Some think Andrew Kenny’s work is just too precious, but he has a way of finding a lovely melody in sparseness and melancholy that I can’t dismiss. American Analog Set, in which Kenny made his name, has its ups and downs; “Set Free,” the band’s last full-length, from 2005, was impressive, though, and features a song called “She’s Half” in which Kenny layers his vocals in such a serene way it’s as if he’s commissioned angels. I go back to that song often, and it hasn’t lost its strength. Kenny’s new project, The Wooden Birds, has just released “Magnolia.” In many ways, it’s what you’d expect, as Kenny’s gentle, emotive voice weaves a path through minimal percussion and acoustic guitars. In parts, it’s gorgeous, and in others, rather forgettable. But Kenny strikes again with a somber number called “False Alarm”—I’ll be listening to this one for years. (Tom Lynch)
June 20 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508, at 10pm. $12.
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.
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.
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.
