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The fact that this Montreal-based band writes most of their material in French should not be a reason for alt-rock fans not to check them out. These guys have been packing venues with 3000-plus capacity back home while performing at much smaller rooms in the United States, but it’s just a matter of time before they are discovered by more mainstream audiences Stateside, in the same manner that folks like Manu Chao and Sigur Rós have before them.

Their sound is pretty aggressive. Guitarist and vocalist Louis-Jean Cormier sings and plays with great passion, and his band mates (keyboardist François Lafontaine, bass guitarist Martin Lamontagne, percussionist Julien Sagot, and drummer Stéphane Bergeron) keep up with gusto in tunes like the psychedelic-inspired  “Le  Pyromane” (from their recently released “Les Chemins De Verre”) or the grunge-y “Le Coup D’ Etat.” Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: João Wainer

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When Luisa Maita’s debut CD “Lero-Lero” first dropped in the U.S. in 2010, she joined the roster of many talented young Brazilian artists (Bebel Gilberto, Ceu, Seu Jorge—to name a few) to make it into the world music scene. Back then, she did a mini-tour that included small venues in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles that helped solidify her career and generate a buzz about her.

Maita’s sound is a mix of samba, rock and Afro-Brazilian influences. Read the rest of this entry »

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It wasn’t easy for Mexican alt-rockers Zoe since their 1994 inception. Like many indie bands, they took the DIY approach until they were discovered by a major label four years later—which subsequently dropped them—leaving them to fend for themselves until they finally got a distribution deal from Sony Music in 2000.

In the meantime, they made their name by playing in Latin alternative festivals and opening for established names like Gustavo Cerati (formerly of Babasonicos) and Franz Ferdinand—which helped broaden their fan base and led them to semi-superstardom in Latin America. Read the rest of this entry »

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The former child performer (and daughter of late producer and arranger Don Costa) shows on her new EP that she is in constant evolution as a performer. After dabbling in electronic and soul music on her previous efforts, Costa meets halfway by blending all her influences into a very personal musical form. The record opens with the bass-heavy “Head First,” a soul-inflected pop song that sounds ready for remixers and DJs to dabble with. “Never Wanna C U Again” shows her angry-girl side—it’s a female empowerment rocker about not allowing herself another lover’s deceit.

The title track is a bit unimpressive. Costa tries a bit too hard to mix a punk attitude with electronic elements, but the result is at least danceable even if it falls flat musically in comparison with the rest of the material on the disc. On the other hand, the downtempo “Chase the Thrill” has just the right blend of soul and psychedelics without sounding overproduced. The tune shift tempos towards the end, allowing for the instruments to take over and carry on its dreamy state—think of it as a cross between Alanis Morissette and the more trippy sounds of the late sixties in a well-balanced package. (Ernest Barteldes)

Nikka Costa
“Pro Whoa!”
(Go Funk Yourself/Giant Step)
www.nikkacosta.com

Photo: Lauren Dukoff

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When Dengue Fever started out a decade ago, they researched a genre that had all but vanished: psychedelic, Beatles-inspired songs by Cambodian artists who were persecuted under the Khmer Rouge regime. They gradually began including their own songs, still sung in Khmer, and after their third disc, they started recording tunes in English while still keeping a firm footing in the style that made them known in US pop/alternative circles and abroad— including in the country that inspired them in the first place.

On their latest offering, “Cannibal Courtship” (Fantasy/Concord), they have more songs in English than ever before, and they’ve also started flirting with more jammy, Grateful Dead-influenced grooves. The band uses vocalist Chhom Nimol’s incredible range well, especially when it comes to more inventive tunes like the bluesy “Sister in the Radio” and the surf-rock-inflected “Kiss of the Bufo Alvarius,” where the guitar skills of co-leader Zac Holtzman also come to prominence.

Live, the band has great energy, charisma and chemistry. Nimol, who cut her teeth singing karaoke in Long Beach, California, commands your attention even if you can’t understand half of what’s going on in the first place. (Ernest Barteldes)

June 4 at The Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, 10pm. $15.

RECOMMENDED

This Spain-bred-and-based band is one of the most fascinating alternative groups to have emerged in the international music scene in a long time, and they are ripe for discovery by wider audiences. Led by co-founders Mistehr Furia and Professor Manso, the band takes the stage with an energetic and eclectic blend of electronics and rock.

Among the best tunes on their latest release “Modular” (Nacional Records)  is the Spanish-language “Sampleame,” with lyrics that acknowledge the use of samples from other artists and that blatantly borrows from The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” and The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” when played live. Another notable tune from the same release is “Tokyo,” a David Bowie-inspired number that talks about visiting the Japanese capital that takes on special poignancy in light of recent events.

The band members are highly accomplished musicians, alternating between electric bass, guitars and keyboards. Their set includes everything from progressive-like rock to dance music, funk and metal, which always gets the crowd to its feet. And that is what the Pinker Tones are all about—creating a party atmosphere and making sure everyone has a great time as a result. (Ernest Barteldes)

April 14, at Green Dolphin Street, 2200 North Ashland, (773)395-0066,  9pm. $10-$15.

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If you’re at a loss to put together exactly who or what Cults is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. One year ago, Pitchfork gave their debut single, “Go Outside,” a nine even while scratching its head as to whom exactly they were giving props. After handing the ravening music media a free, three-song EP via their Bandcamp last year and making a big splash at South by Southwest just a couple of weeks ago, the guy-girl duo that make up Cults are a little better known. Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin are film students in New York who started making music while living together, never expecting their little side project to attract such dizzying attention. To begin with, neither of them has even been in a serious band (unless you count a recording Follin cameoed on with Joey Ramone for Youth Gone Mad at the tender age of 12). Their musical style is basic bright-pop with irrepressible sheen. Sixties keys, playful boy-girl vocals, some xylophone and a little guitar swagger: it’s a blissfully simple recipe that begs the question, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? With a hotly anticipated full-length in the pipeline, it’s pretty certain that these young cineastes-turned-pop-sensations will be anything but broke before long. (David Wicik)

April 7 at Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, 9:30pm. $12.

RECOMMENDED

A credit to Chicago music culture and the Columbia College scene where they first met, Maps & Atlases make intricate music that plays off pop-folk songwriting while incorporating highly technical, progressive orchestration. Occasionally referenced as “math-rock” for their angular melodies and rhythmic density, their latest album, 2010’s “Perch Patchwork,” shows Maps & Atlases moving away from their rigorous Don Caballero leanings, into the hooky realms of pop. “Living Decorations” is a track worthy of the Dirty Projectors, complete with bouncy, world-beat strumming and eclectic percussion via pace-setting handclaps, wood-block, xylophone and what sounds like a djemba, not to mention the harmonic cap of Dave Davison’s free-ranging baritone voice. That track, in fact, is a perfect example of Maps & Atlases’ ability to restrain technical superfluity in service of sharp songwriting. Saxophone and a calypso beat give “Pigeon” a distinctively tropical feel, reminding one of a more nimble Vampire Weekend. The full flower of Maps & Atlases’ imagination is on display in “Perch Patchwork,” a lushly built album which ends with a title track that elegantly waltzes between art-rock and chamber folk, as ambitious and polished as Sufjan Stevens at his best. (David Wicik)

Maps and Atlases play March 11 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 North Lincoln, (773)525-2501, 10pm. $14 (18+).

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Seattle musician Michael Benjamin Lerner rolls into Chicago this week, bringing with him his onetime one-man act, Telekinesis. Lerner was quick off the mark, signing to the epoch-making Merge Records in 2009, just a year after starting Telekinesis. His debut album, “Telekinesis!,” is a neat indie-pop artifact which no doubt benefits greatly from the expert production of Death Cab For Cutie front man Chris Walla. A sweater-and-glasses-wearing song-styler, Lerner may be the mild-mannered Clark Kent of the indie-verse, but his ability to write infectious compositions that avoid being trite belies his pop superpowers. While Telekinesis probably won’t be the next big thing, and in fact can come off as a rehash of the last big thing, its clean, no-frills writing deserves more than cranky critical parsing. Treating on such banner themes of youth as battered hearts, a lover’s smile remembered in juxtaposition with sunny coasts, and adrenaline-amped dreams of far-off wonderlands, Telekinesis makes it easy for the listener to buy in. (David Wicik)

March 4 at Schubas, 3159 North Southport, (773)525-2508, 10pm. $10 (advance), $12 (door).

RECOMMENDED

On the heels of their fifth full album, the Brooklyn shoegaze outfit bring their dreamy take on pop hooks over sonic jetwash to the Empty Bottle. “Flourescence,” released earlier this month, has the band moving towards bare-boned electronic post-punk territory, gravitating more towards Curve and My Bloody Valentine than Cocteau Twins on tracks like “Trails” and “Trance Out.” Yuki Chikudate’s soaring vocals still manage to surface above that expected cacophony of drone-noise, feedback and distortion, whether taking a distinctively retro sixties approach on “My Baby” or echoing as sonic texture on the epic “Leave the Drummer Out There.” Also wearing their influences on their cover sleeve, “Flourescence” showcases the distinctive style of classic 4AD Records to boot, with artist Vaughan Oliver supplying the look. And there, somewhere between the future and the past, eyes sometimes closed, keeping time with a finger on the keys and another shaking a maraca, Chikudate and Asobi Seksu don’t reinvent the wheel, but spin it well enough to trample over naysayers and trite, dead-genre revivalists. Hidden melodies, and surfacing beauty, textures upon sonic texture… if you like it, love it, you’re already there, and if you don’t, you already know. It’s why you never could get into the Jesus and Mary Chain or thought the first Raveonettes record sounded weird. But for the rest of us, we’ll see you there! (Duke Shin)

February 28 at The Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, 9:30pm. $12.