting his voice through too much up there.

I hope he can toughen up those pipes before his next major tour, because he has one of the best voices in the business. I want to hear as many live songs as he can handle.

Other than playing too short a set, there weren't many low points for the chillwave-going-R&B indie kid from Oxford. Even with a backup vocalist to help him with some harmonies, it was a significantly more laid back set this time out. The highlight was "Evening Surrender," a "we're gonna make sweet love later tonight" ballad from his Young Hunger full-length. On the recorded track, El Perro Del Mar provides the sexy. The smoke machine seemed a bit much during opener Ghost Beach, but the steamy residue was perfect for at least this moment.

A word about those openers real quick. Chandeliers kicked the night off with their analog electro-rock. This is one of Chicago's best local bands today, and they're being rewarded for it by playing a Tuesday night residency all next month at the Hideout. If you haven't seen them live yet, May is your chance. Their recorded material doesn't do their live show justice.

Ghost Beach was stadium-ready pop-rock. I've never seen so many lights and smoke on the Schubas stage before. It was jarring at first, but I really did appreciate it. Their melodies are as cheesy if not cheesier than a late-90s alternative band like the New Radicals or Sugar Ray. But that's just the changing of the tide in 2013. It's been a few years coming thanks to pop acts like Robyn and Free Energy going all-in, and now Charli XCX, but pop and indie are interchangeable now. The weird thing (and the interesting thing) about this trend is that we can decide whether we want to enjoy it ironically, or earnestly. And the cool thing is that it'll work either way.

Artists like Chad Valley are taking those TRL-era travesties and creating something worthwhile with what music fans long regarded as trash. At the very least, it demands listeners let their guards down and at least make an attempt to enjoy something without prejudice. The pretentious rockists are a dying breed in the 20-teens, and music is in a better place for it. Today, just listen to whatever moves you--whether it's experimental Chicago kraut rock, or Taylor Swift. Whatever works.

Twelfth Night / Thirteenth Night

If you live in Chicago, there's a good chance that you took a Second City improv class at some point. Who didn't, right? We (by "we" of course I mean us writers, musicians, actors, artists, servers, bartenders, baristas, DJs, dog-walkers, post-college-whatever-the-hell-we're-doing-in-Chicago-stillers) live here, so we have to take advantage of our comedy scene. Improv is one of our city's proudest pastimes. SNL is still handpicking them from here, iO still splits our sides, and The Onion brought their headquarters back from that overrated city of New York. We are the comedy city, and if you were at the Metropolis Coffee warehouse on Monday night, this would've been even more obvious.

published at Heave Media

This free event celebrated Shakespeare, Chicago style. It was BYOB, with a pinata, free shots of Koval whiskey, the rich aromas of freshly ground coffee, and free pork rinds. And this was all before the shows even started. Just another Monday night in Chicago I guess.

The first troupe, the Back Room Shakespeare Project, performed Twelfth Night, a comedy I had not seen before. Real quick, full disclosure, I am not a Shakespeare scholar. Not even close, really. I enjoyed Taming of the Shrew back in high school, but it's been a few years since I've read or seen anything by old Bill. All I hoped for on this night was that I wouldn't hear some cheap joke about something "to be or not to be" or a Montague/Capulet rift. Thankfully, these troupes weren't lazy.

Surrounded by burlap sacks of coffee beans, the actors embraced Shakespeare's comedy with equal parts irreverence and homage. Cross-dressing, star-crossed lovers played their roles with postmodern self-awareness and broken modern English. Busting down fourth walls was a part of the fun, with the actors delivering their immortal lines like some weird mix between Patrick Stewart at Steppenwolf and your drunken roommate complaining about the latest episode of Project Runway. The story held true to Shakespeare's original version, a wild comedy of errors that ends happily with love and kisses. But the next show took Shakespeare's other dramatic mask and made a giddy mockery of that frowny face.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company has been going for a few years now,  and this was my first time seeing them. I know, it's taken me way too long. I know. But you were all totally right. This is the smartest, quickest, most jaw-droppingly hilarious improv group you'll see in this city. If Ross Bryant isn't rich and famous in a few years, well, never mind, he will be. But for now these guys are ours, the pride and joy of Chicago. On Monday they improvised a direct sequel to Back Room's rendition of Twelfth Night entitled, "Thirteenth Night: Tax Nightier" (the "Tax Nightier" part came from an audience suggestion to start the show. I suppose because it was April 15th... tax day. Except... night. so... nightier. Anyway.). The all-male cast makes up limericks in matters of seconds, none of which ever fall flat. As they steadily build a plot, the archetypes of Shakespeare are magnified into what eventually becomes a surreal dreamworld of androgyny, incest, revenge, heartbreak, and tragedy. It's stunning to watch it all come together.

I'm not giving anything away here, but "everybody's gonna die!" even the taxman who came to Malvolio's party to collect the annual debts, greeted by a pile of corpses and a guilt-ridden antagonist holding a knife at his own chest. How does it all come to this classic Shakespearean end? Pure improv. That's what makes this troupe so remarkable. And writing about it does no good. This was visceral lucidity. The one request the actors made at the beginning of the show was to not record any video. They reminded us that this was the debut performance of Thirteenth Night, but also the final performance as well. It was an event that only we would experience for this brief moment. We had this one chance to laugh at it, so nearly 200 of us did just that.

Luckily, the Improvised Shakespeare Company still performs every Friday night at iO. Shakespeare buffs and philistines alike can marvel at this insanely talented troupe's take on the bard every weekend. But Monday night was special. It was a night to celebrate Shakespeare, local coffee, rainy tax days, and Chicago's best and brightest in improv comedy. Why celebrate all those different things at the same time? Because, it's improv in Chicago and the first rule is always say "yes, and." Thanks again, Del Close. Whether we're in the midst of some bizarre comedy or a painful tragedy, we're only in the moment for a little while, until we're on to the next moment. And we'll say "yes, and" to whatever that one is too. If those Second City classes taught us anything, it's this. And so we laugh and have fun even on a tax day, even on a Monday, even when it's rainy. This is just our scene around here.

RIP Roger Ebert

Like so many Chicagoans, I feel a deep sense of loss now that Roger Ebert is gone. He was a great writer, an inspiring thinker, and a hilariously witty person, but I think what's hitting me hardest right now is that I know we just lost a man who was as "Chicago" as they come.

We know we have it hard here. Winters are long, taxes are high, poverty and violence and corruption and all the garbage I don't have to tell anyone about. We live it. We know it. We're not the international city that New York is. We don't care about fashion, we care about food. We don't care about fame, but we do care about fun. It's a city where people live and work, and we love it here.

Roger Ebert encapsulated this Chicago way better than any other writer I know of. Of course there was Studs Terkel, but Ebert did something more. He brought the Chicago way to the world without beating anyone over the head with "Chi-Town" shout outs. He stuck it out with the Sun-Times, but more than that he just believed in his passion. He fought his cancer tooth and nail, and he worked until the day he died. And this is only what every Chicagoan does. Motivated by some inner sense of wonder about life in the world, with all it's tragedies and beauties, moments and feelings, we take it all on the chin until we can't anymore. It's a paradox, really. The Chicago way is something we wouldn't trade for anything in the world, but sometimes it can be so hard and brutal that we feel totally exasperated by it. Somehow that exasperation pushes us forward. And then we laugh again. We think again. We love again.

Roger Ebert inspires all of this quietly. He doesn't have to talk about Chicago, but we know. We know he's more Chicago than Jim Belushi, Vince Vaughn, or Theo Epstein can ever dream of being. He puts in the work, and is rewarded. And the key is: the reward comes not as a result of the work, the reward is the work. This is the Chicago way. This was the Ebert way.

He was born in Urbana, went the University of Illinois there, and eventually brought his own annual film festival to the college town. I went to Ebertfest only once, back in 2006. My sweetheart was in her last year at U of I, and we had to take advantage before she moved up to Chicago with me. We saw Ebert interview John Malkovich, about a month before he had jaw surgery. We watched "Junebug," our first introduction to Amy Adams. Ebert called it the Overlooked Films Festival. He was always a champion for the good work. Budgets and names never mattered. He didn't care if other critics agreed with him or not. He didn't care if a film was supposed to be "important" or seminal. But if he saw good work on film, he gave it a thumbs up.

Such a simple gesture, for such an introspective and intelligent person. But, this is what set him apart from all other critics in all other fields. Most of us are too haughty. Ebert easily could've been, but he never was. So many of us critique art like some sort of enlightened gurus. Either that, or we're talentless hacks out for our own slice. We critique art from a faraway tower, but adding nothing to a conversation. "Thumbs up" sounds terribly hacky on the surface, but it's this simple genius that grounded him. He was readable, approachable, likeable. He understood that films were for everyone. High-minded or low-brow, it's all on the table, and it all deserves a fair shake.

He was, and will continue to be, one of the most inspiring Chicagoans of all time. I've written a few film reviews here and there, even though I am a music guy. And I write about sports and religion too. Because if Ebert taught me anything, it's that we have to work. I love music, and it will always be the first thing I want to write about, but if that swell in me comes up and tells me that I have to write about science or politics, I have to do it. In Chicago, you embrace the moment. When summer comes, you take the coat off, get on the bicycle, drink beer at a street festival, and live the best life you know how to live.

We're only here for a while, so we have to make it count. Ebert did. I hope to someday come just a fraction of a percentage close to getting out of life what he did. I will try. I will work.

I will miss Ebert's work. But he left so much for me to enjoy, laugh at, think about, and take inspiration from for years to come. Just watching his old clips on youtube is making it a little bit easier to swallow today. I am so thankful for this Chicagoan's life. I'll end this blog post with his last paragraph from his review of one of my favorite movies, and then, I will go to the movies myself.

"Kaufman's mission seems to be the penetration of the human mind. His characters journeyed into the skull of John Malkovich, and there is a good possibility that two of them were inhabiting the same body in "Adaptation." But both of those movies were about characters trying to achieve something outside themselves. The insight of "Eternal Sunshine" is that, at the end of the day, our memories are all we really have, and when they're gone, we're gone."

Thank you Roger Ebert. Rest in peace.

SXSW 2013: Saturday

I guess I always figured Austin was just a big college town. But man, it's a serious city. I know, because my legs are really sore. But I didn't realize it until just now. The endorphins really kept me going these past four days. I didn't go to too many shows on the last day of the fest, but I did do some interviews for CHIRP, including Vampire Weekend. So, that counts for a lot, in indie rock anyway. But here's the other stuff I saw.

The Thermals got everybody sweaty at the AV Club showcase at the Mohawk. The Portland trio had the most crowd-surfing I've seen in years. It took me back to high school. Even though all the dudes crowd-surfing looked about 30. Whatever. People had fun, and that's what matters. Yeah, SXSW is a corporate vampire fest, but it's also really really fun.

Baths was the gayest show I saw at the fest. I can't wait to hear his new album. Baths was actually my first podcast interview for CHIRP, so I'll always feel grateful to Will Wiesenfeld. He puts all of his energy into his Akai controller, which made for some good vibes, though not too much dancing. Baths is still just weird enough with the glitchy beats to get a crowd nodding their heads, but that's probably for the best. This the electronic music you listen to first, move to later.

My SXSW ended with Mount Kimbie, and I couldn't have asked for a better closer. They need to tour with The xx again. Set up in the center of a huge warehouse, lights and projections surrounded the band. It was a Boiler Room showcase, so hopefully video of Mount Kimbie's set will be available to watch online very soon. Death Grips, Chief Keef, Lunice, and Baauer all played after them, but I didn't stick around for any of it. The chill of Mount Kimbie just felt too perfect. I called it a week, now look forward to 2014. Now that I've done this once, I don't know how I could live with myself missing it. Go ahead Austin.

SXSW 2013: Friday

Too many pedicabs. There, that's my criticism of Austin. Otherwise, it is pretty much a cool city. I've been having fun anyway. Here's what I did on Friday.

Started the day with an art installation from Zs at the Museum of Human Achievement. This isn't a museum, it's a warehouse in some hidden nook on Austin's east side. Instead of just playing an iPod between bands like most venues, Zs would fire up their experimental noise behind the stage.

Dustin Wong is an automatic highlight of a day anytime he's around. He's a virtuoso of guitar loops, and you really have to see him play to understand just how amazing he is. He set up in front of the stage so everyone could gather above and around him. Onlookers in front sat politely. Everyone was happier when it was over. The best medicine is a good show.

Then Thurston Moore came in and played some noise. I know Chelsea Light Moving is his new thing, but I don't think that's what this was. This was all noise. I had to take off early though, because the CHIRP sponsored showcase was going.

And there it is. The DC vs. Austin SXSW showcase sponsored by CHIRP. I had to wait in a line outside of Side Bar for 10 minutes before I got in, and the first thing I saw was that weathered banner. We're doing good work around here, folks.

Another one outside. This was Ringo Deathstarr, and they were the right kind of 90s rock. I think this was the only Austin band I've seen all week, but they were fine representatives of their city. I was going back and forth between Hum and MBV, and the tank top was rockin. I'll credit CHIRP.

When it was over I just decided to walk around. Noticed a Why? song playing in a bar (don't even remember which one), so hopped in to catch the last two tracks of their set. Why not? After all, the CHIRP podcast with Yoni is still our most popular interview. I should show Why? as much love as I can for that.

After dinner I made sure to catch LA's Kisses, since this was their only set of the entire fest, and because I'm interviewing them less than 24 hours later. There was probably more enthusiastic dancing here than any other show I've been to so far. A good sign for a band that does not play live very often.

I went to Gypsy Lounge too, Thee Oh Sees played. But, I was hanging out with friends and drinking, so I didn't take a picture. It was Thee Oh Sees, you know how it goes. They get rowdy, the crowd gets rowdy, somebody spills beer on you, somebody kicks you, it's how a Friday night at SXSW should end.

SXSW 2013: Thursday

SXSW is in full effect. Thursday's hits included a stacked showcase at the Flamingo Cantina, an interview with LA's Poolside, and a Foxygen freakout.

It was picturesque, but that's often the intent of Poolside. Their daytime disco got the packed-by-1pm collectively bobbing heads. Over 80 degrees, it really felt like the start of summer. I know it's too early for that, but at least we can think about planting seeds of summer street fests and Millennium Park Mondays though. I interviewed Poolside after their set, so watch CHIRP for an exclusive podcast feature when the weather permits.

While I was interviewing Poolside backstage, I noticed things were unusually quiet. No noise bleed-in at all. Why wasn't Foxygen tearing shit up? Well, lead singer Scott McKenzie was out of his mind again. He would burst into our area and pace back and forth, he didn't interrupt the interview, but I could tell not all was well with him. Apparently as his band waited on stage for 15 minutes for him to come sing the first song, he did things like this, and kicked a stranger out of the bathroom (where he then stayed for nearly 10 minutes). Again, this band is too good for a meltdown this early. I heard that he stormed off the stage early at another showcase later in the evening. You can see him pulling his own hair in the pic above.

After the dust settled, the headliner of Under the Radar afternoon showcase quickly turned out to be the highlight of the fest for me so far. DIIV take special care of their melodies. They execute masterfully, but are not without their raucousness. A dream show for me would be DIIV, Kurt Vile, and Real Estate. Guitar Tour 2013!

Speaking of Real Estate, I heard Ducktails were playing a house show for the Not Not Fun showcase. They didn't play until something like 4am, so I didn't stick around to snap a picture. But Ducktails' new album is one of my favorites of 2013, so I will definitely catch them at the Empty Bottle next month. Other highlights of the showcase included the spooky vibes of Rites Wild (pictured above) and the spacey trip-out psych of Vinyl Williams.

After two days, how had I not seen a DJ set? Bonobo made it worth my wait at the Ninja Tune showcase at Elysium. I felt jealous of him actually. I'd love to DJ an hours worth of Bonobo songs when I DJ. His new tracks are just barely dancy, better for swaying. And this is high praise. No drops. No nonsense. This is as classy of a DJ set you can get.

So being the Ninja Tune showcase, why did Machinedrum play a surprise set after Bonobo? Because he just signed to Ninja Tune. He wasn't listed on the bill, just as a "special guest- NYC" so this was a nice surprise. News be breakin' all week. Up next, the CHIRP sponsored showcase!