RECOMMENDED

There’s something about London duo The Big Pink that is a little lame. The elementary lyrics, the traditional chord progressions or melodies, the big-room choruses—something here is not quite right for a band with such a pristine electro shoegaze surface sound. The band garnered huge buzz before its debut record was released last September on the strength of some early singles, which was deserved, as the first material introduced to the public was especially convincing. “A Brief History of Love,” The Big Pink’s debut proper, has a lot of attractive pieces that don’t exactly come together. A song like “Velvet” works casually, as it can simply ride its own wave of ethereal beauty. But “Dominos,” another single, is painfully silly, and detracts from the record considerably. Of course, you can’t really blame a band just getting started for not making a perfect record. It’s a fine first attempt, one that shows promise for strong moves in the future. A Place to Bury Strangers plays tonight as well, which makes this bill a full-on shoegaze party, with the band’s intensely loud and hazy distortion sure to deafen those unexpecting. Chicago’s industrial dance crew Gatekeeper opens, which should get this crowd to loosen up a bit. Maybe not even stare at their shoes the whole time. Maybe. (Tom Lynch)

March 20 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, at 9pm. $16.

RECOMMENDED

In 2008, Toronto electro-punk duo Crystal Castles released their highly anticipated self-titled debut LP. Many of the tracks had been floating around for years, either in demo form or on sold-out seven-inches, but this official release pushed them into the spotlight. Unfortunately, it also meant anything Ethan Kath and Alice Glass did was made public, which didn’t exactly paint them in the best light, from the feud with artist Trevor Brown to the last-minute cancelation at Dallas’ Granada Theater this year, which led staff to call the duo “pre-madonnas,” to kicking supporting band VEGA off their tour in April, accusing them of theft, to Glass trashing the stage and throwing a punch at security at Barcelona’s Sonar Festival because the sound sucked. Point is: they’re a pretty polarizing pair. You either put their shit aside and enjoy the music or think they’re talentless pricks. I fall into the former category and “Crystal Castles” was one of my favorite albums of 2008. I saw the band live in 2007 and found it to be an intense experience. Though Kath is the brains behind the band, 21-year-old vocalist Glass is the entertainer, completely unpredictable and seemingly batshit crazy. Whether writhing on the floor, diving into the crowd, climbing whatever she can or playing with strobe lights, you can’t take your eyes off her. This’ll definitely be an interesting, albeit slightly creepy, show. Just don’t go if you’re prone to seizures. (Kelley Hecker)

Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie, (773)252-6179. 8:30pm. $50.

RECOMMENDED

Winds of change are at work at Chicago’s favorite dance-floor institution, with new Smart Bar music director and talent buyer Nate Seider, aka Nate Manic, chomping at the bit to flex his creative control over bookings for 2010. While most of Smart Bar’s artist bookings up to this point have been vestiges of previous club boss James Amato, tonight marks the official “Welcome to Smart Bar” party for the recent Newcity cover-boy, featuring one of his personal deck heroes in the legendary John Acquaviva, co-founder (alongside Richie Hawtin) of venerable techno label Plus 8 Records, as well as his current home since 1993 in Definitive Recordings. His “X-Mix-3″ mix released back in 1994 (!K7) was partly responsible for turning Manic on to the sounds of techno and house. Since then, the London, Ontario native and former Detroit mainstay has circled the globe as a DJ, recording and releasing tracks and remixes that change with the times. For this techno/house legend, forays into more electro and progressive-influenced sounds might have reached a cooler reception among techno purists from his Detroit days, but Acquaviva has always looked forward, never content to rest on his laurels, and ever-changing his sound to fit his fancy. But for all those neophyte deck slayers out there who might be tempted to brand Acquaviva a relic of a bygone era, you should know that he championed Serato’s Final Scratch system during its development and helped to unleash the single most revolutionary piece of DJ equipment released this millennium. And then there’s his role in launching a little download site called Beatport.com… It’s been at least a handful of years since Acquaviva performed in Chicago. Take into account the extended three-hour sets from both opener Manic and headliner Acquaviva, and tonight at Smart Bar becomes a night you won’t want to miss. (Duke Shin)

December 11 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, 10pm.

RECOMMENDED

London’s shoegaze electronic-duo The Big Pink generated buzz long before the release of debut full-length “A Brief History of Love,” an ambitious title for a record by a band that’s accomplished so little so far. Pitchfork named single “Velvet” one of its top 500 songs of the decade—a fine choice, certainly, as it’s the most memorable track from the record. “A Brief History of Love,” released by 4AD, is a strong effort, a confident debut, with progressive beat-making, hazy guitars, hushed vocals and overflowing with Brit hipster-chic. Compared to other shoegazer revivalists, The Big Pink are only so-so, as they’ve to this point been inconsistent with their output. For every warmly constructed gem like “Velvet” there’s a cold-stone companion that’s electro, boring, Klaxons-lite. Unfair for me to ask for a homerun at every plate appearance, but the least they could do is swing the bat. (I prefer School of Seven Bells’ “Alpinisms” as the shoegaze record of the last year or so.) That said, “A Brief History of Love”’s artwork is one of the more beautiful album covers I’ve ever seen. (Tom Lynch)

November 27 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3600, at 10pm. $10-$13.

By Tom Lynch

For people of a certain age, watching Wrestlemania as a child on cable is a beloved memory. For Melisa Young, aka Kid Sister, it’s from that annual tradition that she fell for Koko B. Ware, the “Birdman,” the Hulk Hogan-era African-American WWF wrestler who carried around a pet macaw. “Koko B. Ware” was to be the title of Kid Sister’s debut record, but the Federation—now known as the WWE—wouldn’t even consider allowing Young to use the name.

“We were like, we’ll give you $10,000, and they were like, ‘We’re not even discussing it, it’s not up for debate,’” she says. “It was pretty crushing.”

Such a devotion to nostalgia, to origin, to not-forgetting-where-she-came-from has helped give Kid Sister some street cred and popularity over the last two years, all without having a full-length album. Young possesses a girl-next-door charm—and works it to her advantage, too—so that even if you try to fight it, you find yourself rooting for her. Her Kid Sister moniker helps to immediately position her as the universal girl everyone helps build up and protect.

Her rise as an artist is unique not only for her rapid ascent but also because of her determination to remain true to her vision. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Tim Baker is a builder. Laying bricks of percussive, urgent rhythms, slathered with a mortar of acid, his Real Estate and Elephanthaus labels have been erecting his distinctive house and techno constructions for years. While it seems his recent work might’ve slowed down the BPMs and dug deeper into the basement, he never seems to lose the driving momentum of his earlier, harder-edged releases. And with tonight celebrating Elephanthaus’ twelve-year anniversary, longtime fans might hope to hear Mr. Baker’s musical journey include earlier favorites like the delightfully squiggly “Sugarcube,” along with just about every musical pit-stop along I-94, from his original home in Detroit to his decade-plus home here in Chicago. And just in time for Halloween, delightfully apocalyptic live industrial/techno hybrid Kill Memory Crash also performs, with drummer and DJ Gabe Palomo opening. Baker builds it, Kill Memory Crash burns it…sounds good to us! (Duke Shin)

October 29 at Sonotheque, 1444 W. Chicago, 9pm.

RECOMMENDED

Variant is one of those monthly club events where, musically, just about anything goes. What began as a primarily dub techno and dubstep-oriented event has slowly evolved into a night with incredibly eclectic programming. Variant has hosted guest DJs spinning everything from deep house and minimal techno to dubstep, electro and Chicago house. The combination of the intimate space and the music-driven policy at Lava allows for more freedom in musical selection, not to mention a platform for local DJs to shine. Best of all, the event is always free. The featured guest for this month’s edition of Variant is Antiphase from the Naughty Bad Fun Collective. Antiphase, a professed vinyl addict, has wide-ranging musical taste that includes Chicago jack tracks, Detroit techno, alien electro, old disco cuts, modern tech-house and more. He owns an impressive record collection, and plans to drop a set full of electro at Variant. Joining Antiphase are Variant residents Matthew Martin (of Meiotic), Merrick Brown and Timid. (Elly Rifkin)

October 21 at Lava, 1270 N. Milwaukee. 10pm.

RECOMMENDED

Swedish brother-sister electronic duo The Knife dropped “Silent Shout” on unsuspecting audiences in 2006 and it remains a high point of musical boundary-pushing and exploration, a moody, strange record that just happens to be wholly brilliant. The Knife’s singer, Karin Dreijer Andersson, ventures on her own with Fever Ray, and though the sound is eerily similar to her work with her brother, it still manages to exist as its own bizarro masterpiece, as Andersson so effectively distorts her vocals to sound simultaneously dead and alive. The self-titled record, which came out much earlier this year, is a more mellow endeavor than “Silent Shout,” but works much in the same way, changing the world around you as soon as you press play. Encompassing headphone music, uneasy, not afraid of the casual hook, the choruses acting as beacons of  light within the chilly air. The Knife’s live performances are reportedly unforgettable—there’s no reason to believe Fever Ray won’t match them. (Tom Lynch)

October 3 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, at 9pm. $25.

RECOMMENDED

Producing the debut EP for MGMT certainly helps with street cred, but the Molinari brothers are much more than studio prowess. A hilarious and energetic blend of disco, electro and funk are at play in their efforts, and the fun is quite infectious. The Rebellion throws down on keyboards, programmed drums and, of course, a French horn, and this tour pairs them with Database, a similar, but more electronica-influenced duo from Brazil. Having remixed Fat Boy Slim and a slew of other high-profile dance acts, they have dominated festival appearances with their blend of electro, disco and house music. There’s little question you’ll end up on the dancefloor at this budget-friendly show. (John Alex Colon)

September 2 at Sonotheque, 1444 W. Chicago, 9pm.

By Duke Shin

“A lot of people say ‘Music is in my blood, if I hadn’t gotten into this type of music, I would’ve gotten into something else…’ I don’t think that’s true for me… it’s not music that’s in my blood; it’s specifically electronic music. I’m obsessed with synthesizers, themselves.”

If you feel it’s been a minute since you last heard from winsome synth-pop emotionalist Solvent, you’ll have to excuse him for being a little preoccupied. Jason Amm, the man behind the Skinny Puppy-inspired moniker, has been busy, releasing an album as Black Turtleneck with fellow Toronto artist/vocalist Thomas Sinclair in 2006, closing up shop at his Suction Records imprint and playing Mr. Mom to his newborn daughter. But fans of Solvent’s distinctively melodic work will be happy to know that Amm has recently completed recording and mixing a new album, “Subject to Shift,” scheduled for a 2010 release on Ghostly International. Read the rest of this entry »