Show preview: Soft Speaker, Secret Colours, more at Beat Kitchen, 11/19

By Sasha Geffen

Most bands are lucky to keep up a rate of one album release a year, if that. But the psych-rock ensemble Soft Speaker have plowed through typical conventions of productivity by releasing their second full-length of 2011. Vortrobos dropped earlier this month as the follow-up to April's debut I'll Tend Your Garden, and the new record stands as a notable refinement of what was already quite a promising sound: vintage psychedelia reinforced with hefty prog muscle. 

These prolific genre-swirlers will be celebrating the release of Vortrobos tomorrow night, November 19th, at Beat Kitchen. Joining them will be fellow psychedelic revivalists Secret Colours, who are a must-follow for any Chicago listeners nostalgic for the days of The Jesus and Mary Chain. Garage-gaze outfit Hotel St. George will also be swinging in from the west coast, while local emo-pop trio Headshadow will kick everything off. 

It's sure to be a fuzz-laden evening out of these four, topped off by performances of brand new Soft Speaker tunes that sound about ready to explode in the moment. Check out 'Jeju Island' below for a snippet of what's in store. 

Jeju Island by SOFT SPEAKER

Doors at 8, show at 8:30, 17 and over, tickets $8. 

Show preview: Canasta, Dastardly, Soft Speaker, Secret Colours at Empty Bottle

Posted by Frank Krolicki

If anyone needed proof that the Windy City is home to some of the finest indie bands on the planet, they could find plenty of it at the Empty Bottle this Friday, May 13th. Our friends at Betta Promotions and The Deli Chicago have put together a solid showcase of artists that were chosen by fans on the Deli's site as some of Chicago's best emerging acts throughout 2010, including Canasta, Dastardly, Soft Speaker and Secret Colours. 9:30 p.m., $10 tickets, 21 and over.

Canasta's intricate, well-crafted orch-pop has got them a great deal of attention ever since the release of their debut full-length We Were Set Up, and the sextet has really gained momentum with their most recent release, The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather. It's an album full of melody and memorable hooks, but also a thoughtfulness and subtlety that reveal more with each listen.
For more information, check out:
- Record review: The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather
- Video: "Appreciation"

Dastardly have accomplished a lot in a short time. We first found out about them last summer from a video of them performing their track "Villain," and since then they've been rapidly gaining buzz with an excellent debut release, May You Never..., and many successful gigs. Their alt-country stands out with consistent, relatable honesty, a sense of humor and most importantly, really impressive songwriting.
For more information, check out:
- Record review: May You Never...
- Indiesomnia interview/live session

Record review: Soft Speaker - 'I'll Tend Your Garden'

Posted by Sasha Geffen

For four milkmen from 1930s Austria, Soft Speaker had a preternatural grasp on the electric guitar.

The band's first LP I'll Tend Your Garden is bursting with juicy riffs, sheets of fuzz and spacey crescendos. Soft Speaker conjure huge, solid rock songs injected with a healthy dose of Anglophilia.

While Garden offers little that's unprecedented in terms of bare writing, those who love rock from our neighbors across the pond won't be disappointed. The band strikes that tone that's simultaneously upbeat and a little mournful, much like we've seen over the years from Blur and neo-natal Radiohead. That's not to call this mimicry; Soft Speaker take brit-rock aesthetics and break them out of the walls of pop structure, instead letting the single-coils warble into the stratosphere. The record finds strength in moments of improvisation, like in the playful and pedal-fueled climax of "Three Beggars." Guitars swirl over clean and punchy bass as the licks fractal outward. While the sounds may be familiar, they're applied to a larger scope than we normally hear.

Audio: Interview/live music session with Chicago band Soft Speaker

Posted by Susan Schomburg

Chicago band Soft Speaker has a lot going for them: vocals that are haunting and menacing (sometimes at the same time), ferocious bass and drums, and a sound that draws on many musical styles without overtly referencing any one thing.
I recently caught up with the band as they geared up for a single release show and small Midwest tour. The band talked about their beginnings, their success so far as a band, their approach to songwriting and music, and their single release show before playing a new song live at their rehearsal space in Chicago, Illinois.

The band's most recent release, a single/singles collection, was put out in an unusual way: at the single release show at Schubas on July 10, attendees received a coaster (beer mat) with a download code to download not only the new two-song release, but four previously released tracks.

The entire interview and an exclusive live performance by the band can be streamed on the Indiesomnia website.

Soft Speaker is scheduled to perform Wednesday, August 4 at Crimson Lounge (333 N. Dearborn St, Chicago).

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This article also appears on the Chicago Indie Rock Examiner website.

Video: Soft Speaker - 'Tennyson Tea' (live)

Last month we gave you a heads up about the quality new EP, Stranger in the Alps, from Chicago's Soft Speaker. Now, the band have some video to go with with audio. See below for an excellent live performance of one of the EP's tracks, "Tennyson Tea," from the release show at Darkroom on February 26.

Soft Speaker's next gig is coming up this Friday, March 19 at Hideout, with Cains & Abels and Village ($8, 10 p.m., 21 and over - tickets here).

EP review: Soft Speaker - 'Stranger in the Alps'

Soft Speaker is a Chicago-based four-piece that formed in 2008, debuting with an EP titled Conditions and following it up this month with the five-track Stranger in the Alps. It's tough to classify the band's sound - even after a few listens, everything from alt rock to psychedelic to folk to college rock seems at times appropriate - but what's apparent is that this unit have something special. Tracks such as "Tennyson Tea" and "Weathervane" strike the perfect balance between cryptic and accessible, while the moody psychedelia of "Into the Fog" and "Marble Mask" further set the atmosphere. Add to that the fact that the material on Stranger in the Alps is extremely well-produced and you have a definite keeper.

You can sample the EP here. Soft Speaker will celebrate the release of the EP with a show at Darkroom on Friday, February 26 (doors open at 9 p.m., $8 advance, $10 at door, 21 and over). Yukon Blonde and Moxie Motive will open. Click here for more information and tickets.

Tonight at Double Door: Benefit show with Helicopters, King Sparrow & more

Head to Double Door (1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.) tonight to see four great Chicago-based indie bands playing for a good cause! Helicopters (reviewed here), Soft Speaker, King Sparrow (free download here) and a new band, Poster, will make up the bill for the show, dubbed "Bang the Drum," to benefit the Arts at the Perspectives Charter School. The Arts program at the school has been affected as a result of budget tightening, and the bands are helping to fix problem by donating proceeds to the purchase of musical instruments and art materials.

Benefit for the Arts at Perspectives Charter School at Double Door (1572 N. Milwaukee Ave)
-featuring Helicopters, Soft Speaker, King Sparrow and Poster

-Tuesday, December 8, 2009
-Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m.
-21 and over
- $10 (tickets here)