Los Straitjackets: Jet Set (Yep Roc, 8/7/12)
“Space Mosquito”
Los Straitjackets: “Space Mosquito”
Every team gets a shot in the arm from the return of its leader, and the same must hold true for instrumental surf-rock quartet Los Straitjackets. Buoyed by the return of guitarist Danny Amis from a battle with multiple myeloma — a plasma-cell cancer that manifests in bone marrow — the ‘Jackets are back, luchador masks in hand (er…on face).
Guano Padano: 2 (Ipecac, 8/7/12)
“Gran Bazaar”
With the intercontinental mix of Italian trio Guano Padano, one could take the easy way out, calling it the bastard child of Ennio Morricone, Dick Dale, and Calexico. The truth is something more muddied, something broader yet less mashed up.
Led by guitarist Alessandro Stefana, 2 steeps in the traditions of Italian-western cinema — specifically, the Italian sonic interpretation of Americana — and applies surf rock and 1950s and ’60s rock ’n’ roll to the music of America’s south and southwest. Bits of gypsy, jazz, and oriental styles also dot the landscape, as each song is a journey to a new land.
It’s a great few days for metal in Chicago as Mastodon, Converge, Kylesa, and Russian Circles each performs new material.
Fans of softer fare have great options as well as hip-hop producer Peanut Butter Wolf, chicha enthusiasts Chicha Libre, and post-jazz/jam guitarist Charlie Hunter hit town.