The Kickback‘s newest EP, Great Self Love, begs through sonic versatility and smart composition to be taken seriously. On the national level, bands like The National and The Walkmen wear the gentlemen of indie rock badge, but it sounds as if Chicago’s the Kickback want in on the action. Great Self Love is an impressive sophomore release filled melancholy, hook-filled anthems brimming with a sense of importance.

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On their Myspace page, Pilsen’s Ornery Little Darlings describe their sound as “a highly improbable ornery-as-hell-love-child between Billie Holiday and Lou Reed.” After going a few rounds with their debut EP Ooh La La, I can say the equation works, but it’s not my go-to shortcut to describe what I heard during the album’s brief 21 minute runtime.

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Details are sketchy, but Chicago’s Bird Talk have been methodically working on a brand new EP.

In February, they all holed up in a cabin in Wisconsin to record the basic tracks. This is quite a departure from their first LP, No Bird Left Behind, which was mostly recorded live in one take. Besides the new studio trickery, the band has also taken to some instrument swapping to keep things fresh.

Their Facebook page has demos of “Virgins Vs. Babies” and “Crazy Mad” up now for your listening pleasure.

There’s no firm date for the release of the new EP, and although they’d prefer to release it as a 7″, the format is also still up in the air. Nevertheless, you will be hearing brand new music from the Bird Talk very soon, so keep your ears open.

Loud Loop Press Exclusive: Chicago’s dreamy indie-pop outfit Panda Riot return with a brand new EP titled Far and Near on May 11. To tide you over until the release, we present you this fresh off the presses video for the new EP track “Motown Glass”. The clip finds the band sounding as lush and melodic as ever. Synths and ambient swells hover over a rapid fire drum machine beat while band members Brian, Melissa, Rebecca and Justin perform, dance and even free fall in a paper-animated version of Chicago. Check it out:

YAWN may very well be Chicago’s answer to Sigur Ros or Animal Collective. On their latest release, E.P, the group’s computerized blips, swirling vocals and bombastic drum loops often walk the line between danceable and hypnotic thanks to an extremely sleek production. And while YAWN seem to revel in creating lush soundscapes and exotic interludes, their songs offer a precise focus that often gets lost in the electro-dance-loop genre.

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