Lollapalooza 2013 Recap: Day Three

By Gene Wagendorf III   
 

Lollapalooza 2013 | Photo Credit: Ashley Garmon

Lollapalooza's final day was set up to be my busiest of the weekend. Early sets by a few of my favorite local bands meant powering through a hangover to be there at noon, and the quality of the lineup meant there was one golden half hour to slam some food, hit the toilets and stock up on more liquor. It was, of course, all worth it.

YAWN

YAWN

Local psych-pop band YAWN opened Sunday with a noon set full of twirling harmonies, looping hooks and layers of splashy synths. "Indigo," from 2011's excellent Open Season, wooed the crowd with its seductive dream-reggae, while older track "Kind of Guy" got 'em dancing to its tribal percussion and toy piano jingle. The band's versatility payed off when their laptop threw a fit, forcing YAWN to lean on vibrant guitars for a couple of straightforward rock tunes. The crowd responded to the lysergic downpour with overwhelming approval; a significant portion of those wandering by stopped to check the band out and stuck around til the end. The set wrapped up with club-friendly dance tune "Yabis." The fluid groove, glitzy embellishments and cooing tandem vocals were blended perfectly by the band- a strong finish to an impressive and hopefully breakout performance.  

Show review: YAWN, Sister Crystals at Subterranean, 2/23

By Gene Wagendorf III  

Local record label FeelTrip moved the party from their South Side headquarters Saturday, taking over a packed Subterranean for a night of psychedelic pounding, spacy riffage and booty shaking. The stars of the evening were YAWN, both the label's most accomplished band and one of the most engaging and creative acts on the Chicago scene.

YAWN

YAWN's promotion for the evening teased the performance of unreleased songs- and the lysergic four-piece wasted no time delivering.The new material ranged from pop-soaked jams with Phoenix-esque leanings to a punchier romp that recalled Nick Zinner's guitar filth on early Yeah Yeah Yeah's records. The urgency of those two new tunes was tempered nicely by the tropical bounce of "Indigo," from 2011's Open Season. An effervescent bass line hummed through the tune, blowing smoky guitar curls upwards while buffering the track's sugary vocals. "Keep Up," the opening number on the same record, took a more dramatic turn, propelling itself from nefarious ritual into celebratory psilocybin twinkles and fuzzy tribal beats.

Gene's 2012 favorites

By Gene Wagendorf III 

Twin Peaks at The Whip (photo by Gene Wagendorf III)

It's the end of the year and we're a music blog, so you know what that means: "best of" list time. That said, "best" is a silly and subjective word that we at Windy City Rock are trying to avoid this year. Instead we're offering you some lists of local favorites from several of our contributors. Over the next few days we'll be posting about our favorite Chicago records, bands, shows and what-have-you from 2012. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

5 Favorite Records

Twin Peaks - 'Sunken'
The soundtrack to my summer came courtesy of a group of delinquent minors who, between burning trees, skateboarding and prepping for college, managed to put together a record filled with anthemic, sunny jams. Expect big things out of Twin Peaks in 2013. Read a full review of Sunken here.

Fave track: Fast Eddie
Get the record: here

Running  - 'Asshole Savant'
Get Bent nailed it when they described Running as "an incendiary blast of rock ‘n’ roll akin to smashing Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music into the Stooges and then smashing that combo into Suicide." Asshole Savant does an admirable job of capturing the mayhem of Running's live sets. 

Fave track: I Can't Believe I'm Alive
Get the record: here

The Smashing Pumpkins - 'Oceania'
Oceania is Corgan and company's best record in the better part of a decade. Doesn't quite reach as high as it aims, but there are some beautiful moments here.

Fave track: Pinwheels
Get the record: here

Video: Taste the rainbow in YAWN's 'Yum Yum'

By Frank Krolicki

Do you like rainbows? Wait, dumb question--who doesn't like rainbows (besides maybe Cartman and Oscar the Grouch)? Assuming you are like most people and have nothing against multicolor bursts of happiness, you should dig YAWN's new video for their track "Yum Yum." Couple the rainbow splashes with the song's lively psych-pop sound (including its Chipmunk-like chanting at the beginning), and it should add an enjoyable four minutes and 46 seconds to your life. "Yum Yum" comes off the band's 2011 album Open Season, which we reviewed here. You can hear new YAWN tunes come June 20th, when the band releases an EP titled Happy Tears, and also catch them live July 28th at Wicker Park Fest.

Show review: Fujiya & Miyagi, YAWN at Lincoln Hall, 1/25

By Andrew Hertzberg  & Gene Wagendorf III

YAWN

Anytime music borders on psychedelic, the immediate reaction of listeners/viewers tends to be to drop all sorts of acid comparisons/analogies. If The White Album is an acid trip and MGMT is an acid trip and Merriweather Post Pavilion is a fucking acid trip, fine, but then that doesn't really tell me anything. Any amateur hippie will tell you that mindset is key when making the psychedelic leap, that what you bring in to the trip will manifest in the experience. So OK, yeah, you can have a trip that smells like Roxy Music while your buddy one couch over is meandering through a Cronenberg-ian flea market with Stockard Channing and Arthur Rimbaud. That isn't YAWN. That also isn't to say that I want to strip the band of the psychedelic label that its videos do little to shrug off. Instead, I'd compare YAWN to my last mushroom trip, wherein I found myself both wanting to be swallowed by thick, warm blankets and being incapable of sitting still thanks to my body's insatiable bond with the music slipping out of my stereo.

I showed up to Lincoln Hall Wednesday night crunched in the mucusy grip of a lingering, bastard cold, hacking up orbs of phlegm in the alley just before showtime. Reeking of mentholated cough drops and suffering from a nauseating sinus headache, I was hesitant about how much live music I'd be able to enjoy. Then the woo-ing started. Wisps of auditory lollipop drifted over ripe drumming before settling/bursting into a series of dynamic whooshes and playful yodels. Already my nasal passages were clearing and the dull pound in my skull had faded. YAWN, a group of really normal looking guys, were making this blissfully offbeat music that apparently had mystical healing properties. Either that, or it just confused me into not feeling sick. The third (or twentieth?) song they played began with a series of squeaks and blurps, like an intimate conversation between two eunuch-robots in love. Interrupted by the unfolding of a twitchy bass line and lush, tropical percussion, the tune tightroped between the yammering of a chatty spaceship and an Aztec dance party. I was briefly jarred out of my trance by the brightness of a new track, whose synth swirls were sharp enough to be obnoxious, before the edge was dulled by chunks of rolling rhythm. Later, a similar rhythm propelled a clacking, clattering number that sounded like a steam engine pulling a tidal wave into The Old West. Think Neal Cassady driving the bus in Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, but sopping wet and wearing a conductor's hat.

Record Review: Yawn - 'Open Season'

By Andrew Hertzberg

Over the past year, Yawn has opened for a veritable who’s who in indie rock. Tanlines, Yeasayer, Delorean, Local Natives…the list goes on. Each of these bands has their own sound, yet there are two themes common to them all: layers and percussion. Which makes it no surprise that a band like Yawn would be a fitting opener to these bands in a live setting. Most of their hype came from the free online download of the eponymous EP released nearly two years ago. They’ve remained a bit quiet since, shooting a couple videos, playing sporadically, and frustratingly not updating their website for a bit (grrrr). But now, we finally have their full length debut, Open Season. Knowing what they’re capable of with undeniable tunes like "Kind of Guy" and "David," let’s continue with the hunting metaphor and take aim at the LP. 

Overall, the album contains a very fluid yet cohesive sound. That’s not to say it gets to the point of redundancy, but it does make track differentiation difficult at points. The waves between the first two tracks "Keepup" and "Take it With Me" illustrate this fluidity aurally. Right off the bat, we notice an even more layered and excessive sound compared to their EP. The one band that now starts to stick out in comparison over the initial Animal Collective point of reference is Of Montreal, equally layered but more groovy and head-bob inducing. But unlike recent Of Montreal efforts, the sound is not that fractured. However, the oddity is still there: for instance, third track "Yumyum" with its overpitched vocals and hypnotic throat clearing drumbeat which is almost impossible to get out of your head. To say the least, this track is delicious. This one or the insanely '80s danceable "Gasoline" would have been the more obvious choices for a single. Rather, the band decided on "Acid" being the leadout track to introduce to new listeners. It’s an interesting choice to challenge their audience with an unstructured, very experimental track, its title more in reference to the mind expanding substance as opposed to the material decaying one. 

Video: Trip out on 'Acid' with YAWN

By Frank Krolicki

I've seen a lot of trippy music videos lately. Trippy music videos seem to be the thing to do. I really think this new one by Chicago's own indie psych-pop quartet YAWN takes the cake, though. The clip--of the appropriately titled "Acid" off the band's soon-to-come debut full-length Open Season--is a strange yet enjoyable journey into nothingness from start to finish, including a bedazzled head floating in space, alien dudes, sea creatures and a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. I don't think there's any point to it all, but maybe the point is that there's no point. Heavy, man. See for yourself below and check out YAWN live when they play Metro on September 30th.

YAWN- Acid from robert h burns ii on Vimeo.

Video: Yawn - 'Toys'

Posted by Frank

A while back I wrote about Chicago quartet Yawn's debut EP, a colorful, tropical-tinged explosion of psych-pop that left me thoroughly impressed. The band is reportedly planning to release a full-length this year, but in the meantime have just put out a video for the EP's opening track, "Toys." The sights probably couldn't be any closer a match to the bright sounds, telling the story of a pinwheel plucked from its pinwheel friends and sent flying on adventures around the world. Watch below to see all the pinwheel action play out and find out if it makes it back safely to its buds. While you're at it, download the full EP for free here and check out the band live this Saturday, January 15th at Metro as part of Tomorrow Never Knows '11.

Check out more videos:

Smith Westerns - "Weekend"
The Streets on Fire - "Astronaut Love Triangle"
The 1900s - "Amulet"
Shapers - "Virginia Reel"

Show review: Young Man, Yawn at Schubas, 10/12

Posted by Andrew

Young Man

Despite a less than stellar turnout, two Chicago groups gave it their best at Schubas last night.

With the four members of Yawn lined up in a row at the front of the stage, the collective sound of their EP translated visually; the myth of the leading man evaporated into the textured sounds the band created. With instrument swapping and layered vocals and percussion, Yawn reminded us of what is meant by the word "band." Particularly impressive was their ability to transcend the studio tricks and pull off a live sound reminiscent of their recorded material. Equal parts melodic and rhythmic, using instruments and samples alike, Yawn could only have picked the verb for their namesake ironically. Playful leads over tribal beats set the general tone before set closer "David" showed off their ability to convey noise and screams as a euphoric release of tension. What could easily take an entire chorus and drum circle was accomplished by four guys on a small stage on Belmont Ave.

Headliner Young Man, celebrating a record release, closed with a bittersweet set. With tunes that would have been more appropriate for a setting sun on an early May evening, the audience was forced into the reality that these last nice days in Chicago won’t be here too much longer. That in mind, Young Man’s set savored every last above-70-degree day this city will give us. Live, it was clear that this band is not entirely dependent on brainchild Colin Caulfield, as the jazz-inflected rhythms of the tour drummer add another layer of depth hidden on their recorded tracks. Bold chord choices reflected a hazy Sondre Lerche if he were to settle down in the Midwest. I’m reluctant to call the music ‘chill,’ but it is certainly relaxed and comfortable. More appropriate for a road trip headed east as opposed to bumming around a SoCal beach. There is a certain nostalgic factor, but more so derived from the apprehension of growing up as opposed to a strict desire to perpetuate youth. The band also elicited a greater energy live than recorded, recalling guitar-based rock from the 50s and 60s without sounding retro. A cover of “All Tomorrow’s Parties” was especially poignant: a song from an era past played at the present about the future. To say the least, change over time is important for Young Man, and we hope to see the band continually evolve.

Next up, Young Man travels to New York for a slew of CMJ shows in support of just released EP Boy, out now on Frenchkiss Records. Yawn is currently recording for an album due out next spring, with a five song EP (and remix EP) available for free at their website.

Weekend Show picks: Concrete Blonde, The Fleshtones, Gold Motel and more

Gold Motel

Friday, June 11

- Gold Motel at Lincoln Hall with Secret Colours and Mini Mansions - Take just one listen to Gold Motel's newly-released debut LP, Summer House, and you'll see how it would be near-impossible for this record release show not to be a guaranteed good time. Driven by the vibrant, honey-sweet vocals of singer-songwriter Greta Morgan (of The Hush Sound), breezy, 60s-esque melodies and a band with tons of energy, Gold Motel offer up plenty for any fan of summery indie pop to geek out about. To learn more, check out our recent interview with Morgan here. Local indie psych-rock act Secret Colours will also celebrate a new record with an opening set. 6 p.m., $10, all ages. Tickets.

- The Psychedelic Furs at Metro with She Wants Revenge - There's a whole lot of new bands around trying to do the whole post-punk/new wave thing, but you can rarely top the originals. Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m., $27.50, 18 and over. Tickets.

-The Dutchess & the Duke at the Empty Bottle with Mazes and Black Nag - The Empty Bottle should be an especially great place to check out the Seattle folk-rock duo. Be sure to arrive early for Chicago's own Black Nag and Mazes, the latter of which are busy with various releases and performances this month, detailed here. 10 p.m., $12, 21 and over. Tickets.

Saturday, June 12

- Concrete Blonde at The Vic with Jim Bianco - Vampires might be all the rage these days, but classic L.A. alternative band Concrete Blonde were writing songs about 'em back in 1990 on their best-known record, Bloodletting. This Chicago stop is part of a brief tour that finds the band reuniting to celebrate the LP's 20th anniversary. With Johnette Napolitano's deeply-impassioned vocals and songwriting and Jim Mankey's howling guitar work by all accounts as powerful as ever, this should be one hell of a show. 7:30 p.m., $28.50, 18 and over. Tickets.

- The Fleshtones at Bottom Lounge with The Goldstars, Teenage Imposters, Tomorrow the Moon and The Earth Program - Speaking of classic bands, New York garage rockers The Fleshtones have been doin' their thing and doin' it well since 1976, and they'll continue to do it at Bottom Lounge Saturday night. Get there early for some cool openers, including Chicago's The Earth Program, a unique ear-catching act who describe themselves as "retro spooky space punk" (free album stream/download here). 7 p.m., $13, 21 and over. Tickets.

- Blah Blah Blah and YAWN at Hideout - You might have read about these two Chicago-based bands right here on Windy City Rock. The former has a wonderful Brit-pop-influenced style (more here), while the latter have a lush sound that's a bit Vampire Weekend-meets-Animal Collective (EP review here). Both would be well worth checking out on their own, so this bill is an opportunity to see two exciting Chicago indie bands at once. 9 p.m., $8, 21 and over. Tickets.

Sunday, June 13

- Look Mexico, A Lull, Victor Fix the Sun and Dick Wolf at Subterranean - Tallahassee-based indie rockers Look Mexico will play Sunday night as part of a national tour in support of their sophomore record, To Bed to Battle. Doors 7:30, show 8 p.m., $8 advance, $10 day of show, 17 and over. Tickets.

EP review: YAWN

Previously known as Metrovox, the members of Chicago's YAWN have been playing around the city for a few years, but with a new name and a new, self-titled EP, they're poised for a fresh beginning. The five songs on the EP - released this month - find the band falling somewhere between the tribal hooks of Vampire Weekend and the synthy glee of Passion Pit, ultimately ending up with a lush, enchanting breed of indie pop that's well worth a listen. Opening track "Toys" sets the scene with a strong tropical drum beat, playful sound effects and an excellent falsetto chorus. The remaining tracks don't stray too much from this basic formula, but each offers enough nuance to keep things interesting, from the hypnotic, chanting vocals of "David" to the meaty guitar of "Empress." YAWN reportedly recorded this EP in their apartment, which is quite a feat considering the high quality of the material and production. Keep these guys on your radar - it wouldn't be a shock to see them scoring some major attention in the near future.


The band is currently offering the EP for free download, so head over to yawntheband.com to listen for yourself.