New Podcasts
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Due to bugs in our publishing system new podcasts are being posted to our blog right here. Thanks for your patience while we work on these issues.
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir Interview
On June 19th, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir will be performing for their Comeback Show at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave. This is a rescheduling of their record release show, which was to happen in the fall of 2009. Right after leaving Chicago for tour in support of their latest album …And The Horse You Rode In On, on Bloodshot Records, the rear tire of their van blew out in Northeast Indiana, and the ensuing accident left the three main members with severe injuries. I sat down with Elia Einhorn, Mary Ralph and Mark Yoshizumi to reflect on the near-death experience, their recovery, how life-threatening injuries have changed their lives. Read more…
Mi Ami Interview
Before a recent show at The Hideout, CHIRP’s Patrick Masterson spoke with Mi Ami’s singer and guitarist Daniel Martin-McCormick about the San Francisco trio’s origins, their style and recording techniques during their latest album Steal Your Face, plus what the future holds. Read more…
New Library Additons
Every week we add a wide range of music to our library, from the newest local releases to lost gems from the archives. Here’s a list of some of what we’ve recently added.
- CoCoComa CoCoComa (Goner)
CoCoComa thrash, slash, crash and bash away on their 2007 self-titled debut. Like many of their influences and contemporaries, CoCoComa leave it all on the field, playing extremely high-energy cave-garage-hazy-punk-rock. “I Swear” and “(Tryin’ To) Read My Mind,” are easy highlights, but the band really hits their stride with “Premonition.” which features the album’s best chorus. The members of CoCoComa are longtime players in Chicago’s music scene, and their experience is evident as they distill their varied influences into something that sounds fresh and remarkably accessible. - EPMD Strictly Business (Priority)
“Smooth as silk” is one way you could describe EPMD’s 1988 debut Strictly Business. Did Erick Sermon or Parrish Smith even break a sweat when they were recording it? Probably, but you would never know, as the songs contained within flow with ease and cool efficiency. Stripped of any unnecessary hype, the listener is enveloped in a parade of head-nodding hip hop goodness. The skill and care that Sermon and Smith apply to these songs pays off, makes EPMD worthy of mention alongside other sample-heavy groundbreakers from this era like De La Soul and Public Enemy. - Neil Young & Crazy Horse Zuma (Reprise)
From the grief-stricken undertones of Tonight’s the Night, Neil Young returned with the more upbeat sound of Zuma, departing from the sadness of the so-called mid-‘70s “Ditch Trilogy.” Zuma still exudes the very loose feel characteristic of Young’s work, but the album’s more pop-focused approach is apparent on “Don’t Cry No Tears” and “Lookin’ for a Love.” The real show-stopper here, however, is “Cortez the Killer,” an epic of country-tinged rock, and a true testament to Young’s abilities as a songwriter. - The Chameleons Strange Times (Geffen)
Their first release for massively major Geffen Records, solid musicianship, some of Mark Burgess’ best lyrics, and great songs like “Swamp Thing” and “Caution” put The Chameleons in line to break through to mainstream success, and yet, it never came. A year after releasing Strange Times, The Chameleons would disband, recording together some 15 years later but never recapturing this moment. While having much in common with bands like The Cure and Joy Division, Strange Times was the only time The Chameleons came close to sharing in the same kind of widespread acclaim. - Neko Case & Her Boyfriends The Virginian (Mint)
This is where it all began for Neko Case. The Virginian contains some great early examples of her work, from the straight up alt-country twang of “Timber”, to her cover of Scott Walker’s “Duchess” and the best song on the album, “Bowling Green.” Case’s voice shines on each track and is as powerful here as it is on her most recent material. She has undergone a meteoric rise in popularity over the past several years, and with a debut effort like this it is easy to see why. The Virginian shows definite signs of maturity, and, like anything else Neko Case does, it comes from the heart.
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