As comedic author David Sedaris made his way through an oral recital of short stories during his Easter stop at The Chicago Theatre, it became increasingly clear that awkward translations between languages would be a recurrent theme. It is, after all, a well of material that probably won’t run dry as long as humankind exists.
The Fucking Champs: VI
VI, the fourth full-length album by instrumental heavy metallers The Fucking Champs and their first after two collaborative albums with Trans Am, mercifully justifies its existence with a new approach.
TODD, Racebannon @ Beat Kitchen (Chicago)
If nails on a chalkboard are closer to music in your ears than any heartfelt love ballad ever could be, last Saturday’s show at Beat Kitchen in Chicago, featuring FT(The Shadow Government), Racebannon and TODD, would have been a little piece of heaven on Earth. If that’s not a seal of approval, I don’t know what is.
Slavic Soul Party!: Teknochek Collision
The Party is back, gracing us with another disc full of Gypsy marching tunes interspersed with hellacious solos and tightly harmonized sequences.
Children of Men (DVD)
Children of Men, released last week on DVD, is an ultramodern tale of a war-torn world in which the human race has not successfully reproduced for the past 18 years.
Nintendo to be “Flagship Contributor” at E for All
In the wake of the scaled-back Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which will be held from July 11-13 in Santa Monica, California and be accessible by invitation only, International Data Group (IDG) announced a few months ago that it would launch a new gaming exposition called Entertainment for All.
And to help drum up support for the event, Nintendo has announced that it will be the “flagship contributor” as E for All takes place from October 18-21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Maxed Out
Based on the book by author/director James D. Scurlock, Magnolia Pictures documentary Maxed Out aims to open a few eyes on the enormous amount of personal debt in America as well as the overwhelming total of national debt.
William Elliot Whitmore, Red Sparowes @ Subterranean (Chicago)
Never have there been so many death metal T-shirts at a folk performance until William Elliott Whitmore hit the road, and it is doubtful that many similarly styled artists could capture both the hearts and ears of the hard-rock crowd (unless their last names are Cash).
El-P: I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
After waiting nearly five years for producer/rapper extraordinaire El-P to release a follow-up to 2002’s Fantastic Damage, fans now have available a sophomore effort that doesn’t disappoint. I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, with its heavily layered, dark, atmospheric, gritty, and synth-saturated sound, feels like a hip-hop soundtrack to a science fiction film.
Air: French Mood Setters Still a Band Apart
This band is a blast from the past with its soft pop sound.
Explosions in the Sky: there’s no holding back
With their raw energy and simple melodies, Explosions in the Sky brings us tantalizing live shows.
Big Business
I’m talking to Big Business drummer Coady Willis just prior to the band’s New Years Eve show in their hometown of Seattle. He tells me that Big Business had Queen in mind as the production template for their new album.