Soulsavers

Interview: English production duo Soulsavers captures an intimate, evolving Dave Gahan

Soulsavers: The Light the Dead SeeSoulsavers: The Light the Dead See (Mute, 5/22/12)

“Take Me Back Home”

Soulsavers: “Take Me Back Home”

For more than two decades, Depeche Mode front-man Dave Gahan was content being the impassioned voice behind the songs of bandmate Martin Gore, whose edgy, genre-stretching synth pop dominated the ’80s club scene and landed unapologetically on ’90s alternative-rock radio. But since 2003, the singer’s distinctive baritone also has served a more personal purpose, fueling the release of his first two solo albums and, in May, his first collaboration with English production duo Soulsavers.

For Gahan, the evolution may have been inevitable.

Dark Dark Dark

Review: Dark Dark Dark’s Who Needs Who

Dark Dark Dark: Who Needs WhoDark Dark Dark: Who Needs Who (Supply & Demand, 9/25/12)

“Tell Me”

Dark Dark Dark: “Tell Me”

It’s true that breakups can be a catalyst to endearing music. Much like it sounds, Dark Dark Dark’s Who Needs Who carries a heavy heart, written during the parting of singer/pianist Nona Marie Invie and bandmate/multi-instrumentalist Marshall LaCount. And though challenging under the circumstances, each member manages to translate mixed emotions into a musical synergy that’s deeply private and revealing. Who Needs Who shows the group not only maturing as a band, but also as long-time friends rediscovering common ground with one another.

The Bad Plus

Review: The Bad Plus’s Made Possible

The Bad Plus: Made PossibleThe Bad Plus: Made Possible (E1, 9/25/12)

“Seven-Minute Mind”

Following its all-covers vocal album in 2008, jazz-rock trio The Bad Plus has made a point to remind fans just how unique and dynamic its original material is. Of course, that material always was a majority and a focal point, but certain albums (such as 2007 release Prog) skewed the “cover ratio” and featured more pop interpretations.

Kid Koala

Review: Kid Koala’s 12-Bit Blues

Kid Koala: 12-Bit BluesKid Koala: 12-Bit Blues (Ninja Tune, 9/18/12)

“2-Bit Blues”

Kid Koala: “2-Bit Blues”

Canadian DJ/turntablist Eric San, better known as Kid Koala, has long been known for his eclectic collection of records. Cartoon TV specials, old comedy sketches, bodily functions — you name it and he has chopped, scratched, or spliced it into his work. Now, for his latest studio album, he takes on the blues.

Bloc Party

Concert Photos: Bloc Party @ Riviera Theatre (Chicago, IL)

Bloc Party: Four (Frenchkiss, 8/21/12)

Since Bloc Party hit Lollapalooza in early August, the UK indie quartet has tirelessly toured Europe and the United States in support of Four, its hard-charging new album. Now, with only a few dates left in the Pacific Northwest, the band sets its sights back across the Atlantic for dates through late November. Hey, touring isn’t for the faint of heart!

Drew Reynolds was on hand in Chicago last week to capture Kele and company.

Bloc Party

Efterklang

Review: Efterklang’s Piramida

Efterklang: PiramidaEfterklang: Piramida (4AD, 9/25/12)

“Apples”

Efterklang: “Apples”

Efterklang can hear dead people, or so it seems. Perhaps that’s why the Danish post-rock ensemble visited Pyramiden — a ghost town on the Arctic Norwegian island of Spitsbergen — to create its new album of similar name.

At the abandoned Russian settlement, its members wandered a landscape of streams and mountains, recording the sounds of seabirds, footfall, and rushing wind. In the studio, they added the ethereal vocals of a choir and the chime-like peals of a glass-bottle collection. Whether or not these sounds are messages from another realm, they summon haunting melodies and shiver-inducing rhythms. It makes perfect sense, considering that “efterklang” means remembrance and reverberation.

Grizzly Bear

Review: Grizzly Bear’s Shields

Grizzly Bear: ShieldsGrizzly Bear: Shields (Warp, 9/18/12)

“Sleeping Ute”

Grizzly Bear: “Sleeping Ute”

In 2009, Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear became a mainstay of artsy indie rock with its breakthrough effort, Veckatimest, which added to the band’s already gorgeous, distinct sound. Three years later, the vocally adept and sonically diverse quartet is back with Shields, an album even more assured of the band’s signature style.