Despite his teenage band The Boxtops hitting it big with “The Letter” (an oldies radio classic) and co-writing the song that’s played every weekday as the theme to “That 70s Show,” as well as possessing enough songwriting prowess for Elliott Smith, Jeff Tweedy and Jeff Buckley to cover his work, former Big Star frontman Alex Chilton somehow managed to slip into relative obscurity and become one of rock’s most under-appreciated veterans (not having a Web site or even a MySpace page certainly helps). His contributions to the cult juggernaut Big Star with the late Chris Bell helped lay the foundation for a whole host of power-pop bands a few decades later, meaning he sits in the peculiar position of being largely influential yet mostly unknown (possibly even overshadowed by Bell’s solo gem, “I am the Cosmos”). Even after an up-and-down solo career and a Big Star reunion that’s been sub-par at best, Chilton can still effortlessly pen a fun, sloppy power-pop song with the best of them—you’ll just have to look someplace other than MySpace to find it. (Andy Seifert)
December 6 at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, (773)728-6000, 7pm. $33-$35.
A Sheen of Synth: A Review of Safety Town’s “Fake It” The album tracks between moods and grooves, yet makes a single coherent statement of where this artist is at this particular moment. It’s also tremendous fun.
Music Top 5: May 2020 Steve Dawson’s new album features highly sophisticated songwriting gilded with dazzling orchestral colors—plus of course that gorgeously evocative voice.
