When Doug Martsch and crew cancelled their stop in Chicago earlier this year, I was happy—I thought I’d have more time to understand “You in Reverse,” Built to Spill’s first album in about five years, before the band hit Metro. Unfortunately, the record hasn’t changed for me—it’s still a lackluster, phoned-in attempt to half-heartedly create the wonder of the band’s previous outings. Opener “Goin’ Against Your Mind” gallops into a monotonous oblivion, pure pop song “Liar” sounds empty and weak and closer “The Wait” sounds like a rehash of “Ancient Melodies of the Future”’s final track “The Weather” and a boring Flaming Lips song at once. Songs like “Saturday” and “Conventional Wisdom” are solid, but the rest is, sadly, awash in indifference. The live show, however, is always breathtaking and energized, and given the band’s tendency to dive deep into its catalogue—just check the outstanding Lollapalooza set list—this show should be a treat. Seeing the band play songs from “There’s Nothing Wrong with Love,” “Perfect from Now On” and “Keep It Like A Secret” never gets old. (Tom Lynch)
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Can’t-Miss Music Events (Fall Arts Preview 2023) This fall we get new albums and tours from iconic acts like Wilco and Kurt Elling, plus a Corrine Bailey Rae project inspired by Theaster Gates' Stony Island Arts Bank.
