A Sunny Day In Glasgow | Photo Credit: Drew Reynolds More Photos It was a night filled with offset guitars, otherworldly vocal harmonies and vigorous dancing. If you missed A Sunny Day In Glasgow at Schubas on Wednesday night, then you missed quite the extravaganza. Two hailed from the east including Brooklyn’s Acrylics and Philadelphia’s A Sunny Day In Glasgow, while Chicago's Light Pollution opened. And the best part of the whole show? Every single band danced to their own music. Not just bobbed a little, these kids cut loose and really danced. It all kicked off with Light Pollution. It’s almost as if they took the open-hearted, lofty vocals of Sufjan Stevens and mashed them together with Animal Collective’s off-kilter synth beats. All the while, the lead singer ceaselessly bounces in place like a vertical metronome. Light Pollution is a very tight band for the amount of chaos that is going on in their music. Just when you think they are going to lose it, they bring it back into something upbeat and funky. It just made you happy. Rising stars, Acrylics came on next and took us down a few notches with their calm, cool folkish rock. Using both acoustic and electric instruments and focusing on the quiet side of things, they reminded me of a cross somewhere between The Sundays and The Cranberries. Their clear male/female vocal harmonies and minimalistic music was a nice cleansing of the auditory palate. If this is a revival of that sound we knew so well in the 90’s, then Acrylics have captured the essence entirely. Instead of a drummer, they used a drum machine, but I’m not sure if that was even necessary. Early in the show, the drum machine did start acting up, causing them to turn it off and their music pulled through just fine without it. A good portion of their set was highlighted by a vintage-looking Steele guitar that really rounded out their whole sound. We moved on from the quiet of the Acrylics to the beautiful dreamy sounds of guitarist Ben Daniel’s masterpiece, A Sunny Day in Glasgow. The small, candlelit venue with a Bavarian beer hall feel, suddenly gave way to a room full of flailing and shimmying fans shaking what their mamas gave them to the music. ASDIG is a force to be reckoned with on stage. Their passion and emotion for the sound they make is seen in every member of the band. Everyone appears to get lost in the music, completely enjoying every minute of it. The effect this has on an audience is sensational. It’s near impossible to resist moving along with them. But, then, with that music, how could you not dance? I have to say that I didn’t expect them to be able to pull off their music live. I thought there would be a number of replacements or fill-ins for parts that I expected to be there. But no, ASDIG packed the stage with all sorts of instruments, computers, and electronic devices that I didn’t even recognize, just to make sure their fans got the full amount of sound they needed and expected. Lead singers Annie Fredrickson and Jen Goma stretch every vocal chord they have to create the choir-like atmosphere found on their albums. Back-up vocalist and guitarist (or I should say Jaguarist) Josh Meakim blended in perfectly with the ladies, hitting ranges that you had to see to believe. Bassist Ryan Newmyer had the difficult job of maintaining control and losing control all at the same time. His impressive bass tones had to fit in with both the wild sounds of the band, but also be stable for Adam Herndon’s fantastic drumming. Herdon appears to have found the final piece to this intricate puzzle and stands with his feet on the ground no matter where his dreamy companions try to fly to. They played all my favorites from Ashes Grammar including “Failure” and “Shy”. They were even sweet enough to come back for an encore and play a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” which sent everyone reeling and cheering. After the show, they manned their own merchandise table where fans were able to speak with them, take pictures and of course buy merchandise. It was a delightfully personal show with a delightfully personable band. I would do it again and again. I think you should too. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - "Shy" - Schubas - 3/3/10 By Britni Day  \  comments

[caption id="attachment_7052" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Photo Credit: Drew Reynolds"][/caption]Three reasons to get y’rself over to Schuba’s to see A Sunny Day In Glasgow this wondrous Wednesday eve... 1. It’s the first day we’ve seen the sun in who knows how long. To commemorate this occasion and keep with the sunshine theme, you should go see A Sunny Day in Glasgow at Schubas tonight. 2. ASDIG’s Ashes Grammar was hands down number one on my Top Ten Best Albums of 2009. This band has the ability to convey emotions through their music like nothing you’ve ever heard. After many hardships while creating Ashes Grammar, ASDIG overcame all they needed and launched themselves to the forefront of the indie rock scene. Holding to the spirit of cerebral shoegaze and atmospheric, sparkly vocal layers of lyrics you will never understand – akin to bands like My Bloody Valentine-, ASDIG will take you through the emotional ride of all they felt while creating their songs. It will be a night of beautiful, shimmery shoegaze in a perfect size venue to create just the right level of intimacy ASDIG needs to tell their story. 3. Here. Let me just show you what I mean: httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHXRxtMQAlg 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, 3/3. Schubas. 21+. $8. By Britni Day  \  1 comment

Those who braved the snow were taken on a thrill ride last Wednesday night at Double Door where Earth Program blew minds, Evil Beaver melted faces, and Polysics made us all dance like maniacs. It’s true. We crossed more than musical borders at Double Door; we crossed cultural borders with 3-D glasses, gold pompoms and one screaming, feather encrusted bass. This unlikely line-up pulled from the four corners of the globe made for one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Earth Program, one of our Top Ten Bands to Watch in 2010, was the first to take the stage. These eclectic, psychedelic, indie rockers opened with a new, tighter set, but kept all the old stage antics that fans know and love. They captivated their fans and made others stand up, take notice, and even dance a little bit. It was a brilliant show that made me want to dance and watch old sci-fi movies all at the same time. On a special side note, Michael Signal – drummer – had his mother come to the show, and any mother who is willing to rock out at Double Door is a truly awesome mom. The Earth Program has really stepped it up with the details, but still maintains their own, truly unique sound. And with bands like Polysics inviting them to be the opening act, The Earth Program is about to blow the roof off the Chicago music scene. Contrary to their song lyrics, yes, Earth Program we really do like you. I'm going to have to say that I didn't expect all that I got with Evil Beaver. Not only was I blown away by the sheer power of the sound produced between Evie Evil and Jojo "Beav" Jones, but the fact that Evil does it entirely on a bass elevates her to genius levels. A little metal, a little 90's fem-hard rock and a whole lot of attitude filled every corner of Double Door, making for a cantankerous and highly impressive set. Evil rocked severely hard, making her bass sound like a true metal god (or should I say goddess) guitar, thrashing away with hard-core solos and screaming choruses. The only time she stopped was to check the set list she had written on her forearms. It definitely takes a very special man to keep up with Evil, and Jones made it look easy. With Evil screaming, "You suck! So what?" at the audience, Jones complimented her perfectly with a hard, crashing beat on his drum set. Evil Beaver floored the audience and left them wanting more. It was epic. The pinnacle of the night was Polysics. There was a tension that enveloped the audience the moment the lights went down. It was the kind of thick anticipation where you know the show is going to be an experience and it was phenomenal. It all exploded when Polysics came bouncing on stage, donning orange jump suits and black, rectangle glasses with a giant banner hanging behind them claiming, “Polysics or DIE!!!!” The second the show started it was a level of the highest energy that can only be imagined, unless actually witnessed. Editor Richard Giraldi was right. They are a massive sugar rush in musical form. Guitarist and lead singer, Hayashi, fronted this eclectic, happy, hardcore punk quartet and took us all on a non-stop, super-sonic speed ride. He included lots of audience interaction, giant balloons and even spoke to us in broken English about the snow. Synthesizer and vocoder mistress, Kayo, donned gold pompoms and a dead pan, robotic look. While bass player Fumi matched the energy of Hayashi with synchronized dance moves and endless head banging. Drummer Yano, although in the back of the stage, still made all the efforts of putting on an over the top show while keeping pace with Hayashi. I’m sure most audience members had no idea what the lyrics were, but it really didn’t matter. We all just wanted to dance. Just at the moment when it looked like they would collapse, the main set ended. But after a few moments of rest, Polysics were back on stage again for an encore. Polysics truly is something that needs to be experienced and not just listened to. This was the type of show where I would have gladly paid double the cover. Although this particular line up may not be seen for some time, any of these bands could hold their own and make for a spectacular show. Earth Program - "Eat Your Makeup" httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAy6d_-H9EM Evil Beaver - "Hands of Fate" httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ljG2yUmdU Polysics - "Electric Surfin' Go Go" httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9aL7tQhnwI _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Catch Earth Program Tuesday, February 16, at the Darkroom! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ By Britni Day  \  2 comments

Somehow you've managed to save an extra five bucks this week and it's burning a hole in your pocket. That reason alone should have you running over to Double Door tonight to support a great line-up of Chicago bands. But, since one reason is never good enough, here you go... 1. You woke up this morning craving the music of a few down-tempo singer song writers with great voices, a band that sounds like Sulfjan Stevens but not quite, and a band that reminds you of an even stranger version of Animal Collective. Well, tonight Double Door has all that and more! Let the sounds of The Names That Spell, Kellen And Me, Jessica Hernandez, Jarryd Scott and Claire Stahlecker fill the hole in your heart and wallet. These are some pretty big names in the Chicago local scene and putting them all together at Double Door for a nice recession price will make for really fun show. 2. Headliners, The Names That Spell, apparently beat box and rock out on a zither. That's right. I said a zither. I'll just let that sink in. 3. Both Kellen and Me and Jarryd Scott have a couple more shows in Chicago before they head off to SXSW. Why not see them before they get bombarded by fame? Experimental folk rocker Jessica Hernandez has a voice big enough to blow you out of Double Door. She truly is a hidden gem here. Youngster of the group and acoustic rock singer/story teller, Claire Stahlecker, is just barely 21 but could sing circles around the likes of more veteran singer/song writers. Seriously, she has more talent in her little finger than the whole of John Mayer. There is a plethora of talent coming out this very night and you should too. 8:00 PM. Thursday, 1/7. Double Door. $3 if you buy tickets in advance and $5 at door. By Britni Day  \  comments

So after a brief day off for New Year's Eve, we're back up and running with more Top 10 Albums from 2000-2009 lists as determined by Loud Loop Press editors and contributors. Today, contributor Britni Day cures our hangovers with her list for the Top 10 Albums from 2000 - 2009. Happy 2010! 10. Louis XIV – Best Little Secrets are Kept With their fantastically oversexed, hedonistic lyrics, Louis XIV would send any halfway decent girl running in the other direction.  But it’s the incredible amount of confidence they ooze both musically and lyrically that put The Best Little Secrets are Kept in the top ten. A mix of 70’s Brit-rock with touches of both glam and punk playing on the edges make sleazy, growling phrases like “I’ll steal your soul, put you in a club in Cleveland” a little more attractive than it should be.  Influences of The Rolling Stones can be found in most of their songs.  The flat, simple drum beat, keeps the rowdy guitars and driving bass lines in check but not singers Jason Hill and Brian Karscig.  The two brilliantly freewheel their chauvinism all over in more of a spoken word performance, making sure to do all the voices in the story. It’s just too bad this album got them banned in Alabama. But, as Hill and Karscig say, “If you want clean fun, go fly a kite.” 9. The Beta Band – The Best of the Beta Band In High Fidelity, when John Cusack’s character said, “I will now sell five copies of The Three EP’s by The Beta Band” he wasn’t being pretentious.  They are that good. 2004 saw their grand exit as a band with the release of The Best of The Beta Band, a compilation of their best creations, both studio recordings and live versions. Slightly trip-hop, slightly indie-rock, and mostly strange as it gets, The Beta Band’s overall sound is a little hard to define,  with the unmistakable soft, high-tenor of Stephen Mason floating effortlessly over songs that are sometimes reminiscent of 90’s post-grunge with touches of ambient electronic trip-hop. “Dry The Rain”, the song featured in High Fidelity, is the best song on the album.  An acoustic guitar layered with slide guitar, eloquent bass and a hip-hop beat and Mason’s soft yet intense vocals makes for a perfect dip into The Beta Band’s pure talent.  “Squares” features the sampling abilities of John Maclean as he picks apart beats, synth and piano, and the plucking of guitar, making the song elegant, yet complex. Really, that’s how The Beta Band makes it work.  They combine complex elegance with a catchy beat creating a ambient, light mood with all their music.  I’ve had a hard time finding another band that matches their ability in that arena.  I miss their quiet quirkiness. 8. Muse – Absolution There’s only one way Matt Bellamy knows how to sing about anything: Epically.  With a mix of pure grandiose arena art rock and baroque elements there is no stadium big enough to contain Muse.  Absolution is the epitome of life found, love lost, the apocalypse and Muse’s larger than life sound. Bellamy’s training in classical music comes through in every song on Absolution.  Endless arpeggios on his guitar match his operatic vocals, including his famous falsetto that would make Freddy Mercury quake in his disco boots.  Known for donning a myriad of Frankenstein guitars that do everything from shoot lasers to remix riffs on the fly with a built in Kaoss pad, Bellamy knows exactly how to make his sound and his shows unforgettable. Later albums have only solidified their sound and turned them into rock gods of our time.  But Absolution is where it really began and we must pay respects to the roots of Muse. 7. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot That's right. I love Wilco. With all this fancy electronic business all over my list, sometimes it nice to be able to stop and think about an album. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot allows me to think by being the best alt-country rock/indie-pop album around. You can read the history of the album from Andy Kahn's Top Ten List , but however much anguish it took to make this album, Wilco got it down in spades. Jeff Tweedy has this way of slurring his down-trodden lyrics over songs that sound simple at first, but hold a great deal of complexity. Poor Wilco was labled as completely alt-country when they first arrived on the scene. Inspired by bands like Radiohead, they worked very hard to dump that genre and move on to others. Wilco continues to stretch the lengths of their sound, but Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the pinnacle that they need to come back to very soon. 6. Goldfrapp – Supernature Allison Goldfrapp is hands down the Queen of Sass. No one else can be that tiny (a whole 5 feet 2 inches) and emit that much attitude, but I love it and continue to eat it all up. Supernature is a gorgeous sampling of Goldfrapp’s musical sassiness. The super glammy, electro-pop diva brought it to a whole new level with Supernature. She shows much more of a higher intelligence with this album by focusing and simplifying. “Oh La La” is a better version of what she was trying to create in the slightly chaotic “Strict Machine” from her previous album Black Cherry. Goldfrapp also tries new things, like the honky-tonk of “Satin Chic”, and the sensuality of “Number 1” and the airy melodies of “Fly Me Away”. She even throws in plenty of sarcasm with “Ride On A White Horse” which explodes into gorgeous melodic layers in the chorus. While her earlier albums were redundant and later albums explore her emotions via sound, I believe she reached a complete balance with Supernature. 5. Kaki King – Dreaming of Revenge Barely bigger than her guitar (I seem to have an affinity for the tiny musicians), Kaki King has outdone herself again with the power of her guitar tapping and song writing abilities in Dreaming of Revenge. Mainly known making the faced paced indie-rock/alt-folk guitar tapping, King is a child of all instruments and she brings them out in full force in Dreaming of Revenge. She again bangs on the drums, tickles the ivories, makes the lap steel sing and even pulls out the truly exotic Electronic Valve Instrument or EVI (Once again, raise your hand if you know what that is). Her truly incredible opening song, “Bone Chaos in the Castle”, sets the bar for the whole forward momentum of this progressive rock album. Here is where we first hear the EVI make its unearthly sounding debut that perfectly accents the ether for her non-stop, unholy-paced acoustic finger picking. From there, she does a slew of instrumentals and quite a few vocal songs. Although I believe King’s guitar speaks for her most of the time, “Pull Me Out Alive” is a catchy and indie-pop song where King’s voice is much needed. My personal favorite, “Montreal,” features a complex alt-country tune on the lap steel and King on drums. During her live performances of this song, she will set all layers of melodies and harmonies on the lap steel on repeat and get up to play the drums herself. She makes it all look easy. 4. School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms I first discovered the School of Seven Bells on Adult Swim’s Ghostly Swim album and fell immediately in love with the eccentric trio. Made up of Ben Curtis and Colombian twins Claudia and Alejandria Deheza, the School of Seven Bells have made Alpinisms an incredible combination of many unexpected elements including extra dreamy dream pop and Afro-beat. Claudia and Alejandria’s voices work so perfectly together, creating melodies that touch the edges of psychedelic 80’s pop that harkens back to Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark and Siouxsie and the Banshees. But the twins almost seem fearless in delving into and twisting up other genres to create their own unique sound. The first song on the album and my favorite, “Iamundernodisguise”, is a mix of shoe gaze and electric dream pop, with drone tones, and tribal elements that hammer through out. The breathing technique used is just as mystical as the lyrics that claim, “I am neither breather or speaker. I am neither walker or sleeper. I am neither sister, brother, son or daughter.” Grounding themselves with a good solid drum beat, the Deheza twins allow their vocals, breathing and synths float wistfully around sometimes creating a whole other beat and endless amounts of perfect harmonies. The entire theme of dreams and sleeping through out lyrics in this album fits very well with the sweet lush sounds they create. I continue to be floored by this whole album, always finding new little twists that I haven’t heard before. Everyone should hear this album at least one. Seriously, why are you still sitting there? 3. Nada Surf – Let Go It sure says something when a band makes a massive hit like “Popular” in 1996, gets dropped by their record label for refusing to conform, then makes a quiet, yet huge come back. Yes, Nada Surf is absolutely still around and a completely different band. Almost a one hit wonder, Nada Surf showed true fans exactly what the power-pop trio is made of with Let Go. Peeling back layer upon layer of radio hit pretense that Nada Surf was previously known for, Let Go is a truer form of the band was supposed to sound like. Upbeat songs like “Hi-Speed Soul”, “Happy Kid”, and “The Way You Wear Your Head” are reminiscent of the energy and addictive melodies of bands like the Foo Fighters. Yet lead singer Matthew Caws threads these through with troubled and heartbreaking lyrics about darker times. Quiet and haunting songs like “Kilian’s Red” and “Paper Boats” slow us down a little, making us pay attention to his story. Let Go is genius in its simplicity. Completely void of gimmicks, Caws tells the story of the band within this album as kind of a way for him to let go. Let Go is perfect and it’s what Nada Surf needed to get up and keep going after being dealt a crap hand early on in their career. 2. Danger Mouse – The Grey Album What do you get when you mix The Beatles The White Album and Jay-Z’s The Black Album? Sued for everything you are worth if you are still lucky to be alive. But you also have one of the greatest albums of the past ten years, Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album. Long before he helped perfect “Demon Days” for The Gorillaz or made up the skinnier half of Gnarls Barkley, Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) was causing a major ruckus for Jay-Z and the remaining Beatles with The Grey Album. Taking the vocals of Jay-Z and the music of the Beatles, Danger Mouse ingeniously deconstructed each album and recreated a brilliant mash-up. I say deconstructed because Danger Mouse didn’t just throw lyrics over music and call it a day. He carefully picked what would go where for the entire album. For example, “Encore” by Jay Z samples both “Glass Onion” and “Savory Truffle” by The Beatles to create the background. “99 Problems” by Jay Z uses “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles and “Change Clothes” by Jay Z featuring Pharrell uses “Dear Prudence” and “Piggies” by The Beatles. His method is fascinating and musically it’s incredible to experience. 1. Mediaeval Baebes – Mirabilis How can you not love a troupe of attractive women who sensually sing exquisitely in perfectly pronounced exotic, dead languages to Renaissance sounding music from strange instruments? Using the tradition of tales told by song, the Mediaeval Baebes bring us back to basics with complete focus on the beauty of the most natural instrument we have: the human voice. Mirabilis shows off the full abundance of their assets. The use of acoustic instruments, if any use at all, is meant entirely as a compliment to the swelling 3-4 part harmonies. Ancient, forgotten languages like Middle English, archaic Latin or Italian, Cornish or even Manx (a little known Gaelic dialect spoken on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea) effortlessly roll off their tongues as if they have spoken them all of their lives. The Mediaeval Baebes are much more than just a Ren-faire nerd’s dream of flouncing, buxom beauties. They are incredibly intelligent about the poetry they choose to turn into song, delicately creating the musical accompaniment and the emotions they use to tell the original story. Using instruments like the recorder, finger cymbals, glockenspiel and mandolins, the Mediaeval Baebes use more accents to their voices than writing actual full blown songs. Mirabilis holds some of their finest work. “Trovommi Amor”, written in 13th century Italian, is a song about love lost featuring a swaying vocal melody that aches with the longing the author intended. “Märk Hur Vår Skugga” opens with a glorious three part harmony in ancient Swedish that ends with a staccato zither and yearning violin. And “Tamlin” tells the haunting tale of the Queen of Faye who threatens to pull out both of Tam Lin’s eyes and give him eyes of stone. It may be because I like obscure fairy tales or that I love reading in Middle English, but either way, the Mediaeval Baebes are fantastic in so many ways. By Britni Day  \  1 comment

Beginning December 21 through December 25, we'll be posting Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists as determined by Loud Loop Press editors and contributors. Then beginning December 28 through January 1, we'll up the ante by posting Top 10 Albums of 2000-2009 lists once again determined by our esteemed writers. Today, contributor Britni Day spices things up with her list for the Top 10 albums of 2009. 10. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures Before I begin, I’m going to state that I am not usually a fan of these new fangled “supergroups”. Personally, I think they are cash cows feeding on the wallets and souls of fans. But (and this is a huge but, because I feel a little dirty saying this), this album left me saying, “Huh. Well, would you just listen to that.” Maybe it’s because I like Led Zepplin and Foo Fighters. And maybe Josh Homme’s vocals have grown on me quite a bit. Either way, when you blend these three together it works really well. It seems like they have put their musical egos aside and come together with all the good elements each one has to offer to make this album. I hear Zepplin, I hear Foo Fighters, and I hear Queens of the Stone Age, but it all works together. They do need to work on song titles, and lyrics, but the sound is pretty good. The single “New Fang” is the catchy single on the album. Homme seems to come through with some heavy guitar and fancy vocals more than Dave Grohl or John Paul Jones. However, that isn’t the setting for the rest of the album. All three get their turn at putting in sounds from their original bands. Call it a guilty pleasure, but I like what they are doing here. 9. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns Stop seething, Hipsters, I put her on here.Natasha Khan turned loose her primal desert wild child alter ego (“Pearl”) on her Two Suns album this year and I’m pretty glad she did. Khan continues to tell her graceful, magical fairy tales with her rich voice accented by a mix of tribal beats and 80’s synth pop. The album opens with “Glass” where Khan stretches her vocal chords to the rafters. Her lyrics tell a sci-fi, fantasy story that I could imagine stars David Bowie. Khan does move away from her poppy side later on in the album. “Siren” is intensely passionate in both lyrics and composition with a mix of piano, orchestral elements, and vocal layers. She continues to set a plethora of moods, tell incredible stories, and extend her musical reaches with Two Suns. 8. The xx – xx Like your indie pop brooding with a side of funky groove? Then the xx’s self titled debut album is right up your alley. Although our own Dan Henshaw already did a sexy little review on this one, I have to put in my two cents. Young as they are, the xx created an album that sounds experienced enough to make them veterans. With indie, R&B and post punk influences, it’s surprising that the xx make minimalism into an effortless venture. Their music has been so carefully tweaked, sculpted, and perfectly set that you would think it comes with a bow. The simplicity of each one of their songs is flawless but very artistically considerate. There are no headaches, no whiny Moogs that needn’t be there, it’s just gorgeous and refreshing. Dan is right though, the xx does sneak up on you. And before you know it, they are on your top ten albums of the year list without fail. 7. Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Always moving themselves a little to the left of the typical Britpop sound, Kasabian ups the ante with West Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Instead of the House-ey dance beats they are known for, seems that they added a little more groove to album in the form of hiphop, psychedelic and even surf-rock beats (thank the musical gods for the likes of Dan The Automator). It’s a very welcome addition to a band that was getting a little stagnant in my book. Yet, it was a welcome relief when the first track, “Underdog”, rocked hard with quite a nice beat behind it. “Fast Fuse” takes the album a little farther with its unexpected and driving surf-rock style of the drum and bass. “Fire” is an impressive ride that starts out a little wild-west and ends nothing like it began by mixing touches of Luscious Jackson’s disco, pop sound. The elements of Kasabian’s swagger and sound still shine through with highly memorable, larger-than-life songs. Kudos Kasabian, but next time lets not take 3 years to figure out the next step. 6. Fever Ray – Fever Ray Singer from The Knife, Karin Dreijer, makes her solo debut album so quirky and experimental, it almost can’t be taken seriously. Yet, that’s exactly why it’s so incredible. Her unmistakable vocals from The Knife are back over what I can only describe as wistful-electronic, indie-Caribbean-beat fusion. Unusual synth melodies and even weirder beats pepper all her songs. Her lyrics are a mix of child-like simplicity and more profound phrases that sent me reeling into the depths. She tosses out thoughts like, “I’ve never liked that sad look from someone who wants to be loved by you” from “When I Grow Up”, turning uncanny emotions into easy poetry. Not even Bjork, the queen of quirk herself, could pull off some of what Dreijer does in this album. Her song “If I Had A Heart” is a dark, quiet, intensely brooding example of the lengths that Dreijer decided to explore. The filter she uses is completely haunting with a slow American Indian sounding beat and melody. But she keeps a modern electronic drone tone that’s almost maddening. The strange, emotional waves that Dreijer sent me out into the middle of made this album a brilliant piece of something completely different. It gives me my faith back that the world is not full of cookie cutter crap radio hits. 5. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Yes, Andy Kahn had this album up first, but I’m pretty sure I heart them more. With the happiest pop I’ve heard since The Lightning Seeds' Sense album, Phoenix comes on strong with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. It’s almost impossible not to shake it a little bit to any song on this album. And that’s precisely why I’m enamored with Phoenix. We all need some feel good music, and it’s double fantastic that the songs are also extremely well written, beautifully composed, and each unique in their own right. The first two songs off the album “Lisztomania” and “1901” are currently wide-spread hits, but “Love Like a Sunset, Part 1” is a delicate crescendo into a glorious peak of guitar, synth, and drums. It’s mysterious, beautiful and made me want to be in his shoes when he saw the sunset that inspired the song. It turned on all my complete girlie emotions. Phoenix is the current leader of the pop movement and the future does look bright with them around. 4. Alice in Chains – Black Gives way to Blue What an incredible come back after a lead singer with an unmistakable voice dies. A mere 14 years after their last album, Alice in Chains didn’t reinvent themselves, they didn’t find Jesus, and they certainly didn’t get haircuts. The band hired new lead singer William DuVall (a very close likeness of Layne Stanley vocally) and put out a new rock-your-face album with that classic early 90’s metal sound. Black Gives Way to Blue sounds like Stanley never left our world, and brought back a comforting nostalgia when things for metal were good. The dual vocals between DuVall and Jerry Cantrell achieve a level of broodiness, only made darker with churning guitars and driving bass and drums behind them. It’s wonderfully grumpy as Alice in Chains should be and I’m awe-struck that the true sound of the band wasn’t touched. Even their acoustic songs are still Alice in Chains. I truly hope this means that 90’s metal has finally risen from the grave to slap that “nu-metal” crap upside the head. I’ll bet Nickleback is first on their list. 3. Silversun Pickups – Swoon Silversun Pickups bring Carnavas up a notch with the sound of Swoon. Brian Aubert’s whisper pretty vocals are once again highly enjoyable over contrast of fast-paced beating of drums, fuzzy wailing guitars and the never ending drive of the bass. The first hit single, “Panic Switch”, demonstrates this entirely. But, it’s really the opening song “There’s No Secrets This Year” with it’s shredding James Iha-esque guitars, but happy subtle synth sounds in the back-ground are the perfect setting for the rest of the album. Although highly comparable to early Smashing Pumpkins, the Silversun Pickups seem to have come into their own yet a second time with Swoon. The flow of the album is almost fearless, with its touches of dreamy shimmery pop melodies threaded with blasting rough true 90’s alt-rock guitar. The best part about it all is the Silversun Pickups still sound like themselves and it’s freaking beautiful. 2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest What a delicious little tray of ear treats Grizzly Bear presented with Veckatimest! The psychedelic indie folk rockers are just as impressive as ever with this album. It has to be said that Grizzly Bear makes music for musicians. They use instruments way out of the realm of ordinary to make unimaginable sounds (raise your hand if you have any idea what an Omnichord is). It’s all so intelligently composed, and skillfully mastered that you just have to take a step back and admire it. Some of my favorites are the first song on the album, “Southern Point” sounds like 60’s psychedelic folk meets an old sea shanty. Layers upon layers of acoustic guitars, synths and a soft wispy drum sound fill this song out with dreamy angelic vocals. Then, the album moves into the sweet, Brian Wilson-esque harmonies of “Two Weeks”. It’s precious and shimmery with simple musical elements used by genius minds. The rest of the album doesn’t disappoint with track after track of music to leave you near swooning. 1. A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Ashes Grammar After many trials for A Sunny Day in Glasgow, a tribulation comes through in the form of Ashes Grammar. ASDIG has all the spirit of My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze coursing through their veins, but has refined the usual “wall of noise” crashing Jazzmasters with intricate instrument and vocal layers. The delay pedals are absolutely still there, and you couldn’t understand the lyrics if your life depended on it. But there’s a more modern, polished sound with both drums and vocals having been brought to the foreground. “Failure”, although not aptly named, embodies all the sparkly, atmospheric sounds the album has to offer. And the first single, “Shy”, is structured, yet holds onto the ghostly, dreamy vocals for which ASDIG is known. Overall, the album is uplifting and composed with perfection and complete beauty that flows from one track to the next just like the songs themselves. Ashes Grammar is the most impressive album that has come out this year. ASDIG is the future of cerebral shoegaze and I can’t wait to see what comes out of these youngsters next. By Britni Day  \  4 comments

Top 3 reasons NOT to see Chris Brown and instead stuff your face and watch football: 1. Chris Brown will pimp slap you if you go. 2. Thanksgiving dinner always tastes better than the back of Chris Brown's hand. 3. Football won't leave you filing police reports for domestic abuse. Happy Thanksgiving from Loud Loop Press! httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z27FKwupds By Britni Day  \  2 comments