The best local music of ’09—so far
JC Brooks And The Uptown Sound
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The consensus among music critics is that 2009 has been a rock-solid year so far. But does that assertion hold up on a local level? In a word, yes. As these five releases demonstrate, Chicago's doing as good a job, if not better. While these picks are stylistically diverse, a common thread emerges: They're mostly proper debut albums coming out after years of musical dues. Say what you will about the Midwest's slower pace, one thing’s for sure: If anything’s gonna be done at all, it'll be done right.
The Poison Arrows—First Class, And Forever
Release: May
In a recent interview with Consequence Of Sound, The Poison Arrows said that the band spent three years recording First Class, And Forever. If Forever consisted entirely of master classes in math-rock—as forcefully tuneful tracks like “Future Wine” and “Fire Up The Happiness Center” seemingly indicate—then it would be an assured artistic success. But it’s not just the requisite touchstones of the indie subgenre (heavily distorted instrumentation, complex song structures, virtuosic rhythm guitar playing) that give Forever its strength. It’s the group’s excellent stylistic tricks—namely, in the form of electronic soundscapes—that give Forever’s tracks depth and shape. The ambient touches serve as musical red herrings on progressive punk songs like “Total Beverage,” and “Twenty Percent Brighter:” They're quickly followed by uppercuts of cymbal-heavy drumbeats and punishing, crunchy basslines.
The synthetic textures come into the foreground during in Forever’s terrific, dream-like middle section. “An Unexploded Dream” finds the band using slower tempos in post-rock and 8-bit electronica, while interludes like “The Path Of Least Resistance” and “Ideal Omens” masterfully dabble in shoegaze. Though First Class, And Forever starts off with a bang, its patience in revealing a new sonic vocabulary demonstrate that it's is in a creative class of its own. Grade: A-
The Poison Arrows play Wicker Park Fest July 25.
Locrian—Drenched Lands
Released: April
Ambient experimental duo Locrian patiently established its presence in Chicago's noise and metal scenes by issuing preview CD-Rs at shows before its official full-length, Drenched Lands, dropped earlier this year. If nothing else, Locrian knows the value of patience—the kind that horror-movie directors use to milk tension and dread out of every possible moment on screen.
Lands starts off with detuned guitars playing sorrowful, suspended guitar chords, but they're eventually engulfed by buzzing, encroaching synth-noise. From there, pieces like “Ghost Repeater” slowly feed on instruments so drenched in distortion and delay that they sound like the air-raid sirens of Armageddon. If that sounds like a frightening listening proposition, well, no argument.
But because there’s no percussion on Drenched Lands, and the tempos don’t rise above a sepulchral crawl, there’s something strangely soothing about it—even when the band is screaming black-metal bloody murder over minor-key organs. Additionally, the desolate serenity of even the most chaotic of tracks sees that melody shines through (“Epicedium”). For the most part, though, Drenched Lands is unholy calm after the post-apocalyptic storm. Grade: A
JC Brooks And The Uptown Sound—Beat Of Our Own Drum
Released: February
Though listeners might not connect the dots based on the band’s excellent revivalist soul sound, JC Brooks And The Uptown Sound is a group that holds both Otis Redding and Lou Reed in high regard. Much of Beat Of Our Own Drum's sound is derived from Redding’s patented Memphis soul. Brooks’ joyfully anguished howl and the rock-steady rhythm section recall the Stax star most directly, as relentlessly catchy tracks like city-baiting scorcher “Baltimore Is The New Brooklyn” and horn-fueled plea “Love One Another” show. And yet, the rhythm guitar work on Drum hints at the chiming guitar tones of Loaded-era The Velvet Underground, and those touches help rough up the band’s disciplined melodic sensibilities (especially on the thumping groove of the title track).
As a whole, Drum specializes in providing passionately delivered retro-cool comforts—even digressions into Meters-esque funk (“How To Stop Loving Someone Who's Stopped Loving You”) and moody soul minimalism (“75 Years Of Art Sex”) sound wonderfully familiar. On album closer “Berry Please,” Brooks states confidently that his band has “the sound of young America.” Forget the youth: If Brooks and company make another record as strong as Drum, they’ll have the ear of the entire country. Grade: A-
Here's "Baltimore Is The New Brooklyn":
Mic Terror—King Of The New School
Released: January
No matter how thoughtful or socially conscious rap music aspires to be, there’s always going to be some level of braggadocio. But how many rappers would directly admit that they’re assholes, and in incredibly entertaining fashion to boot? Apparently, only Chicago MC Mic Terror. But here’s the thing: King Of The New School, Mic Terror’s mix-tape, is fantastic in its unassuming, lax charm.
New School is at its unquestionable pinnacle right out of the gate. The production—which combines a myriad of instrumental samples (piano, sputtering hi-hats, swirls of synth) with Terror’s laid-back but laser-focused drawl of a flow—creates an effortlessly exciting hip-hop juggernaut out of songs like the title track and “Gold Around My Neck".
Oddly enough, it’s when New School switches midway into bouncy club anthems that the mix-tape briefly dips into uninspired hooks and insipid lyrics—“Oh Wee” is booty rap that would embarrass even Sir Mix-A-Lot (“Oh wee / You ain’t got no booty / But you still a cutie”). But such a drop in quality is brief, and Mic Terror ends New School with incredible exercises in funky mid-tempo hip-hop. Yeah, Terror's a bragger, but it ain’t bragging if it’s true. Grade: A-
"Definition Of A Terror":
Honorable mention: Cave—Psychic Psummer
Released: May
Cave's mostly instrumental experimental rock is dense. It draws inspiration from notable sources—including the guitar-styles of '60s-era psychedelia and mod, along with the motorik drumbeats of krautrock—while throwing in otherworldly, mind-blowing keyboard sounds. That combination of elements may be a lot to process for some listeners. But because Psychic Psummer, the group’s second album, has a rock-heavy first half, the album practically sprints off the record player (particularly on its first two tracks).
That’s not to say that Cave can’t slow down. “Encino Men” calms things down by introducing trance and dub basslines into Cave’s musical palette. Additionally, the band’s introduction of electronics carries through on in the excitable second half. Psychic Psummer has some incredible moments, but its breakneck pace makes listening a strangely anticlimatic experience. Music fans are in no hurry to be finished with the music they love. So why does a band as fascinating as Cave seem all too eager to finish up and go home? Grade: B+
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