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Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Ian Curtis Edition
He is, perhaps, the most influential vocalist of the post-punk movement. He was the charismatic,deep voiced frontman of Joy Division, the Manchester band whose rhythmic sound carved out a distinctive niche in the British indie scene. Ian Curtis is also, of course, a tragic figure, a smart young man with problems (such as managing his epilepsy that inspired his unique stage mannerisms) who ultimately ended it all way too soon. In honor of Curtis, please get your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle, and share the first 10 songs that come up:
- Tune-yards — Es-so (WHOKILL): The second Tuneyards album fits in well with some other dissonant groups of this era, but also brings back memories of Talking Heads, Electric Guitars and other post-punk bands. Mixing some African rhythms with basic blues (at times) and creative production and amazing vocals, this is one of the more distinct albums of the year. Merrill Garbus is a one heck of a talent. This song kind of comes from the same place as Micachu, but from a totally different direction.
- Pernice Brothers — Snow (Discover A Lovelier You): A fairly rocking Pernice Brothers tune, thanks to the sharp guitar playing of Peyton Pinkerton. Indeed, this is one of the more driving Pernice tunes, with Joe’s poetic lyrics coming off dramatically with the clipped rhythm and loud guitar sounds.
- Superdrag — Wrong vs. Right Doesn’t Matter (Head Trip In Every Key): Superdrag’s second album is a hidden gem. It’s hard edged power pop in the vein of early Cheap Trick, but with a sound that was heavy enough to fit in well with the alt-rock of the era. This was the follow up to the surprise success of the band’s debut (which featured “Sucked Out”), and the album stiffed, perhaps due to the lack of an obvious single. This is a shame, as it’s full of great songs, like this heavy Beatle-y number.
- Malachai — How Long (Malachai): This duo comes up with a great mix of ’60s psychedelia with hints of trip-hop (Geoff Barrow of Portishead is a mentor) and other sounds. The result is something that might appeal to fans of bands like The Bees and Gomez, or people who wish Badly Drawn Boy had more energy. These guys have strong melodies, arrange their songs well, and don’t let anything overstay its welcome.
- Peter Gabriel — A Wonderful Day In A One-Way World (Peter Gabriel): A playful reggae accented track from PG’s second album. This song mixes the slight reggae feel with an art-pop tune that is somewhere between Gabriel’s prior work in Genesis and art-pop like John Cale and Brian Eno.
- Peggy Lee — I’m Gonna Go Fishin’ (Miss Peggy Lee): A very cool jazz tune with the impeccably cool Miss Lee, who added lyrics to music Duke Ellington wrote for the movie Anatomy Of A Murder. The song is centered on a Latin piano part with bongos and Lee’s sharp phrasing. The song emphasizes rhythm over melody, and Peggy sings accordingly. There is a slightly atonal horn section that chimes in — this was pretty edgy for it’s time, I would guess.
- The Smugglers — Invitation Only (In The Hall Of Fame): An early tune from the great Vancouver pop-punk band. The guitars ring out while Grant Lawrence sings the offbeat lyrics. The chorus is super catchy.
- Edwyn Collins — Bored (Losing Sleep): Collins’ comeback last year from two strokes is one of the best music stories in recent memory. Not only can he sing again, his writing is still sharp. Working with a variety of other Scottish rockers, this album seems to consolidate all of Collins’ strengths dating back to his days in Orange Juice. This song works off a simple guitar riff with the direct lyrics that Collins now uses to accommodate his disability due to the stroke.
- Radiohead — Give Up The Ghost (The King Of Limbs): While the latest Radiohead may not measure up to prior albums, this just shows how incredible their body of work has been. That being said, there are some fine songs on the album, such as this fairly straightforward tune. It really is focused on Thom Yorke’s vocals, with some sweeping faux strings. This is a bit reminiscent of The Bends era, but stripped down.
- They Might Be Giants — Absolutely Bill’s Mood (They Might Be Giants): They may be mainstream now, but always remember how weird They Might Be Giants were at the beginning. Eugene Chadbourne plays a sinister lead guitar on this John Flansburgh tune. This is an ominous pop tune with a clipped rhythm and a deceptively strong melody.
CHIRP DJ writesCHIRP Radio Named “Best Internet Radio Station” by Chicago Magazine
Congratulations are in order for CHIRP Radio – Chicago Magazine has named us “Best Internet Radio Station” in its new 2011 Best of Chicago issue!
We are flattered and honored to get this shout-out from such a fantastic publication, and we’d like to thank them and all of the people who listen to the station for their support!
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesCHIRP Radio Reading List (7/14/11 ed.)
R.I.P. Michael “Würzel” Burston (lead guitarist for Motörhead)
R.I.P. Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell (member of Motown’s The Corporation, ½ of the producing team the Mizell Brothers)
Pitchfork strikes a balance between Odd Future and anti-violence activists.
20 Years (and one week) ago, The Replacements Broke Up – at Taste of Chicago, no less.
A brief history of the decline and fall of commercial rock radio in Chicago
A Beginner’s guide to Lou Reed
The Reading List is a (mostly) weekly collection of interesting, important, and thought-provoking articles about music from around the Web. Click here to suggest an article.
(LISTEN to CHIRP Radio.)
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesThis Week with CHIRP Radio (week of July 11, 2011)
Friday, July 15 – Sunday, July 17
The Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Union Park! One of the world’s premier showcases for alternative and independent artists, the Pitchfork Festival brings together a multi-genre lineup of today’s top acts, along with a dizzying assortment of vendors offering food, clothing, and art.
CHIRP Radio will be back hosting a Record Fair in conjunction with this year’s festival, with an army of vendors, record labels, and collectors ready to satisfy your record-hunting needs. We’ll also be offering up CHIRP merchandise and raffle tickets, and answering your questions about how you can get involved with the Best Overall Radio Station in Chicago. See you there!
Union Park (corner of Ashland and Lake) / 3pm Fri, 1pm Sat-Sun / All Ages / Tickets
Friday, July 15 – Sunday, July 17
After rocking out at Pitchfork, join us at Subterranean for some outstanding “unofficial” aftershows all weekend!
On Friday, we welcome Wild Nothing and Ducktails. On Saturday, it’s Kurt Vile and The Violators, with Woods and Arc In Round. And on Sunday, Real Estate and Dent May take the stage. Don’t miss any of these great shows!
Subterranean / 2011 W. North Ave. / 10pm each night / 17+
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Beck
When Beck Hansen first arrived on the scene, he got attention for his slacker anthem “Loser” and some charming low-fi folk albums. Early on, he seemed like a novelty and footnote in the annals of alt-rock. Of course, that’s not how things played out. Instead, Beck turned out to be an innovator and terrific showman, who is now an elder statesmen, of sorts, in the indie rock world. Who would have dreamed that he would someday produce a Thurston Moore record? If any artist would appreciate a birthday shuffle, it would be Beck, who has mashed together so many styles over his career. So grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
- Best Kissers In The World — Miss Teen U.S.A. (Been There): This Washington state band had a minor radio hit with this chunky slice of power pop that was tailor made for alt-rock radio. Throw in a clever video and the foundation for success seemed to be all set. But the band was never able to follow this up and the lead singer later went solo and made a country record. Well, they’ll always have this song, which still sounds swell.
- Frank Sinatra — It Happened In Monterey (Classic Sinatra): A smooth, happy little ditty sung impeccably by Ol’ Blue Eyes. His phrasing is the key to his greatness as a singer.
- Iron & Wine — Teeth In The Grass (Our Endless Numbered Days): This swampy folk-blues tune foreshadowed the direction that Sam Beam has taken on subsequent Iron & Wine records. His whispery vocals work well with the sinister vibe of the music. He has since added more percussion and layers to this type of song, but this recording shows they are absolutely necessary.
- Ron Sexsmith — Riverbed (Whereabouts): The clear highlight of Sexsmith’s fine Whereabouts album. This song sounds like a classic that could have been written decades beforehand. The melody is so simple and evokes the past. The lyrics are typically economical and perfect for his sensitive reading.
- The Monkees — Shades Of Grey (Headquarters): Headquarters is the album where The Monkees totally controlled everything. They did the lion’s share of the playing and picked all the material. It is one of their two true classic albums (the other being Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones). This shows what great ears they had, as it is an excellent Goffin-King ballad with a rousing chorus. Peter Tork gets a rare vocal showcase, handling the second verse with an aching, vulnerable performance. The orchestration is just the cherry on top of a true Monkees’ gem.
- The Commodores — Slippery When Wet (The Best of The Commodores): For the first few years of their career, The Commodores concocted some fine funk numbers. This song is akin to The Ohio Players, with a little deep soul thrown in. Yes, Lionel Richie could get funky, just listen to this.
- Geminis — A Friend Of Mine (Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found): This Rhino four CD box set is just wall to wall great pop and R & B. This is more on the R & B side and a great tune.
- The White Stripes — Effect & Cause (Icky Thump): A jocular acoustic blues tune from Jack and Meg White. I love how Jack clearly loves the classic American music forms but is not afraid to have fun with them. Would love to hear a medley of this and Van Halen’s “Could This Be Magic?”.
- Jim Basnight — Tonight (We Rocked & Rolled): Basnight led some great bands during the ’70s and ’80s out in the Pacific Northwest. He specialized in jangly power pop that compared favorably to Dwight Twilley and Tom Petty. This number is particularly Petty-ish.
- Big Joe Turner — Flip, Flop And Fly (Loud, Fast and Out of Control): One of the kings of jump blues, along with Louis Jordan. This song is pretty darned similar to Turner’s best known tune, “Shake, Rattle & Roll”. That’s not a problem, as Turner’s presence is so commanding, the music swings, and you can hear the beginnings of rock ‘n’ roll.