This Week in Shows & TNK

I'm still working on the migration of this site to WordPress, and I've been mighty lazy about it, so we'll still be posting to this platform for a bit. SHOWcal isn't working properly, but most of the stuff added prior to today should still be up there. Here's what's going on this week:

1/7/12 - Secret Colours/Apteka/Rabble Rabble @ Empty Bottle (10:00 $8/21+)
1/8/12 - Wu Tang Clan @ Congress Theatre (6:30 $25/AA)

Also, the annual Tomorrow Never Knows festival is kicking off. Here's the lineup:

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11TH
Com Truise, Lazercrystal, Special Guests @ Schubas (18+)

Glass Candy, Chromatics, Special Guests @ Lincoln Hall (18+)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12TH
Tycho, Active Child, Ant'lrd, Abstract Science DJs @ Lincoln Hall (18+)

Plants and Animals, Herman Dune, Special Guests @ Schubas (18+)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13TH
Gauntlet Hair, Caveman, Special Guests @ Schubas (18+)

Craig Richards (Fabric), Kate Simko @ Smart Bar (21+)

Nadastrom, Rampage & Nader, Special Guests @ Metro (18+)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14TH
Chairlift, Poliça, Special Guests @ Schubas (18+)

Grouplove, Hospitality, 1,2,3, Special Guests @ Lincoln Hall (18+)

The Walkmen @ Metro (18+)

Mr. Saturday Night, James Friedman, Only Children @ Smart Bar (21+)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15TH
Two Gallants, Special Guest @ Lincoln Hall (18+)

Top 20 Albums of 2011

2011 will not go down as a particularly good year for music (others agree). Of the few gems, here are the ones I'll continue to listen to.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):


Times New Viking - Dancer Equired
Joy Formidable - The Big Roar - Joy Formidable is first and foremost a live band with an energy and enthusiasm that does not translate well to this overglossed production. Nevertheless, the exquisite songwriting translates in either format.
Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings
Battles - Gloss Drop
Mastodon - The Hunter - A fine record, and kudos to experimentation and taking chances. But Mastodon treads too closely to Torche tribute band. I expected more.
Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams - Separating themselves from the lump of girl-grunge bands i.e. Vivian Girls and Best Coast, this pop-oriented album of love ballads shows progress, but is decidedly too one-note to warrant "good album" status.
Sondre Lerche - Sondre Lerche
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Vivian Girls - Share the Joy
Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pine


Top 20:


20.  Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage - I got turned on to WitTR just this year in my attempt to get back into the metal scene after many years away. What surprised me is that bands like this still exist, melding elements of black/death/doom in new ways, not unlike my favorite metal bands of the mid-1990s. They're also fantastic live.

19.  Decemberists - The King is Dead - It's just a solid Decemberists album. Which is to say, I've heard this all before, but I'm still not sick of it.

18.  Destroyer - Kaput - Cheese-ball for cheese-ball's sake, Dan Bejar takes his schtick to a new level. But it works. 

17.  The Antlers - Burst Apart - It's a heavy album that feels wistful, continuing the precedent set by 2009's excellent Hospice.

16.  Liturgy - Aesthetica - The next wave of hipster-metal is upon us. Mastodon was the crossover darling of 2007 and Liturgy carries the torch anew. Fascinatingly, this Brooklyn-based black metal band seems to be pulling it off, landing on several "Best-of" lists. Fortunately for them, they have the chops to quiet nay-sayers.


15.  Black Lips - Arabia Mountain - Straight-up playful rock, this notoriously awesome live band loses little on record.

14.  Yuck - Yuck - I dare say that if there is one subtext to 2011 is the emergence of 1990s-era alt-grunge influences, if not overt tributes. With Yuck, Joy Formidable and others, its surprising how well such a concept can be executed. 

13.  Radiohead - The King of Limbs - Radiohead puts out a new album that isn't in my Top-10? This is difficult to reconcile. And it's not that TKoL is a bad album, it's just not a Radiohead-level album. But it is still very good.


12.  Wye Oak - Civilian - This was a slow burn for me. After initially dismissing the album as too-cutesy, it grew on me with repeated listens. Then it dug its meathooks into me, and I can't stop coming back to it.

11.  Wild Flag - Wild Flag - Essentially as close to another Sleater Kinney album as we're going to get, it's like all SK albums. Which is to say, momentarily brilliant and other times frustrating. Listening to them still do their thing is very gratifying, but seeing it live is even better.

10.  TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light - Like most TVOTR albums, Nine Types of Light has its brilliant moments where you wonder why this isn't the best-known band in the world. Then, the filler reminds you of the times this band gets lazy. On the whole, the good outweighs the bad - and the "good" is really, really good.

9.  Cults - Cults - Boy, just try getting away from this band in 2011. It was a little disappointing to witness that much of the pop-hook-earworm effect so wonderfully captured on this record is lost at their inexplicably boring live shows. But, as this list is strictly limited to albums, this sure was an impressive debut. Will it continue, though?


8.  EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints - Erika M. Anderson (EMA, get it?) has a knack for luring people in with her looks and voice, but it isn't until you realize that you've been sucked in by her hauntingly emotive songcraft that you begin to appreciate her as the truly talented artist she is. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of variation, but the less-quiet moments on this album hint at finer things to come.


7.  tUnE-yArDs - W h o k i l l - Of all the albums on this list, it is the annoyingly-titled W h o k i l l that leaves me the most impressed and in awe, as some new ground is being covered here. The times when the progression dooms itself for being too self-aware are what keep it from being truly stellar. 

6.  Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues - Now that the onslaught of forest rock has seemed to die down, FF remains, victorious. Multi-harmony and excellent song-craft, unlike anything else out there today. 

5.  Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde - Now this album was over-hyped. After bursting on the scene last year with their lo-fi debut, SW has taken on a more polished persona. Yet, none of the talent is lost. This is just a high quality rock record front to back that loses nothing in repetition.


4.  Real Estate - Days  - I never saw this record coming on so strong. Like Wye Oak, this was a steady climber into my rotation. Nothing jumped out at me as being awesome at first, but the more I paid attention to it, the more I realized how much of it I enjoy. 

3.  Fucked Up - David Comes to Life - I still remember when I first heard of the concept of this album, let alone the album itself. A Fucked Up rock opera? Where the hell do I sign up? It's all I could have hoped for, given even more uproarious pleasure when performed live. This is a band like no other, and we are all the better for witnessing it.


2.  Tennis - Cape Dory - It baffles me how good this album is, and how little platitudes are thrust upon this album. Tennis is a married-duo, who conceived and wrote Cape Dory while sailing abroad. In context, each song reads as a travelogue of the adventure - nothing more and nothing less. I am transported to each day at sea - the smells, sights, longing and fear of every moment, though I've never sailed a day in my life. The album is beautiful, perfect for what it is, and loses nothing live.  


1.  Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation - Weighty, lo-fi, home-recorded, depressive synth-pop by a young, lone hipster is a recipe for disaster (see Bon Iver). Which is what makes this album all the more fascinating that it can work this well. I get the sense that even Trevor Powers is amazed at his own success, as this record feels like a cathartic release more so than any intentional artistic endeavor. The result is a lack of pretension and very raw emotion. It may not be the most impressive album objectively, and it is certainly not something that will live on decades from now as being a defining album of our times, but The Year of Hibernation is the most emotive, aesthetically pure album I have heard this year. Although 2011 may be without any truly remarkable, life-defining records, emotionally evocative purity is still a damn fine product for this, or any other year.

This Week in Shows

2011 is nearly over, but that doesn't mean there aren't shows to go to! Here's what's on tap for the coming week:

Wilco @ Metro
scheduled December 16, 2011 from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
$44
18+
Dirtbombs/White Mystery @ Sub-T
scheduled for December 16, 2011 at 11:30 PM to December 17, 2011 at 12:30 AM
FREE w/RSVP
Sea and Cake @ Empty Bottle
scheduled December 17, 2011 from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM
$18
21+
Wilco @ Lincoln Hall
scheduled December 18, 2011 from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM
$tba
18+
Andrew Bird @ MCA
scheduled December 21, 2011 from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM
$12
SOLD OUT
Andrew Bird @ MCA
scheduled December 22, 2011 from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM
$12
SOLD OUT

Top 103 Shows of 2011

Here it is, the most fun list I put together each year.  It's a chance to think back to all the live shows I was lucky enough to see, and then judge them against one another in a battle to the death.  As in years past, I count individual bands seen at a festival as separate "shows" but do not break-out opening acts and headliners as separate "shows".  It makes sense to me.  I wrote about some of these on the blog, or elsewhere, but I'll include a little something about the top-11 and the absolute worst.  Anyway, off we go:

1	Those Darlins/Peelander-Z @ Empty Bottle	October 5, 2011
	I hadn’t ever heard of Peelander-Z and only saw them b/c I accidently showed up early for Those Darlins. There’s no effective way to capture in words what a Peelander-Z show is like, but for an opening band that I was clueless about to capture my #1 live show of 2011, you better believe they’re something utterly bizarre and special.
2	Le Butcherettes @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
	I’d heard that they were a not-to-miss act, and boy were “they” right. Any performance by frontwoman Teri Gender Bender has no equal, but this Lollapalooza performance was truly something special.
3	Salem @ Empty Bottle	March 15, 2011
	Salem introduced me to the genre of witch-core, and though it’s certainly interesting on record, seeing Salem do their thing live is far and away a better experience. Blasts of noise, smoke and light not unlike a haunted disco.
4	Tennis @ Lincoln Hall	January 22, 2011
	Beautiful, romantic, well-crafted, Tennis shines even brighter live in an intimate and brilliant-sounding environment.
5	Youth Lagoon @ Lincoln Hall	November 22, 2011
	A top-5 record of the year, Youth Lagoon captured the live audience with his minimalism.
6	Destroyer @ Lincoln Hall	March 29, 2011
	Each Destroyer show is really just a question of, “In what mood will Dan Bejar be tonight?” Luckily, he was in a feisty mood, despite never speaking to the audience, reading off a sheet of paper, and often facing the back of the stage. Only he can pull that off and make it pleasurable.
7	Death From Above 1979 @ Metro	August 4, 2011
	The brief reunion tour was worth the wait.
8	Fucked Up @ Lincoln Hall	July 2, 2011
	Sadly, it seems like this may have been their last tour for awhile. Damian Abraham is one of my favorite people in rock, and his performing a rock opera while standing atop the bar, shirtless and sweaty encapsulates all that is right with this band.
9	Melvins @ Three Floyds 15th Anniversary Party Melvins at FFF was two awesome drummers and rare beer. Hard not to like.	November 12, 2011
10	Tobacco/Beans @ Lincoln Hall	April 15, 2011
	A first for me seeing either band live, both were excellent and appropriately weird.
11	Black Lips/Vivian Girls @ Logan Square Auditorium Black Lips continue their excellent live performances and Vivian Girls add just enough of a counter-balance to make the combination memorable.	April 22, 2011
12	Danzig/Samhain/Misfits @ Congress Theatre	October 7, 2011
13	Joy Formidable @ Lincoln Hall	April 5, 2011
14	A Perfect Circle @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
15	Wolves in the Throne Room @ Reggie's	September 1, 2011
16	Junip @ Empty Bottle	April 23, 2011
17	Les Savy Fav @ Sub-T	June 25, 2011
18	Those Darlins/Peelander-Z @ Schubas	October 6, 2011
19	Wild Flag @ Empty Bottle	October 9, 2011
20	Tame Impala/Yuck @ Lincoln Hall	May 3, 2011
21	Deadmau5 @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
22	Odd Future @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
23	Surfer Blood/…Trail of Dead @ Bottom Lounge	May 7, 2011
24	Smith Westerns @ Lincoln Hall	May 11, 2011
25	Tapes 'n Tapes @ Northcenter Ribfest	June 12, 2011
26	Matt & Kim/Thermals @ Vic	June 26, 2011
27	Zola Jesus @ Pitchfork	July 16, 2011
28	TV on the Radio @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
29	Beirut @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
30	Ratatat @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
31	Cut Copy @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
32	Wavves @ Wicker Park Summerfest	July 24, 2011
33	Girl in a Coma/Detroit Cobras @ Bottom Lounge	June 2, 2011
34	Death From Above 1979 @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
35	Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
36	Ween @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
37	Blonde Redhead @ Millennium Park	July 18, 2011
38	Japandroids/Bass Drum of Death @ Schubas	September 23, 2011
39	Hunx & His Punx @ Double Door	September 14, 2011
40	Best Coast @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
41	Fresh & Onlys/Crocodiles @ Lincoln Hall	April 20, 2011
42	Deerhoof @ Bottom Lounge	September 25, 2011
43	Marked Men @ Empty Bottle	May 28, 2011
44	EMA @ Pitchfork	July 15, 2011
45	Fleet Foxes @ Pitchfork	July 16, 2011
46	Gwar @ HOB	October 31, 2011
47	Le Butcherettes @ Sub-T	November 4, 2011
48	Yakuza @ Sub-T	November 23, 2011
49	Besnard Lakes @ Lincoln Hall	January 13, 2011
50	Michael Showalter @ Schubas	March 14, 2011
51	Raveonettes @ Lincoln Hall	April 6, 2011
52	tUnE-yArDs @ Pitchfork	July 15, 2011
53	Low @ Millennium Park	June 27, 2011
54	The Mountain Goats @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
55	Das Racist @ Pitchfork	July 15, 2011
56	Eminem @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
57	Ganglians/Friends @ Beat Kitchen	December 2, 2011
58	Les Savy Fav/Thermals @ Green Music Fest	June 26, 2011
59	Cults @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
60	Wild Flag @ Wicker Park Summerfest	July 23, 2011
61	Girl Talk @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
62	Neko Case @ Pitchfork	July 15, 2011
63	Nobunny @ Do Division	June 4, 2011
64	Tennis @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
65	Ted Leo @ Millennium Park	July 25, 2011
66	Explosions in the Sky @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
67	Shabazz Palaces @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
68	High Places @ Empty Bottle	August 21, 2011
69	Torche @ Bottom Lounge	July 28, 2011
70	High Places @ Illinois Centennial Monument at Logan Square	August 21, 2011
71	The Mountain Goats @ Lollapalooza	August 5, 2011
72	Blitzen Trapper @ Wicker Park Summerfest	July 24, 2011
73	Wild Nothings @ Pitchfork	July 16, 2011
74	Here We Go Magic @ Schubas	May 9, 2011
75	Iron and Wine @ Millennium Park	June 6, 2011
76	Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
77	Local Natives @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
78	Lykke Li @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
79	Black Lips @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
80	Toro Y Moi @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
81	Deerhunter @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
82	Foo Fighters @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
83	Destroyer @ Pitchfork	July 16, 2011
84	Manchester Orchestra @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
85	Smoking Popes @ Double Door	April 3, 2011
86	Kid Cudi @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
87	Battles @ Lincoln Hall	April 30, 2011
88	A Place To Bury Strangers @ Do Division	June 5, 2011
89	Battles @ Pitchfork	July 15, 2011
90	No Age @ Pitchfork	July 16, 2011
91	DJ Shadow @ Pitchfork	July 16, 2011
92	Local H @ West Fest	July 9, 2011
93	Delicate Steve @ Millennium Park	July 11, 2011
94	Califone/Bloodiest @ Illinois Centennial Monument at Logan Square	June 26, 2011
95	Arctic Monkeys @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
96	Bonnie Prince Billy @ Millennium Park	May 23, 2011
97	Superchunk @ Pitchfork	July 17, 2011
98	Foster the People @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
99	Tokyo Police Club @ AV Club Fest	September 11, 2011
100	Cee Lo @ Lollapalooza	August 6, 2011
101	Kings Go Forth @ Millennium Park	June 20, 2011
102	The Cars @ Lollapalooza	August 7, 2011
103	Joy Formidable @ Metro The Metro used to have a nasty habit of overselling their more popular shows. The practice seemed to end when they ditched Ticketbastard and migrated to another platform. I should have known something was amiss when the service fees started creeping back up, but this show was so-oversold that access to the main floor was impossible. Dozens of attendees were relegated to the back hallway with zero sightlines and horribly muffled (and boomy) sound. It looks like the Metro is going back on my “never-attend” list of venues.	December 14, 2011

Record Releases - December 13-20, 2011

This is the last record release posting of 2011! The ubiquitous "best-of" lists are coming out (mine to appear shortly), and, frankly, it was a pretty bad year for music. Will 2012 be any better?

Stuff marked * should be good:

Dec-13-11	Gallows - Birth Is Death EP (Physical Release)	Thirty Days of Night Records
Dec-13-11	*Jonsi - We Bought A Zoo (Soundtrack)	Columbia Records
Dec-13-11	*Mastodon - Remission	Relapse
Dec-13-11	Moby - Destroyed (Deluxe Edition)	Mute
Dec-13-11	*Rainer Maria - Rainer Maria (Box Set)	Polyvinyl
Dec-13-11	Rammstein - Made In Germany 1995-2011	Vagrant
Dec-13-11	Various Artists - Please, Please, Please: A Tribute to the Smiths	American Laundromat
Dec-20-11	Blu and Exile - Below The Heavens	Sound In Color
Dec-20-11	*Radiohead - King of Limbs: From the Basement DVD	Self-Released
Dec-20-11	William Fitzsimmons - Gold In the Shadow (Deluxe Edition)	Nettwerk Records

Empty Bottle Announces 'Friends of the Bottle' Annual Pass

Death From Above 1979's favorite Chicago venue, Empty Bottle, announced today that for the first time ever it is releasing year-long passes that entitles card-holders to certain perks. The $150 standard "FOB" pass gets you free entry to any $10-and-under show, exclusive pre-sale access to shows $10+, a free drink at every show, line-skipping, and other stuff. It can be purchased here. The $500 (!) "FOB Gold" pass gets you all of the above, except you get free entry to every Empty Bottle show regardless of the $10 demarcation line. It can be purchased here. Anybody doing this? I'm curious who is willing to drop $500 on unlimited Empty Bottle shows for a year.

This Week in Shows

The year is winding down, so not many more chances to see live music in 2011. All the new stuff added to the SHOWcal. Here's what's going on this week:

Bon Iver @ UIC Pavilion

scheduled December 9, 2011 from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM

$39

AA

Pterodactyl @ Empty Bottle

scheduled December 9, 2011 from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM

$8

21+

Woods @ Sub-T

scheduled December 10, 2011 from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM

$13

17+

Wilco @ Civic Opera

scheduled December 12, 2011 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

$36

AA

Lasers and Fast and Shit @ Empty Bottle

scheduled December 12, 2011 from 9:30 PM to 11:30 PM

FREE

21+

Kathryn Calder @ Double Door

scheduled December 14, 2011 from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM

$10

21+

Joy Formidable @ Metro

scheduled December 14, 2011 from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM

$17

18+

Josh Caterer @ Schubas

scheduled December 14, 2011 from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM

$12

21+

Wilco @ Vic

scheduled December 15, 2011 from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM

$tba

AA

Record Releases - December 6, 2011

Anything worth buying in time for the Christmas holiday push? Stuff marked * should be good:

Dec-06-11	1, 2, 3 - Scared But Not That Scared	Frenchkiss
Dec-06-11	America - History/America's Greatest Hits	Friday Music
Dec-06-11	Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures	Universal Republic
Dec-06-11	Bitch Magnet - Bitch Magnet	Temporary Residence
Dec-06-11	Childish Gambino - Camp	Glassnote
Dec-06-11	deardarkhead - Oceanside 1991-1993	Captured Tracks
Dec-06-11	Gallows - Birth Is Death EP	Thirty Days of Night Records
Dec-06-11	*Girls - Lawrence 7" Single	True Panther
Dec-06-11	Gold Panda - DJ Kicks	!K7
Dec-06-11	*Iron and Wine - Morning Becomes Eclectic	4AD
Dec-06-11	Johnny Winter - Second Winter	Friday Music
Dec-06-11	King's Daughters and Sons - If Then Not When	Chemikal Underground
Dec-06-11	Lake - Gravel	K
Dec-06-11	McCoy Tyner - Sahara	Fantasy
Dec-06-11	Mute Math - Odd Soul	Warner Bros.
Dec-06-11	Mux Mool - Planet High School	Ghostly International
Dec-06-11	Phish - Phish: Hampton/Winston-Salem '97 (Box Set)	JEMP
Dec-06-11	Ralfe Band - Bunny and the Bull OST	Ghost Ship Records
Dec-06-11	T-Pain - rEVOLVEr	Atlantic Records
Dec-06-11	Tender Forever - Where Are We From EP	Self-Released
Dec-06-11	Terror Visions [Jay Reatard] - World of Shit (Reissue)	FDH
Dec-06-11	The American Revolution - Buddha Electrostorm	Fire Records
Dec-06-11	The Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See 7"	Domino
Dec-06-11	*The Black Keys - El Camino	Nonesuch
Dec-06-11	The Cure - Bestival Live Album	Sunday Best Recordings
Dec-06-11	The Roots - undun	Island Def Jam
Dec-06-11	*The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave	Dead Oceans
Dec-06-11	*Torche/Part Chimp - Split Tour 12"	Chunklet Industries
Dec-06-11	Various Artists - Free Music: A Carpark Record	Carpark Records
Dec-06-11	Wives - Roy Tapes	Post Present Medium
Dec-06-11	Zomby - Nothing	4AD
Dec-06-11	Zomby - Nothing EP	4AD