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This week: More prime submissions from the always overflowing
mail bins of Do-It-Yourself releases by local artists.
Reptoids, self-titled EP (www.reptoids.net)
“Used amps, stolen guitars, bladder infections, UFO
conspiracy theories, L7, too many cigarettes, jilted ex’es”—these are a few
of the favorite things this Chicago quartet lists in its bio, and that
roster summons a pretty good description of the group’s ultra-attitudinal
brand of grungy punk (heaviest perhaps on the L7). Inspirational lyric from
“Cowboys Scars” off the combo’s three-track debut EP: “Total loss of
communication/Forget about the joys of masturbation.” Reptoids perform at
Mutiny, 2428 N. Western, tomorrow night; call
(773) 486-7774.
Carson’s Window, self-titled EP (www.carsonswindow.com)
Launched by singer-songwriter Caryn Carson in her native
Pennsylvania, Carson’s Window relocated to Chicago last May and expanded to
a quartet featuring drums, bass and violin in addition to its leader’s
understated piano playing. The band’s self-titled six-song debut is overly
mannered at times—given the strength of Carson’s voice, it would be nice to
hear the group rock a bit harder—but it will definitely appeal to fans of
Lilith Faire; think of a mellower Tori Amos, a less pretentious Jewel, or a
not-quite-but-maybe-someday Sarah McLachlan. The group performs at the Buzz
Club, 308 W. Erie, at 8 p.m. on Feb. 11; call (312)
475-9800.
The
Bon Mots, “Le Main Drag” (www.thebonmots.com)
Formed by power-pop veterans Eric Chial and Mike Coy in 2000,
the Bon Mots are an appealingly jangly psychedelic/power-pop quartet that
draws on the familiar influences of the Byrds and the Zombies but rises to
the top of this always-overcrowded genre by virtue of its strong
songwriting, Chris Frantisak’s atmospheric keyboards and the swirling
production of its 12-song album. The disc has been out for some time, but I
just caught up with it, and it’s worth the attention: At its best moments,
it evokes the Rain Parade’s classic “Emergency Third Rail Power Trip”; at
its worst, it veers close to the Zombies at their most twee and precious,
but that’s still an accomplishment of sorts.
Zapruder Point, “Spirit of 91” (www.zapruderpoint.com)
John Aselin of Electric engineered this strong six-song EP,
the follow-up to home-recording maven Dan Phillips’ earlier two-disc set,
“Low Resolution.” Phillips’ skewed, ultra-personal brand of folkie art-rock
follows in the tradition of the Elephant 6 bands—notably Neutral Milk
Hotel—but the sound has grown more expansive as the group’s lineup has
solidified into a trio with Casey Millard on violin and her husband Tom on
drums. This disc, too, has been out for quite some time now, but it’s much
too good to remain overlooked and underheralded.
Mabel, “Epidemic” EP (www.mabeltheband.com)
Mabel is another cool indie-rock group that makes surprising
but effective use of strings, with Chai Wolfman’s cello caressing Erin
Hillert’s vocals and cascading piano as the two boys in the band keep things
moving along with bass and drums, sort of like a more organic Stereolab. The
quartet relocated from Madison before the release of this endearing
five-song disc, and Wisconsin’s loss was Chicago’s gain.
The
Blind Robins, “The Origin of the Wasteland” (www.theblindrobins.com)
Based in Rockford and named for a pickled-fish snack popular
in the backwoods bars of northern Wisconsin, this quartet displays as much
of an old-school country influence (Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard) as it does
traces of that new-fangled alt-country music. Its debut boasts chops
aplenty—especially on the part of six-string wizard Adam Davis—a hearty and
timeless sense of humor in the originals (a song called “That Goddamn
Herbert Hoover” kicks things off), and a well-chosen cover in Neil Young’s
“Campaigner.” The Bottle Rockets may have finally spawned a worthy
successor.
Miasma of Funk, “Groove on the Mania!” (www.topscrap.com)
Most fans of Chicago’s influential ’80s industrial-punk band
Big Black know that guitarist Santiago Durango dropped out of music to
become a lawyer, while Steve Albini is of course still doing his Steve
Albini thing as a “recordist” and leader of Shellac. Bassist Dave Riley’s
whereabouts have long been a mystery, but it turns out he’s living in
downstate Warsaw and making music with Joe
Irizarry (ex-Coitus Manifold), who runs the Top Scrap Records label. Funny
and hard-hitting tracks such as “Radio Waves from Russia” (which samples
Captain Beefheart’s “Dachau Blues”) and “Urr Chamber” recall that vintage
Big Black groove and twisted sense of humor, minus Albini’s sizable
personality. Riley has also published a collection of stories called
Blurry and Disconnected: Tales of Sink or Swim Nihilism; for more info,
visit www.miasmaoffunk.net.
Mick Luter,
eight-song demo (Day 1 Entertainment)
Luter is another rising rapper who’s showing
the influence of Kanye West with an easy flow, a natural rhyming style and a
fondness for building new tracks based on cool old R&B dusties. The West
Side artist has been pegged as a comer since winning the Source’s emcee
battle in 2000, and he made a splash a few years ago with his first album,
“The Word.” Like that disc, his new material is largely produced by the
well-respected No I.D. If the forthcoming album, “The Red Letter Edition,”
is as strong as the best tracks on this sampler—“Someday” and “Rotate Wit
Me”—Luter may soon be giving West a run for his money.
The Bish,
two-song demo (www.sonofabish.com)
Led by Dan Cain, the Bish has some stoner-rock
influences—there’s more than a little Deep Purple in its mix—as well as an
aggressive, dirty garage-rock vibe courtesy of some killer Farfisa organ.
These two tracks, “Alpha Male” and “Coronation,” have certainly whetted my
appetite for a forthcoming album, due early this year. The quartet performs
at the Elbo Room,
2871 N. Lincoln, on Feb. 12; call (773) 549-5549.
Aderrick,
“Thirsty” (www.aderrick.com)
This sexy and winning 12-track album, the
follow-up to an earlier D.I.Y. release called “This Is Where It Begins,”
brings to mind Prince circa “Controversey” crossed with cutting-edge
electronica. Hot ’n’ horny grooves such as “Belly of the Beast” and “Rules
of the Game” succeed on the strength of Aderrick’s sexy vocals, layered
synth-heavy productions and a sultry wall of female backing vocals. Fronting
a big, funky band, he could slay; I’d love to hear him get the chance.
Your Little Ponies, “Get On and Get Off” (www.yourlittleponies.com)
Here’s an oddity: A dirty-minded acoustic quartet that’s
proudly deserving of the fake “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” warning
label on the cover of its second album, the follow-up to the equally
well-titled “Saddle Up.” These unrepentant frat boys sing about doin’ the
nasty, making love and rolling in the hay—with a few songs about sex as
well—using fairly sophomoric but pretty darn funny language. As such,
they’re sort of a modern analog to the pioneering and scatological Fugs. My
favorite ditty: “I Really Wanted to Hump Her.”
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