Oh, CAVE. I remember when they just wee krautrockers on the local circuit, and now they’re all grown up and have graduated to the bandwidth of Pitchfork where the site gave the band a very impressive score of 7.9 for their new album Neverendless. We also reviewed the album, and suggest you read that as well. But we aren’t here to talk about reviews. No, CAVE also have a brand new video for the quirky synth take “Adam Roberts.” The video, created by Isaac Sherman, features pulsating lights and colors engulfing a lone female dancer grooving to the music. You can check out CAVE for yourself next Monday for FREE at the Empty Bottle, but in the meantime, check out the vid below:
In a move to one-up the Foo Fighters, Chicago krautrockersCAVE took to a flat bed truck a few days back, rode around Logan Square in addition to other Chicago locales to promote their newly released, and recently reviewed, excellent new LP Neverendless. Luckily, relentless scene documentarian John Yingling and Sabrina Rush were there with cameras in hand. You could easily dismiss this a publicity stunt because, um, that’s what it pretty much was, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t rad as hell. Be sure to grab CAVE’s new record at DragCity.com, but in the meantime, we implore you to watch the video below:
Billboard Pro released its ranking for the Top 50 Best Indie Labels in America last week. The list includes all the usual suspects: Merge, Matador, Kill Rock Stars and, coming in at No. 9, Chicago’s own HoZac Records, home to LLP faves Outer Minds, Radar Eyes and Mickey.
The magazine highlights HoZac’s catalog of abrasive garage rock including buzz kids The Smith Westerns and indie poppers Dum Dum Girls as reason for inclusion on the list.
Also making the list are Drag City (No. 34), which boasts releases with artists such as Pavement, Shellac, Joanna Newsom and locals Cave; post-rock labelKranky(No. 35), home to Disappears, Deerhunter and Godspeed You! Black Emperor; and indie/folk leaning Jagjaguwar(No. 38), home to Bon Iver, Dinosaur Jr and Okkervil River.
There you have it, musicians. No longer must you leave for the sunny shores of Los Angeles, the concrete and steel mecca of New York City or the rainy marshland of Seattle to obtain a record deal.
Three welp-I’m-back-in-the-USA-so-let’s-get-to-it reasons to wear sunscreen folks and head over to the old Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park this early evening…
1. Nothing says happy birthday America more than a punk rock marching band. No, seriously. Like, a marching band is quintessential Americana at its most shallow. But Mucca Pazza highlight the true rabble and fucked upped-ness that is these here United States. I’m not being political, see. I’m just saying John Phillip Souza is the ideal and Mucca Pazza are the reality. John Phillip Souza is the America that only exists in Sean Hannity’s head while Mucca Pazza are the America that exists between Anthony Weiner’s legs. Ok, I’ll move on.
Stephen Malkmus of Pavement | Photo by Richard Giraldi
Back in July, Chicago saw Pavement headlining the sold out day three of Pitchfork Music Festival 2010. Sure, they rocked the festival, but something was lacking whether it was the fact that Malkmus’ voice was obviously shot from touring or the band shrugging off their best known songs without much care or interaction. But last night at the magnificent Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Pavement returned a more rejuvenated band in high spirits as they ripped through a two-hour set that was pure ear-candy to those who had stuck with them for nearly two decades.
CAVE is going to be busy this summer. The Chicago psych-rockers will drop their latest effort, Pure Moods, on May 18 via Drag City.
Then beginning on June 4 with a show at the Hideout, the band will hit the road for a tour that takes them all the way up into the great white north. The two-month trek will culminate with their appearance at Pitchfork Festival 2010 on Sunday, June 18. If you can’t make those two Chi-town stops, the you can also see CAVE at the Empty Bottle with New Orleans’ Quintron and Miss Pussycat on June 25.
You can find CAVE’s complete tour itinerary after the jump.
1. Because White Mystery are freaking awesome. That’s why. Oh, you’ve never heard of Chicago’s brother/sister duo of Alex and Francis White? Well, they call themselves White Mystery and play no frills, no bullshit, reverb-heavy garage rock. The kind of stuff the local church would condemn for having a bad influence on the youth. And yes, they’re a brother and sister duo and their band name has White in the title, but don’t go thinking White Mystery is some White Stripes knock off. Their sound is definitely rawer and more punk and psychedelia-influenced, and Alex takes guitar duties while younger brother Francis White plays the drums like a wild animal. Still on the fence? Check out the video of White Mystery getting raucous on Chica-A-Go-Go after the jump.
Three reasons to check out 
