Animals as Leaders: Weightless (Prosthetic)

Animals as Leaders: "Odessa"

Begun as a solo project that highlighted guitarist Tosin Abasi’s unmistakable shredding, Animals as Leaders released its debut album in 2009, emitting progressive-metal instrumentals with tasteful ambient, electronic, and jazz undertones. Now a trio, Animals as Leaders has returned with Weightless, its first recording as an official band.

The album features more hyper-prolific finger-tapping on eight-string guitars, the instrument of choice for Abasi’s meticulously crafted material. Electronica intros and bridges play a large role, but Weightless — ironically — often is very, very heavy, more so than its predecessor, trudging into sludge territory for spells. Despite the insane technicality, there’s always an emphasis on melody and head-banging rhythms, but the music — endorsed by shred virtuoso Steve Vai — is just as suitable for those with short attention spans.

- Text by Scott Morrow & Jenn Beening.

David Lynch: Crazy Clown Time (Sunday Best / PIAS)

David Lynch: "Crazy Clown Time"

Filmmaker David Lynch, best known for surrealist works such as Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet, may forever be considered an artist first and a musician second. And true to these labels, his new musical effort, Crazy Clown Time, is heavy on the art and light on the music. Maybe this draws the lines too sharply, but it’s fair to say that what Lynch has created here is nearly all atmosphere. It’s still a pop album, but it’s a pop album that a filmmaker like Lynch would make.

With echoing guitars lifted by highly defined cymbal splashes that enliven water-logged beats, Crazy Clown Time could score a washed-out Italian western, Nick Cave’s deviant Death of Bunny Munro, or, not surprisingly, a David Lynch film. The strangest thing about the album is that despite the great ’80s bass riff of “Stone’s Gone Up” or the elliptical synths of the somewhat banal “Good Day Today,”­ Lynch never completely loses the atmosphere.

More than writing songs, what Lynch is really doing is creating characters. These characters then are the subjects of dark narratives, all of which feature a similar texture: perpetual dampness, heavy light, and the disembodied chill of film noir.

Accessibility has always been Lynch’s worst enemy, but even though some listeners will abandon the record after the first track, “Pinky’s Dream” — a charged nightmare featuring an incredible performance by Karen O — there are several entry points for pop listeners. And longtime fans will love it all, the electro-pop confessionals and the more cinematic vignettes.

- Text by Timothy S. Aames.

Trentemøller: Reworked/Remixed (In My Room / HFN Music)

Efterklang: "Raincoats" (Trentemøller remix)

Danish production guru Anders Trentemøller built his name in the mid-2000s as a dance-floor DJ with extensive remixes and studio credits. In 2010, however, he went “live” and released a sophomore album of chilling organic orchestrations, complemented by electronics but driven by tremolo-swollen guitar riffs.

With Reworked/Remixed, a new double-album release, listeners can hear both of these sides of Trentemøller. These 22 tracks include his remixes of other established artists (UNKLE, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Mew, Efterklang), remixes of Trentemøller material by others, and self-remixes and instrumental outtakes. By its nature, it’s a little more oriented for the dance crowd, but Reworked/Remixed remains a compelling cross-section — and introduction to — Trentemøller’s catalog.

- Text by Scott Morrow.

And So I Watch You from Afar: Gangs (Sargent House / Richter Collective)

And So I Watch You from Afar: "Beautiful Universe Master Champion"

In March, the peerless Sargent House label gave American listeners a much-needed introduction to Adebisi Shank, an Irish instrumental trio that merges raging guitar harmonies with spasmodic electronics. Now Sargent House is at it again with Richter Collective, the DIY Irish label that counts Adebisi drummer Mick Roe as a co-founder, to provide American distribution for the sophomore release of And So I Watch You from Afar, a Belfast-based trio of mathy post-rockers from Northern Ireland.

Based on the other side of the Emerald Isle, And So I Watch You from Afar has a similar MO to Adebisi and sonic brethren such as Don Caballero, The Advantage, and Maps & Atlases. And like Don Cab, the band excels with a heavier rhythmic quality thanks to single-octave riffs, deep bass grooves, and mid-tempo breakdowns. At times, it seethes with a punk ferocity, but at others, it's content to charm listeners with clean-channel harmonies and wordless choruses (such as on the buoyant and glistening "7 Billion People All Alive at Once").

Over the course of its 44 minutes, Gangs delivers an unrelenting and celebratory riff fest. There's a dash of Fang Island here, a touch of Mogwai there, and a smidge of whatever math- or post-rock group fits any given passage. But when it's all said and done, ASIWYFA just sounds like itself — a band having a grand ol' time.

- Text by Scott Morrow.

Ralfe Band: Bunny and the Bull soundtrack (Warp Films / Ghost Ship)

Ralfe Band: "Bunny and the Bull Title Theme"

The world got its first taste of Ralfe Band's playful folk in 2004 thanks to BBC Radio1’s late and great DJ John Peel. Since that introduction, songwriter Oliver Ralfe, drummer Andrew Mitchell, and crew went on to release a pair of quirky singer-songwriter albums, but their soundtrack to the 2009 British comedy Bunny and the Bull portrayed a different side of the group. Ralfe, musically inspired by scores like Ennio Morricone's Once Upon a Time in the West, Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo, and Herbie Hancock's jazzy Blow-Up, embraced the opportunity to compose his own original soundtrack, and the result was an eclectic, flavorful set of mostly instrumental accompaniment.

Produced by Warp Films, Bunny and the Bull joins Stephen, a man disgruntled by his humdrum life, in his recollection of a humorously catastrophic odyssey through Europe with his lunatic friend Bunny. The instrumental diversity and tempo fluctuations on the score, occasionally appearing within a single track, perfectly suit the film's road-movie style. Whether or not you imagine the music in conjunction with the film, the score’s ditties vividly illustrate scenes of freewheeling, nomadic travel throughout Eastern Europe. Pianos, cowbells, accordions, triangles, flamenco guitars, ukuleles, and violas establish the whimsical nature of the music and bring the listener to atmospheres of French cabarets, Victorian England, Balkan folk dances, and bull-fighting Spain.

- Text by Lauren Zens.

Owen: Ghost Town (Polyvinyl)

Owen: "No Place Like Home"

Mike Kinsella has spent the better part of two decades playing in a bevy of Illinois-based indie-rock bands. Cap’n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls, American Football — each has shown a different side of Kinsella’s abilities. But Owen, his now decade-running solo project, has been the most multifaceted, and Ghost Town is more proof.

The album, as usual, is rooted in Kinsella’s delicate vocals and multi-instrumental prowess, but the timbres are as assorted as ever. Overdubbed acoustic and electric guitars, strings, piano, marimba, and glockenspiel complement the crux of each song, resulting in another heavily layered and highly melodic batch of tunes. Though Ghost Town won’t catch you off guard, its unassuming depth might surprise you.

- Text by Scott Morrow.

Slugabed: Sun Too Bright Turn it Off EP (Ninja Tune)

Slugabed: "Sun Too Bright Turn it Off"

Like many other UK cities, including Brighton and Bristol, London is on the forefront of current styles and approaches to beat-making. It’s also the residence of DJ and producer Slugabed, whose new EP, Sun Too Bright Turn it Off, sounds like the East London and Los Angeles beat scenes coming into one.

This new release marks back-to-back EPs for Slugabed, a.k.a. Greg Feldwick, as he makes a strong and steady buildup to his debut album for Ninja Tune. Parallel to the Moonbeam Rider EP, Sun Too Bright Turn it Off builds a spacey, multi-dimensional soundscape filled with chopped-and-screwed break beats, wobbly bass drops, and wild 8-bit synths.

But the two releases are unquestionably different in terms of spacing and pacing. Sun Too Bright is a substantially more down-tempo affair, which in fact better establishes Feldwick’s ability as a composer. Though his productions inherently lean toward dubstep and bass spatterings, Feldwick makes the transcontinental connection by unleashing Brainfeeder-textured melodies that thrust his music into a futuristic universe where genres are connected in unexpected ways.

- Text by Michael Nolledo. Read the full review here.

Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason: Sólaris (Bedroom Community)

Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason: "Reyja"

Last year, Mat Schulz, who started Poland’s Unsound Festival, asked composers Ben Frost and Daníel Bjarnason — each residents of Reykjavík, Iceland — to rework Andre Tarkovsky’s 1972 film Sólaris. For both Frost and Bjarnason, Music for Sólaris is a complete departure. Though Frost’s music is often labeled everything from dark industrial to classical minimalism, Bjarnason’s compositions are wildly extravagant yet controlled; together, it’s an inspired collaboration. Under their guidance, Sólaris achieves a delicate balance of the two personalities.

The soundtrack begins with “We Don’t Need Other Worlds, We Need Mirrors,” a subtle, almost piercing string arrangement that eases into the album’s steadily mounting tension. That tension reaches its summit in the latter half of the third track, “Simulacra II,” when restraint is dismissed for something more vivid and emotional.

As the soundtrack’s intensity waxes and wanes throughout, there also develops a clearer distinction between the two composers. In “Saccades,” one of the album’s closing tracks, Frost’s disturbing guitar-thumping creates an eerie discord against Bjarnason’s controlled piano, played one note at a time.

What began as an improvisation played to Sólaris resulted is something far from the original score. Nevertheless, it skillfully captures the haunting and beautifully fragmented quality of the film.

- Text by Meaghann Korbel.

Archaios: The Distant (Dark Canvas)

Archaios: "The Distant"

Dominican melodic-death-metal band Archaios has been at it since the mid-’90s, cranking out crushing, wailing riffs and blast beats. But due to the nation's lack of wealth, support, and proper metal production — not to mention its weighty presence of right-wing media — Archaios has only now been able to release The Distant, its second full-length album.

The album's release, however, is an accomplishment in itself, made even more impressive by the fact that it's the first Dominican metal album to be internationally released by a North American label. But Archaios' selection here is more than as mere novelty; its music, though drawing parallels to plenty of extreme-metal outfits, weaves together trademarks of black, prog, death, and electro metal to make one head-crushing blend.

Somehow, the tiny island nation with an equally miniature metal scene has produced a metal band that can hang with the best of them. With proper distribution and promotion, Archaios just might bring the metal spotlight to the Dominican Republic.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson and Scott Morrow.

Honorable Mentions

200 Years: s/t (Drag City)

Brian Eno & (the words of) Rick Holland: Panic of Looking (Warp)

Chris Connelly: Artificial Madness (Relapse)

Matthew Friedberger: Death-in-Life LP (Thrill Jockey)

Hubble: Hubble Drums (Northern Spy)

Lateef the Truthspeaker: Firewire (Quannum)

Cass McCombs: Humor Risk (Domino)

Marissa Nadler: Covers Volume II (Box of Cedar)

Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica (Software / Mexican Summer)

Polinski: Labyrinths (Monotreme)

The Skull Defekts f. Daniel Higgs and Zomes: 2013-3012 (Thrill Jockey)

Zs: 33 2×7” (Northern Spy)

[Chromatic, our 400-page exploration of musicians and color, is out now. Order here!]

Battles: "Ice Cream"

Everything has changed. Shaken up and stripped down, the three members of experimental post-rock outfit Battles spent the better part of the last year reshaping and restructuring a band that was, up until then, four men strong. With their new record, Gloss Drop, already mostly written and scheduled for release at the time, they faced a grave challenge. This is the story of how one band fought through its darkest moment and emerged from it better than ever.

Battles formed in 2002, in New York City. For five years, the four founding members — guitarists Ian Williams and Dave Konopka, drummer John Stanier, and multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton — established their heady, experimental music. Already considered veterans, Williams had been in Don Caballero, Konopka in Lynx, Stanier in Helmet and Tomahawk, and Braxton his own avant force in music. When the four came together nearly a decade ago, it verged on super-group territory, but the relative underground approach that Battles took in creating and sharing its art kept it out of the spotlight until 2007, when its debut album, Mirrored, heralded the band's arrival to the world at large.

Last year, as the group was recording Gloss Drop, the long-awaited follow-up to Mirrored, Braxton dropped the bomb. He no longer wanted to be a part of Battles, no longer wanted to tour, and no longer wanted to collaborate. It was not a decision made of spite, nor one that caused it. After eight years in the group, it was time for Braxton to strike out on his own as the composer and solo performer that he knew he had to be.

It was the healthy choice for Braxton, but it devastated the rest of the band. Not only was Braxton a gifted performer and artist, but his multi-instrumental ability was one of the defining aspects of the group. For all of the talk of Battles being a prog band or math rock, it was the sounds of Braxton that kept the group from being pigeonholed. He was, of course, just one of four men that crafted this complex and winding narrative of music. But Battles now had to either adapt or die.

Fortunately, death was never an option. Williams, Konopka, and Stanier re-focused and regrouped, determined to deliver a sophomore album as inventive and groundbreaking as their debut. “When we became a trio, everything changed — how we wrote music, how we played," Stanier says. "We went back into the studio and rewrote the entire record. Now you’re writing with three people all on the same page, who all want to be there. It’s a much more unified effort.” Before, Stanier explains, the group worked more like a game of musical Monopoly, with each member trying to get his piece of real estate before it was all eaten up. The songs worked as a musical melting pot at best, according to Stanier, and a “schizophrenic Frankenstein” at worst. Now the three members found themselves with too little time for games and too much pressure to take a breath.
 

“There was this subliminal result from being in a shitty, horrible place mentally, and trying to get out of that.”

“A lot of this record was so down to the wire; at a certain point, we just went on instinct," Stanier says. "There was no time for a new master plan." In any normal situation, when a band has a member leave or a major lineup change, there is usually a "what now?" discussion that leads to the resolution. Battles did not have this. The record was due immediately. The band's contract was on the line. The pressure was on, and Battles used it to its advantage. “We were forced into this position," Stanier says. "And we took this negative situation and turned it into a positive." All in all, the trio rewrote, re-recorded, mixed, and completed Gloss Drop in four months. Stanier regards it as “miraculous.”

And the miracle of Gloss Drop doesn’t end with its completion in the studio. The new record is a shimmering, fascinating detour from Battles' previous output. Forged in darkness and bathed in light, the album soars with ebullience and sheen. It bounces about on dance-y, frenetic beats and ripples in restorative whirlpools. The music retains Battles' signatory edge and cerebral tone, but the band’s instinctual process has brought about a surprising, new result.

Stanier admits that it’s a strange record, and acknowledges the tonal change in Battles' musical dynamic. But looking back, it’s clear that this evolution was spurred by the events of the last year. “There was this subliminal result from being in a shitty, horrible place mentally, and trying to get out of that,” Stanier says. “We were forced to reach deep down inside and pull out ideas and stuff we had experienced, and bring these ideas out into the open.” Those ideas turned Gloss Drop into an upbeat, danceable album, with lively guitar parts and math-rock riffs fused with swirling indie-rock rhythms. Songs like “Futura” incorporate Caribbean percussion, and “Sweetie and Shag,” featuring Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, features dazzling melodies over a playful composition. Other guests on the album include DJ Matias Aguayo, Boredoms vocalist Yamantaka Eye, and the one and only Gary Numan. Swirling in color and emotion, Gloss Drop does not sound like the record of a band that was contemplating its own demise while creating it.

“I feel like we’re old war buddies who just got back from a tour of duty or something," Stanier says. “We made it out of the treacherous stuff, came home, got a couple medals, but we’re not done.” Williams, Konopka, and Stanier have always been close friends as well as band mates, and the tireless days and long nights of rebuilding Battles from the ground up has only smoothed away any remaining bumps in the band’s road. “It’s smooth sailing from here," Stanier laughs. "Everything just seems so much easier now, and with us being a trio now, majority rules. I mean, it sucks if you’re outvoted on which kind of beer you want on the rider.”

“To make it out of this alive, I’m still kind of amazed by that,” Stanier continues. “We’re in a much better place, across the board. When the mastering and sequencing was done, and the album was complete, there was literally, and I’m not exaggerating, a feeling of an enormous weight lifted off my back. I feel like a completely different person. I feel that I’ve changed more in the last year than I have in the last 10 years.”

Battles is not a band that needs to reinvent the wheel at every turn, but it knows the dangers of complacency. Gloss Drop is a major change in the band's musical road map, and it is ready to celebrate that with fans and friends alike. Touring, after all, is one of Battles' best features. “There is no way I could be in this band without playing live,” Stanier says. “From day one, that’s been the most important  thing.” Now that the turmoil and hard work is over, the three plan on focusing their live show, starting with an extensive European tour this summer. “Live, we are a souped-up Toyota Celica,” Stanier says. “We roll into town and open the door, and anybody who wants to go on this crazy joyride just piles on in.”

With its sense of humor still in place and an exciting new album on the shelves, Battles remains one of the most dynamic and uniquely adventurous bands around, threading a difficult needle of music that is both challenging and appealing, personal and popular. After the frenzy of the last year, after all of the smoke has cleared and the tallies taken, Gloss Drop will prove to be a turning point unlike any other for the band: the moment when Battles became one.

After 15 years avoiding labels like math rock, Don Caballero was laid to rest in the year 2000. The heavy instrumental act hit a creative wall and split.

Damon Che, the founder and drummer, reformed the band a few years later. The power of "The Don" overcame any reservations, and Don Cab now showcases its gut-crunching rock in Punkgasm, its second album since reforming, following World Class Listening Problem on Relapse in 2006.

The title suggests a frantic, pissed-off, dirty trip through the gutters of music, yet the album is anything but. Don Caballero offers more of the complex time signatures and the high-octane, resonating guitars for which it is known, but the group now seems more sentimental. This is the album of its members' youth, coming through them at a mature age.

Most of the songs are short and quick, but tracks like "Who's a Puppy Cat" get spacey and electronic. Don Cab retains its punk roots to an extent, but this album is more about understanding the idea of punk or alternative or whatnot.

For such an experienced and well-traveled band to produce a blazing album of excellent musicianship, and then to title it such a sophomoric, naive joke of a word, is somewhat maddening, especially for those Don Cab fans out there ready for their favorite band to become a household name.

The band's members are not interested in that, however, for if they were, they would play different music. Their exercise in extremes ensures that they'll be loved but left alone enough to continue to make music their way.

- Charlie Swanson

Don Caballero: www.myspace.com/doncaballeropgh
Relapse Records: www.relapse.com

Don Caballero, DD/MM/YYYY @ Reggie's (Chicago)

Closing out its coast-to-coast tour, heavy cross-timed rock trio Don Caballero hits Chicago before a final stop in Cleveland. Quirky Toronto rockers DD/MM/YYYY finish out the tour, which included the melodic 8-bit rock of sBACH for a stretch.

Yoome, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone @ Subterranean (Chicago)

Joining with producer Tony Trimm and vocalist/keyboardist Renee-Louise Carafice, local MC/producer Serengeti leads Yoome in a left-field production of hip hop, synth-flavored post-rock, and indie vocals.  Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, headed by singer/songwriter Owen Ashworth, merges minimalist indie pop with bits of Americana.

Saturday, February 28

These Arms are Snakes @ Subterranean (Chicago)

Splashing touches of progressive pop into an indie/hardcore mix, These Arms Are Snakes recently returned to the road for another spate of tour dates. The quartet will hit most major cities by the end of March, when it will be joined for a week by spastic math rockers Tera Melos.

Andreas Kapsalis Trio @ SPACE (Evanston)

Makers of boundless pseudo-soundtrack work and one of last year’s best albums, Original Scores, the Andreas Kapsalis Trio performs at a multi-purpose venue (restaurant / performance area) in Chicago's closest northern suburb.

The Eternals @ The Hideout (Chicago)

Mixing hip hop with dub, reggae, electronics, experimental passages, and rock, The Eternals have a great sound for live performance. Idiosyncratic lyricist/keyboardist Damon Locks leads the group in this return to Chicago's Hideout.

Here's a list of tours on our radar, including dates from The Bad Plus, Fucked Up, Orange Tulip Conspiracy, P.O.S., Secret Chiefs 3, Young Widows, and more.

Follow each artist's link to see current tour dates.

The Bad Plus: March 5 – April 17
After a few one-off shows and a short stint in Eastern Europe, the rock-infused jazz trio begins a month and a half of spread-out dates in major North American cities. Accompanied by vocalist Wendy Lewis, the group is supporting the release of its first all-covers album, For All I Care.

Dan Deacon: April 6 – May 17
Electronic artist Dan Deacon takes a six-week jaunt across the US and Canada with a full supporting ensemble to perform the electro-acoustic works of his new album, Bromst.

Don Caballero: Feb. 3-28
Led by drummer/instigator Damon Che, these rock instrumentalists began a US tour last week that will hit major cities from coast to coast. Since being recreated, the group (with Che as its only remaining original member) has emphasized a heavy rock sound, continuing with its most recent album, Punkgasm.

Fucked Up: Jan. 27 – Feb.
Closing out its three-week US tour, Fucked Up plays a few Midwest dates before culminating with two Valentine's Day shows in Chicago and a recently added gig in Michigan. The shock-value cross-genre punks then take a breather before traveling to Europe in late February.

Irepress: March 4 – April 11
Heading out in support of its sophomore album, Sol Eye Sea 1, this (mostly) instrumental Boston group treats rock clubs to mathy, melodic, chugging, epic songs.

The Oddity Faire: A Mutated Mini Fest: March 4-28
This four-week traveling mini festival features an outstanding lineup of Les Claypool, DeVotchKa, Saul Williams, and Secret Chiefs 3 in many cities. Some dates include the Yard Dogs Road Show, O'Death, and The Mutaytor. Tickets are a bit pricey but should be worth every dollar. Claypool is supporting a new album, Of Fungi and Foe.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: May 1-23
This new project from Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel makes its debut US tour in support of its excellent first album.

P.O.S.: Feb. 5-28
With what should be one of the year's best hip-hop albums in tow, Minnesota's P.O.S. kicked off a three-week US tour in Montana last Thursday. His jaunt runs through the West, the Midwest, and the East Coast before returning to Minneapolis.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum: April 9-20
This theatrical art-metal group takes a short Midwest and East Coast tour between albums, getting a fabulous opener in Dub Trio for five of the dates.

Young Widows: March 13 – April 7
After a stretch of European performances, Louisville's Young Widows will have spent the better part of two months on the road, punishing crowds with a rhythmic heaviness and inspiration from forerunners such as The Jesus Lizard.

Don Caballero: "Savage Composition" (World Class Listening Problem)
Don Caballero: \"Savage Composition\"

February 3 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
February 4 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
February 5 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
February 6 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
February 7 – Houston, TX @ Meridian Red Room
February 8 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
February 10 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
February 11 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
February 12 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah (w/ sBACH)
February 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland (w/ sBACH)
February 14 – Long Beach, CA @ Alex's Bar (w/ sBACH)
February 15 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent (w/ sBACH)
February 16 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/ sBACH)
February 17 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon (w/ sBACH)
February 27 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie's
February 28 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop

Don Caballero: www.myspace.com/doncaballeropgh
Relapse: www.relapse.com

Garage a Trois

Mars Volta mastermind Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is releasing another solo album — this time his first through Stones Throw. Titled Old Money, it is currently available via MP3s and will be released on CD and vinyl on January 27.

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher has been hospitalized due to undisclosed reasons. He hopes to rejoin the band, which is continuing to tour as a trio, in time for its upcoming European shows. The band, meanwhile, will release a limited-edition vinyl box set on Tuesday.

Outspoken wordsmith Saul Williams speaks with Wired about the aftermath from the release of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, which was released online last year through a tiered (free-$5) pricing system.

On the group's MySpace page, a sneak preview has been posted from the upcoming album by beautiful jazz/groove trio Garage a Trois. Comprised of vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon, drummer Stanton Moore, saxophonist Skerik, and keyboardist Marco Benevento, the group also recently posted performance dates for the Jam Tour 7.

NOMO mastermind Elliot Bergman and producer Warn Defever have released a small edition of handmade electric kalimbas for sale. These instruments of African origin are played through metal keys and produce a unique, resonating sound.

Don Caballero has announced a small batch of northeastern tour dates for December, a few weeks after the band returns from the UK.

Pelican has released a video for "Lost in the Headlights." It makes its television debut on Saturday on Headbangers Ball.

The (International) Noise Conspiracy is streaming its new album, The Cross of My Calling, in its entirety from the band's MySpace page. The album will be released on November 25 in the US.

Led by the oozing talent of Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, his Orange Tulip Conspiracy begins its West Coast tour on Saturday.

Mike Patton has another collaboration credit, this time with The Qemists, a three-piece outfit that meshes rock with club music. The group's single with Patton, "Lost Weekend," is available on 12" through Ninja Tune.

After recently finishing the Experience Hendrix national tour, drummer Mitch Mitchell has passed away at the age of 62. He was the last living member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

He is obviously at least half joking, but the facts are nothing to laugh at. Chicago has given an electric jolt to the blues, witnessed the birth of house music, and acted as a cornerstone of the blossoming independent music industry of the 80s and 90s.

Today, Chicago plays a prominent role in nearly every popularized style of music in America. Chicago’s music lovers have nurtured some of the least conventional and most inspirational artists in the history of independent rock and created an environment where newer bands are encouraged to write their own rules, and then break them.

“Chicago’s a very close network of musicians. It’s very open, very supportive. People go to see each other’s bands, and have split bills together. There is no question of it helping to shape our music,” says guitarist Mike Sullivan. Turncrantz adds, “There is no room for ego.”

Russian Circles are at the forefront of Chicago’s newest generation of musicians that deviate from the norm. After parting ways with bassist Colin DeKupier, they became a two-piece, although they continue to perform as a three-piece. Their recorded music is intense, dramatic, and at times a little intimidating, qualities that become even more pronounced in a live setting.

The overwhelmingly positive response to both their debut album Enter (Flameshovel) and their emotive live performances has brought them into national consciousness. Anticipation for their upcoming release, Station (Suicide Squeeze) featuring These Arms Are Snakes’ Brian Cook on bass, is quickly mounting. Their blend of ethereal melodies with crushing heavy rock, has traversed boundaries between die-hard fans of instrumental, progressive, post-rock, and metal genres and a growing audience enjoying these styles for the first time.

Sullivan and Turncrantz met in Missouri while still in high school. They both joined and later quit the same local punk band. Sullivan made the move to Chicago, partially for college, but also because, “All my favorite bands were from Chicago, so I moved up here to [using quote marks for sarcastic effect] ‘immerse myself in the scene.’ I was hoping to get something going up here.” He began playing in mathy instrumental outfit Dakota/Dakota with DeKupier. Back in St. Louis, Turncrantz drummed in punk-influenced rock group, Riddle of Steel.

After Dakota/Dakota broke up in 2004, the friends discovered a mutual desire to play music with a heavier sound. Sullivan drove to St. Louis for a practice session, and the two wrote parts for what would later become “Carpe,” first released on their 2005 self-titled, self-released EP and later as first track on their debut full-length, 2006’s Enter (Flameshovel). Turncrantz moved to Chicago, and after experimenting with instrumentation and lineups, they settled as a three piece, with DeKupier on bass guitar.

A few months after their first practice, the group released a self-titled EP and began touring the Midwest. They became known for their captivating live shows; Turncrantz’s unique drumming style and Sullivan’s fondness for finger tapping helped the group develop a reputation as highly skilled musicians.

The band also drew attention for Sullivan’s use of a looping pedal, which at times makes the band sound more like an army of musicians than a three piece. Sullivan says that it lends itself well to communicating ideas and escaping the confines of genre, but also, “It’s kind of limiting in some ways. Once you loop something you can’t change, so the structure is very set and there’s not much room for improv within the riff itself. It’s the way DJs look at music; the part or the song will progress by adding parts and taking away, rather than changing individual notes within a passage.”

Equally noted was the absence of a singer. As it turns out, Russian Circles was never intended to be an instrumental project. At first they debated over who would sing, but soon realized, as Sullivan explains, “There was too much shit going on. Before we knew it…vocals would be a distraction.” Turncrantz adds “[vocals] would just clusterfuck it.”

Russian Circles believe that playing instrumental music opens up a broader range of interpretations of the music’s mood. Sullivan says, “We don’t have a singer, and we play kind of heavier stuff. Once you have a dude screaming on top of it, people get really turned off and don’t want to listen to it. Same with the quiet stuff, hearing someone bitch and moan. People who are more metal hear it and think ‘What the fuck is that?’ and vice versa ‘It’s too heavy, why are you so angry?’”

He concedes, “I think it’s weird that instrumental music now seems like it’s a new thing. Groups like Trans Am and Don Caballero have always written simple, but memorable and easy to grasp music. Even bands like Tortoise come from that, easier ideas being built up.”

Enter was recorded with Greg Norman at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio Studios and released on Chicago-based Flameshovel Records. Turncrantz says “When we recorded the demo, we were driving home listening to it, thinking it could have the worst reception or the best reception, I had no idea.”

After the May 2006 release of the six-song LP, Russian Circles cultivated a steadily growing stream of fans, much of it through word of mouth — the organic buzz that corporate executives salivate just thinking about because it is something that money just can’t buy. Sullivan says, “There wasn’t a whole lot of instant press about it, which was good for us. We toured non-stop for a year and a half by doing that. It was a slow and steady thing, it wasn’t out of nowhere. We opened for a shitload of bands and met awesome people. I’m thankful we had that.”

Aside from the constant touring, they attribute much of their growing recognition to the Internet, noting that a lot of people are buying Enter after discovering it online, two years after its release.

When Russian Circles began to develop material for their second album, Turncrantz and Sullivan headed away from many of the proggy, technical characteristics of their first record in favor of a more stripped-down approach. Of Enter, Turncrantz says, “I listened to it maybe four times afterwards, always thinking ‘I don’t know what’s going on right now. What the fuck am I playing? Why am I doing that?’ I think the more catchy and simple it is, the more people who wouldn’t normally like instrumental music will be drawn towards it. I love bands like Hella, but I couldn’t tell you the third song on the record, I couldn’t hum it for you. I want a CD I can actually listen to from start to finish.”

Sullivan says “A lot of people want to get shred happy and you don’t need to do it.” But not everyone was in agreement. The conversation turns serious as Sullivan and Turncrantz describe how they parted ways with DeKupier last year. Sullivan explains, “[Colin] wasn’t that excited by where we were going. I think he was happier going a different way…. We sat down at a bar, and we all knew why we were meeting. The question “why” wasn’t asked once. It was a mutual understanding.”

Turncrantz says, “Mike and I work really, really well together. It’s funny, we’ll write a part and change it at the same time, like we don’t even look at each other, we just know it should change. And when there is someone who isn’t on that level, it definitely holds us back and takes us a lot longer to create and complete a song. When we parted ways with Colin it was a relief, musically. Writing was a relief and songs just came out.”

That wasn’t the only change they made. Sullivan explains “The last record was a Chicago label, recorded in Chicago, everything was Chicago. We love Chicago but we just felt that it was the best thing for us to try something new.” They signed with Seattle-based Suicide Squeeze Records, who had released their 2006 single “Upper Ninety,” and arranged to record with producer Matt Bayles (Isis, Pearl Jam). The eclectic label felt like a good fit for them because, as Sullivan spells out “There are no expectations because they are more an indie label than a heavy label.” However, he quips “Matt Bayles is known for heavier stuff, so it’s a good juxtaposition of the indie/metal world.”

Turncrantz says that working with bassist Brian Cook was a pleasure. “With his writing mindset, we were all the same page. We would write stuff the day we went into the studio, like the end of “Verses.” We wrote the part right then and there and it’s one of my favorite parts on the record.” Although Cook has already agreed to work on their third album when the time comes, chances are, he’ll never join the group as a full-time member. After all, he already has a full-time band with These Arms are Snakes, a commitment Turncrantz and Sullivan would never disturb. They also aren’t sure they even want a permanent third member. Turncrantz says, “I like the structure we have right now, because it feels good, refreshing to play with different bass players. So I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Russian Circles took their time on the cross-country drive from Chicago to Red Room Recording in Seattle, which Bayles co-owns with Chris Common. They spent a few relaxing days sightseeing in places such as Yellowstone National Park, and the effects of the peaceful trip can be felt in their recordings. “Not to be lame,” Sullivan says, “but the drive out there definitely affected the mood of the record. It made it a bit prettier.”

The record does have a distinctly open, airy feel. True to their vision, it is more accessible than their previous material, demonstrated by delicate opening number “Campaign,” and somber “Versus.” That’s not to say that they’ve lost their edge, if riff-heavy “Station” and thrash-inducing, heart-pounding “Youngblood” are any indication. Although it is a bit of a departure from their first record, it retains trademarks of their sound. No song maintains the same mood throughout its entirety. Listening to either Russian Circles album is to course though a huge gamut of emotions.

Turncrantz anticipates a surprised reaction from their audience in response to their evolving sound. “People don’t understand, they think they’re going to buy a record, and it’s going to be real noodley, like Enter. Before we did the new record we were like ‘Dude, it’s going to be massive, its going to be so heavy!” and of course, all the songs turn out to be really pretty.’ That’s what we’re going for. We wanted to write more of a timeless record that people could listen to ten years later.”