RECOMMENDED On 2007’s “Low,” it takes only five tracks for the listener to learn Pulse’s appeal—that his music is the lingering kind. Comforting, heroin soft and inescapably human, the release is akin to the jagged lines and splintered corners of city buildings blanketed in snow. To say the title track is “haunting” is to say not nearly enough. Hesitantly tapping into some innate, universal soundtrack, Pulse strokes pianos, guitar strings and glockenspiels to arrive at a sound as dense as a firmly packed snowball, but also vulnerable enough to fall apart without notice. Pulse has found a way to abandon the singer/songwriter stigma, building in its place a new road; one paved with his history in hip-hop, the magic of his Chicago home and a fearless pursuit of the human condition. There’s little doubt amongst those in the “Low” that the forthcoming EP from Pulse will stand out as one of 2008’s best. (K. Tighe) Thursday, January 3 at Schubas
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.
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).
