Music
Friday, May 25, 2012
Do This Music Your Memorial Day cookout Spotify playlist
Posted by Miles Raymer on 05.25.12 at 03:00 PM
Music Post No Bills Tonight: a rare Chicago performance of Georges Aperghis's Recitations
Posted by Peter Margasak on 05.25.12 at 02:19 PM
I couldn't write at length about Greek composer Georges Aperghis in my preview of Saturday's concert by International Contemporary Ensemble at the MCA, where the program includes two of his compositions. To be honest, I'm playing catch-up where Aperghis is concerned—he wrote a lot of music—and I've still got a long way to go. But I would like to draw attention to the mind-boggling Recitations (1977-'78), an epic solo work for female voice that makes crazy demands on the performer. It's getting a rare local performance tonight at Corbett vs. Dempsey by ICE soprano Tony Arnold, and the concert is free.
Do This Arts Film Music Visual Art Cauleen Smith, John Parot, and other arty stuff to do this weekend
Posted by Elly Fishman on 05.25.12 at 12:39 PM
John Parot: "Excavation"
This weekend, Western Exhibitions presents "Excavation," a solo show by John Parot. Parot's new body of work builds on his interest in psychedelic patterns and hippie ephemera, and also explores his interest in ancient Egyptian tomb art. Parot’s paintings are large-scale and bright; one of his strengths is his ability to find patterns in everything from porn magazines to ancient symbols and bring them together in an interesting visualscape. "Excavation" is Parot's third solo exhibition at Western Exhibitions.
Fri 5/25, 5-8 PM, Western Exhibitions, 119 N. Peoria, Suite 2A
12 O'Clock Track Music 12 O'Clock Track: Colleen Green, "Good Good Things"
Posted by Luca Cimarusti on 05.25.12 at 12:00 PM
Colleen Green's new full-length, Milo Goes to Compton (Art Fag), comes off kind of like a tribute to the great punk bands of the past. Its title and black-and-white, marker-drawn cover are obvious nods to the Decendents' classic Milo Goes to College, and the LP's second track, "I Wanna Be Degraded," is an almost-cover of "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones. Plus the record kicks off with a cover of "Good Good Things," one of my all-time favorite Descendents songs and today's 12 O'Clock Track.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Music Post No Bills Friday at the Bottle: the polystylistic grind of Starring
Posted by Peter Margasak on 05.24.12 at 06:16 PM
Back when she lived in Chicago in the mid-aughts, violist and musicologist Amy Cimini immersed herself in the city's experimental and improvised-music scenes; among her many projects were the Civil War, with guitarist Adam Sonderberg and bassoonist Katherine Young, and the duo Architeuthis Walks on Land, also with Young (who continues to be one of her most steadfast collaborators—AWoL plays at Elastic on June 28). Since she moved to New York, however, most of the music she's made (or rather most of what I've heard) has been either sunny chamber pop with the Fancy (also with Young) or hard-hitting prog-rock with Starring. Starring performs Friday night at the Empty Bottle, opening for Cave and Bobby Conn—and for Conn, the show is a release party for Macaroni (Fire), his first album in five years.
12 O'Clock Track Music 12 O'Clock Track: Chants, "Ice Harvesting"
Posted by Miles Raymer on 05.24.12 at 12:00 PM
Jordan Cohen, aka Chants, seems to have some Aphex Twin in him. His last release, Onlooker, was pretty up-front about it, but his new EP, Night After (out 5/29 on Dutty Artz), is subtler. Recorded during "a relatively brutal Wisconsin winter," according to its press materials, the EP blends ambient electronic psychedelia with recordings of the inclement weather outside Cohen's apartment window, making for a strangely intense chill-out record. You can hear the track "Ice Harvesting" after the jump.
Do This Music Shows to see: Mark Sultan, Third Coast Percussion, Big Jay McNeely, and more
Posted by Kevin Warwick on 05.24.12 at 07:35 AM
- Robert Joore
- Big Jay McNeely
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Swag Whoa Music Lil B releases classical music album, brains explode everywhere
Posted by Miles Raymer on 05.23.12 at 03:21 PM
For a while after I wrote about my fascination with Bay Area rapper-slash-total-weirdo Lil B, I tried to blog whenever he released a new mix tape. But I realized pretty quickly that keeping that up would mean a post about Lil B about once a week, which even I think is a little much—and I love the guy. (Also I've lost track of how many mix tapes he's put out since then. Sixteen? Forty?) But I feel that it's worth noting that he just put out his first album of classical music, entitled Choices and Flowers. Lil B watchers have come to rely on him to be completely unpredictable, but this takes the cake.
12 O'Clock Track Music Post No Bills 12 O'Clock Track: Curumin, "Selvage"
Posted by Peter Margasak on 05.23.12 at 12:00 PM
Curumin (born Luciano Nakata Albuquerque) has made a name for himself with a hooky blend of Jorge Ben-style samba-soul and electronic music—between him and Domenico of +2 fame, I'm starting to think that Brazilians have some sort of special flair for using the MPC sampler as a real-time instrument. On his third album, Arrocha (due June 5 from Six Degrees), the singer, songwriter, drummer, and producer from Sao Paulo, Brazil, doesn't tinker too much with the formula that's worked for him so far. The songs collide floor-rattling beats, jacked-up samba, chilled-out reggae grooves, and breezy, quietly soulful singing. Curumin returns to Chicago to play on an excellent double bill at Double Door on June 14 with Céu. Today's 12 O'Clock Track is a song from Arrocha, and you can check it out after the jump.
Do This Music Running takes over the Rainbo (for 12 minutes) Wednesday night
Posted by Leor Galil on 05.23.12 at 11:25 AM
The Rainbo Club is the first bar Hord went to when he moved to the north side, and he's friends with a lot of the people who work there. In fact some of those friends came up with the idea of Running doing a show at the bar, and first shared it with Hord about a month ago.
