Scott Morrow 
Gallows: s/t (Bridge Nine, 9/18/12)
“Last June”
Following its Grey Britain LP in 2009, British hardcore/punk outfit Gallows lost the backing of its major label and dealt with the departure of original singer Frank Carter. The band quickly rebounded, however, and released an EP with new vocalist Wade MacNeil (ex-Alexisonfire) in late 2011, revealing that the quintet from Watford, UK, was no worse for the wear. With Gallows, your eardrums might not be so lucky.
Tin Hat: The Rain is a Handsome Animal (New Amsterdam, 8/28/12)
A few weeks ago, the ever-daring Tin Hat collective released another new adventure — a 17-song exploration of the modernist work of poet EE Cummings, with each member offering his or her own interpretation.
“A Cloud on a Leaf,” the album’s opener, is another beautiful, wandering chamber-folk piece, this time penned by clarinetist Ben Goldberg and sung by violinist Carla Kihlstedt. Kihlstedt’s vocal arrangements are integral to the album, and here she offers a melodic interpretation of Cummings’s “Speaking of Love (of… (LV)),” whose punctuation, capitalization, and spacing break the rules in the poet’s typical style.
In the song’s live-style video, the four members present a shuteye performance with a disturbing twist — especially from a distance. Stay strong for the final stare-down at the song’s conclusion.
Brother Ali: Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color (Rhymesayers, 9/18/12)
Using his music as a platform is nothing new for Minnesota MC Brother Ali, whose soulful brand of hip hop has ranged from the outspoken “Uncle Sam Goddamn” to the positive “Fresh Air.” However, since recording Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color — another politically minded album — Ali has gone a step further, getting involved in the Occupy Homes movement of Minnesota, working to prevent wrongful foreclosures.
Parenthetical Girls: Privilege, Pt. V: Portrait of a Reputation (Slender Means Society, 9/11/12)
Culminating two years of work on a five-EP cycle, the final installment of Parenthetical Girls’ Privilege series is here and full of dynamic pop beauty and angst.
Drawing back from the orchestral expanse of 2008 LP Entanglements, the core duo of vocalist / creative director Zac Pennington and producer/arranger Jherek Bischoff (whose solo album you must hear) offers dreamy electro- and 1960s pop, psychedelic rock, an organ dirge, and a touch of chamber elegance on Portrait of a Reputation. Watch here as the “Curtains” are closed on Pennington for a viking sea funeral.
For its eighth installment, Chicago’s punk- and hardcore-centered Riot Fest decided to go big, adding stops in Brooklyn, Toronto, and Dallas and expanding its Windy City weekend to include an outdoor carnival. Though tickets are almost gone, you still can grab two-day passes for Saturday and Sunday in Humboldt Park or buy single-day tickets for those two dates.
Here are our picks for the weekend. Rain isn’t in the forecast, but bring your poncho for GWAR either way.
The one and only Amon Tobin brought his otherworldly ISAM tour back to Chicago last weekend, pairing his peculiar homemade samples and IDM beats with an orgiastic visual display.
Solos: Beast of Both Worlds (Joyful Noise, 9/11/12)
“Carpe Diem”
It may seem strange that the members of Hella have gotten poppier and poppier since the height of their impenetrability from 2005 to 2007. Long-time fans, though, will recognize a penchant for melody amid complexity that dates back to its full-length debut in 2002.
Solos is a new project from Hella guitarist and cofounder Spencer Seim and avant-folk artist / temporary Hella singer Aaron Ross. Following the overt melodies of Seim’s synth-core project sBACH, Solos is a jaunt into slightly more avant-pop territory, combining Led Zeppelin-ish acoustic rock with psych-pop and Seim’s pounding, distinctive beats.