By Tom Lynch

Everybody sick of hearing about Michael Jackson? How about hearing the songs, over and over again, or the images from his videos on endless loop on television, or the sights of hipsters on the streets sporting one white glove? How about the death exhaustion, the “Who is Farrah Fawcett?” inquiries from the younger generation, the terrible coincidence of Billy Mays, the horrible jokes that have already surfaced with punchlines that include making young boys “beat it” and “Patrick Swayze.”

A friend of mine who works at one the few independent record stores left in the city told me that all the Michael Jackson merchandise the store carried sold out very, very quickly; makes sense, given this cultural obsession with death. Another friend, immediately after Michael Jackson’s death, basically shrugged. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Sunn O))) has this remarkable ability to sound gorgeous and menacing at once. “Monoliths & Dimensions” (Southern Lord), the band’s seventh full-length, offers four tracks, each exceptionally long and patient, treacherously heavy and, somehow, lucidly psychotic. Brooding, powerful, haunting—Sunn O))), the most inventive band in drone metal working today, terrorizes without scaring you away, and the new record is a massive accomplishment. Closing track “Alice,” which clocks in at more than sixteen minutes, will pummel you into submission if you allow it, and you should. (The duo behind the band, Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley, welcome a whole family of contributors to help out with the doom.) There’s a demented glee found in the music of Sunn O))), which reflects off the faces of the band’s audience members during its sets. Frightening, yes, but also deeply emotional. It’s unstoppable, this darkness, especially at this volume. Bring earplugs and body armor. (Tom Lynch)

July 2 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3600, at 9:30pm. $15.

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We’re being treated to a midsummer show from the Jicksters—Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus and his crew of prog-rock jammers. “Real Emotional Trash” was the most recent Malkmus record to hit shelves; the addition of Sleater-Kinney and Quasi’s Janet Weiss on the drums gave Malkmus’ band the backing-boost it needed. Watching Weiss play drums live still gets me all hot and bothered; match that with Malkmus’ virtuosic guitar-playing and let the rock run its course. The band’s extended jams would get tiresome in lesser hands, but Malkmus still usually punches up sets with some of the band’s pop numbers, some of which remind of the Pavement days. While “Real Emotional Trash” is a worthy beast, his earlier “solo” material, especially 2000′s self-titled record and 2005′s “Face the Truth,” offer the same goofy Malkmus from the “Cut Your Hair” days. A Malkmus show is always an entertaining treat and this is a rather tiny venue to house the indie-rock monster. Have at it, expect solos… (Tom Lynch)

July 2 at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake, (312)929-2022

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At this point, it may be difficult to distinguish which Canadian indie-rock projects merit attention, seeing as there are countless side projects stemming from the members of Wolf Parade and The New Pornographers alone. But Wolf Parade frontman Spencer Krug’s most prolific side project, Sunset Rubdown, is an essential listen. The band’s 2007 release, “Random Spirit Lover,” brought exquisite, layered arrangements and persistent Medieval images, a formula furthered in its newest record, “Dragonslayer,” which could very well be the lavish musical sequel to Beowulf. Even though “Dragonslayer” stands as Krug’s most accessible songwriting yet, it still requires a helluva lot of attention to catch every intricate instrumental ornament, or to memorize every movement in a single song. Packing forty-eight minutes into eight tracks, “Dragonslayer” forcibly demands to be consumed as a complete album rather than eight autonomous tracks, and Krug’s antiquated motifs—like the recurring dragons, palaces and sorcerers—further solidifies the record as an epic and daunting album to tackle, but the type that seems more impressive after each listen. Give it a couple of spins, and in the meantime, expect to see Krug and Colin Meloy at your local Renaissance Faire. (Andy Seifert)

July 7 at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie, (773)252-6179, 8pm. $18.

Oh no, Jet? Still? News of Jet’s continued existence is troubling and painful. Many of you are probably thinking, “Didn’t Jet die along with the Bush administration? Do we really have to endure another piss-poor Stones retread, inevitably set to a T-Mobile commercial?” It would appear so, as the Australian quartet readies “Shaka Rock,” its third record, following the hot mainstream success of “Get Born” (off the airplay of “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” and “Cold Hard Bitch”) and the lukewarm response to their sophomore suckfest, “Shine On.” “Shaka Rock” is still two months away, but based on its lead single, “She’s a Genius” (featuring the chorus: “That girl’s a genius/ oh oh oh/ I think she’s serious/ oh oh oh”), nobody should be getting their hopes up for an artistic breakthrough. It’s not that Jet produces mindless butt-rock (somebody’s gotta be AC/DC, right?), it’s that the guys insist on being unrelentingly derivative, pushing the same bland, formulaic song over and over again, raping the pioneers of classic rock that it ostensibly intends to honor. Ironically, drummer Chris Cester recently joked about the new album on the Jet Web site: “We’ve got to stop writing; we got fucking too many songs.” Chris, man, you have no idea how right you are. (Andy Seifert)

June 5 at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee, (773)489-3160, at 7pm. $20.

RECOMMENDED

Much to everyone’s surprise, not a single artist from Minus Records made appearances at this summer’s biggest North American electronic music festivals, Movement and Mutek. But fear not, minimal techno lovers, the Minus bus tour is coming to town and it’s stopping all over the Midwest for some highly anticipated engagements. The tour stops in Chicago at Smart Bar this Sunday to keep your July Fourth weekend going strong. The lineup consists of label boss, musical innovator and (most recently) fashion designer Richie Hawtin, Argentina’s talented and adorable DJ/producer Barem and New York’s Ambivalent, who recently released an EP with fellow Minus artist JPLS. The Minus crew has not appeared in Chicago since its ten-year anniversary performance at the Metro last August. No local DJs are on the bill for this showcase, so get down to Smart Bar early to avoid lines at the door. (Elly Rifkin)

July 5 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203.

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With releases on respected labels like Dessous, Brique Rouge, Kompakt and Defected, Swedish-born Berliner John Dahlbäck is one of the most prolific producers working in dance music today. A true musical savant, Dahlbäck managed to release his first house record “Music So Sweet” at the tender age of 15, finding a home for its four tracks on Chicago’s own Deep4Life. Since then, John, along with his cousin and sometimes partner Jesper, has found his stride churning out big-room sounds, melding high-energy electro-house and nasty, blippy tech-house. Dahlbäck also formed the excellent Pickadoll imprint, which boasts releases from club luminaries like Sébastien Léger, Zoo Brazil and Style of Eye. Although his recent releases and remixes have seemingly backslid into dangerously progressive-leaning fare (a proggy club retread of Samantha Fox? Really?), it’s refreshing to see an artist not completely preoccupied in defining his sound, and willing to work out what he hears. Still, we’d prefer it if he sticks to the hypnotically trippy tech-house territory he devastated us with in last year’s “Pyramid” and “Kokohukka.” And if he does unfortunately start sailing the seas of cheese…well, we’re pretty sure he’ll be able to bring it back with a bagful of excellent Pickadoll cuts. (Duke Shin)

July 3 at Spy Bar, 646 N. Franklin, (312)337-2191

RECOMMENDED

Hopefully you’re not the “guilt by association” type, otherwise California singer-songwriter Richard Swift—who was just in Tinley Park opening for blah-rockers The Fray and who’s spent time as keyboardist for contemporary Christian band Starflyer 59—may already be dead to you. Sure, Swift may dabble in the sort of MOR pop that leads to such patently uncool gigs, but his records also display the sort of meticulous detail and studio wizardry one expects from obsessive, sleep-deprived and possibly deranged artists (who are patently cool). His latest, “The Atlantic Ocean,” is an ambiguous, genre-bending affair with elements of honky-tonk, soft rock and seventies AM radio, slightly hindered by Swift’s inability to create a persona other than “wickedly talented musician,” which can only take you so far. “Atlantic Ocean” may suffer from a lack of identity, but it’s still an enjoyable and impressive record, if only because of how utterly precise and crisp every damn note sounds. (Andy Seifert)

July 5 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508, at 9pm. $10-$12.

RECOMMENDED

Damian Higgins has always kept himself busy, splitting his time between his Human Imprint recording label and touring with the Planet of the Drums crew, which features Higgins, as Dieselboy, alongside fellow U.S. drum ‘n’ bass champions, Dara and AK1200. Last year saw the release of two hit singles on Human, and a double CD filled with solid, dancefloor-crushing cuts by the top names in dark drum ‘n’ bass. Dieselboy’s repertoire has consistently featured the violent side of basslines and breakbeats, and each mix or compilation introduces the masses to new tunes by genre vets, or the occasional rising star. Higgins brings the pain with his DJ sets, and Chicago fans can expect a killer combo of solid deck skills and an ear for crowd-pleasing, chest-pounding drum ‘n’ bass. (John Alex Colon)

July 2 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203.

RECOMMENDED

As the Flashbulb, Benn Jordan has impressed the masses with live performances composed of melodic breakbeats and synth-fueled glitch tunes, but at this upcoming Sonotheque event, he dons the DJ hat in support of fellow knob twiddler, Machinedrum. Famous for his hip-hop twist on the glitch genre, Machinedrum, compared often to Prefuse 73, has refined his sound, incorporating more vocals and inserting a filtered-disco vibe that pits glitch against electro, making for some interesting concoctions. After a long absence, these two genre veterans are primed to turn up the heat with loads of bass and head-bobbing drum patterns, choppy percussion and jaw-dropping synth loops. (John Alex Colon)

July 7 at Sonotheque, 1444 W. Chicago