- Music, Music Column, Jul 24, 2012
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Don't just laugh at Riff Raff
If there's anything to learn from the new Fat Boys reissue, it's that funny rappers aren't necessarily unserious
- Music, Music Column, Jan 5, 2012
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King Louie: he's arrogant
The southeast-side MC brings a dose of southern swagger to Chicago hip-hop
- Music, Music Column, Jan 12, 2012
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The week seapunk broke
A fast-evolving Internet-born dance-music microscene puts down roots in Chicago
- Music, Music Column, Aug 11, 2011
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Drawing swastikas on shit: Odd Future, Iceage, and Cult of Youth
Shock art is hardly new, but the engine that drives it keeps changing
- Music, Music Column, Apr 29, 2010
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A Rave for Lazer Crystal
Krautrock, Italo-disco, prog, noise, electro, and house come together in genuine body-moving music.
- Music, Music Column, Jun 18, 2009
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Big Kids
If the garage-rock scene had a deep end, the teenaged Smith Westerns would be ready for it.
- Music, Music Column, May 26, 2011
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On the eve of the Blackout's return, foggy memories from the original run of Chicago's most notorious raunch 'n' roll fest
- Music, Music Column, Feb 9, 2012
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Q&A with Ninja of Die Antwoord
"We kind of noticed why everyone likes us. It was like, Oh shit, I have a gun and I didn’t know that I had a gun."
- Music, Music Column, Jun 17, 2010
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A Weirder Shade of Black
Nachtmystium advances black metal by breaking all its rules.
- Music, Music Column, Jun 5, 2008
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Sharp Darts: Don't Hate Them Because They're Hip
One of Chicago's hottest scenes has attracted the inevitable backlash.
- Music, Music Column, Feb 16, 2012
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The Jeff Mangum Effect
Once an indie-rock messiah makes his second coming, what's left for him to do?
- Music, Music Column, Jun 24, 2010
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A Spoonful of Sugar
The sweet hooks in Radar Eyes' trippy garage pop help the darkness go down.
- Music, Music Column, Oct 8, 2009
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Political Party Rap
It's got a juke beat and you can dance to it—but don't mistake Bin Laden Blowin' Up for mindless club music.
- Music, Music Column, Apr 7, 2011
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Accidental Retro
They didn’t set out to play 90s alt-rock, but Gypsyblood do it better than most 90s alt-rock bands.
- Music, Music Column, Feb 5, 2009
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Sharp Darts: Back to the Grind
Reviving grindcore, Harpoon gives it an electronic tweak.
- Music, Music Column, Oct 9, 2008
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Sharp Darts: They Like That Old-Time Rock 'n' Roll
Catfish Haven moves past indie rock to 1978.
- Music, Music Column, May 22, 2008
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Sharp Darts: Got That Vibe
The sound of the local Shape Shoppe collective isn't so much something you hear as something you feel.
- Music, Music Column, Mar 13, 2008
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Sharp Darts: Would You Give This Man a Record Label?
Hiring celebrity blogger Perez Hilton as an A and R man might not be such a terrible idea after all.
- Music, Music Column, Nov 11, 2010
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The Ticket Service That Pays You Back
A Chicagoan guns for Ticketmaster by rewarding fans who drive sales.
- Music, Music Column, Dec 3, 2009
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The Craftsmen
At Specimen Products and Emperor Cabinets, local musicians are making gear that makes other musicians drool.
