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Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2014: Clarence Ewing
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2014. Our next list is from DJ and Blog Manager Clarence Ewing. One of the reasons I like posting these end-of-year lists is it gives me the chance to read the choices of my fellow volunteers and discover a lot of great music I missed over the year. The hard part is finding the time and resources to listen to all this stuff. A nice problem to have, for sure. Now that Apple has decided to stop making iPods (one of the bigger and more symbolic stories in music news this year, IMO), will I soon have to worry about how I will carry around my entire music collection wherever I go, which I've decided is now my right? Walkman, it's time for a comeback! |
SHROSS writesJoin on on Dec. 3rd for Cold Specks at Schubas!
Chirp is thrilled to welcome one of our favorite Northern neighbors back to Chicago. On December 3rd, Canadian songstress Al Spx, performing as Cold Specks, will be holding court at Schubas. Her second album, the critically acclaimed Neuroplasticity, dropped in August and since then, has been awing audiences with its graceful power.
For her latest record, Spx chose to collaborate with a variety of musicians, resulting in more of an experimental sound. Artists like jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and bass clarinetist Chris Cundy, add a bold, jazzy kick to Spx's soulful rock vocals.
Before the show, take a moment to experience the haunting talent that is Cold Specks...
Cold Specks will be performing at 9:00PM on December 3 at Schubas. Tickets cost $12.00 and are available for purchase online at www.lh-st.com. Please keep in mind that this show is 21+.
Tyler Clark presents: Local Mythologies writesTop 25 Christmas Songs of the Last 25 Years: #25 - The Posies, “Christmas”
It's the holiday season, which means Christmas music. Lots and lots or Christmas music, most of which was written before the people listening to it were even alive. While "Jingle Bells" and "We Three Kings" are great, and resilient, we're devoting this year to finding the best Christmas song written since 1989. We begin today, with #25.
#25: The Posies, "Christmas" (1996)
I'm going to open this countdown with a bold assertion: compared to the 2000s, the '90s were a terrible time for indie-rock Christmas tunes. Whether it was fatigue from the charity single explosion of the mid-1980s or the slack-assed Gen-X jadedness that colored most of the decade, it suddenly stopped being cool to write your own holiday music if you weren't Mariah Carey or NSYNC.
Fortunately, the Posies were fine with being squares. On the simply-titled "Christmas," singer Ken Stringfellow quietly turns in one the best performances on Geffen Records' 1996 Christmas compilation Just Say Noel. Instead of hiding behind irony (Sonic Youth's "Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope") or turning in a smirking adaptation of a classic (Beck's "The Little Drum Machine Boy"), the Posies' frontman does what he does best: sing a delicate song about feeling uncool feelings at a time of year when everyone else is happy. It's the best (and most melancholy) four minutes on the entire compilation, and one of the finest holiday songs from a decade not known for them.
Dylan Peterson writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2014: Dylan Peterson
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2014. Our first list for this year is from Features Director Dylan Peterson. Another emotional year. It couldn't have been just me, right? |
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesComing This December: The Top Albums of 2014!
Thanksgiving's over. The turkey has been eaten, the turkey sandwiches are on deck, and food comas are shaken off. It's time for another feast – a feast of music! Starting December 1, we'll be presenting our volunteers' picks for their favorite albums from this year. We've listened to a LOT of albums over the past twelve months, and we're happy to share with you the releases that had the biggest impact on us (and our ears) in 2014.
One New Year's Eve we'll say farewell to the old year by publishing a combined list of the albums that were most mentioned by our volunteers. But there's usually a couple of hundred albums that don't make that list, so check back regularly to read up on what we've been listening to!