Placebo's long-delayed return to Chicago finally happened!

Photo by Shaela Johnston

I saw Placebo last week—rushing from a very delayed flight to Chicago and then running to the Salt Shed with little downtime—and the band has still got it. They refused to pander, picked a set focused on their current output, and gave an arena-style show in a venue smaller than they would usually play overseas (but is much larger than most they're played in the U.S. in, oh, the last twenty years or so).

Anyway, if that sentence above seems too knotty, just go read my review and take in the great photos by Shaela Johnston!

I think ... I'm back? In fact, I know it: I'm back!

As I was visiting the lovely new park called Little Island last week in New York, I realized that after 3 years of being stuck in Chicago I had somehow managed to be in 3 different cities in 3 different states over the last 3 weeks. At some point, my reentry went from moving at a snail's pace to rocketing me out of the house and across the country, and there have been many, many feelings flowing from that experience.

But the primary feeling I'm feeling? Gratitude. And excitement! You know how they say you can rarely tell when a new chapter in your life begins because you're actually in that moment of change? Well, in this instance, I definitely feel the beginning of an exciting new chapter. 

And I'm not making any grand proclamations, but I do think you can expect to see far more frequent posting in this space as I get more and more energized by reengaging with the world on a larger scale again!

This really takes me back.

This early Triplefastaction track, paired with footage from the early stages of the band's career, was a super-fun trip down memory lane for me.

If you don't remember the '90s (because you were either too young or weren't born) it's true—we had a pretty loose sense of "fashion" and no, we did not care. One might say we never, ever cared.

You can pick up this excellent track, along with a slew of other tunes from the TFA vaults, right now. What're you waiting for?!

Holy guacamole!

My last post clued you into a work in progress you could stream*, but now is the time to tell you to start following this Bandcamp page as we finish the final mixes and tweaks to each song on the looooooong-gestating debut from Tuff Tamale! As each song is finished, we'll add it as a free single, leading up to collecting all the tunes together into our album. 

So here it is, the final mix of the first, finished song from the Kitten Trapper Keeper album!

*You can still hear the whole WIP album on Spotify as we tweak the final mixes, so you'll still have a chance to listen to an early version of the album right now. Don't worry!

Shhhhhhhh...

There are still tweaks being made in our sonic lab so the final files will sound a little different in a week or so, but if you want to sneak a listen at the soft launch of some new—yet long-gestating—music, go right ahead.

Consider this a little bonus for the folks that actually come here to read my writings instead of relying on social media to alert them of new stuff from me. I appreciate and value anyone who reads my ramblings, but people that come here on a regular basis to check in hold a very special place in my heart.

Did someone say, "Sloooooaaaaaaan?"

Did a quick little preview of Sloan's Chicago show tonight. Check it out! And if you live here? Get out and see the show!

Three quick personal picks for you on this lovely Bandcamp Friday!

Some super quick Bandcamp Friday picks. I had something a little more robust planned, but time got away from me, so this month I'm just highlighting a few of my friends' albums I think you should snag because a) they are all very, very good and b) of course I want all my friends to make a little extra money sans Bandcamp fees today!

Triple Fast Action

Triple Fast Action

I am so used to typing the band name as Triplefastaction (or, briefly, I would follow the "tripl3fastaction" styling) I almost did the same here, which maybe tells you how long I've been a fan of what I consider one of the most underrated acts to come out of Chicago in many, many years. Last year's Cattlemen Don't reissue gave fans a peek to what might be in the band's vaults, and this triple-vinyl or double-CD release throws those doors wide open with a stunning number of tracks largely pulled from the period prior to their initial signing to Capitol records. Some of this has been heard before, but the vast majority will be new even to old, old fans. ESSENTIAL.

Ryan Allen

The Last Rock Band

Ryan has put out a truly stunning amount of music over the past few years, and the pandemic only saw him grow even more prolific as he released various albums under numerous monikers in sometimes wildly differing styles. The Last Rock Band is a 100% solo effort with Ryan handling all the instruments, and is ambitious in its argument for including it in the pantheon of "concept albums" that actually work! Bopping from power-pop to classic rock to synth-pop (with each genre or sonic tweak fitting into the narrative of the album) there is a little here for everyone. And together I think there's a lot there to love for everyone! ALSO ESSENTIAL.

The Brontosaur

Reaver

I got to know Tony when I used to book his old band Firetrucs at The Note, and while he took a loooooong break from releasing music, his return as The Brontosaur was well worth the wait. Plumbing some of the lower sonic depths and grafting them onto heavy hooks with a slightly psychedelic bent (in the sense of a swirling sonic journey, and not lysergic effects), I'm not sure what you would call this. Me? I call it rawk, or excellent, or something you'll listen to on repeat because it will infect your ears and fight to stay lodged there as long as possible. I also HIGHLY recommend picking up the double-vinyl version if you can swing it; it's a heavy slab of wonderful. Guess what? ALSO ALSO ESSENTIAL.

"Anything" is a total Friday jam from Frankie Rose.

Photo by Esme Rogers Smith. 

I was just listening to Frankie Rose's Love As Projection ahead of its March 10 release* and gol-DANG-it if one track didn't leap out, grab my ears, squeeze my heart, and fill me with a sense of wistful wonder. 

Feel like spinning in place with your eyes closed and arms outstretched? That's the vibe of this compact pop ditty that reaches to be something bigger, and more meaningful. In short, a spot-on, perfect jam for this sunny (if rather brisk) Friday!

*It's solid all the way through and worth picking up the pre-sale, if that's your sort of thing.

Spring finally makes its way over the horizon.

For the first time in a long time I am optimistic about my own future. It's not that I was devoid of hope; more that I was unsure if I'd ever truly feel "happy" again. And even when I felt like things were on an upswing, I'd rarely write about it for fear that acknowledging anything positive would immediately cause that thing to get crushed by some new development.

I know it's maddening to hear this, but it again appears the only way out of difficult times is to just get through them, and the healing will follow, but you must accept it will happen at a pace you can never dictate or fully control. 

But you will benefit mightily by just letting yourself be open to the journey it takes to let it happen, instead of trying to force it to happen. 

Eventually, it will work out. Things will be different, and sometimes even scary, but it will end up putting you exactly where you're supposed to be.

Way down, now? This'll pick you right back up!

Y'know, I bought Goodbye Jumbo on cassette when it came out, and fell hard for the album, but I don't think I've ever seen this video before today. Incroyable mais vrai!

[Credz for this particular discovery due to Marc] 

Back to basics on the road? That's the way to go!

I took a road trip last weekend in a car that only had a CD player. No auxiliary inputs. No tape deck. Not even a 6-disc CD changer. Just a single CD player.

I highly recommend it.

I had forgotten about the whole practice of “choosing CDs for the car” and how that usually starts with a huge pile of stuff I need to bring “just in case” before you realize that in this instance* less truly is more. And, in the end, the return trip was almost entirely soundtracked by a used CD purchase I made, so I could've traveled even lighter.

At the start of the trip I found it initially difficult to make a selection, or even offer an opinion on what to listen to—so used am I to being blinded by an endless list of digital possibilities that often leaves us unable to make a choice at all when it comes to modern listening habits—until I realized that the small selection of CDs we had was more than ample when it came to offering options that would be enjoyed by both people traveling in that car.

I'm so glad I just brought a few discs and didn't default to filling up an old CD book with a blinding number of options!

*And, really, most instances.

Looking for some Bandcamp Friday recommendations? I've got you covered!

Hey y'all! It's Bandcamp Friday! And in an effort to clear the backlog of albums I keep meaning to write about, here's a bunch of music available through that platform. I've included a wide variety of acts, so I hope there's sometime in here for everyone. Sometimes it's hard for me to know, since my own listing is, erm, a bit more voluminous than the average fan's might be. But every single one of these is worth your time, and if you like any of 'em, remember that all proceeds from sales through Bandcamp today go 100% to the artists!

The Freqs
Poachers

This trio delivers a solid EP of nice, solid, hard-charging—and somewhat tuneful—stoner stylee RAWK. This took me back to the sounds of Double Door circa the early aughts.

Fucked Up
One Day

All the guitar tracks were recorded in one day, and then the band built over that. It ended up being a terrific approach because it resulted in their best "punk" guitar-based album in years. So while it's kind of a "step back" to a more familiar sound, I'm glad they revisited it before they move back onto more epic, experimental fare.

King Tuff
Smalltown Stardust

On their latest album, King Tuff's psych-pop walks the line between the rock and a more sensitive glam vocal style and delivery. This has been a nice breath of fresh air during the harsher winter days, for me.

Megadose
Heating Up

This collection of numbers is definitely fuzzy, but not particularly heavy; adopting one of my preferred approaches to power-pop stuff for the most part. And while most power-pop lyrics tend to fly out of my head, I found Megadose traffics in a shaper vein of words that actually stuck around my brain after the last chord died out. I dig it!

M(h)aol
Attachement Styles

Really cool, super angular indie-guitar-minded aggressive backing tracks, with vox that flit between the seams of sound. The band's energy is undeniable, and singer Róisín Nic Ghearailt delivers her thoughts with an emotion I could palpably feel. Which is unusual for me, these days. 

REXORIA
Imperial Dawn

I've noticed during the pandemic that the one genre that never slowed down high-octane output was the realm of metal. This indicates to me that the entire metal ecosystem grew so self-supporting so long ago it managed to bypass many of the issues that plagued most "mainstream" (and that includes indie these days) music. This slab of power metal is just plain fun, so I think anyone will dig it, regardless of how you feel about the genre in general.

We Are Scientists
LOBES

Hot damn, for the second album in a row, they out-Killers The Killers again. I play this album a LOT. You will too. Fun fact: one of my first interviews for a local, long defunct, arts magazine was with one of the group's early drummers, They, and I, have come a long way since then.

Fireworks
Higher Lonely Power

This last one is free or pay-what-you-want on Bandcamp, but after listening to it, you'll want to throw a coupe bucks the band's way. I picked it up on via a recommendation on a podcast, otherwise I would've missed it entirely! And while it starts as pretty unilluminating hardcore meets emo stuff on the first track, don't let that fool you.After that Fireworks jumps around all over the place! Intriguing to say the least Apparently this has long been in the works, so maybe that explains the variety of approaches? Whatever the reason, I'm glad it resulted in this rollercoaster ride of an LP.

Gettin' groovy with Good Bison.

Good Bison—centered around the musical vision of one Pablo Alvarez—has a new EP coming out later this month and its five songs hop wildly amongst genres but are all rooted in rhythms that creep up around you until you find yourself moving in tandem with the inescapable charm of their internal beat. 

"Better Lies" is the tightest encapsulation of the band's approach to what most would consider pop, so I'm happy to see they just released a video for the tune. If you dig this, you will probably like the entire Ghost on Mulholland EP, so head to Good Bison's website to pre-save a copy to spin on February 21.

The return of LOTEC!

LOTEC (f.k.a. Land Of The El Caminos) has returned with the most excellent Squares, and we premiered the second single from that new album on Third Coast Review yesterday. 

Read my words, listen to the tune, and pick up the album if you dig it!

A Friday jam from a classic band.

Photo by Anna Crolla

The new Belle & Sebastian album threw me at first; the first half is rooted in their more "classic indie-twee" sound, leading me to worry the group was retreating to safer ground after years of pushing their sound into shinier and more expansive terrain. But as the second half kicked in, the more ebullient pop numbers took over and I enjoyed the feeling of taking a sonic mini-tour through the band's history that the album conveys (to me).

But this was the moment I felt like I was levitating as a song played, so I'm sharing my favorite track from the album as a taste to whet your appetite. Maybe it's my current mindset putting a thumb on the scales, but a song about the delirious confusion of a blossoming love* is just the glittering jam to hit me right in the heart-feels.

*Though it could just as easily be a rumination on a long-standing relationship as well, which makes rhe tune even stronger in my estimation.

The Features release one from the vaults. Literally!

In the early aughts I saw The Features a bunch*, but at the time didn’t even know they’d already recorded TWO full albums that hadn’t been released. One of those albums, pulled from a bunch 1999 sessions just popped up on Bandcamp this month.** And listening to it was a real trip back in time for me, since it captured the sound of the band that kept me coming back to see them time after time. And whenever I saw them I would bug them about when they would finally release a full-length album!***

Basically, The Mahaffey Sessions 1999 captures the band as I remember them best from my own live introduction to the group, and there are songs on here that never appeared anywhere else****, but I definitely remember wishing I had them to DJ with at the time. Two decades later I finally have the tunes, and even if I haven't DJed in years, quite a few of these will definitely make their way into a few solo apartment dance parties in the coming months. 

Dig in!

*I can't be certain, but it was probably Double Door that hosted the first show of theirs that I saw. And though my memory is fuzzy, it feels like they played Double Door a few times in quick succession before branching out to other venues in Chicago. I think.

**While I have never been  fan of mainstream bands who constantly recycle and re-release old albums everyone already own, I am finding Bandcamp to be invaluable when it comes to older bands who never got the due they deserved finally getting their music heard! And while The Features did garner some acclaim, this earlier recording really captures why they garnered label interest in the first place.

***Not knowing, um, it might have been sore spot for them at the time. Sorry! 

****When "33⅓" came on I literally screamed in joyous surprise, not having heard the tune in forEVer.

New year, same new you!

Usually I would view the second half of December like most do, as a time when things slow down and you reflect on the previous year. But after the last couple of years, that kind of reflection feels gratuitous to me. I don't know about you, but I've spent well over three years reflecting and don't really need that specific window of time for that particular exercise any more.

Speaking of, who has "more exercise" on their list of resolutions? All of you? That's cool, me too.*

Anyway, yeah; I have spent so much time reflecting, I'm no longer always certain what's an actionable discovery and what's a clarification of a particular lens of recall that needs to be acknowledged or filed away as a new discovery but not acted upon. So I spend a lot of time mulling. A lot of mulling around here.

But we all do mark time, and we still view the beginning of another year as a chance at "starting over" all over again, and I've come to realize that's not a flaw in our thinking, but a survival mechanism. From my personal experience, even though any time is a great time to start a positive habit our new behavior, it's much harder to start something at zero without something else, some kind of event, to peg it to.

So I guess this is all a really roundabout way of saying that any time is a good time to make a resolution that positively impacts your life (and/or the world!), and if that time happens to fall at the beginning of a new year, then so be it!

*Despite my more mature stance on resolutions in general, I still retain the right to make "resolutionary" jokes ... if I ever make it back to the gym, that is.

The Lemonheads came to Chicago...

Photo by Barry Brecheisen

My review of the recent The Lemonheads and Juliana Hatfield show at Metro is up at Third Coast Review for your reading pleasure!

Everything old is new again, and I see blue skies ahead.

I have noticed a number of what I would consider "old school bloggers" returning to semi-regular posting after, for some, years of leaving those domains untended. My own little website still gets a healthy amount of traffic, which means people actually come here intentionally to read what I write. And I have long maintained I'd rather have a smaller audience that seeks out my work, than a massive audience that only accesses it as bits and bobs of information disseminated through various social media platforms. As those platforms degrade and buckle under their own weight, I believe people are thirsting for content that feels personal and well-thought out, as they grow ever wearier of content that feels more and more diffuse as it becomes less relatable since most social media platforms have evolved to perform best as outrage machines.* 

So bring back the old-timey blogs! Some of us never left, and everyone is welcome!

*While I have always viewed things like Substack and Medium as "nü-blogging," those outlets still seem to attract writers who think that 1000 words of content with very little meat that is designed for clicks instead of close reads, counts as a post; so many of those "bloggers" have revealed themselves to simply be pretty boring, in my humble opinion.

Bang Camaro returns with "Too Fast To Fall In Love!"

Bang Camaro is back, baby! The group popped onto the scene in the mid-aughts, pairing hard rock guitars threaded with hooks galore, with thundering drums and bass, and a multi-person choir of participants providing the vocals for each song. At the time, I wondered if it was just a joke gone too far, but after seeing the group live at Double Door in 2008 I realized they were the real deal: passionate about the music without even a hint of irony hiding in their approach.

The band disbanded (went on hiatus?) years ago, but when James Gunn used one of Bang Camaro's songs in his Peacemaker series, the group was inspired to quietly reconnect and start recording new music. And this week, the first fruits of their new labor became available, the hard-charging and anthemic "Too Fast To Fall In Love."

The band is hard at work on more new songs, and I'm told we should all keep an eye ion them in the coming months for news about their future endeavors, but since today is Bandcamp Friday, it's the perfect time to pick up the track for yourself, to tide you over as we all wait.