RECOMMENDED
Oslo, Norway’s Serena-Maneesh finds a balance between its influences, mostly Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, without sounding derivative of either. On its self-titled debut, the band injects rock ‘n’ roll riffs, driving bass lines and an ethereal, dreamlike haze of male-female vocal harmonizing—the experience is off-putting at first, but then relaxes into a pop chaos that’s as comforting as a broken-in pillow. The band has already toured with the like of The Dandy Warhols and Oasis, so from here it’s only fair to expect them to grow taller—the diversity of the songs shows a dedication to never sounding the same, and with the talent this band seems to have, that can lead to a long and fruitful career. When Serena-Maneesh gets more rocky and experimental, like on “Beehiver II,” that’s when the beautiful confusion sets in, only to have everything come into the clear minutes later with songs like “Her Name is Suicide” and “Sapphire Eyes.” It’s an impressive debut and a show that shouldn’t be missed. (Tom Lynch)
Serena-Maneesh plays September 15 at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 North Kedzie, (773)509-5019, at 8:30pm. $13-$15.
Related Stories
High Concept and Highly Entertaining: A preview of Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox at Rialto Square Theatre Bradlee’s musical approach is deceptively simple: take mainstream pop hits of today and recast them in the style of earlier pop forms. Leveraging the well-established axiom that a good song transcends genre, the group (featuring a rotating cast of top-notch vocalists) breathes new life into pop songs that one might have thought past their sell-by date.
Fall Music Preview 2016 Mucca Pazza is Chicago’s (and possibly the planet’s) only postmodern marching band, with a repertoire that’s less likely to include Sousa than salsa (or Stravinsky). Whatever they tackle is approached with wit, vivacity and a captivating, DIY shagginess; they don’t just march, they strut, swagger, prance and pimp-walk. Their high-energy events—which have taken over everything from public parks to the…
"Rumours" Has It: A Preview of "Say You Love Me" at Davenport's Cabaret The performers process arena-rock anthems through their own cabaret-honed sensibilities.
Especially For You: A Preview of the Smithereens at the Memorial Opera House Serious music scholars all, the Smithereens distilled their musical loves into something that ultimately sounded like nobody but them. Diken points to Gary Lewis and the Playboys as an influence; it’s worth noting that the studio cats who played on those records—immortal pop tunes like “Count Me In” —included Leon Russell and drummer Hal Blaine.
Last Punks Standing: A Preview of Mekons at Hideout Mekons have endured by refusing to adhere to anyone's ideas regarding what is and isn't punk rock (which is in and of itself a defiantly punk attitude).
Still Breathtaking: A Preview of Sting at Ravinia Festival Sting's solo catalog boasts more than a dozen studio albums. He may not rack up the hit singles like he once did, but he remains a compelling writer, musician and performer.
