Jazzy post-rockers The Sea and Cake are the latest Chicago-area band to record a set over at Daytrotter.

The group’s five-song set featured a few tunes from its latest album The Moonlight Butterfly as well as an oldie “The Argument” from 1997’s The Fawn.

The Sea and Cake’s set is solid with plenty of upbeat pop grooves. Specifically “Up on the North Shore” sounds like it would have been this year’s high contender for sparkling summer jam with its perky rhythms and swirling waves of guitar tones that sound oh so much like whales speaking to each other.

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By Audrey Leon  \  comments

Who doesn’t love an impromptu concert by a popular indie band? Nobody, that’s who. So when A.V. Club Chicago broke the news late Tuesday that Toronto super collective Broken Social Scene would perform a free show somewhere in town, naturally, it piqued our interest. All principle members including frontman Kevin Drew, guitarist Andrew Whiteman, bassist Brendan Canning, drummer Justin Peroff, guitarist Sam Goldberg, singer Lisa Lobsinger and horn section appeared on an especially erected stage under an “occasionally perfect” Heineken billboard directly across from Wrigley Field. Drew professed his love for Chicago, mentioning that the band spend nine months working on Forgiveness Rock Record here in town with Tortoise/The Sea and Cake’s John McEntire. The group ripped through seven songs in total (Cause = Time, Texico Bitches, 7/4 Shoreline, Anthems of a 17-year-old Girl, KC Accidental, World Sick and Ibi Dreams of Pavement). Our friends over at Gonzo Chicago have an excellent wrap-up of the night below. If you want more video, XRT has a few to quench your thirst. Enjoy!

By Audrey Leon  \  comments

Tortoise are always up to something.

And this time around, as Pitchfork reports the local post-rockers have recorded a score for the new film Lovely Molly, which is directed by Eduardo Sánchez, who is best known for co-directing the late 90′s uber cheese-factor horror flick Blair Witch Project.

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By Richard Giraldi  \  comments

Broken Social Scene is setting out on a world tour starting June 18 in Toronto at Toronto Island and they’re bringing The Sea and Cake with them for the majority of their fall dates.

Expect Sea and Cake and Tortoise member John McEntire to be busy on tour.  Having produced the latest Broken Social Scene album Forgiveness Rock Record, which was partly recorded at Soma Studios in Chicago, McEntire quickly became an unofficial member of BSS. Sam Prekop, singer for The Sea and Cake, also contributed to Forgiveness.

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By Andrew Kahn  \  comments

According to Pitchfork.com, Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley has formed a new band called The High Confessions with industrial rocker Chris Connelly, well known for his work in both the Revolting Cocks and Ministry, Sanford Parker of Peoria metal group Minsk and Jeremy Lemos, who is not only a member of Chicago experimental, psychedelic outfit White/Light but has worked as an engineer along side Bill Callahan and Jim O’Rourke.

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By Richard Giraldi  \  comments

There’s no group that truly lives the motto “variety is the spice of life” quite like Toronto’s Broken Social Scene.

For the follow-up to its 2005’s self-titled album, Broken Social Scene jumped at the chance to work with Tortoise multi-instrumentalist John McEntire. The new, as-of-yet untitled album, was recorded in part at McEntire’s Soma Studios in Chicago and Giant Studios in Toronto, which is owned by former Death From Above 1979 vocalist Sebastien Grainger and Metric guitarist Jimmy Shaw.

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By Audrey Leon  \  comments