What’s in a name, really? Too many commercial bands have made it with obscure names based off cartoons, books or movies. So what can you make of a band whose name is Jet W. Lee? It sounds like a mode of travel for Civil War generals.

The band’s sound? Nineties alternative rock like Superchunk or Local H mixed with a bit of eighties punk a la Minutemen. “We can’t stand only liking a certain type of music, although I would say we are solidly classified as loud alt rock,” says guitarist and vocalist Jesse Johnson.

Jet W. Lee calls Champaign/Urbana its home, but adds Chicago as its home away from home. The band began as a two-piece—with Johnson pulling guitar duty and Patrick Mangan behind the drum kit—and formed after a few drinks at a local bar. ” I was actually gonna ask him to play drums with me, but before I could ask he told me that we should start a band,” Johnson says. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Toronto techno favorite Jake Fairley makes his long-awaited return to Chicago this week. Releasing music since 2000 on labels like Traum, Sender, Border Community and Kompakt Extra, among others, Fairley’s melodic productions are informed by a wide range of musical sensibilities. His catalogue contains everything from funky machine-oriented rhythms, to dubby melodies, to fuzzy electro-inspired synths, to fat bass lines and rock-oriented electronic samples. Fairley will perform his critically acclaimed, energetic live set under his “Fairmont” moniker, which showcases the deeper, sultrier side of his repertoire. Chicago has local promoter Migrashun to thank for this night of many firsts—namely, the first Fairmont live P.A. in Chicago and Migrashun’s first showcase at Smart Bar. Supporting sets from the Migrashun residents will keep the sexy tech-house going all night long, with Mathias Matthew performing solo and Ariel Frank tag-teaming with former Detroiter Derek Fox. For added ambiance, local producer/DJ David Powers will be providing live visuals. (Elly Rifkin)

January 29 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, at 10pm.

With a hefty dose of coquettish charm and bossa nova kisses, Nouvelle Vague was the feel-good crossover hit of 2004. The release of the French band’s self-titled debut album delighted newfound fans with their penchant for turning seminal punk and new wave tunes into stripped-down acoustic jams, with a parade of international chanteuses adding their worldly flavors to each respective tune. Coupled with their beguiling live show, the band’s playfully refined concept spawned two successful follow-up albums with 2006’s “Bande à Part” and the aptly named “3,” released last June.

The juxtaposition of Nouvelle Vague’s jazzy, bossa nova style and subversive source material, like the Sex Pistols or Violent Femmes (both covered on “3”), might seem central to their appeal, but the actual concept was much simpler.

“I think [Nouvelle Vague is] kind of a tribute to these people, just to reveal their songwriting,” Marc Collin explains from the phone in his Paris studio. “I can always do covers of the Beatles or Prince, but you’ve got to do something about these bands who aren’t that well known for their songwriting—we’re going to try to prove that!” Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Missouri’s “third best band on Weller Street,” landed on the blogosphere radar in 2005 with its self-released debut, “Broom.” The lo-fi indie pop caught the attention of Polyvinyl Records, who re-released the album in 2006. However, much like fellow 2005 buzz band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, the excitement waned considerably—and fast. The good news is SSLYBY didn’t pull out a “Some Loud Thunder,” and with album number three (produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla) on the horizon, it’s poised to find itself on the indie radar once again. Last year’s new track, “Cardinal Rules,” a catchy ode to Springfield, Missouri’s minor league baseball team, found SSLYBY exploring new territory: slick production, soaring keys and chanted vocals. It’s a tune meant to be played at games with the crowd yelling along, “I’m going downtown! Springfield, all right!” With an album dropping soon, expect the band to showcase quite a bit of new material. (Kelley Hecker)

January 28 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508. 7pm. $10-$12.

RECOMMENDED

English electropop duo La Roux released its self-titled debut last summer and has been on the rise ever since. The band is practically a household name in the UK and its accomplishments are pretty impressive: its album is already platinum-certified, was nominated for the Mercury Prize, is up for two Brit Awards and has spawned four singles in the top 200 chart—“In the Kill” peaked at number two and “Bulletproof” made it to number one. The duo’s slowly been gaining attention over here, and it’s about time. “La Roux” is fun, dance-your-ass-off eighties-style synth-pop. Frontwoman Elly Jackson’s vocal gymnastics fit perfectly with the songs; it’s hard to imagine Helen Marnie or Lykke Li singing these same tunes and making it work. La Roux will undoubtedly be leaping to larger venues next time around, so don’t miss this. (Kelley Hecker)

February 1 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, (773)525-2501. 8pm. $15.

RECOMMENDED

In 2001, Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna released their first EP under the name Sportfuck, which they quickly abandoned for Asobi Seksu (Japanese translation: casual sex). The duo, joined by a revolving rhythm section, released its third album, “Hush,” in February of last year. Where its prior albums were shoegazy indie-rock, “Hush” found the band trading that in for mellow dream pop. While touring in 2009, Asobi Seksu sold a tour-only CD comprised of acoustic takes on songs from its catalog as well as a Hope Sandoval cover. The album was released worldwide as “Rewolf” in November, and Chikudate and Hanna are now promoting it with a special intimate acoustic tour. Their Seattle show was described by Seattle Weekly as “fucking ethereal,” so it’s safe to say this show is a must-see for Asobi Seksu fans. (Kelley Hecker)

February 3 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508. 9pm. $14.

RECOMMENDED

Kansas City’s The Life and Times have succeeded over the years with sonic enormity, chugging and sweeping guitars dumped on top of an equally persistent and monumental rhythm section. The end of the world on a shoegazer’s terms. Of course, to many, this sounds amazing, and for fans of Ride or Swervedriver it just might be. The band’s second full-length, 2009′s unfortunately titled “Tragic Boogie,” improved on the group’s alarming sound, this time relying even heavier on vocalist Allen Epley’s souring gruff. (His voice is becoming more and more a dead ringer for Long Winters’ John  Roderick.) Epley’s work with The Life and Times has always been similar to his previous band, the underrated Shiner—big, boisterous and unapologetic. Epley’s soft spot for epic grandeur will rub some the wrong way, but if you’re in the mood for overwhelming hugeness, this show’s all yours. (Tom Lynch)

January 29 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3600, at 10pm. $5-$10.

By Dennis Polkow

Boulez.  The radical and outspoken enfant terrible who once advocated that concert halls and opera houses should be burnt to the ground as dead monuments to an irrelevant past, but who ended up being known as one of the all-time great conductors and interpreters of that past.

Boulez.  The name of the leading twelve-tone composer of his generation, the man who once advocated that serialism would become “the only musical direction of the future,” and yet who later completely abandoned it as a compositional method.

Boulez.  The frustrated artist who vowed that he would never come back to an artistic position in his native France, and yet who returned to Paris to found and lead the world’s premier experimental music research center at the Centre Pompidou for a decade and a half.

Boulez.  The defiant and arrogant lion in Nietzsche’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” who once attacked all established systems, but who is today as diplomatic and subdued as a pussycat and who has come to epitomize the very musical establishment he once so sharply opposed.

On the surface, at least, it would seem that Pierre Boulez is a man of considerable contradiction.  Rather, Boulez is a man of genuine paradox: a living parable and a walking twentieth-century monument.

Our greatest living figure in music, Boulez is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most significant and innovative composers.  But there is also Boulez the conductor, the champion of new music, of technology to expand music materials, the teacher, guru to rock stars, author and lecturer of international renown; in short, a man who helped reshape the course of music after World War II on a myriad of levels. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dennis Polkow

Pierre Boulez is widely represented on recordings and videos both as a composer and as a conductor. Sony Classical has re-released virtually all of his earliest recordings in a special “Pierre Boulez Edition” released for his eighty-fifth birthday, but many of these recordings have long been supplanted. Deutsche Grammaphon is re-releasing many of its Boulez recordings in multi-disc sets this year and the CSO is even releasing an all-new “Boulez Conducts Stravinsky” disc later this month on its own CSO Resound label. The following very select list is a basic introduction to the remarkable art of Pierre Boulez:

Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3. Daniel Barenboim, soloist, Pierre Boulez and the BBC Symphony. Angel/EMI Classics. Many people thought the Bartók Piano concertos were just noise until this legendary 1970 recording forever made these works part of the standard repertory.

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Four Orchestral Pieces, Op. 12. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez. Deutsche Grammaphon. This stellar recording swept the Grammy Awards and is the best of several Boulez/CSO recordings of the Hungarian master’s music. Read the rest of this entry »

By Tom Lynch

For what seems like an eternity, Tim Kinsella has been a figure in Chicago’s art scene, mostly through his musical work with Cap’n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls and Make Believe, plus work he’s presented under his own name. While an innovator, Kinsella’s a bit of an acquired taste—his apparent aversion to conventional melody and his unique and often abrasive voice could turn a traditional rock fan off. That said, Kinsella’s a lyrical master, his projects each thrillingly distinctive and daringly experimental, and it’s obviously no stretch to call him an icon in certain circles.

Joan of Arc, Kinsella’s longest-running project, has famously consisted of a rotating cast of musicians through the years and its twelve releases. 1997’s “A Portable Model Of…” and 1998’s “How Memory Works” remained my favorite Joan of Arc records for a decade, until “Boo Human” was released in 2008 and annihilated me. Kinsella’s newest Joan of Arc project is called “Don’t Mind Control,” and it’s a compilation of brand new songs submitted by past and current Joan of Arc members, eighteen tracks in all. Contributors include Tim’s brother Mike Kinsella’s Owen, A Tundra, Disappears, Jeremy Boyle, Cale Parks, Euphone, Tim Rutili, Josh Abrams, Ghosts and Vodka and Kinsella himself. In many ways this is the quintessential Joan of Arc release, as over the years the band has thrived with planets of talented musicians orbiting around Kinsella’s sun. Read the rest of this entry »