Music Top 5: April 2023

1
DEPECHE MODE
(United Center)
The trailblazing new wave band, now whittled down to duo Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, arrives to support its new studio album, “Memento Mori.” Based on the first single, “Ghosts Again,” its classic electronic sound is gloriously intact.
April 5

2
GRAHAM NASH
(Old Town School of Folk Music)
The venerable singer-songwriter and folk-rock pioneer has a new record, “Now,” out next month; but his tour, billed as “Sixty Years of Song and Stories,” obviously has a much wider frame of reference.
April 25-26, 28-30

3
NILS FRAHM
(Salt Shed)
The German composer tours the lengthy, often trance-like electronic suites from his latest release, the three-hour “Music for Animals.” It’s admittedly a lengthy journey, but its effects can be transcendent.
April 23

4
TENNIS
(Riviera Theatre)
The Denver-based indie-pop duo hit town fresh on the heels of their ridiculously likable new LP (their sixth), “Pollen”—a collection of songs as infectious, melodious and hook-laden as ever.
April 7

5
HALF GRINGA
(Sleeping Village)
Singer-songwriter Isabel Olive headlines the release show for her EP, “Ancestral Home,” which explores both her Venezuelan lineage and her remarkable poetic prowess.
April 30

Robert Rodi

Robert Rodi is an author, spoken-word performer and musician who has served as Newcity’s Music Editor since 2014. He’s written more than a dozen books, including the travel memoir “Seven Seasons In Siena,” and his literary and music criticism has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, The Huffington Post and many other national and regional publications.
Contact: robert@newcity.com