Now that the Pitchfork Music Festival is but a distant memory in our collective rearview mirrors and I am completely settled into the new pad, I can finally get back to using this space for my free music recommendations for the weekend in Chicago. This time around only one festival comes to mind as worthy of a mention, Wicker Park Fest 2009. Sure there are other street festivals going on this weekend, most notably Taste of Lincoln Avenue, but Wicker Park’s is the only one featuring Elvis Perkins In Dearland headlining the main stage on Sunday night. It’s no secret that all of us Dicks are big fans of Mr. Perkins and his latest record, having included it on our first Quarterly Report of the year, and his live show is not one to be missed. Sunday night drinking is always rough, but I suggest throwing some vodka in a thermos, heading over to the corner of North/Damen/Milwaukee, and preparing for a rough morning at the office on Monday. I promise it will be worth it.
Elvis Perkins In Dearland – Shampoo
Buy Elvis Perkins In Dearland @ Insound!
First up today in the “hot new music” department is the second side project of the year from TV on the Radio guitarist and vocalist Kyp Malone. Many of you probably recall that he contributed heavily on Aaron Aites’ Iran album earlier this year, but this new project is purely Kyp. Going by the name Rain Machine, a debut self-titled album is set for a September 22nd release on Anti-. The sound is self-described as including elements of modern jazz and bluegrass, which does not sound like a far cry from what TVOTR fans will likely be expecting. The first track from the record, “Give Blood,” was unleashed on the blogosphere earlier this week to a host of varying opinions. Personally I love it, probably because it really does sound like a TVOTR track. In fact, If I didn’t know better I could easily see this being a B-side from Return to Cookie Mountain or Dear Science. Opening with a few brief seconds of clanging percussion, the song wastes little time before bursting into an explosion of reverb and warbled vocals. Sandwiching chants, handclaps, and foot stomps between layers of guitar experimentation and funky beats, overall the track is a bit of an aural rollercoaster. Check it for yourself below.
Next up today is actually another side project featuring a member from another prominent indie band. Brandon Cox, frontman of Deerhunter and possibly the skinniest man alive, has been recording solo material for ages under the guise of Atlas Sound, and his second album under that moniker has been announced for an October 20th release on Kranky. Titled “Logos, much of the record was inspired by the time Cox spent on tour with Animal Collective in Europe, and the first track was actually a collaborative effort with AC’s Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear). A bit of a departure from the deeply personal and moody work of Deerhunter and previous Atlas Sound material, the influence of Lennox is apparent in the slightly poppier and more experimental nature of “Walkabout.” Featuring a sample of “What Am I Going To Do” by The Dovers, the aura of the song is warmth and the track washes over you like a wave of calm bliss. Definitely a great tune for impending dog days of summer that lay ahead.
Atlas Sound W/ Noah Lennox – Walkabout
My favorite part of these Friday posts is usually the vault portion. With all the new music that floods my ears each week, taking a little stroll down memory lane is something that I always look forward to on Thursday evenings when I actually write this column. This week I was reminded of a band that I had completely forgotten for the last three years until I caught some info on a new 7” that the band is self-releasing in the coming weeks. After bursting onto the scene with a flurry of blogger buzz back in 2005, Austin’s Voxtrot released two stellar EP’s and a somewhat disappointing full-length before falling from the face of the earth sometime in 2007. It’s a real shame that their self-titled LP left a bad taste in the mouths (or ears) of listeners, leading many (myself included) to erase the band from their mental playlists during their extended hiatus. I have no idea why the band took the time off that they did, and I am not even going to speculate on the matter, but I do want to take this opportunity to recall the promise that they showed early on in their career. The Raised By Wolves EP in particular was a masterful little collection of indie pop gems, gleaming with the kind of hooks that Belle and Sebastian would be proud of. The reincarnation of the band seems to have strayed a bit from that formula, following a decidedly 80’s influenced synth pop formula. But the vault is all about the past, so while I look forward to the return of Voxtrot and their evolving sound, today it’s time to kick off the weekend with one of the tracks that rocked my world back in 2005.
Thanks for this, it seems to me that this is indeed a vast subject with a lot of different potential takes on it.