Music Top 5: April 2021
Outstanding new album releases by stellar Chicago artists.
Solo Survivor: James Swanberg Navigates the Live Music Shutdown
“The responsibility of having a drummer or a bassist would really stress me out,” says Swanberg. “My stress level compared to a traditional band, is a lot smaller, and I’m fortunate for that.”
Time-Release: Sunshine Boys Celebrate a New Album—One Year On
Sunshine Boys’ CV is the music they make; it’s solid, poppy rock that never rocks too hard or too soft. It’s never too alien to not be groovy and never too familiar to sound like received wisdom.
Music Top 5: March 2021
Outstanding new album releases by stellar Chicago artists, available now.
Hip-Hop Symphony: A Review of Greenlights Music’s “The Art of Poise”
The collective’s lines and rhymes are so dense, it’s hard to parse the language on even one composition, and that’s to the ensemble’s credit.
Ardor for Community: Last Word Quintet’s Album Release Gig Doubles as a Club Benefit
The similarity in vocalist Al Day and poet Marc Kelly Smith’s voices gives an illusion of hearing two competing strands of the same restless consciousness.
Heavy Meta: Daniel Knox Goes Beyond the Concept Album
Knox is charting an emotional and aesthetic landscape across his recorded output. He’s playing a very long game, one that—with this new album—has begun to pay off.
On the Virtual Road: Todd Rundgren Plays a Multi-City Tour—Entirely from Chicago
“We’re fooling ourselves as much as we’re fooling the audience,” Rundgren says with a smile. “We’re self-hypnotizing that we’re in that town… Buffalo or Indianapolis or San Diego.”
The Idea of the Blues: It’s Time for Chicago to Capitalize on the Heritage that Changed the Course of Music
No city has better music stories to tell than Chicago.
Music Top 5: February 2021
Outstanding new album releases by stellar Chicago artists, available now.
