today in Chicago
* Lindsey Buckingham @ City Winery
* DJ Abilities, Jel, Void Pedal, Zavala, Crushcon @ Empty Bottle
* Abigail Williams, Lord Mantis, Kastasyde, Anagnorisis @ Ultra Lounge
* Magicks, Girl Detective, Patrick Cosmos @ Reggie's Music Joint (Free Show)
* Deep Sleep, Thin Hymns, The Daredevil Christopher Wright @ The Burlington

NPR are streaming forthcoming releases from Deerhoof, Stars, Animal Collective, and Cat Power. You can also stream Deerhoof's new album, Breakup Song, in its entirety below.

Dusted, who open for Perfume Genius at the Logan Square Auditorium on 10/3, have a new video for "There Somehow." Check it out below.

Follow @bvChicago on Twitter, "Like" us on Facebook.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

London-based duo The Very Best, whose members Johan Hugo and Esau Mwamwaya hail from Sweden and Malawi, are set to welcome their new album, MTMTMK, on July 17 via Moshi Moshi. If you'd like to take a listen, the LP began streaming via NPR today. You can also stream the album track "We OK," which features K'Naan, at the bottom of this post.

As mentioned, The Very Best are playing the Mumford & Sons-curated Dixon, IL - Gentlemen of the Road Stopover on August 18. One day before that happens, they'll play Lincoln Hall with support from Seye, who is featured on their track "Kondaine." Advance tickets are on sale.

All The Very Best dates are listed below, along with streams of "We OK" and "Kondaine."

Continue reading "The Very Best streaming 'MTMTMK,' playing Lincoln Hall"

today in Chicago
* Ben Lee @ Martyrs
* The Crystal Method @ The Mid
* Robbie Fulks, Steve Frisbie @ Hideout
* Stolen Silver, Cloudbirds, Will Phalen @ Schubas
* REHAB (feat. ShowYouSuck) @ Debonair Social Club
* Lawrence Peters, The Dogpatch Ramblers @ The Whistler
* Bombay Bicycle Club, The Darcys, Lucy Rose @ Subterranean
* Squish, The Recruitment, Cold Lovers @ Township (Free Show)
* Super Water Sympathy, These Guys These Guys, Little Big Fat, Kelroy @ Ultra Lounge
* Whales, The Cell Phones, Solemn Meant Walks, My Canadian Girlfriend @ Empty Bottle (Free Show)

Stream upcoming releases from Andrew Bird, The Magnetic Fields, Julia Holter, White Rabbits, and more via NPR.

ShowYouSuck headlines REHAB tonight, Debonair Social Club's weekly dance party. Flyer below.

Watch President Obama sing "Sweet Home Chicago" with B.B. King and Mick Jagger, below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Blouse @ 285 Kent in January (BKLYN) (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Blouse and Doldrums have been added as supporting acts to Bear in Heaven's upcoming tour. The three bands will hit Chicago's Schubas on April 18th, tickets are still available.

Bear in Heaven's new album, I Love You, It's Cool, is due to hit stores on April 3rd via Dead Oceans. The LP is still streaming at 400,000% slower than actual speed at the band's website. Take a listen to the full version of the album track "The Reflection of You" at the bottom of this post. Visit BrooklynVegan for a free download.

Doldrums, who recently headlined Schubas, also happens to be featured on Grimes' new LP Visions, which is currently streaming at NPR. The album will be released on February 21st in the US via 4AD. She'll hit the Empty Bottle on tour in support of the LP, on March 14th. Tickets are still available.

All dates and Bear in Heaven song stream, below..

Continue reading "Blouse & Doldrums playing Schubas w/ Bear in Heaven"

today in Chicago
* Clip Art, Algebro, Any Kind @ Schubas
* Thin Hymns, Quicksails @ The Whistler
* Robbie Fulks, Don Stiernberg @ Hideout
* Erick Deshaun Dorris, William Kurk @ Reggie's
* Little Trouble Girl, Regex, Argo Navis @ Panchos (Free Show)
* Radio Moscow, The Velcro Lewis Group, Strychnine @ Ultra Lounge
* The English Softhearts, The Ice Machine & Swift, Golden Birthday, Presssures @ Empty Bottle (Free Show)

Clip Art begin their January residency at Schubas tonight (1/9).

Both The Velcro Lewis Group and Strychnine, who play the Ultra Lounge tonight, are also on the bill of Chicago Psych Fest 3.

Stream new albums from Kathleen Edwards and Howler via NPR.

Common has a new video for "Raw (How You Like it)." Check it out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Loney Dear @ Mercury Lounge (more by Vincent Cornelli)

today in Chicago
* Loney Dear, Daniel Knox @ Schubas
* Bird Names, CAVE, Running @ Empty Bottle (Free Show)
* Fu Manchu, Honky, The Shrine, Electric Hawk @ Double Door
* Manchester Orchestra, White Denim, The Dear Hunter @ House of Blues
* Doldrums, Rainbo Video, Arbit, Environmental Sound Collapse @ Panchos

Jens Lekman played a "Tiny Desk Concert." Check out the footage below.

Stream Los Campesinos!' new LP Hello Sadness in its entirety via NPR.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Anika @ ATP NJ (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

today in Chicago
* Anika (DJ Set) @ Beauty Bar
* The Bangles @ House of Blues
* Data Romance, Valis @ Schubas
* Anika, Slowdance @ Empty Bottle
* Lisa Hannigan, John Smith @ Double Door
* Morrow, Shalloboi, The Winter Me @ Panchos
* Unicycle Loves You, Dinosaur Bones, Rainbo Video, Percolator @ Beat Kitchen

Stream new albums from My Brightest Diamond, Real Estate, Body Language, Giant Squid, and more over at NPR.

Anika and Slowdance will play the Empty Bottle, and then she'll DJ at Beauty Bar. RSVP or just hang on to your Empty Bottle wristband for free admission.

La Blogotheque have posted a few sessions with My Brightest Diamond. Check them out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

St. Vincent @ the Met in August (more by Bao Nguyen)

today in Chicago
* X @ Bottom Lounge
* St. Vincent, Cate Le Bon @ Metro
* Foster The People, Reptar @ the Riv
* The Mekons, Brokeback @ Lincoln Hall
* The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Born Gold @ Schubas
* Cerebral Ballzy, Cenobites, Cadence Fox @ Subterranean
* Those Darlins, Peelander Z, Young Buffalo @ Empty Bottle
* Datarock, Ella Riot, Baertur, Syntax Terrorkester @ Double Door
* The Extraordinaires, Netherfriends, Dowsing, Skymaul @ The Juicer
* Hollerado, Michael Lux and the Bad Sons, Baron Von Something, The Hemmingbirds @ Ultra Lounge

Feist played Letterman last night. Check out the footage below.

Riot Fest kicks off tonight with X at the Bottom Lounge.

Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch passed away early this morning. RIP Bert.

Stream new albums from Bjork, Future Islands, and more over at NPR.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

today in Chicago
* Thin Hymns, Distractions, Health & Beauty @ Empty Bottle (Free Show)
* The Turbo Vamps, The Ridgelands, Bent Left, The Mediums, DJ Meltron @ Ultra Lounge
* Justin & the Salty Dogs, Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray, Simon Flory, Peter Oyloe, Dominic Catanzaro @ Double Door

Stream new albums from Neon Indian, St. Vincent, A.A. Bondy, and more via NPR.

What else?

Death Cab For Cutie @ Metro in May (more by Josh Darr)

today in Chicago
* The Hold Steady, The Donkeys @ Metro
* Peter Bjorn and John, The 1900's @ Lincoln Hall
* Canon Blue, Snowblink, Darts, Arrows @ Hideout
* Death Cab For Cutie, Frightened Rabbit @ UIC Pavilion
* Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Chicago Theatre
* Sleepy Sun, Buffalo Killers, The Steepwater Band, Waterstreet @ Double Door
* Toxic Holocaust, Holy Grail, Krum Bums, I Decline, Armored Assault @ Reggie's

The Ettes have a new Tom Scharpling-directed video for their track "Excuse," starring Patton Oswalt. View it HERE.

Eleanor Friedberger played NPR's World Cafe. Stream the session HERE.

St. Vincent premiered a new video this morning for her track "Cruel." View it below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

James Vincent McMorrow (photo by Julie Ling)

James Vincent McMorrow recently visited the NPR offices to play a "Tiny Desk Concert." His session was finally posted this morning, and consists of three cuts from his debut LP Early In The Morning, plus a previously unreleased track titled "Red Dust." You can view the footage below.

In less than a month (on September 15th), James and Marissa Nadler will play Hideout together. Tickets are still available, and this is definitely not a show to miss.

Continue reading "James Vincent McMorrow played a "Tiny Desk Concert," playing Hideout in less than a month w/ Marissa Nadler"

Tinariwen @ Highline Ballroom in 2010 (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

As previously announced, Tinariwen are set to unveil their new LP Tassili on August 30th via Anti- Records. This morning we posted an updated list of fall tour dates, which includes a November 25th performance at Metro with Sophie Hunger. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (8/27), at noon CST.

You can visit NPR to stream Tassili in its entirety, up until it hits stores. The album features artistic contributions from Nels Cline, TV on the Radio, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Muppets creator Jim Henson's death, some now-classic cuts from the program/feature-length films have been manifested in a covers LP.

Muppets: The Green Album, out August 23rd features prolific artists such as: Ok Go, Weezer, The Fray, Alkaline Trio, My Morning Jacket, Amy Lee, Sondre Lerche, The Airborne Toxic Event, Brandon Saller, Andrew Bird, Matt Nathanson, and Rachael Yamagata.

Stream the album in its entirety via NPR.

Weezer, Andrew Bird, and The Airborne Toxic Event all have upcoming Chicago shows too.

Weezer are headlining Riot Fest West (Chicago), Chicago-native Andrew Bird is headlining the Hideout Block Party, and The Airborne Toxic Event are playing the Riv.

DOWNLOAD: NPR/eMusic - July Sampler (MP3's)

(via)

In conjunction with eMusic (who hosts the tracks) NPR has released a FREE July sampler of their favorite tracks.

Artists like Washed Out, and Little Dragon who will both be playing Chicago soon are featured on the mix.

Zach Rogue

Release The Sunbird is the new project of Zach Rouge (of Rogue Wave), and they've just celebrated the release of their debut LP Come Back To Us this past Tuesday (7/26).

With few dates this summer (mostly in their native-California), the band has started to slowly announce more all over the country.

Release The Sunbird will be playing Schubas on August 27th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

You can download the album track "Always Like The Son" HERE, and view a live taping of another titled, "Running Away From Me" below..

NPR is also still streaming the record in its entirety.

Continue reading "Release The Sunbird to play Schubas ++++ 'Come Back To Us' in stores now (still streaming @ NPR)"

Hooray for Earth (photo by Drew Innis)

Hooray for Earth have a brand new video for the track "Sails", which appeared on their recently released LP True Loves.

The video stars actress Madeline Zima (Californication), and was directed by David Parker and Cole Schreiber. Check it out on NPR.

The band will head out on a fall tour with Cymbals Eat Guitars, reaching Chicago's Lincoln Hall on October 21st. Tickets are still available.

Fireworks @ Navy Pier last night (photo by John Dugan)

today in Chicago
* Jeff Parker @ Rodan
* The Barehand Jugband @ Hideout
* We Are Trees, Old Abram Brown @ Beauty Bar (Free Show)
* Hate Eternal, Origin, Vital Remains, Abysmal Dawn, Cardiac Arrest @ Reggie's

Stream Eleanor Friedberger's debut LP Last Summer via NPR.
Stream The Horrors' forthcoming LP Skying via a widget below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

The Low Anthem @ Lincoln Center - The Allen Room (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

As previously stated, Adele's new LP 21 will be released tomorrow via XL/Sony Music. The UK songstress will be in Chicago on May 24th to play the now SOLD OUT Riviera Theatre. NPR is currently streaming the full record.

The Low Anthem's new LP Smart Flesh will hit the shelves tomorrow via Nonesuch/Bella Union. They will be playing at Chicago's Lincoln Hall on February 28th with Bobby, and Daniel Lefkowitz. NPR is currently streaming the full record.

The Cave Singers are set to release their new LP No Witch tomorrow via Jagjaguwar. They will be playing at Chicago's Lincoln Hall on April 7th with Lia Ices.

Toro Y Moi's Underneath The Pine comes out tomorrow via Carpark Records. He will be playing at Empty Bottle on April 5th with Adventure.