Tired of "end of the year" lists yet? I'll pretend you said no.
As in years past, I've decided just to write a few words about a handful of releases from Chicago bands that I greatly enjoyed this year. As Gene mentioned in his favorites post, here at WCR we don't like to declare anything the "best," because that's really subjective and there's a ton of stuff we don't get a chance to listen to. But here are seven releases that have been a hit on my iPod, and if you try them out via your listening device of choice, you might find you dig 'em, too.
I'm a bit nostalgic when it comes to The Steak House Mints. I wrote about them way back in early 2009, when WCR was still a baby blog. I enjoyed their first record, Out of the Sky, so much that I would think about them every so often, hoping we'd hear more from them. It took a few years, but they finally released their second effort Love Songs for Prostitutes late this year. And man, is it great. Better than the first one. This is clever, top-notch pop-rock music with a touch of glam and a healthy twist of weird that I really love. It's all made even more ear-catching by the charismatic vocals of frontman Billy Dave Sherman.
Mooner - Unpronounceable Name EPFull disclosure: WCR writer Adam Bonich is a member of this band. But I can say with confidence that knowing Adam has little to do with my enjoyment of Mooner's latest EP. It's just damn good. It's classic Americana-tinged power-pop that incredibly well-written and well-recorded, and will probably send visions of a few greats through your head (for me it was kind of like the lovechild of Tom Petty, Jeff Tweedy and Elvis Costello. You're welcome for that mental image).
Hollows – VultureLike Andrew, I'm a big fan of this record. The complete Blondie discography has a permanent place in my music collection, which should give you an idea of how I feel about Hollows (think the first couple Blondie records paired with more garage rock and modern indie pop sensibilities). Girl-group harmonies, sugary-yet-slightly-detached vocals, Farfisa organ, surf-pop bounce--it's all there to indulge on.
V is for Vulture by Hollows Chicago
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