Block Club Chicago - 'West Side Peace March Calls For Gang Truce — And No Murders This Summer'

How Can I Love Her More?

Block Club Chicago - 'Goose Island Opening Salt Shed Brewpub Next Month'

I share a rehearsal space with this person (and several other bands), yet I have never met them!! Dig this song and the production. Need to go see them live and say hi.

Echolocation

I found this band through the label 'lame-o records', which has a great track record for putting out excellent music. Just really well-crafted songs.

Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling

Really nice indie rock sounds. Whatever that means to you! I found this through my friend Shelby's Instagram story, a highly legitmate source for music discovery.

Rearrangel

Carsick

Block Club Chicago - 'Eileen O’Neill Burke Wins Democratic State’s Attorney Primary'

Daydream Repeat

Block Club Chicago - 'City Wakes Pilsen Migrant Shelter Residents At 1 AM To Announce Measles Lockdown, Causing Panic'

I hate to give Spotify any credit for anything regarding music curation - I just don't think that it can be truly well-done algorithically. In fact, what it's mostly good for is reminding me of older songs that I have already listened to a bunch of times but just haven't revisted in a while. This, my friend, is one of those tracks. A perfectly written and arranged song. It's also one of those songs where they tack a little almost musically unrelated coda at the very end, as if the song was already packed enough with pretty little melodies and hooks and changes. It's like a little easter egg at the end - your reward for making it this far.

Plimsoll Punks

Dylan Shades

Block Club Chicago - 'Chicago Had Warmest February On Record — And 5th Warmest Winter'

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?

Block Club Chicago - 'Bring Chicago Home Shouldn’t Be On March Ballot, Judge Rules'

Right Back To It

Block Club Chicago - 'City Inks ShotSpotter Contract Extension Through September'

I got to see this guy play at the Empty Bottle this week when he returned to Chicago from his home in LA for the first time in 15 years (so I've read). He treated the enthusiastically attentive crowd (of what I assume was mostly other songwriters, musicians, and sound engineers) to a 2.5 hour set consisting of semi-improvised jams with an excellent bassist and excellent drummer plucked out of some Los Angeles studio and a solo acoustic performance of some of his most well known songs, including the linked one. It was fantastic! I left the show feeling inspired and also with many questions, such as -- how did he get all those instruments here from LA? Are they rentals or loaners? How does he choose which one to use on each song - it seems to be a process? And what did he have written down in that spiral bound notebook that he kept picking up and looking at quizically as he puttered around the stage between songs?

Walking Through Walls

Crashing Through

Block Club Chicago - 'The Chicago Auto Show Returns Saturday'

Paris, Texas

Block Club Chicago - 'Andersonville Bike Mechanic Opens Cycling Shop In Edgewater'

I was Bandcamp browsing again this morning, and stumbled across Jim O'Rourke, a former Wilco collaborator and Chicago ex-pat of whose songs I know a few (is that a sentence?)... but I've never really dug into his material, partly because he has taken it down from all the streaming sites and Youtubez. He's an elusive one. I have that feeling of anticipation that comes right before diving deep into an artist's oeuvre and FEASTING.

Therefore, I Am

Citgo Sign

Block Club Chicago - 'Has Rat Hole Mania Gone Too Far? Neighbors Ask Fans To Chill After A Wedding, Proposal And Shrine On Site'

A friend made a playlist for me that had a couple Bory songs. After getting a taste, I had to dig a little deeper and found this gem on their most recent record. Fantastic songcraft, lofi sounds. Produced by Mo Troper, another Portland area fave 🤌🏻

Five Course Meal

Bandcamp find. I love the lyrics of these songs - a lot of funny, yet relatable lines. And really solid+funky grooves. FFO Cake, The Talking Heads.

Popular 2

Working at the Car Wash Blues

Block Club Chicago - 'Someone Tried To Fill In Chicago’s Rat Hole — But Neighbors Brought It Back To Life'

Adrianne Lenker may be my favorite contemporary songwriter. She has a new album coming out soon.

Sadness as a Gift

I am going to see the Chicago Bulls tonight. Had to post this song in honor of that.

Nick Harris

Weekly Jams

Posts from other years