Chicago Concert Calendar: June 12-20

As summer has finally broken in Chicago, the city resurrects with live music. Leading up to venerable festivals Pitchfork and Lollapalooza, here are a few shows in what's left of the month of June to get you geared up.

Who: Oxford Collapse
When: June 12th
Where: Empty Bottle
Price Tag: Free! (Seriously, it's free! Part of the Bottle's free concert series, so you should totally go!)
For Fans Of: Sub Pop Records, Brooklyn Indie Rock raised on '80s movies
What To Wear: Comfy shoes - the Gang of Four influence will be noticed as you find yourself unable to keep from dancing
BONUS: Scottish pop-rockers, Frightened Rabbit, opens!
Listen:

Who: Billy Bragg
When: June 14th
Where: Park West
Price Tag: $27.50 (get tix)
For Fans Of: British troubadours, left-wing politics, Wilco
What To Wear: "Impeach Bush" tee-shirt, free trade garments
Listen:

Who: These New Puritans
When: June 14th
Where: Subterranean
Price Tag: $12.00 (get tix)
For Fans Of: High fashion, The Fall, numerology
What To Wear: Movado timepiece, chainmail hoodie
Listen:

Who: Ladytron
When: June 17th
Where: Vic Theater
Price Tag: $24.00 (get tix)
For Fans Of: Gorgeous Bulgarian vocalists, jet-setting
Best Comparison Quote: "A teasing glimpse of how Britney Spears might have sounded, had she been born in the GDR and a heroin addict."
BONUS: Norwegian electro-poppers, DataRock, open!
Listen:

Who: Crystal Castles
When: June 18th
Where: Double Door
Price Tag: Free! (Seriously!?! Two free shows in six days?!? You know where to find middleCoasters this week...)
For Fans Of: She-Ra, Atari, Digitalism
What To Wear: All American Apparel, all the time
Listen:

Who: The Black Angels
When: June 20th
Where: Logan Square Auditorium
Price Tag: $15.00 (get tix)
For Fans Of: Psychedelia, The Doors (the band), The Doors (of Perception)
What To Wear: Velvet Underground tee-shirt, beard
Listen:


Enjoy.

-J2

Some New Music (That's Awesome Like The Pope's Speech)

All right, sports fans, April has been, and continues to be, an excellent month. The Jayhawks won the NCAA Championship, the Cubbies are in first place, and - better yet - we have upcoming releases from the likes of The Black Angels, Tokyo Police Club, The Roots, Portishead, Langhorne Slim, and Santogold. Let's get into it:

Tokyo Police Club
"Tessellate" - Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek)


*TPC are in Chi-city May 5th at The Metro.


The Black Angels
"You On The Run" - Directions to See a Ghost (Light In The Attic)

*The Angels fly through Chicago June 20th at Logan Square Auditorium.


The Roots
"Get Busy" - Rising Down (Def Jam)


*The Roots blow up the Chicago Theatre TWO TIMES - May 30th & 31st.


Portishead
"Hunter" - Third (Mercury/Island)

*No US tour dates we're aware of yet for Portishead.


Langhorne Slim
"Restless" - Langhorne Slim (Kemado Records)


*Slim pays two visits to our fair city: May 28th at Schubas & May 29th at The Hideout.


Santogold
"L.E.S. Artistes" - Santogold (Downtown Music)


*Santogold will be touring Europe most of the summer, unfortunately for us.


Make lots of friends @:

http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub
http://www.myspace.com/theblackangels
http://www.myspace.com/theroots
http://www.myspace.com/PORTISHEADALBUM3
http://www.myspace.com/langhorneslim
http://www.myspace.com/santogold

-J2

I'm a Lollapaloozer, Again

Well, once again three days of Lollapalooza has rocked my socks off, melted my face, and left me dazed and confused. So before the brain cells burn out or fade away, the final lineup:

Friday -
Bang Bang Bang
The Polyphonic Spree
Electric Six
MIA
Silversun Pickups
Blonde Redhead
Satellite Party (aka Jane's Addiction, aka Porno for Pyros)
LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk

Saturday -
Tapes 'n Tapes
Stephen Marley
The Roots
The Hold Steady
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Spoon
Muse

Sunday -
The Black Angels
Lupe Fiasco
Kings of Leon
Peter Bjorn & John (unfortunately the speakers blew after only three songs)
!!!
My Morning Jacket
TV on the Radio
Pearl Jam

Dang.

Will post more when brain recovers. Also have pictures...

Enjoy your rock bubble...

Best Albums of 2006

Well it's about the time of year for middleCoast to share with all its loyal readers our list of the Top 10 Best Albums of 2006. This would have led to a most heated debate between OtherJason and JasonToo, to be sure, but middleCoast is quite certain that an agreement would have been made on the following:


1. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Just a brilliant display of musical talent from the NYC art rockers. Reminiscent of Kid A, from our anti-rock critic's point of view.

2. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Pop music as pop music should be. Here's hoping that DangerMouse's ADD can subside long enough to put together 14 more jams with Cee Lo.

3. My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
We realize that live albums shouldn't technically make album-of-the-year lists, but live MMJ is the best thing ever. Enjoy your rock bubble.

4. The Roots - Game Theory
Rap music is a bland and jaded commercial enterprise. Hip Hop is an art form mastered by The Roots. Game Theory is one of their most creative and enjoyable pieces yet.

5. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
The soul of the New Pornographers gets to the heart of great singer/songwriter albums: that bittersweet ache actually feels good.

6. The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
It's no Soft Bulletin, but who says it has to be? Wayne and the boys still make the best music for dying from a heroin overdose.

7. Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Stealing other bands' sounds has been the root of all rock music, so suspend your disbelief and rock your socks off.

8. The Black Angels - Passover
Texas psych-rockers make The Doors sound like The Beach Boys. Proof that drugs are way better today than they were when your parents were freakin out.

9. Band of Horses - Everything All of the Time
Shoegazers that power-pop with the best of them. Great melodies and great lyrics that can just as easily be great background music.

10. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
From the quiet noise school invoking My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, and Smashing Pumpkins all at once, keeping it interesting upon every listen.


So we at middleCoast are well aware of the fact that we left off some albums that just as easily could've been ranked number one, or at least should all be number eleven: The Decemberists, Tokyo Police Club, The Changes, +/- (Plus/Minus), and Arctic Monkeys are all solid Honorable Mentions.

Also key to this list is the fact that, fortunately or unfortunately, mC is not a professional rock critic, and therefore does not receive every album ever released for free. We at mC have to actually purchase our music, so a number of potential Best of 2006 albums have not even been heard. Albums like the latest from Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Yo La Tengo may happen to be much better than the 10 listed above, but alas, we spent the money on beer instead.

That said, any artist or record company is more than welcome to supply middleCoast with free records for review. Most likely, they will immediately jump to the Number 1 album of the year.

-mC