Out of all the things in rock music to be nostalgic for, I find the re-emergence of lo-fi—or when it bleeds into the naturally titled no-fi—the most confusing. In a more complicated sense, one could argue that new artists won’t be able to match the instinctive intensity and of-the-time honesty of landmark lo-fi indie-rock acts and their initial releases (Guided by Voices, Pavement), but, also, in this newfound age of technology and at-home recording programs, who would choose to sound so amateurish? The stylistic choice for your recording to sound abrasive with its overwhelming treble can be condoned under certain circumstances. A move out of necessity, eh, maybe, but that’s becoming more and more difficult to buy. I’m terribly conflicted. I fell in love with the Vivian Girls’ record pretty much immediately. I dug No Age’s “Nouns,” too. But WAVVES self-titled record, released on Fat Possum? Not so much. My repulsion was probably intensified once I learned that it’s a one-man project by an early-twenties youngster from San Diego. There are melodies and hooks here to spare, but they’re all buried under an impossibly unfortunate noise-rock fuzz that, in the end, conquers all and wins over the hearts at Pitchfork. I’m not eager to work this hard to enjoy something. Life is tough enough. Like Nathan Williams, who’s supplied us with such murkiness, “I’m so bored.” (Tom Lynch)
April 3 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3600, 10pm. $10.
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.
Out of all the things in rock music to be nostalgic for, I find the re-emergence of lo-fi—or when it bleeds into the naturally titled no-fi—the most confusing. In a more complicated sense, one could argue that new artists won’t be able to match the instinctive intensity and of-the-time honesty of landmark lo-fi indie-rock acts and their initial releases (Guided by Voices, Pavement), but, also, in this newfound age of technology and at-home recording programs, who would choose to sound so amateurish? The stylistic choice for your recording to sound abrasive with its overwhelming treble can be condoned under certain circumstances. A move out of necessity, eh, maybe, but that’s becoming more and more difficult to buy. I’m terribly conflicted. I fell in love with the Vivian Girls’ record pretty much immediately. I dug No Age’s “Nouns,” too. But WAVVES self-titled record, released on Fat Possum? Not so much. My repulsion was probably intensified once I learned that it’s a one-man project by an early-twenties youngster from San Diego. There are melodies and hooks here to spare, but they’re all buried under an impossibly unfortunate noise-rock fuzz that, in the end, conquers all and wins over the hearts at Pitchfork. I’m not eager to work this hard to enjoy something. Life is tough enough. Like Nathan Williams, who’s supplied us with such murkiness, “I’m so bored.” (Tom Lynch)
