DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, the Better (Verve / Universal)

DJ Shadow: "Warning Call" (f. Tom Vek)

It has been five years since the release of The Outsider, DJ Shadow's divisive and eclectic take on the "hyphy" (hyperactive) electro-rap sub-genre. Though it was as far-reaching and hard to define as anything that he'd done, the album also alienated plenty of fans with its mainstream production values and radio-friendly guest vocals.

Now, after a lengthy layoff, Shadow is back with The Less You Know, the Better, an album that will better resonate with his original fan base. The club sounds that caused the consternation are gone, which should allow listeners to appreciate the producer's breadth without distractions.

The diversity is on display from the album's first handful of tracks. "Border Crossing" mixes sampled rock riffs with skittering beats; "Stay the Course" is a funky hip-hop track with guest MCs Talib Kweli and Posdnuos; "I've Been Trying" layers vocal samples over acoustic guitar, gooey electronics, marching snare, lap-steel guitar, and flute. Not far behind are the rock-hop hybrid "Warning Call," featuring Tom Vek (in shades of the new Boom Bip album), and "Sad and Lonely," a melancholy piano and violin ballad that also makes compelling use of sampled vocals. And there are still touches of Shadow's sense of humor, notably the opening sample: "I'm back. I forgot my drum!"

Like all albums that need time to be digested, The Less You Know, the Better may prove to be better received down the road than it is right off the bat. But as a notable return to form, it should be a grower for many.

Feist: Metals (Cherrytree / Interscope / Universal)

Feist: "How Come You Never Go There"

Following the avalanche of praise for The Reminder in 2007, Leslie Feist stepped away from her solo material a bit, instead spending time on guest appearances, collaborations, and gigs with Broken Social Scene. After four years, however, the Canadian songstress has completed her long-awaited follow-up, and Metals doesn't disappoint.

Each track, though led by Feist's gentle crooning, takes its own path and bears the stamp of the album's varied co-producers, including Chilly Gonzales, Mocky, and Valgeir Sigurðsson. Choirs of youthful voices complement a heightened symphonic atmosphere, likely courtesy of Sigurðsson, and slivers of other styles are further blended into the singer-songwriter's canon.

A touch of old soul supplements the lead single, "How Come You Never Go There," and blues guitar makes a key appearance on "Anti-Pioneer." Unconventional sax master Colin Stetson drops a whirling bridge on "A Commotion," an orch-pop song that makes contrasting use of choral harmonies and dudes yelling the refrain.

In all, Metals delivers a slightly wider glimpse of Feist's abilities. Whether it can live up to the hype of its predecessor is yet to be determined.

Dessa: Castor, The Twin (Doomtree)

Dessa: "The Beekeeper"

The only female member of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is a spoken-word vocalist, singer, and MC whose anticipated full-length debut, A Badly Broken Code, was released early in 2010. Since that time, the album has generated underground and above-ground buzz alike, praising Dessa's vocal diversity and storytelling abilities.

Castor, The Twin is a reflection of the live adaptation, described as "part rap show and part cabaret," that developed following the debut's release. With the exception of an advance single ("The Beekeeper") from Dessa's next album, Castor features new, fully live renditions of her older material. Built around upright bass and strings, electric guitar, piano, vibraphone, and a drum kit, the updated arrangements are organic and rich.

The re-recorded songs have a much stronger chamber-pop sensibility than anything else, but a jazz flavoring touches many tracks, including the standout "Dixon's Girl" from A Badly Broken Code. Whether or not you're familiar with Dessa's material, Castor, The Twin is worth checking out as an exciting reflection of her future.

Talkdemonic: Ruins (Glacial Pace)

Talkdemonic: "Revival"

Honorable Mentions

Absu: Abzu (Candlelight)

AIDS Wolf: Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde double LP (Lovepump United)

The Browning: Burn This World (Earache)

Dreamers of the Ghetto: Enemy/Lover (Temporary Residence)

The Drift: Blue Hour (Temporary Residence)

Exitmusic: From Silence EP (Secretly Canadian)

Loney Dear: Hall Music (Polyvinyl)

Man or Astro-Man?: Your Weight on the Moon reissue (Overground / Plastic Head / Candlelight)

Myka 9: Mykology (SoundVise Records)

The Pine Hill Haints: Welcome to the Midnight Opry (K)

Siskiyou: Keep Away the Dead (Constellation)

Colin Stetson: Those Who Did Not Run EP (Constellation)

Tarana: After the Disquet EP (self-released)

Zola Jesus: Conatus (Sacred Bones)

The imagery within Pobiak’s work comes from a hodgepodge of sources. He takes many of his own photos and works with a variety of found imagery that originates from the likes of stock-photo catalogs and pornography sites. “I feel that if you can recognize the original photo I’ve used,” Pobiak says, “I haven’t done my job.”

Adam Pobiak: !!! (Chk Chk Chk)

Punk music — as well as an array of bands from Dischord Records — has been an aesthetic influence on Pobiak for many years. Additionally, he looks to poster art pioneer Ron Liberti for visual inspiration. “Of course, there are tons of illustrators I admire,” Pobiak says, “but I never call them influences, as I’ll never manage their technical skills. I just look at their stuff, drool, and get jealous.”

Despite his modesty, Pobiak has an extensive portfolio under his belt as well as a continuously expanding clientele. He has created silk-screened posters for renowned bands such as The Flaming Lips, !!!, The Black Keys, and The Decemberists. Additionally, Pobiak has designed album artwork for London-based bands The Fabulous Penetrators and The Outside Royalty. Aside from music-related artwork, Pobiak works full time as a senior designer for MySpace and as a freelance designer for companies like BlackBerry and  the Modern of Museum of Art in New York City.
 

Adam Pobiak: "King"

Pobiak produces work "organically" — he generally does not start off with physical sketches but with mental outlines for the project before sitting down and getting to work. The majority of his posters intentionally focus on typography. “The image is just sort of there to support the type,” he says.

The prints feature hand-drawn type and indulge in neon hues that demand the viewer’s undivided attention. Outrageous subject matter — ranging from exotic animals to florid portraiture — swirls within loud, bold graphics. Simply put, Pobiak’s artwork successfully translates the energy of a live music performance to paper.
 

Adam Pobiak: The Flaming Lips

In 2007, fellow Brit Chris White founded Poster Roast, an active website and artists group dedicated to the development and promotion of poster artists within the UK. The group frequently hosts gig-poster exhibitions alongside live music performances. Recently, Pobiak’s work was displayed at the Poster Roast exhibition at Constellations Festival in Leeds, which featured headliners Broken Social Scene alongside dozens of other bands, art, and film.

Although the poster-arts community in Britain is still in its early stages, Pobiak fondly notes, “I guess it’s a good thing that all Roast folk are a great bunch to hang out with. It’s a pity they don’t like to drink beer, though.”

The Sea And Cake: "Car Alarm" (Car Alarm, Thrill Jockey, 10/21/08)

On November 27, veteran Chicago indie band The Sea and Cake will perform a one-off homecoming show with Brighton, MA at Lincoln Hall. The boundary-pushing pop band, led by Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt, just wrapped up a tour with Broken Social Scene and doesn't have any other shows scheduled.

To enter to win a pair of tickets for this special hometown event, complete the form below.

Update: Contest has ended.

The Insound 10 for 10 succeeds last year’s “Insound 10 Classic” project by Mike Perry, and it features some indie-rock darlings. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Beach House, Neon Indian, Liars, Titus Andronicus, Broken Social Scene, Girls, The Mountain Goats, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Owen Pallett are all involved.

The limited-edition shirts are made by American Apparel, and the posters are signed and numbered by Sonnenzimmer, limited to 125 copies.

Be sure to check out ALARM’s feature on Sonnenzimmer in ALARM 35.

Early last decade, iconic vocalist Mike Patton moved to Italy and did his best to blend with the locals. He picked up Italian, fell in love with Bologna, and, at some point, realized that he needed to add something else to his never-ending list of projects.

That addition turned into Mondo Cane, a full-scale orchestral homage to Italian cantautori (singer/songwriter) tunes of the 1960s and '70s.

Originally planned only for live performances, the covered oldies — roughly two dozen — are now being released from carefully assembled pieces of three separate concert recordings. Mondo Cane is the first of two such installments, and it presents mostly faithful recreations — with certain new flavors and tinges — of powerful pop songs.

Cantautori crooners Gino Paoli, Luigi Tenco, and Fred Bongusto are honored with potent and colorful renditions of "Il Cielo in Una Stanza," "Quello Che Conta" and "Ore D'Amore." Film-scoring guru Ennio Morricone is recognized with one of his pop numbers, the theme for Danger Diabolik, which barely edges out "Il Cielo…" as the most stirring of the disc's first half.

Patton's comprehensive range isn't tested too much, but his vocal intensity is on display in "Urlo Negro," a poppy psych-rock track seemingly about a former slave's grief. "L’Uomo Che Non Sapeva Amare," Nico Fidenco's version of the theme to The Carpetbaggers, soon follows, and Patton delivers one of the album's most beautiful covers.

Fans of Patton's wild exploits may be disappointed if they're expecting something akin to the Fantômas Director's Cut album, but lovers of emotion-packed ballads will embrace this disc of orchestral pop.

Mike Patton: "Il Cielo in una Stanza"
Mike Patton: \"Il Cielo in una Stanza\"

Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma (Warp)

Electronic producer Steven Ellison, known as Flying Lotus, made waves two years ago with his Warp debut full-length, Los Angeles, an atmospheric psych-hop affair that was augmented with white noise, blippy sci-fi scales, and a deep bass underpinning.

Its immersive sound was built around endless samples and a love of texture. That MO holds true for Cosmogramma, Ellison's brilliant new collage, but the endowments of Los Angeles have been surpassed by an ever-burgeoning skill for composition.

Beautiful and wild runs of harp, bass, and classical guitar are present from the start, contrasting but not conflicting with cuts of sharply buzzing guitars, train whistles, and deep-space synths. String swells and chopped vocals slide in and out of the mix, layering atop glitch, dance, and drum-and-bass beats; rubbery dance-floor passages disappear into symphonic swaths.

A guest spot by Thom Yorke will garner some appropriate attention, but make no mistake: Cosmogramma marks Ellison's ascension to being one of the top minds in electronic production.

Flying Lotus: "Computer Face / Pure Being"
Flying Lotus: \"Computer Face / Pure Being\"

The Austerity Program: Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn EP (Hydra Head)

Two guys and a drum machine — The Austerity Program proves that it doesn't take more to power out brawny alt-rock with brainy rhythms.

Though the duo has operated under this moniker for more than a decade, it didn't release its first full-length until Black Madonna in 2007. Everything else since that time has appeared on an EP or compilation, generally titled "Song [insert number here]."

Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn follows the same tried-and-true Austerity formula: distorted, down-tuned bass guitar teams with the drum machine's deep kick hits and rapid-fire triplets, forming a muscular frame for guitarist Justin Foley's high-register riffs, feedback squeals, and Steve Albini-esque vocals.

The band's basic premise hasn't changed, but its skills are being honed to realize its full potential. Backsliders… is another firm step in that direction.

The Austerity Program: "Song 26"
The Austerity Program: \"Song 26\"

Rudi Zygadlo: Great Western Laymen (Planet Mu)

One of Planet Mu's latest signings, Rudi Zygadlo is a young Scottish songwriter who fuses electronic music with pop structures and classical aspirations. Raised by artist parents who helped nurture an early interest in music, Zygadlo has created a brilliant debut album that touches, however lightly, on themes of church and religion.

Great Western Laymen takes the mid-tempo lurch and chunky bass lines of dubstep and marries them to glossy, mutating pop songs. Zygadlo sings on almost every track, and his voice, which he claims is "there more for its instrumental value rather than its poetic value," features prominently as a lead instrument.

The vocals are omnipresent, panning everywhere, usually multitracked, pitch-shifted, timestretched, vocoded, and tweaked beyond intelligibility. They fight with wonky basslines for supremacy in a crowded (but never cluttered) midrange. Though many of the tracks would play well in a club setting, Great Western Laymen also makes for excellent headphone dubstep.

Most dubstep albums don't have half as many hooks, and most pop albums don't have this level of head-nodding funk. Zygadlo set forth to combine what he loved about dubstep and IDM with song structures that borrowed from jazz, pop, and classical, and he's succeeded marvelously.

Rudi Zygadlo: "Manuscripts Don't Burn"
Rudi Zygadlo: \"Manuscripts Don\'t Burn\"

Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)

Somewhere over the past decade, Toronto's Broken Social Scene became a shining example of both indie-rock success and excess.

With its diversity of sound and buoyant energy, 2002 album You Forgot It In People was a slow-building breakthrough, and tracks such as "KC Accidental," "Stars and Sons," "Almost Crimes," and "Pacific Theme" have made countless cameos ever since.

But all the band's creative input, whether from its main songwriting sources or from contributors, has led to greater interest in or commercial viability of side projects, and Forgiveness Rock Record is its first album in nearly five years.

Co-produced by Tortoise’s John McEntire at Soma Studios in Chicago, the album is one of the band's most vocally driven recordings. Album opener "World Sick" sounds right at home in the BSS catalog, but the next track, "Chase Scene," expands its reach with a vintage synth sound evocative of Goblin's gentler moments. The song adds a wafting violin line, wah-pedal guitar chords, and a driving high-hat cadence — recalling, fittingly, a chase sequence from an '80s film.

There are plenty of other highlights over 14 tracks, including "Forced to Love" with its churning electric bass, sparkling electronics, and pizzicato and strings, or "All to All" with its mounting effects and vocal harmonies. Fans will have no reason to be disappointed, and even though they may refer the uninitiated to You Forgot It In People, this is a fine introduction to an acclaimed catalog.

Broken Social Scene: "Chase Scene"
Broken Social Scene: \"Chase Scene\"

Honorable Mentions

Ben Goldberg Quartet: Baal: Book of Angels vol. 15 (Tzadik)

Dimlite: Prismic Tops (Now-Again / Stones Throw)

Jason Ajemian’s Daydream Full Lifestyles: Protest Heaven (482 Music)

Marching Band: Pop Cycle (U&L Records)

Minus the Bear: Omni (Dangerbird)

Ufomammut: Eve (Supernatural Cat)

In Tune is the second solo release by cellist Alison Chesley, a founding member of Verbow who has appeared as a guest on albums by Mono, Anthrax, Broken Social Scene, and others.

Like the first, self-titled Helen Money album, In Tune is a collection of minimalist, a-percussive creations that excel through overdubbed harmonies, dirty rock effects, and brooding melodies.

An absence of accompaniment leaves the focus on Chesley, who continues finding her voice as a solo artist. The songs on In Tune are darker, fuzzier, and well balanced. With the high-quality engineering of Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio, In Tune reflects an original rock cellist who is reinventing her musical career.

Honorable mentions:

Vladimir Horowitz: Complete Original Jacket Collection box set (Sony Classics)
Mi Ami: Cut Men 12" (Thrill Jockey)
Nadja: Belles Betes (Beta-Lactam Ring)
Trans Am: What Day is it Tonight? live 2xLP (Thrill Jockey)

Shining (Norway)

Thursday, October 23

Pillars and Tongues, Remindring @ The Hideout

Somber vocal harmonies emanate from aptly named Pillars and Tongues, an experimental trio whose creations exhibit mystical influences. As Remindring, multi-talented bassist Josh Abrams (Town & Country, Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble) lays out looped soundscapes with Emmett Kelly and Frank Rosaly.

Fucked Up @ Reggie's Rock Club

Punk-rock misdirection artists Fucked Up hit Chicago two weeks after the release of The Chemistry of Common Life, the group's follow-up full-length to Hidden World. This time around, Fucked Up's material moves through more variety of atmosphere than your standard punk/hardcore, with peaceful, otherworldly intros and layers and layers of guitar. There's less stop-start fury than Hidden World-more sheets of sound-so it will be interesting to see how this vigorous live act performs.

Coliseum starts North American and Japanese tour dates

Louisville hardcore staples Coliseum begin five weeks of performances today, hitting many cities in the USA as well as a few in Canada and Japan. The group doesn't hit Chicago until Nov. 15, but there's a good chance that it will be your city in the near future.

Friday, October 24

Ears & Eyes Festival @ The Hideout

With three outstanding weekend shows at The Hideout, independent jazz/avant-garde label Ears & Eyes Records celebrates its third annual Ears & Eyes Festival. The performances feature groups on the Ears & Eyes roster as well as other local standouts and friends of the label, and one such outside artist, Brooklyn's Parts & Labor, headlines this first night with a catchy mix of indie rock and electronics.

The six-artist, six-hour show also includes bass-and-drums rock duo Black Ladies and free-rock guitarist Tobin Summerfield, but the biggest highlight might be the collaboration between Sunfish Ensemble guitarist David Daniell and Tortoise cofounder/bassist Doug McCombs.

Voodoo Experience begins @ New Orleans' City Park

With a massive three-day lineup that can only really be explored at thetenthritual.com, New Orleans' Voodoo Experience celebrates its 10^th anniversary. If you're in the Big Easy on Friday, the fest's first day, be sure to catch DeVotchKa, Reverend Horton Heat, The Gutter Twins, Man Man, Extra Action Marching Band, and Andre Williams.

Shining (and other picks) at CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival

There are hundreds of bands playing at the dozens of CMJ venues on Friday, the festival's second-to-last day, but we had to single out Norway's Shining at Cake Shop (and again at Knitting Factor on Saturday). The post-prog jazz-rock experimentalists return to New York, one of three cities on their first US tour earlier this year, and it might be a while before they return. If you're in NYC, do yourself a favor and check them out (and pick up Grindstone on Rune Grammofon).

The night's other highlights include sBACH, An Albatross, Akimbo, Phosphorescent, Sole and the Skyrider Band, and Broken Social Scene.

Keep reading…

Like many great concerts, the true highlight of the Broken Social Scene set at Chicago's The Vic on Thursday, October 9 was the closing number. Kevin Drew, hunkered down firmly front and center, elevated the evening's balance of fan favorites and new gems by closing the set with "It's All Gonna Break."

The song, an arduous nine-minute anthem from the collective's second full-length self-titled LP, raised the already enthusiastic spirits of the sold-out crowd. Before beginning the tune, Drew said, "I initially wrote this song about your country. I guess it's all coming true," and indeed, although the joke was humorous, it also highlighted the anxious nerves of the audience members.

Those around me groaned before chuckling to their companions about the near-cataclysmic state of the country coinciding with their great fortune in seeing a band that eagerly established themselves as innovators in the "indie rock" genre upon the release of You Forgot It in People (Arts & Crafts/Paper Bag) in 2002.

Throughout the over two-hour set, the touring lineup produced a concert experience for the eager fan. The upbeat selection seemed hand picked for prime audience interaction. As "Cause=Time" began, it became evident that the audience and the band were equally enthralled.

Although the technical difficulties of The Vic and raucous hum of the audience sometimes made Drew's voice inaudible, what could be heard sounded as crisp as ever. Unfortunately, after attempting to play "Superconnected" twice, technical difficulties ultimately won and ended the song. Thankfully, the night was not completely ruined.

The utterly orgiastic "KC Accidental" and "Fire Eye'd Boy" were executed with zest.

Despite the limitations of a relatively small touring group, many of the band's strongest songs were sung by or in collaboration with Liz Powell from Land of Talk. Powell jumped in and out of many of the songs, giving the songs richer layers then on their original recorded versions.

The frenetic cornucopia of "Shampoo Suicide" read like a melodramatic yet stunning ballad. "7/3 (Shoreline)," originally featuring Feist seemed to be a test for both Powell and the audience, with Powell performing with gusto. The exquisite "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl," was a clear fan favorite and Powell performed song as if battle cry for the female half of the audience.

Throughout the night, the group gave equal opportunities for the various musicians performing under the Broken Social Scene umbrella to highlight some of their own work with seasoned tunes by Drew being spliced with songs such as the near-sing along "Hit the Wall" by Brendan Canning.

It was apparent that many members of the audience were unfamiliar with the members' solo projects, but the overall family-like atmosphere within the venue coupled with the fervor of the band made the evening a more worthwhile experience.

-Britt Julious

Broken Social Scene:www.brokensocialscene.ca
Arts & Crafts: www.arts-crafts.ca
Paper Bag: www.paperbagrecords.com