Record review: Panda Riot - 'Northern Automatic Music'

By Gene Wagendorf III 

Fluttering atmospherics and a snappy drumbeat give way to a waterfall of fuzzed-out guitars and satin cooing, signalling the start of Northern Automatic Music. The record is Panda Riot's first since 2011's Far and Near EP, and represents a logical and welcome evolution in the group's sound.

Still present is Panda Riot's signature dynamic- Brian Cook's cloud of humming guitars swarming Rebecca Scott's spectral lullaby- but here the band seems to have placed a little more emphasis on magnetism. Smartly tucked beneath the gaze are strong pop hooks and enchanting melodies that invite the listener to zoom in as much as to space out. On "In the Forest (Some Kind of Night Fills Your Head)," Scott follows drummer José Rodriguez's determined stride with a haunting innocence, the way a lost child follows a familiar sound. At the song's stark resolution Rodriguez abandons the singer, leaving only a slight organ murmur to light her path. "Black Pyramids" moves with a more taut electricity. à la Metric's '09 record Fantasies. Cook's guitar runs wild on the track, but is always smartly lassoed before he loses control. When he jerks the reins for a shimmering mid-tune breakdown, Scott carries the melody until the guitars can't be held back any longer.

WCR and The Empty Bottle Present: A Rock For Kids Charity Jam

By Gene Wagendorf III  

Where does the music you love come from?

It's a simple question, with an equally simple and completely obvious answer: It comes from musicians.

Chicago's music scene is experiencing a creative swell unlike almost any time in its history; there are new, incredible bands being born seemingly every day. Whether you're into punk, art-rock, garage-pop, folk or just anything that sounds great in a sweaty basement, this city has dozens of killer bands to meet your taste. But even a scene that's flourishing the way Chicago's is can't sustain itself without new ideas and new creators to give those ideas life. That's where Rock For Kids comes in.

Rock For Kids is an inspiring and wholly necessary local non-profit that provides music education to underserved youth. Quite literally, they're putting guitars and drum sticks in the hands of children who might not otherwise get a hold of them. They're teaching critical thinking and musical theory. They're offering kids an outlet for their creativity, and, lucky for you, laying the foundation for the next generation of Chicago bands that you'll be rocking out to. As important as it is to support already existing bands by seeing shows and buying records, it's equally important to invest in the scene's future.

On that note, Windy City Rock is beyond proud to join Chicago's best rock club, The Empty Bottle, in hosting A Rock For Kids Charity Jam. The benefit show will take place on Sunday, November 25th (6pm, 21+), and proceeds from the show will go directly to R4K. We're asking for a $15 donation at the door, but we also understand that times are tough, and have provided smaller donation options that will still allow you the help out and enjoy a night of fantastic local music.

That music will be provided by 7 bands who, in this writer's opinion, are some of the best acts making music in Chicago. The lineup is as follows.

Windy City Rock and The Empty Bottle Present: A Rock 4 Kids Charity Jam
Sunday, November 25th
6pm, $15 donation

Rambos
Official Website Facebook Bandcamp
Panda Riot
Official Website Facebook Bandcamp
We Repel Each Other
Facebook Bandcamp
The Hecks
Facebook Soundcloud
Massive Ego
Facebook Bandcamp
Shiloh
Facebook Bandcamp
Tiny Fireflies
Official Website Facebook Bandcamp

and special guest DJ Miss Alex White 

The bands have generously offered to donate their sets, and The Bottle is joining them by donating the door. With that in mind, we ask you join us, buy some records, have a few drinks and jam out for a good cause. 

Tickets are on sale at The Empty Bottle's website, and you can join the action on Facebook here.

If you enjoyed this, like us on Facebook and follow Gene on Twitter. 

New Panda Riot track: 'Serious Radical Girls'

By Frank Krolicki

Chicago dream pop weavers Panda Riot have been busy working on a  follow-up to their 2010 EP Far and Near, and you can now get a taste of it on their Bandcamp page via a new song titled "Serious Radical Girls." As enjoyable as the EP was, this track expands on anything the band have done before with a fuller, more instantly grabbing sound. It soars along at a brisk pace and reaches pretty impressive heights with some meaty shoegaze guitar, a well-defined melody and the sweet, angelic vocals of Rebecca Scott. It made me think of STAR, another female-fronted noise pop band from the Windy City who sadly seemed to disappear just as soon as they popped up a few years ago (seriously, does anyone know what happened to STAR?). In any case, it's great stuff and got me really geared up to hear what else Panda Riot have cooking. The band amusingly list the release date as December 31, 2037--hopefully we won't have to wait quite that long. For now, take a listen below.

Tonight: Three great Chicago bands for free at Empty Bottle

Posted by Frank Krolicki

So begins another week and another dose of unseasonably cold weather in Chicago. Fortunately, with it comes another lineup of solid live music options to make things better. Starting the week off is a very worthwhile show at the Empty Bottle tonight. Not only does it feature three genuinely great Windy City bands - Panda Riot, Michael Lux & the Bad Sons and Gypsyblood - it's totally free. There's really not a whole lot better in life than high quality rock and roll combined with free, so be sure to jump on this one. The show starts at 9:30. Here's a bit more info on all three bands:

Panda Riot's dreamy psych-pop gets a great deal of attention from Chicago indie music fans, and for good reason. Rebecca Scott's airy vocals combined with memorable, ethereal pop tunes makes for some pretty sweet ear-candy. Listen to their track "Motown Glass" below.
   Motown Glass by pandariot

Show preview: Spectrum, Panda Riot, The Chatham Rise at Bottom Lounge, 4/20

Posted by Sasha Geffen

Those of you wishing to escape the unseasonable nastiness that Chicago has saddled us with can hide out and enjoy some dreamy psych pop at the Bottom Lounge tomorrow night. The cavernous ex-warehouse space of the Bottom, hidden away under the El tracks of the West Loop, makes for a perfect spot to drown yourself in reverb. Shoegazers take note.

The Chatham Rise will swing by from Minneapolis to open with their hazy slowcore jams after a DJ set by Scarylady Sarah. Following that, one of our favorite local dreampop outfits, Panda Riot, will take the stage.

We’ll be lucky enough to see Spectrum, the latest project of Pete Kember a.k.a. Sonic Boom, headline. As one of the founding members of the English psych-rock band Spaceman 3, Kember spent most of the ‘80s inventing shoegaze as we know it. It’s not every day that you get to see an innovator of a genre play alongside the latest incarnations of that genre. It’ll be a special night in Chicago indeed.

Doors open at 8pm and the show begins at 9 on Wednesday, April 20th. Tickets are $12 and available online or at the door. The show is 17 and over with valid ID required for entry.

Check this out: dreamy new sounds from architecture

Posted by Frank

Photo: Cara Patricia Higgins

If you, like me, are a fan of Chicago's Panda Riot and a sucker for dream pop in general, you'll want to know about architecture. The duo consists of the aforementioned band's Rebecca Scott and Melissa Harris, who are currently putting the finishing touches on the first architecture record and are planning an April release. They already have two of the songs - "Tomorrow" and "In the Morning" - available for free download on their SoundCloud site. With hypnotizing, wistful melodies and sweet-yet-slightly eerie childlike vocals, the tunes have a kind of haunted nursery rhyme vibe going on. Which is awesome. Hear for yourself below and look for more details on architecture's debut soon.

   tomorrow by architecture!

   in the morning by architecture!

Show preview: Panda Riot, Calm Palm Vapor and more at Simone's, 1/29

Posted by Sasha

Panda Riot

If the gray end of January has drained your soul like it has mine, it might be time to escape this winter gloom and get your psych pop on. This Saturday, Simone's Bar in Pilsen will host a lineup of some of the city's favorite shoegazers who are sure to inject some color back into you. The evening features the minimalist brainscapes of Vehicle Blues, Calm Palm Vapor's surfy fuzzstep, and the darling indie dream pop of Panda Riot. There will also be a special secret guest performance (no leads on that one, go find out) and an opening DJ set from Algebra Huxley of Wolf In A Spacesuit. Update 1/29: The "secret guest" band is Loyal Divide.

The show is entirely free and will start at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 29th. Simone's is a 21 and over venue.

Check out "Streetlights and You and Me" by Panda Riot below.

Streetlights and You and Me by pandariot

Show preview: Apteka, Panda Riot and Sissy Mena at Subterranean, 6/10

Apteka

Gapers Block recently ran an excellent, comprehensive article written by Jon Graef about the “blooming shoegazer scene” in Chicago, highlighting some of the city’s up-and-coming bands that have a fondness for the fuzzy guitars and dreamlike sounds associated with the genre. On Thursday, June 10, Subterranean will host a musical equivalent to a sampler platter of these bands, with three of featured in the article - Apteka, Panda Riot and Sissy Mena - in the lineup. Here’s a little background on each to get you up to speed:

Apteka
These guys have been around since '06 and have a loud, full sound that blends elements of shoegaze with psychedelia. They've just released a new 7" single called "Traitors," backed by a tune called "Aragon Sound" (Aragon sound is no longer just a hot topic of discussion among Chicago music fans - it's now officially a song title!). They'll release another 7" soon, and have even been caught covering the Thompson Twins in concert (see below). How's that for awesomely random?

Panda Riot
With airy female vocals supplied by Rebecca Scott over a gorgeous, ethereal backdrop, any dream-pop fan would have a tough time resisting the charms of Panda Riot. The band formed in Philadelphia but are currently stationed here in the Windy City. Their new EP Far & Near is a testament to their talent, featuring six songs that combine classic elements of the genre with electronic touches for ear-catching results. Have a look at the video for one of the tracks, "Motown Glass," below:

Panda Riot - Motown Glass from Mirror Mirror records on Vimeo.

Sissy Mena
We first gave you a heads up about trio Sissy Mena back in December, when the band was getting ready for their EP release show at Double Door. The EP, Young Girl, is a strong introduction, using shoegaze as a base but not confining itself to anything that's quite that easy to categorize. Check out this video of the band performing one of the tracks, “Udellia,” on smallchicago.com:

Sissy Mena- Udellia from Milk Products on Vimeo.

The show is 21 and over, starts at 8:30 p.m. (doors at 8 p.m.) and will run you $8. Tickets are available here.