2019
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
JULY - DECEMBER
2019 closed out a tumultuous decade. The world is at odds over the furthering of the cultural revolution. A cold civil war over values and economic justice fueled by the never ending stream of the information age. A generational battle made all the more noisy by the easily accessible negativity heaped on us all, day in day out, by corporate interests on a quest for the easy buck. So we turn it off, we spurn reaction for meditation, news for art, and unplug our brains from social media and into the groove of music.
Meanwhile in our neck of the urban wilderness, Chicago’s scene flourishes on, as big and bad as ever. The following is a rundown of the records and shows we loved from 2019. Not all of them are from Chicago, but most of the bands featured here toured through our fair metropolis once or twice this year. We at CCS don’t believe in the rank and file systems of the MSM. Instead of numbers and lists, we give you the year as it happened. So here it is dear Surfers, our 2019 Year In Review July - December.
A note on links: Band Names almost always link to Spotify, Album Titles almost always link to Bandcamp (so you can buy these artist’s music. Stop being a cheapskate and purchase some damn music! Praise Art, as Rahim would say, and lay down some green!)
-Kyle Land
Co-founder and Content Editor
July
Car Seat Headrest / Naked Giants
Pritzker Pavilion
A beautiful night in Millennium Park turned into the show of the summer, as Will Toledo and company produced one of the best sets we took in last year. After a bought with tinnitus forced Toledo to restructure the band due to his guitar playing being limited, leading to this version of his tunes that are far more symphonic and flushed out. Car Seat Headrest was revelatory on this early July evening, as they played one of their last shows in this form.
-Kyle Land
West Fest
The titular celebration of all things music hit on all cylinders this year as West Fest captured where Chicago’s music scene is and where it’s going. With an excellent local lineup highlighted by performances by Dos Santos, Oozing Wound, NNAMDÏ, Girl K, Free Snacks, Absolutely Not, Pixel Grip and more was set off by awesome headliners like Ex Hex and John Maus. Plus the always awesome local house stage where DJ’s like Mark Farina and Derrick Carter can let loose to a mass of undulating humanity.
Stef Chura / French Vanilla / Sean Green
Empty Bottle
A fantastic after West Fest show with Detorits’ Stef Chura indie rock leading the way after a stage destroying set from L.A. art rockers French Vanilla. An inspiring set from local Sean Green started the evening off just right. One of the best shows at The Bottle all year, which is really saying something...
****
Pixel Grip / Uma Bloo /
Cold Beaches / Tasha
Uma Bloo's basement
Uma Bloo threw a house show to celebrate the release of her music video,"All for You." Her sonorous bedroom music and warm personality make her beloved in the Chicago music scene and she brought in Pixel Grip, Cold Beaches, and Tasha to share the bill. Any of them could be found headlining sold out shows around town. Even though this wasn't covered by Chicago Crowd Surfer at the time, it was most definitely one of my top five shows of the year. The basement was decorated wall to wall by the same creative team that worked on the music video and the audience crammed in, beaming with love for the community and music. Tasha looked out at each of us in a way that made me feel like she could see into my soul. Cold Beaches turned up the energy with rock vibes that left the guitarist on the floor. Uma Bloo was radiant as she performed. Pixel Grip rounded out the show with a party set that nearly brought down the house. By the end we were all sweaty with joy. A perfect night.
KAINA
Next to The Sun
Sooper Records had a phenomenal 2019 and KAINA had much to do with that success. Her insanely excellent record Next to The Sun garnered national attention and much deserved acclaim for the Chicago born talent.
Black Keys
Let’s Rock
I don’t know what else to say about this record that isn’t in Issue #67. This return to form by the Akron boys was exactly what I wanted from them. That is to say, it’s an album by the Black Keys and it rocks.
Mal Blum
Pity Boy
Part of the wave of queer rock taking the forefront, Mal Blum's album Pity Boy takes a sharp look at when things were hardest. You can find the trans experience in the lyrics, but it is also the human experience. “Why can’t they see me, I was right there.” Life is pain. What matters is what you do with it. Some songs free their voices to yell, “I Don’t Want To.” Other songs are more gentle, self-realization: “Black Coffee.” There is nowhere to look but inside to do the work of making yourself stronger. “Not My Job” boils it down perfectly. “If I have to I’ll kill off my better self, because it’s not my job to make you well.” The stand-out track amongst a crowd of songs I love is “Well, Fuck.” Cause it kicks ass, and sometimes I don’t want to be reasonable or nice.
Glitter Moneyyy
Binge
“Let’s fucking party” is the whisper that starts the insanity of Glitter Moneyyy’s sophomore full length Binge. A slam, bam record that slaps so hard it’ll have you turning the other cheek repeatedly. It’s too bad this duo just announced they are moving to Cali after their show at Ian’s Party this weekend...Chicago will miss TayyySlayyy and Queen TrAshley.
Pitchfork Music Festival
Union Park
For the second year in a row we hit Pitchfork guerilla style with five of our contributors taking in the iconic Chicago summer festival. Once again, Union Park was full of performances by up and coming locals such as Lala Lala, Ric Wilson, Grapetooth, and Tasha, but the magic of HAIM and Robyn’s headlining sets, and the rush of nostalgia given by The Isley Brothers was the true highlights of this years fest. There is nothing quite like thousands of people singing along to “Love the One You’re With,” or Robyn’s hit of the decade “Dancing With Yourself”
Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
After the dissolution of Silver Jews their enigmatic center David Berman disappeared from the studio for a decade before returning for Purple Mountains this year. A rapture to life, Purple Mountains is a wonder of a record, chock full of Berman’s humor and life affirming lust for the lyric. Less than a month after the records release, he passed from this world, leaving behind a final opus to keep the flame of his light alive.
Avery R. Young
tubman.
Layers upon layers of history and social protest are all wrapped in Avery R. Young’s gorgeous soul gospel funk compositions and lyrical beauty. tubman. deserved far more attention than it received with several hundreds of years of black experience boiled down into a pure ebony tincture.
SuperKnova
American Queers
Few records this year reached the level of richness and excellence as SuperKnova’s debut full length. Fully produced by the artist, American Queers reaches out and grabs you by the pop jugular and doesn’t let go.
Chance the Rapper
The Big Day
Chicago’s first son Mr. Chancelor Bennett (aka: Chance the Rapper) had held off on producing another record for three years and The Big Day was worth the wait. The Big Day was truly the first time Chance could just sit back and be himself with no worries and plenty of funky beats.
Florist
Emily Alone
Emily Sprague left behind her two Florist bandmates for this touching solo effort that reflects the loneliness we all find in our modern lives. Emily Alone was one of the years most gripping records, even if it was one of the quietest.
August
IDLES
Lincoln Hall
Lollapalooza aftershows are always a highlight of the year. We get killer acts in some of favorite venues. IDLES’ set at Lincoln Hall might very well be the best performance I saw in 2019. Their poetry fueled punk was both harsh and loving. They railed against injustice and pushed us towards a more inclusive and equal world. Preaching between songs as much as with the lyrics, they brought so much passion and soul to their performance it felt like the crowd surfers were floating on it. There was the pain of being shoved and crushed against the stage, but I needed to be close as possible: “Feeling the power radiating off the band. The spray of spit and sweat. I simply had to look around at the beaming faces, screaming the lyrics, and I could let go of the pain: Life is pain. It is inevitable, so don't let that distract you from the beauty.”
Russian Circles
Blood Year
Chicago post-metalers return with their seventh album. Over the course of their 15-year career, Russian Circles have perfected their atmospheric post-metal by experimenting with various moods and textures while remaining largely instrumental. While Blood Year doesn’t break new ground the way Empros did in 2011 or Memorial in 2013, this album is yet another solid addition to their growing catalog. Check out the tremolo picking and Dave Turncrantz’s syncopated drumming on “Arluck” and the thick heavy sludgy guitars on “Quartered”.
RIP David Berman
We were extremely saddened by the passing of a genius. Read our contributor Brian O’Donnell’s obit on Mr. Berman.
Knocked Loose
A Different Shade of Blue
From the open cold-clock of “Belleville” to brooding bloody-soled scrap of “Misguided Son,” Knocked Loose’s long-awaited second LP A Different Shade of Blue is everything an adrenaline-addicted punk could want out of a modern rock album. You want punishing break down? You got ‘um. You want contorted d-tuned riffs? They’re here. You want old school death vocals leapfrogging over glass-splinter shrieks? Dude, get in line! This album proves that Knocked Loose is this generation’s answer to Integrity and Ringworm. And if A Different Shade of Blue is a sign of things to come, then the old guard has their work cut out for them if they intend to retain their thrones.
Favorite Track: “Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory”
****
WINGTIPS
Exposure Therapy
Electro pop has never really gone out of style and Chicago duo WINGTIPS take their dark edge to the limit on Exposure Therapy.
Carriers
Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else
One of the most cohesive records of the year, Cincy based Curt Kiser brought all the big guns out for his Carriers debut.The resulting record Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else is a songwriters wet dream come to life, with tunes rolling on and on and on…
Jungle Green
Runaway With Jungle Green
No one is like Jungle Green and they prove it with the revelatory Runaway With Jungle Green. This is pure musical epiphany in consumable form. If you’ve never seen them live, do yourself a favor and get to Schubas this Saturday…
****
Fire Talk Records 10th anniversary showcase
DEHD / Deeper / Patio / Fran
Thalia Hall
Every Thalia Hall in the round show is incredible, but this lineup was stacked with four amazing Fire Talk bands. Opener Fran released her album A Private Picture in the latter part of 2019, so we happily got a sneak peak back in August. Brooklyn band Patio’s music was purposely off kilter. Hard edged jangly surf-like rock with blasé vocals. Third up was Chicago band Deeper. They gave us an intense performance, digging into their music. At the end of Deeper’s set, members of all four bands got onto the cramped stage and jammed out a rendition of “Boys Don’t Cry.” As Jason Balla tried to balance on top of a monitor, everyone was rapt with the performance. Definitely a highpoint of the celebration. Our headliner set out to meet and beat that energy. DEHD brought joy to the stage and reveled in being in the round. They connected with each other and the audience in a way that makes these shows unique and unforgettable.
DEHD at The Metro, December 21, tix $17 Fran at Schubas, January 18, tix $15
Deeper at Lincoln Hall, January 19, tix $16
Ezra Furman
Twelve Nudes
Proving that Ezra Furman isn't done surprising and evolving, he brought us Twelve Nudes, an album that both returns to a lo-fi punk/vintage aesthetic but does it in a way that is unlike earlier records. "My Teeth Hurt" is about literal dental work Furman had done, but it's also about struggling with your identity. The constant pain of not feeling quite right. He is looking at his feminist persona and welcoming being she with "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend." A song taking the LGBTQ+ audience by storm. He closes the album with "What Can You Do But Rock 'n' Roll" and it feels like an instant classic pop punk anthem I can't get enough of. A mantra for life.
Whitney
Forever Turned Around
It would have been tough for anyone to follow up the acclaim Whitney’s debut Light Upon The Lake garnered for the duo centric collective. However, Forever Turned Around sure does an excellent job at following up the classic record with a free flowing aesthetic that captures the blurring effect of fame, love, and the ups and downs of life.
Tenci
My Heart Is An Open Field
With a golden heart and a fine musical pedigree, Tenci captures something special with My Heart Is An Open Field. Produced by Spencer Radcliffe, he seems to bring a bit of his southwest rambling to Jess Shoman’s striking tunes.
Fire-Toolz
Field Whispers (Into The Crystal Palace)
Did you know that black metal could pair with soft rock and smooth jazz like a good Shiraz with a fat slice of gouda? Of course you didn't. That's why I'm writing a fawning recap about Fire-Toolz' Field Whispers (Into The Crystal Palace) and not whatever your sorry ass did this year. Fire-Toolz is a satisfyingly twisted emergence of several web-based trends , manifesting into a sonic sculpture, both delightfully delicate and malignantly existential. It's easy to feel like your losing touch with the world around you in this hyper-information age, and the brain mulching strain of our day-to-day experience is captured perfectly in the tarnished transcendent majesty of Field Whispers. Despite its nods to the low-key panic of our waking world (or maybe because of it), there is also a dreamy optimism to the album that provides for some unexpected thematic interrogations, and make for a more nuanced and gratifying overall listening experience. This album was my first introduction to Fire-Toolz's work, and if you couldn't tell, I'm completely hooked.
Favorite Track: “mailto:spasm@swamp.god?subject=Mind-Body Parallels”
September
Malci / Free Snacks / Musa Reems
Sleeping Village
Why? Records returned home from tour for an inspiring performance on a Sunday night at Sleeping Village that turned into a homecoming friends dance party while Free Snacks and Malci put on a talented display of lyrical and sample gymnastics and up and comer Musa Reems opened up the night in inspiring style.
Mannequin Pussy / Destroy Boys / Ellis
Lincoln Hall
After the soft jams of Ellis, nothing could prepare the crowd for the onslaught of lustrous noise Destroy Boys would bring down savoring grace, nor the intensity with which Mannequin Pussy would attack the senses. This Riot Fest primer was a night of pure perfection.
Riot Fest
Douglas Park
Once again Riot Fest jammed the sprawling fields of Douglas Park with a teaming mass of humanity. We spurned the major headliners, except for Bikini Kill of course, for a more well rounded festival taking in plenty of locals like Ganser, Retirement Party, Kali Masi, and more and a few major nostalgia acts like Cock Sparrer, Violent Femmes, and The Selecter thrown in the mix. Because Riot Fest is nothing without the nostalgia.
Cloud Rat
Pollinator
Easily one of the more powerfully cathartic listening experiences of the year, Cloud Rat’s Pollinator tore through my expectations from the first moment I hit play. Marshall and her cohort have refined their crusty patchwork of hardcore, grindcore, black metal, and noisy post-metal into something that could easily win an Olympic track record while simultaneously devouring the would be second and third place winners in one fluid sweep of fury, hunger, and monstrous force. That’s not to say that Pollinator is a substanceless void of sound, though. The album also features some of the most honest thematic discussions of mental health and needling psychic death of any album released this year. I’m totally floored and can’t recommend this beast enough.
Favorite Track: “Last Leaf”
Brittany Howard
Jaime
The Alabama Shakes frontwoman takes a break from her band to release her debut solo album Jaime. Rather than simply recreate the Alabama Shakes sound, Brittany Howard decided to experiment outside the confines of rock and explore her other musical influences including R&B, gospel, funk, soul, and spoken word. Resulting in a very diverse album that showcases all facets of Howard’s immense talent. Give the gospel-tinged “He Loves Me” and the spoken-word track, “13th Century Metal,” some love!
****
Snow Burial
Ostrava
Smart, sludgy, post-metal assembled right here in Chicago. I think between Snow Burial, Immortal Bird, and The Atlas Moth, Chicago is primed to make a serious impact on the national hard rock scene in the coming decade. Albums like Ostrava are going to be the laser drill with which these superhumans will melt their way through the gates of the modern rock establishment. A more emotionally complex and confident album than its predecessor, 2016’s Victory in Ruin, Ostrava is a glimpse into a murky place of shadows and treachery that is felt as much as it is seen (or heard as the case may be). Deliciously dark and rife with mendacious metaphors, this is worth giving a spin if you are in the mood for something as thoughtful as it is heavy.
Favorite Track: “Sever the Bloodline”
Davis the Dorchester Bully
Green Parakeet Suite
Another powerful Why? Records release came from Davis the Dorchester Bully and his debut Green Parakeet Suite (G.P.S.). A powerful and lyrically stirring effort that was the moment the fledgling collective became a serious player in the Chicago hip hop scene.
Lili Trifilio
Book Club
Taking a break from the success whirlwind of Beach Bunny, fronter and songwriter Lili Trifilio enters the bedroom pop world with her first solo EP Book Club.
October
Sir Babygirl / Nyssa / CJ Run
The Empty Bottle
Pressing against the stage is always where I want to be. It's essential for taking pictures, but it’s also because I am a fan of the music I go see. As a pansexual femme, this lineup of LGBTQ+ acts was made all the more powerful because I was surrounded by "my people." This was a sentiment shared/mentioned by the performers, and cheered by the audience. CJ Run had incredible boi energy as they rapped, sang, danced and swaggered across the stage. Nyssa floored me with her killer pipes and powerful stance. Every bit the crooner and diva. No need to choose. Headliner (and fellow bi) Sir Babygirl brought the party home strong with a set that had me breathless with joy and beauty.
CJ Run at Lincoln Hall, January 15, tix $15
Sturgill Simpson
SOUND & FURY
Sturgill Simpson is a true outlaw. Nashville, try as it might, cannot contain the singer-songwriter’s natural left-turn nature. Coming off the massive success of 2016's A Sailor's Guide to Earth, a sane person would have capitalized on the relatable image of a father imparting advice on his newborn son. Instead, Sturgill busks outside the CMAs in protest of the establishment, recruits a band of spacey Southern rockers, and makes an anime movie to accompany his new album. If Waylon Jennings was the definition of outlaw country, Simpson is truly a Ronin. A story about a man without a master, told through 10 songs, cleverly done so through the guise of a man on the road, flipping between FM radio stations. It would be cheeky if not for the brilliantly executed genre-shifting.SOUND & FURY is skeezy, psychedelic, and a hell of a road trip album - I’d know, I spent a sizable portion of a 2 week road trip with this album blasting out the open windows. I doubt his next record will sound anything like this one, but for now - let’s just enjoy the ride.
The Hecks / Juiceboxxx /
Fire-Toolz
Gatecreeper
Deserted
So it turns out that the kids are really into death metal these days. Who knew? Based out of Arizona, Gatecreeper gives their own dry-mouthed twist on the old school Swedish death metal of Entombed, Grave, and other greats of eons past. Their second LP Deserted trims and sculpts the dry-heaving, hardcore influenced sound they introduced on 2016’s Sonoran Depravation, to the point where the resulting chimera can travel for dozens of leagues across the hot arid earth, without need for sleep, shade, or want for water. Deserted is a lean, aggressive album that does it Scandinavian forefathers proud.
Favorite Track: “Puncture Wounds”
Cursive
Get Fixed
A new Cursive album already?!? You bet! Tim Kasher and co. had originally planned to make last year’s Vitriola a double album, but ultimately decided to split the release in half and tinker with these tracks a bit longer. Get Fixed has everything you’ve come to expect in a Cursive album, 11 tracks of aggressive post-hardcore complete with Kasher’s scathing indictment of Middle America for their racism, sexism, and xenophobia in the name of religion. This is pretty standard Cursive fare, but strong by general post-hardcore standards and demonstrates why they have been a force to be reckoned with for nearly 25 years. “Barricades” and “Black Hole Town” stick it to Trump’s America in a way only Tim Kasher could.
Big Thief
Two Hands
Few bands would return to the studio right after completing a record, but Big Thief are a dichotomy of musical styles. After finishing U.F.O.F., their most expansive and gripping work yet, they sojourned to the desert for an intimate session capturing the single beauty of four friends in a room producing beautiful, soul affirming, songs to make Two Hands. Their second phenomenal record of the year. It wouldn’t surprise for this prolific foursome to give us another one a few months from now.
Empty Bottle
Few shows brought the energy and decibels like this triple bill of oddness. Fire-Toolz is the unparalleled pairing of electro meets screamo, while Juiceboxxx’s pop garage ragers were as infectious as his on stage antics, and The Hecks overcame a broken armed Zach Herbert to put on a stellar set of gems from their excellent sophomore effort My Star. The scene support for The Hecks that night was mind-boggling as the crowd was filled with musicians who turned out for the release party.
Blacker Face
Distinctive Juju
Just listen. Please just listen. You should really listen to this record and everything Jolene Whatevr and her Blacker Face bandmates have to say. It’s not only important, it’s informative and necessary. Distinctive Juju is political art rock at its finest. DTR.
Jaimie Branch
FlY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise
Chicago raised trumpeter Jaimie Branch produces experimental jazz compositions that defy expectations. With FlY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise she captures what it’s like to live in this confusing and frustrating age.
Blacker Face / Why? Footclan / Augustine Esterhammer-Fic
The Hideout
The tranquil set from Augustine Esterhammer-Fic was the perfect appetizer for the anarchy of Why? Footclan ripping through the four artists catalogs as a collective, something we see happening in the future as the fledgling label takes off into the Chicago hip hop stratosphere. All setting up the main event as Blacker Face tore open the lid of Distinctive Juju and let out the noise.
Meute / Mr. Automatic
Bottom Lounge
The German phenomenon Meute arrived for their first show in Chicago at Bottom Lounge and the city turned out, selling out the venue to scope out this livetronic marching band. Yes, you read that right. A livetronic marching band whose highly rehearsed compositions are tight, funky, and altogether amazing. We have a feeling they’ll be back this year at a much larger venue to contain their unbelievable sound.
Harvey Fox
Lullabies for the Restless
Taking the best from post-grunge, psych, and radio rock, local quartet Harvey Fox produces one of the years most listenable records in Lullabies for the Restless.
The Tomblands
Gnaw
New bands are constantly cropping up in Chicago and while three of The Tomblands have known each other for years, their chemistry with the double drummers they came by in the city is undeniable as they rip through the garage psych underbelly with debut full length Gnaw.
Beach Bunny / Prince Daddy and the Hyena
/ Another Michael
Thalia Hall
Passions were high for this sold out single release for Beach Bunny on Halloween. Another Michael gave us a chill start, moving everyone with a swaying set. Prince Daddy and the Hyena had fans in the audience, garnering a lot of vocal support. But Beach Bunny was the prom queen of the night. They had the audience completely spellbound. The new songs held us rapt. The familiar favorites had a chorus from start to finish. The audience was united in their love of this music and their wear it on their sleeves with passion. It was a great example of a band that attracts fans that reflect the essence of the music. The energy, moshing, crowd surfing, and wall of death were all epic. And Lili Trifilio smiled over all of it.
Beach Bunny at The Metro, February 22, $18
November
Daymaker
Let the Sun Fall
Loose yet aggressive, the indie punk glow of Daymaker can be felt throughout Let the Sun Fall. There is an indescribable energy that exists at the core of this band. Maybe it’s the tangerines, or maybe it’s the genuine spirit in which they approach their art.
Djunah
Ex Voto
Djunah is a radical two-piece that carries forward Chicago’s tradition of noise rock reaching back all the way to Big Black, and brings it forward into a modern world as a message of empowerment and self-healing. It’s a thematically thick album dealing wrestling with idols of guilt, mercy, and persecution and emerging from the ring bloody, bruised, sorted, and broken, but oh so alive. They make a beautiful racket for a two-member band, and their lyrical content will leave little marbles in your brain that you will be able to roll around to your intellectual and emotional satiation.
Favorite Track: “Animal Kingdom”
Not Lovely
matterlightblooming
Hip hop and jazz have long run across each other in their parallel avenues of spiritual artistic endeavors and Chicago’s Not Lovely is at the center of one of these crossings on debut matterlightblooming. Emcees Jack Clements and Joshua Virtue gathered some musician friends to create this beautiful work of creative minds.
Jeffrey Lewis and the Voltage
Prolific New York anti-folk singer-songwriter Jeffrey Lewis is at it again and continues to change the name of his backing band as often as he changes his socks. The Voltage is the latest in a long line of band names which include Los Bolts, the Deposit Returners, and the Jrams to name a few. Bad Wiring consists of 12 cynical anti-folk tracks that can simultaneously be interpreted as both ironic and sincere. Lewis address topics as diverse as depression on the aptly-titled “Depression Despair”, the ills of the world on “My Girlfriend Doesn’t Worry, and his love of dogs on “Dogs of my Neighborhood”. However, the best track on here is one we music lovers can all relate to “LPs”, which chronicles Lewis’ lifelong crate-digging addiction!
Ganser
You Must Be New Here
The newest collection from the local post-punk quartet Ganser shows just where these talented folks are headed. With a spare sound that showcases Nadia Garofalo and Alicia Gaines’ lyrics, You Must Be New Here lets the spirit of these tunes shine.
Junius Paul
Ism
A mix of studio and live recordings of the past several years make up the debut solo record from Junius Paul, a well respected and sought after Chicago bassist. Ism takes nu-jazz and turns it up to eleven.
****
Fran
A Private Picture
Folk rock mistress Fran finally made her proper full length debut with the much anticipated A Private Picture, and it was everything her fans could have hoped for.
2019 is almost over!!
NO MEN
Hell Was Full So We Came Back
Something would have to go wrong in hell for us to get another NO MEN record, wouldn’t it? The savagely contrarian three-piece unleashed their long-awaited follow up this year, and Hell Was Full So We Came Back is a punchy, two-stepping dance with the devil that will leave you hot, trembling, and panting for more. Sadistically sexy, with the grace of a gorgon, this stone-cold man-eater will tear the roof off your skull and let the cold sunlight bake all the oil off that flavorless egg-white omelet you call a brain. 2019 wouldn’t have been the same without a new LP from these goons.
Favorite Track: “Sucker”
Free Snacks
Fast Food
The sophomore record from this terrible twosome rips in all the right ways. Fast Food takes the Free Snacks aesthetic to a whole new level and wraps up a terrific 2019 for Why? Records.
Health&Beauty
Shame Engine / Blood Pressure
Brian J Sulpizio’s seventh record as Health&Beauty is a revelatory effort of blues, rock, and indie all meeting in an amalgam all his own. Collecting together musicians both new and old to the project, Sulpizio delivers and absolutely scorching effort with Shame Engine / Blood Pressure.
Salvation
Year of the Fly
Rip roaring noise trio Salvation return with their third record Year of the Fly. Intensity incarnate from start to, finish this record is not to be missed by any noise or metalhead. Throw it on and prepare to headbang the day away.
Ganser / Salvation / Luggage / NO MEN
Empty Bottle
A highlight of the holidays came with this Black Wednesday showcase of epicness at The Empty Bottle. Fresh off their new EP, Ganser headlined a killer lineup started off by NO MEN (also fresh off a new project), sandwiching a Salvation and Luggage dual record release party. Chicago is blessed to have such a deep and rich scene.
Tasha / V.V. Lightbody / Bunny
Lincoln Hall
Speaking of richness, three nights later this triple bill of female power filled the entire venue’s hearts as the incomparable Tasha headlined a beautiful bill with V.V. Lightbody and Bunny. When the three of them took the stage for an encore, it was like 2019 had it’s fitting closing moment.
-Kyle Land
December
Red Scarves
Annuals
Soulful and energetic, the sophomore LP from local collective Red Scarves feels like a loose and familiar assortment of tunes that will be your best friends in short order. Annuals deserves a spin from any fan of Chicago’s scene.
Zoofunkyou
Wild Gumption
With only a few quality jam bands making noise in the local scene, Chicago’s small but consistent jam scene can sometimes be overlooked, but Zoofunkyou is looking to change that with the excellent Wild Gumption.
The Keener Family
Tender Beast
A mystifying country tinged debut from Christopher Keener and company, Tender Beast is a road trip record of beauty and grace. We expect future endeavors of The Keener Family to further explore these gripping soundscapes.
Blaqrock
No Love For Blaqkid
2019 was no joke. A hard year all around. So why not end it with the take no prisoners sound of Chicago’s Blaqrock. With new EP No Love For Blaqkid, the local foursome takes on the establishment with power and an unflinching intensity.