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by Scott Brehman
The Alibis | Bloom | Self-Released
The Alibis (local Chicago folk-duo of singer/songwriters Eric Quigley and Daniel Robbins) offer their debut album Bloom with eleven tracks of upbeat, poppy folk to accompany a mid-afternoon hike or drive on a warm day with a cool breeze. Definitely an Iron & Wine/Calexico vibe throughout the record, with arrangements including acoustic guitars, banjo, harmonica, maracas, piano, violin (not fiddle), and often-harmonic vocals.
"Bittersweet" is anchored by a hypnotic guitar line that's accompanied by vocals that are grounded during the verses but soar into the choruses. "The Mournful Sound" includes claps and a subtle slide guitar to build a droning rhythm over which the two singers harmonize. Every aspect comes together most hauntingly and beautifully on "City Lights" which is anchored by a pretty, finger-picked guitar. Thematically, just about every song seems to balance a failed relationship with what is perhaps a one-night stand (possibly with the ex-love). Every track coheres to the overall sound but the varied instrumentation throughout allows each song its unique feel.
by Eric Wiersema
Pelican | Nighttime Stories | Southern Lord
Chicago post-metallers Pelican return with their sixth album, following up 2013’s Forever Becoming. The band continues to do with they do best - pump out high-quality atmospheric post-metal that experiments with a wide variety of sounds and textures. The closest sonic comparison I can make is to fellow Chicagoans Russian Circles. However, Pelican’s music is generally heavier and takes less influence from shoegaze and lighter post-rock acts such as Explosions in the Sky than the latter.
Nighttime Stories opens with the folk-tinged “WST” that laments the death of friend and Tusk bandmate Jody Minnoch. The album starts getting heavier on “Midnight and Mescaline,” which is primarily dominated by prog influences sounding similar to Animals as Leaders but with some darker undertones. “Cold Hope” is a thick, heavy, atmospheric track that incorporates doom influences. Finally, the closer “Full Moon Black Water” incorporates many influences from the previous tracks and melds them all into one.
by Mike Jordan
Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble | Where Future Unfolds | International Anthem
Chicago’s own Damon Locks is often described as a polymath; from his visual arts career to his work as an educator; and his nearly 3 decades in music as a member of bands like Trenchmouth and The Eternals - there is little he can’t do. Black Monument Ensemble is his latest project and it feels like a culmination of Locks’ many talents, from the gold leafed woodcut album art to the choreographed dance pieces that accompany BME’s live shows.
Where Future Unfolds was recorded in the summer of 2018 at the Garfield Park Conservatory and is an update of the ideas that came out of Chicago’s Afrocentric arts and music scene of the '60s and '70s. Locks acts almost as a conductor of sorts on sampling and percussion as he leads a 4-piece instrumental group featuring clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid along with a choir and a dance crew. Tracks like “Rebuild a Nation” and the Nina Simone sampling “The Colors That You Bring” are great gateways into this record with its blend of gospel, jazz, and hip-hop. Meanwhile, “Power” channels the punk intensity of Trenchmouth with its scathing take down of systemic racism. Likely to be one of the most important Chicago records of the year, BME are already attracting a lot of attention in the UK.
Chicago band The Moses Gun brings the noise in the best tradition of midwest Rock and Hardcore. The band packs more energy into three songs than some bands do in entire albums. Songs from band's new EP Triage are available in rotation and by request on CHIRP Radio.
Chicago rapper Vic Mensa is works as an individual and part of a group, from the SAVEMONEY colllective he founded to his own solo efforts. He's one of the rising stars on the national rap scene. Tracks from his new album The Autobiography (Roc Nation) are available in rotation and by request on CHIRP Radio.