Don’t let this dreary, fickle weather ruin what is lined up to be a fantastic weekend for live music. The city is alive with the sound of wailing guitars and synths.

We’re excitedly chattering about a bevy of shows large and small, from everyone’s favorite – basement gigs – to Neon Marshmallow Fest occupying the Empty Bottle.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

FRIDAY

SOFT SPEAKER
If you’re a fan of the electric guitar, you’re a fan of Soft Speaker. The band’s latest, I’ll Tend Your Garden (reviewed by our own Ross Meyerson here), is a ferocious axe attack chock full of Neil Young-like abusive solos and chunky Dinosaur Jr.-esque riffage. Also set to rock your face tonight are Chicago’s bluesy, alt-country outfit Whisker Music and straight from New Orleans, the rootsy sounds of Jake La Botz. (Richard Giraldi)

9:00 p.m. Friday, 6/10. Cole’s. 21+. FREE!

NEON MARSHMALLOW FESTIVAL
If you saw our interview with Neon Marshmallow Fest creators Dan Smith and Matt Kimmel than you know the Chicago-based experimental music festival returns this weekend. This year’s edition is slimmed down to three days worth of eclectic rock, trance, free jazz and other not easily categorized noise-making groups. Prepare to get your minds blown within the confines of the Empty Bottle’s tiny walls with creator of the synthesizer Morton Subotnik, Chicago synth machine Beau Wanzer, and Brooklyn trancers Oneohtrix Point Never, just to name a few. Neon Marshmallow is an experience not to be missed. (Audrey Leon)

6:00 p.m. Friday, 6/10; 6:00 p.m. Saturday, 6/11; 6:00 p.m. Sunday, 6/12. Empty Bottle. 21+ $25 (single-day) & $70 (three-day passes).

>>RADIANT DEVICES<<
There are so many elements present in Radiant Devices’ music that seeing it live may be the only way to truly appreciate it. The duo, consisting of Mojdeh Stoakley and Fyodor Sakhnovski, use unusual items such as satellite dishes and propane tanks to pad its more traditional rhythm section. Stoakley uses her own spoken word over a complex mixture of jazz, ambient beats and pure hard rock. You can’t miss this. (Audrey Leon)

9:00 p.m. Friday, 6/10. The Mutiny. 21+ Free!

SATURDAY

OUTER MINDS
Chicago’s Outer Minds are perhaps the perfect garage pop band. Their Plustapes release, lovingly reviewed by Ross Meyerson, stands out with its catchy melodies in between the crunchy, reverbed guitars and eerie keyboards. If you like your music raw but with hooks that can be sing alongs, you’ll probably want to check them out. But that’s not all. I’ve already given a 350-word reason why you need to watch local psych-bluers Vee Dee in a live setting, and Mannequin Men will also be on hand rock you with their chugging indie rock as well. A three-fer for the ages. (Richard Giraldi)

9:00 p.m. Saturday, 6/11. Pancho’s. 21+ $5.

THE ANTLERS
In 2009, The Antlers pulled off the near impossible by making a record, Hospice, that is both cripplingly depressing and addicting at the same time. They’re back in Chicago this weekend touring with their new record, Burst Apart, which while lacking the sheer weight of their first offering, finds the band expanding the basis of its sound to incorporate more electronic elements. Live, The Antlers bring new life to their melancholic setlist, with each song being equally epic and cathartic. This will be the biggest intimate show you go to all year, and it shouldn’t be missed. (Andy Kondrat)

8:00 p.m. Saturday, 6/11. Metro. 18+ $18.

ORANGE GOBLIN
Britain’s biker doom metalers Orange Goblin come a-calling. Kind of the Molly Hatchet of doom these guys will draw you in with their rad name and radder album covers. Then you’ll hear their music and not really get the connection. But there’s tons of goodness here. For instance, Nachtmystium, whose “Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2″ is still confusing and blowing my mind. Bible Of The Devil have been putting their Thin Lizzy meets Iron Maiden stamp on Chicago’s music scene for over a decade now. Meanwhile, Buried At Sea sound much more like what Orange Goblin would seem to sound like. Slow, chugging doom riffs, lumbering drums, excruciating vocals. That’s an Orange Goblin, damn it. But it’s also the sound of being buried at sea. So get there early is what I’m saying. (Ross Meyerson)

9:00 p.m. Saturday, 6/11. Double Door. 21+. $18-$20.

RODEO
Three oh-wait-I-don’t-have-to-do-three-reasons-for-weekend-diversions reasons to not go on with this bit. Basement show, em effers! Check out some local talent in the friendly confines of a venue you’ve never been to. Why there’s editor in chief Richard Giraldi’s Rodeo still riding high from the release of their debut EP, “Sarcastic Summer”. You like guitars, and you love the 90′s. You love Rodeo. Swimsuit Addition will be there too. We’re still hanging around the 90′s as Swimsuit Addition channel your favorite RRRiot GRRRLLS (spelling?) and add a little surf rock because they can. The Automatic Lovers bring a dirty garage ethic to their snotty punk rock. They’ll be bashing their instruments as well. Last but not least is one of my favorites, Merlin Wall, who bring the nerd to tonight’s festivities. I’m still digging “Crushing From Afar” and eagerly await some new tunes. Be cool. (Ross Meyerson)

7:00 p.m. Saturday, 6/11. 1542 N. Oakley. All Ages. $3 donation if you can.

SUNDAY

THE CATHY SANTONIES
It’s fair to say that we here at Loud Loop love women who rock. There’s just something about that raw passionate energy bursting forth and breaking away from all societal norms. So it kind of goes without saying that we think the Cathy Santonies rock pretty damn hard. We’ve seen them play the tiniest, but loudest, hole in the dark (The Mutiny), but now the quartet is headed back to the Double Door’s spacious and well lit stage. Don’t miss this show. (Audrey Leon)

9:00 p.m. Sunday, 6/12. Double Door. 21+ $5.

Lollapalooza 2010. Day Three. Recap. Go.

8:45 p.m.: Arcade Fire

Win Butler of the Arcade Fire

To close out Lollapalooza 2010 on Sunday night, it really was a tale of two headliners. One the south end of grant park, in arguably the bigger area, you had a newly reunited Soundgarden with their big metallic and grungy fueled riffs taking center stage. Unlike Rage Against the Machine or Pavement, the Soundgarden reunion wasn’t really something fans had been clamoring for for years, but it is indeed a nice bit of nostalgia tripping for those who long for the flannel days.

On the other side, you have the Arcade Fire. A band who are pretty much in their prime right now having released the critically acclaimed new album The Suburbs only a few days before the Lollapalooza began. It would be like seeing Soundgarden back in the early ’90s. There might not ever be a better time to see The Arcade Fire in a festival setting again, and that might explain why the crowd for them was a few times bigger than that of Soundgarden and probably the largest of all weekend.

And of course, the Arcade Fire not only lived up to the hype during their performance, but bypassed any uncertainty that they might be the best band out right now. They came running out of the gate with an especially enthusiastic of version of The Suburbs take “Ready To Start”, which saw guitarist/percussionist Richard Parry and Win’s brother other-ist Will Butler taking turns hammering on each others tom drums. The song set the momentum, which never once wavered even during the slower burning “Crown of Love” from their 2004 debut Funeral. In between newer songs like the sleek, mo-town chorus of “Used To Wait” and caustic hymnal “Rococo”, the band played their older and best known songs including the glimmering “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” and towering “Intervention”.

While Win did most of the speaking and singing, Régine Chassagne, whose petite stature was balanced by her gigantic voice, shined on the new rocker “Empty Room”. But she absolutely brought down the house with the synth-soaked journey “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, which was probably the best song played all night.

But the most epic moment definitely was set closer “Wake Up”, which featured the everyone within ear shot yelling it’s melodic refrain. Chances are if you where any where in downtown Chicago on Sunday night, you probably heard it. And with that, the Arcade Fire brought Lollapalooza 2010 to a powerful end with a performance that was truly fit for a king but witnessed by thousands.

6:10 p.m.: MGMT

Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT

Though MGMT’s new album, Congratulations, didn’t really connect with fans who hold their more danceable numbers like “Kids” or “Electric Feel” in high regard, that didn’t stop an enormous throng to gather at the Budweiser stage on the north side of Grant Park. After opening with the folky, acoustic work of “Pieces of What” from their debut LP, Oracular Spectacular, they switched gears into the eerie, psych-pop salute to the famed producer Brian Eno, which carries his name as its title. The crowd were seemingly still engaged at this point because of its jangly guitars and driving-yet-groovy beat. But things really started to catch a full head of steam when they broke out the Prince-influenced, bass-sex jam “Electric Feel”.

While MGMT alternated between new and old songs so as not to completely lose the audience, sometimes fans were still thrown off guard such as on the cartoon-chase-theme kitsch of “Song For Dan Treacy”. But from “Time To Pretend” to the big, hippie-rock jam out of “The Handshake” their old material was riddled with new energy. When they did finally break into their biggest hit “Kids”, a song they omitted from their Coachella performance earlier this year to the surprise of festival attendees and critics alike, they performed it to a prerecorded backing track and instead every member danced on stage and in the crowd. It’s obvious the band still don’t really want to perform the song, so instead play it off as a silly number simply to appease the crowd. And appease it did as the thousands watching jumped up and down to the song’s bouncy rhythm in what will be classic Lollapalooza 2010 moment. The best part came afterward, however, when MGMT closed with the reflective, Neil Young-folk of their new album’s title track, Congratulations.

4:37 p.m.: X Japan

X Japan guitarist Sugizo

The phrase “They’re huge in Japan” is sort of a running joke among American musicians, but X Japan live it literally. The Japanese heavy metal outfit was originally founded in 1982, but later broke up in 1997 only to reunite ten years later, are huge in Japan. How huge? They can pretty much sell out any arena any time they want. However, the band never made the leap to American audiences. Their brand of symphonic metal is more for niche audiences in the states and never had broken through into the mainstream. But as this Sun-Times article points out, that didn’t stop X Japan fans from flocking from all over to catch the band’s first ever performance in the U.S. at Lollapalooza.

Well, their dramatic arrival was no small event. Hardcore fans, which were easiy picked out with their X Japan merch and paraphernalia, and the curious flocked to the massive south side stage for the show, and those who witnessed it were not left disappointed. X Japan’s set was arena metal adrenaline with a few theatrics such as flames from the bottom of the stage thrown in for good measure. Lead singer Toshi was a masterful frontman who riled up the crowd with cliche rock phrases like “Are You Ready To Rock?” in his broken English, but it worked to set the tone for the deafening guitar assault that followed. Actually, deafening might be an understatement as X Japan definitely won the battle for loudest band at Lolapalooza 2010. The bass and drums were more like atomic explosions than thunder and the guitars chugged along without sympathy on takes like “Jade” and “Endless Rain”. But perhaps the best part was how excited the band looked to be playing to such a large crowd for their first American show. They smiled and even took the time to take some pictures of the audience before they exited the stage when their time was up.

2:35 p.m.: The Ike Reilly Assassination

The second local Chicago act in as many hours, the Ike Reilly Assassination started their set with a meager crowd at the Sony Bloggie stage. Of couse, this was the hottest time period on Sunday afternoon, so perhaps it was cooling off and refueling time for many. But Ike Reilly and his Assassination were completely unphazed as they pumped out tune after tune of narrative-form, southern-tinged, Midwestern working man rock n’ roll. The highlight for many was Reilly’s humorous and clever lyrics, which ran the gambit from a drug-rollercoaster that rattled off even more narcotics than Queens Of The Stone Age’s “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer” or about how New York City has nothing on Chicago. The crowd, which was a decent number by mid-set, were seemingly latched on to the music. Suddenly for a brief 45-minutes, the small, tree-covered Sony Bloggie stage area was transformed into your local dark and dank dive bar.

1:50 p.m.: The Dodos

Meric Long of The Dodos

It was finally during the Dodo’s performance on the Playstation stage on the north end of Grant Park did the rain finally cede to the sweltering heat. Still, neither the sun or The Antlers playing 10 minutes into their set time stopped the band from bringing their acoustic and tribal rhythm based pop tunes. Their material sounds minimal, but there’s a lot going on here with Metric Long’s steady croon and quick-fire guitar lines, Logan Kroeber’s thumping beats, mostly through toms, and Keaton Snyder’s vibraphone work that gives the song’s soaring flourishes just that much more height. Neko Case, who performed at Lollapalooza on Friday with the New Pornographers and who played with The Dodos last Thursday at Chicago’s Metro, joined the band on stage for a couple of tunes, which really added to their atmospherics. However, their 2009 release Time to Die, didn’t obtain the same warm critically reception as their 2008 album Visiter, and not stating this was the reason why, but the band leaned on the side of their older material like the sprawling folk of “Jodi”.

1:17 p.m.: Company Of Thieves

Genevieve Schatz of Company of Thieves

Company Of Thieves have come along way since lead singer Genevieve Schatz was performing at Chicago open mics and have even come along since their 2009 Wind-up Records debut Ordinary Riches. Schatz is obviously the center of attention here with her confident, sultry vocals that to a degree possess a certain Fiona Apple quality, but Schatz is no where near as pained. Her lively stage presence like twirling, dancing and even some tambourine play really hyped up the surprisingly ample crowd. It was when they branched off into the new material that really drove the point home that Company Of Thieves has the capability to be more than another girl-fronted indie rock act. The new songs were brimming with a darker edge expanding into riff-y blues rock territory from guitarist Marc Walloch, and Schatz’s voice became even more gritty and powerful. Still, the band played it safe and ended with the small modern rock radio hit “Oscar Wilde”, which did garner the biggest reception of the set.

12:40 p.m.: The Antlers

Peter Silberman of The Antlers

The Antlers’ album Hospice was one of the biggest surprises in 2009. It put the band on he map drawing comparisons to indie rock royalty, and one of the night’s headliners, the Arcade Fire. However, for the Antlers to get a rainy early afternoon spot at the conclusion of a major music festival was poor luck of the draw. The band did their best to pour their heart and soul into their soaring melodic suites, but the crowd was generally unmoved, talking to friends or trying to find a way to keep dry. The Antler’s songs were a bit too meek and under-powered, and even their more popular tunes, such as “Two”, failed to grab anyone’s attention.

11:50 p.m.: HEALTH

It was a soggy start to Lollapalooza 2010 day three. The morning hours brought rain, which while cooled the park briefly, made things particularly muddy on the south end of Grant Park. But the weather did not hamper a small group of dedicated music fans from braving the wet for a chance to see Los Angeles noise rockers HEALTH at 11:30 a.m. HEALTH, like quite a few acts from this year’s Lollapalooza, were on the bill for last year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, but if I hadn’t stated this fact, a casual listener might mistake them for two different bands.

At last year’s Pitchfork Fest, the band played a deafening set for half an hour and thrashed around on stage to a cacophony of electro-noise. There was little to no melody to be found. Since that particular set, however, the band’s little material, such as “USA BOYS”, is more accessible with nearly danceable pulsating synth breaks and space-echo vocals. Still, while their music may have calmed down, the band were still rambunctious on stage even with the smaller than usual umbrella-holding and poncho-wearing audience.

Chicago’s largest festival unleashed their aftershow lineup this morning, which for some is even more important than the festival lineup. Here’s the rundown of who you can catch around town this August 5 – 8.

First up, on Thursday, August 5, you can catch the New Pornographers and the Dodos will rock the Metro, Devo and the Dirty Projectors will work their magic at the Congress Threatre, Slightly Stoopid and Collie Buddz hit up the House Of Blues, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Young Galaxy take over Schubas and, finally, Big Pink with The Smith Westerns and Night Gallery will be at Lincoln Hall.

Now for Friday, August 6. The big aftershow on Friday night is the Dare2Dream benefit concert at the House Of Blues featuring those polarizing psych-dance rockers MGMT. All the proceeds from this show will go to People’s Music School in an effort to bring funding and awareness to music education.

As for the rest of your Friday night, you can check out Cut Copy with Dragonette at the Metro, The Walkmen and Warpaint at the Double Door, Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros and Freelance Whales at Lincoln Hall, Wild Beasts at the Empty Bottle or Rogue Wave with Gamble House at Schubas.

Saturday, August 7, is huge for aftershows as The National and The Antlers descend upon the House Of Blues, The Black Keys and the Morning Benders hit up the Metro, Minus The Bear and Miniature Tigers will be at the Double Door, Blitzen Trapper and Avi Buffalo rock Lincoln Hall, The Soft Pack and Royal Bangs will rumble Schubas, Wavves and Harlem conquer the Empty Bottle, Gogol Bordello can be found at the Subterranean and Hot Chip will be at the Congress Theatre with friends Rusko, Steve Porter, Ancient Astronauts and Perry Farrell.

Lollapalooza Sunday, August 8, features French pop heavy hitters Phoenix with Toro Y Moi at the House of Blues and, finally, HEALTH and locals Chandeliers will rock Reggie’s Rock Club.

Tickets to all of these shows go on sale Friday, June 25, at 10 a.m. Be there!

Photo by Ben Ritter

2. They definitely bring it in a live setting, check it out:

3. Hot new duo Phantogram is handling opening duties. Loud Loop’s own Josh Reed says they are not to be missed. We’ll take his word for it! But he’s another video if you need some proof:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHo5S93cEi0

Bonus! The Antlers might cover The xx, whose greatness is also well-documented.

9:00 p.m. Thursday, 4/22. Lincoln Hall. 18+. $15.

1. The Saratoga Springs, NY duo of Joshua Carter and Sarah Barthel create psychedelic melodies layered with synth, samples and hip hop beats that only get more entrancing when either of their vocals slide into the mix.

2. You love The Antlers, and The Antlers really love them.

“We really love this band: @Phantogram. Check them out if you haven’t heard of them http://www.myspace.com/phantogram sooo awesome…” -- The Antlers on Twitter

3. Obligatory A/V evidence to support claims of awesomeness:

If you miss them tonight you’ll have another chance April 22nd when they open for The Antlers at Lincoln Hall. Of course that show will probably sell out before you realize the tickets are even on sale, and it’s on a Thursday so mac n cheese will be full price (but still worth it).

9:00 PM. Wednesday, 2/17. Schubas. 21+. $10.

Photo Credit: Carrie Musgrave - livebabylive.com

It’s that time again, we’ve looked ahead and started filling in our calendars with all of the awesome upcoming shows headed to Chicago in the next few months. Being the good guys and gals that we are, we’re sharing our favorites with you, all of which will surely be not-to-miss performances of artists from around the globe that includes an impressive line-up of local acts. Check out below what we think are the hot Winter/Early Spring concerts, local acts are BOLD for easy access, and let us know in the comments what we may have missed.

MONDAY, JANUARY 25

Cacaw – Empty Bottle

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27

DJ Krush – Empty Bottle

Streets on Fire – Double Door
One of our 10 Chicago Bands to Watch in 2010, they bring angular and frantic guitar riffs as lead singer Chadwick spouts his gnarled, rambling messages over at tight rhythm section. It’s fun yet dark and, at times, nearly psychotic.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29

Adam Franklin – Hideout

Earth Program – Ronny’s
One of our 10 Chicago Bands to Watch in 2010, and it’s their record release party!

The New Deal – Park West

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30

Cold War Kids – Vic Theatre

Pentagram – Empty Bottle

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Asobi Seksu – Schubas

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4

State Champion – Bottom Lounge

The Entrance Band, Lights, White Mystery – Empty Bottle

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5

Dark Star Orchestra – Vic Theatre

Gov’t Mule – House of Blues

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6

The Academy Is… – Metro
A special show in celebration of the 5 year anniversary of their debut release Almost Here with and opening set by Minneapolis based pop group Sing it Loud.

Dark Star Orchestra – Vic Theatre

Mavis Staples – Old Town School of Folk Music

Jemina Pearl – Beat Kitchen

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

D.R.I – Reggie’s Rock Club

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Mako Sica – Hideout

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

DOOM, Mos Def – Congress Theater
Rescheduled from January 29th.

Fucked Up, Kurt Vile – Empty Bottle

Gene Ween Band – Lincoln Hall

Mariah Carey – Chicago Theatre

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Mariah Carey – Chicago Theatre

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Editors, The Antlers – Vic Theatre

An Evening With The Residents – Logan Square Auditorium

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Nosaj Thing – Lincoln Hall

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18

St. Vincent – Metro

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Four Tet – Empty Bottle

Trey Anastasio – Riviera Theatre

Smoking Popes – Reggie’s Rock Club

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20

Chicago Underground Duo – Hideout
Album release party for 2010’s Boca Negra on Thrill Jockey.

Patti Smith – Park West

Smoking Popes – Reggie’s Rock Club

Tortoise – Lincoln Hall

Scott Lucas and the Married Men – Schubas
Local H frontman Scott Lucas is striking out on his own with his new group The Married Men. This show at Schubas is a record release party for their debut album “George Lassos the Moon.”

The Sweeps – Bottom Lounge
One of our 10 Chicago Bands to Watch in 2010

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Bela Fleck and The Africa Project – Old Town School of Folk Music

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22

El Perro Del Marr – Lincoln Hall

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Paul Di’Anno (original singer of Iron Maiden), Bible of the Devil – Reggie’s Rock Club

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Screeching Weasel – Reggie’s Rock Club

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27

Alkaline Trio, Cursive – Metro

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Cursive, Alkaline Trio – Metro
Cursive live is not to be missed. Frontman Tim Kasher is hilarious and unpredictable, which are all necessary components for a great live performance. Additionally, according to Audrey Leon Cursive’s “Mama, I’m Swollen” is one of the best albums of 2009.

TUESDAY, MARCH 2

Furthur – Auditorium Theatre

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3

Furthur – Auditorium Theatre

Streets On Fire – Empty Bottle

One of our 10 Chicago Bands to Watch in 2010

THURSDAY, MARCH 4

Gomez – Vic Theatre

FRIDAY, MARCH 5

Citizen Cope – Vic Theatre

J. Davis Trio – Bottom Lounge

moe. – Riviera Theatre

SUNDAY, MARCH 7

The Avett Brothers – House of Blues

Magnetic Fields – Harris Theater

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

Magnetic Fields – Harris Theater

TUESDAY, MARCH 9

Califone – Lincoln Hall
All My Friends are Funeral Singers will be shown along with a live performance of the soundtrack.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10

Califone – Lincoln Hall

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Tonic Room

Vetiver – Empty Bottle

FRIDAY, MARCH 12

Hockey – Lincoln Hall

Kreator, Voivod, Nachtmystium – Bottom Lounge

Muse – United Center

Pelican – Beat Kitchen

SATURDAY, MARCH 13

RJD2 – Metro

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Bottom Lounge
Ted Leo is heading back to the Windy City to blow the roof off of the Bottom Lounge with songs from his latest release “The Brutalist Bricks,” many of which were performed at Lincoln Hall’s grand opening last October.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14

Orphaned Land, Indian – Bottom Lounge

MONDAY, MARCH 15

My Gold Mask – Empty Bottle
One of our 10 Chicago Bands to Watch in 2010.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18

Experience Hendrix – Chicago Theatre

P.O.S. – Bottom Lounge

FRIDAY, MARCH 19

Gil Mantera’s Party Dream – Empty Bottle

Appleseed Cast – Bottom Lounge

SATURDAY, MARCH 20

Alice In Chains – Aragon Ballroom

Norah Jones – Chicago Theatre

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24

Air – Riviera Theatre

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Tonic Room

Matthew Good – Double Door

THURSDAY, MARCH 25

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Metro

Vampire Weekend – Riviera Theatre
Check out Andy Kondrat’s review of Contra, and let us know what you think of the band’s sophomore effort.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26

Tegan and Sara – Aragon Ballroom

Vampire Weekend – Riviera Theatre

THURSDAY, APRIL 1

The Black Lips – Logan Square Auditorium

Spoon, Deerhunter – Aragon Ballroom

FRIDAY, APRIL 2

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O, Plastic Crimewave Sound – Empty Bottle

Passion Pit – Congress Theater

SATURDAY, APRIL 3

Xiu Xiu – Lincoln Hall

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

Henry Rollins – Vic Theatre

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

The xx, jj – Lincoln Hall
Each group put out killer albums last year making several of our top 10 lists.  This pairing of double consonant named bands will be grooving and moody and is already sold out.

FRIDAY, APRIL 9

Japandroids – Lincoln Hall
Check out Dan Henshaw’s review of their 2009 release, Post Nothing, a favorite of Andy Kondrat’s.

SATURDAY, APRIL 10

Mission of Burma – Double Door

FRIDAY, APRIL 16

Dr. Dog – Metro

King Sunny Ade and His African Beats – Old Town School of Folk Music

MONDAY, APRIL 19

Hot Chip, The xx – Riviera Theatre

FRIDAY, APRIL 23

Trans Am – Empty Bottle

SUNDAY, APRIL 25

B.B. King – House of Blues
The legend returns for another show at the HOB. If you haven’t seen him and Lucille do yourself a favor and get out for this concert.

THURSDAY, APRIL 29

Yeasayer – Metro

FRIDAY, APRIL 30

Owl City – Aragon Ballroom

Out of all the musical successes of 2009, The Antlers can certainly lay claim to one of the more impressive ones with their second album, Hospice. Making an album about cancer something that anyone would want to listen to couldn’t have been easy, and allowing to it move and sadden without becoming overly depressing makes it a downright triumph. Over the course of ten great songs, The Antlers tell the story of a man losing a young girl to bone cancer. Hospice is sung from the man’s perspective, taking place mostly in a hospital, and it follows the ups and downs of his relationship with the girl as she battles her disease. It’s mostly chronological and it does a great job of holding the listener’s attention for its duration.

Musically, Hospice ranges from intimate to grandiose, and it makes both work well. It’s admirable how the album manages to feel close and personal, but also huge and sweeping at different times, and often within the same song. “Wake” is nearly nine minutes long and starts as a quiet rumination on loss and mourning and ends on an epic and redemptive refrain. It builds as it goes along, and the effect is cathartic and moving. “Sylvia” pulls off the same trick with large arena-ready choruses and heartfelt, personal verses. Both elements have powerful effects, and The Antlers utilize both modes to great effect all over the rest of the record.

“Bear” is a sad tune that deals with the process of coping with a terminal illness and the various emotions that go along with that process, specifically the alienation suffered by the patient and their loved ones. It uses the titular animal as a symbol for the disease as the narrator talks about trying to deal with crippling treatments and friends that don’t return calls anymore. The verses have a nursery rhyme quality to them and they’re very sad, but it’s the chorus here that’s one of the most heartbreaking moments on the entire album. “We’re too old/We’re not old at all” sings lead vocalist Peter Silberman, talking about how old and alone he (the narrator) and the girl feel despite the fact that she’s a child and he’s only 21. It’s powerful lyricism that tugs at the heart despite what’s actually a very jangly and upbeat chorus musically.

There really isn’t a bad song here, and Hospice demands to be listened to straight through. Much more than ten songs collected on a record, it’s an album that works best as such because it follows such a strong narrative. It’s rewarding to take in during one sitting as it all flows together really well. Still, standouts like “Two” and “Bear” do well enough on their own to be singles and they’re not too much weaker for being taken out of context. The former in particular might be the best song here. It starts with a gentle guitar strum, and builds for nearly six minutes, adding in drums and vocals. Thematically it’s similar to “Bear,” as it deals with the isolation the two characters face because of the cancer. It focuses on the fact that it’s more or less the two of them alone in their predicament and alone in the world. Again its upbeat instrumentation is at odds with the melancholy lyrics, but as with the rest of the songs here, The Antlers make it work.

Of course an album named after an organization that helps the terminally ill isn’t going to be a sunny affair, but my hat goes off to The Antlers for creating a touching and intimate record that never gets bogged down by being too mopey or emotional. It would have been easy to take the “woe is me” vibe way over the top with subject matter like this, but the band takes the higher ground and delivers a sad and heartfelt but also smart and sophisticated album that’s just as great for it’s restraint as it is for it’s wrenching emotional appeals.

1. It takes a lot of skill to make an album about cancer really, really awesome, yet Hospice pulls it off. NPR’s “All Songs Considered” says this about the album: “One of the most beautiful and moving works I’ve heard in a long, long time. Just astonishing.” And you could see it live.

2. It’ll look a lot like this:

3. It’s only ten bucks, and you’ll be able to say in four years, “Yeah, I saw them back in the day, before they were big.” That pretentious, indie cred alone is worth ten bucks.

Tickets for the 5th annual Pygmalion Music Festival set for September 16 – 19 in Champaign-Urbana are going fast. Festival passes are sold out as is the headlining performance from Iron and Wine.

If you still want to catch a few of the acts such as RJD2, Lucero, YACHT, The Antlers, Japandroids, Headlights, Wavves, Autolux and Low in some of Champaign-Urbana’s more intimate venues, then act now. Only a small number of single show tickets are still available.

You can find an updated schedule – changes include addition of Saturday’s day parties and adjustments due to cancellation of Solid Gold – after the jump:

Complete Pygmalion Music Festival 2009 Schedule:

WEDNESDAY

Canopy Club:
8:30 PM — Common Loon
9:30 PM — Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band
10:00 PM — Owen
11:00 PM — Japandroids
12:00 AM — Headlights
1:00 AM — Physical Challenge DJs

THURSDAY

Blues:
11:45 AM — Liesel Booth
12:30 PM — Pamela Machala

Sandella’s:
12:45 PM — Tracey and Tricia
1:30 PM — Stanton McConnell
2:15 PM — Cara Maurizi

Red Herring:
6:00 PM — Morgan Orion and The Constellations
7:00 PM — My Dear Alan Andrews
8:00 PM — Post Historic
9:00 PM — Early Day Miners
10:00 PM — World’s First Flying Machine

Krannert Art Museum:
6:40 PM — Liz Janes
7:20 PM — Brooke Wagonner
8:00 PM — Denison Witmer
8:45 PM — My Brightest Diamond
9:45 PM — William Fitzsimmons
10:45 PM — Bob Nanna

Courtyard Cafe:
7:30 PM — Butterfly Assassins
8:30 PM — Deelay Ceelay
9:30 PM — Starfucker

Canopy Club:
6:20 PM — Ohtis
7:00 PM — Santa
7:40 PM — Mason Proper
8:20 PM — Company of Thieves
9:00 PM — Elsinore
9:40 PM — Joe Pug
10:30 PM — Decibully
11:10 PM — Maserati
12:10 AM — Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s
1:00 AM — Lucero

The Highdive:
9:00 PM — Geist
10:00 PM — DJ Belly
11:00 PM — DJ Mertz
12:00 AM — Skream

FRIDAY

Blues:
11:30 AM — Girls Next Door
12:00 PM — Ryan Groff
12:45 PM — William Fitzsimmons
7:00 PM — The Jips
8:00 PM — Empires
9:00 PM — jigGsaw
10:00 PM — So Many Dynamos
11:00 PM — So Long Forgotten

Sandella’s:
12:45 PM — Final Pygmalion Effect
1:30 PM — Matt Wagemann
2:15 PM — Kilroy et al

Channing-Murray:
6:30 PM — You and Yourn
7:15 PM — Hathaways
8:00 PM — Good Night and Good Morning
9:00 PM — Low

Red Herring:
10:30 PM — Oceans
11:30 PM — Pet Lions
12:30 AM — TBD

Canopy Club:
6:20 PM — Zach May and The Maps
7:00 PM — Ganglians
7:40 PM — Phantogram
8:20 PM — BLK JKS
9:00 PM — Jookabox
9:40 PM — Maps & Atlases
10:30 PM — Pomegranates
11:10 PM — The Antlers
12:10 AM — Autolux
1:00 AM — Wavves

Cowboy Monkey:
10:00 PM — Angie Heaton
11:00 PM — Mazes
12:00 AM — Cameron McGill and What Army
1:00 AM — The 1900s

Mike N’ Molly’s:
5:15 PM — The Delta Kings
6:15 PM — The Duke of Uke
7:15 PM — The Number One Sons
8:15 PM — Tina Sparkle
9:15 PM — Gentleman Auction House
10:15 PM — Light Pollution
11:15 PM — Neoga Blacksmith

Bentley’s:
9:30 PM — Village
10:30 PM — The Horns of Happiness
11:30 PM — Alpha Mile
12:30 AM — Golden Quality

SATURDAY

Parasol Records:
12:00 PM — Tim Stephens
12:40 PM — Morgan Orion and The Constellations
1:10 PM — Cameron McGill and What Army
1:40 PM — Peninsula
2:10 PM — Boston Fleener (of The Jips)
2:40 PM — Drew Danburry (acoustic)
3:10 PM — You and Yourn
3:40 PM — New Ruins (acoustic)
4:40 PM — The Horse’s Ha (acoustic)

Exile on Main St.:
1:30 PM — Elsinore
2:30 PM — Zach May and The Maps
3:30 PM — Santa
4:30 PM — The Curses

Courtyard Cafe:
5:00 PM — The Daredevil Christopher Wright
6:00 PM — Lymbyc Systym
7:00 PM — Brighton, MA

Krannert Center:
7:30 PM — The Books
8:45 PM — Iron and Wine
10:00 PM — Princeton
11:00 PM — Ra Ra Riot

Canopy Club:
9:00 PM — Physical Challenge DJs
9:45 PM — Porno Galactica
10:45 PM — YACHT
11:45 PM — The Hood Internet
12:45 AM — RJD2

Red Herring:
10:00 PM — On Again Off Again
11:00 PM — Now Now Every Children
12:00 AM — Drew Danburry
1:00 AM — Sunset Stallion

Cowboy Monkey:
10:00 PM — Lonely Trailer
11:00 PM — The Horse’s Ha
12:00 AM — Gazelle
1:00 AM — New Ruins

Mike N’ Molly’s:
8:15 PM — Tyson and The Friction
9:15 PM — Steel Eater
10:15 PM — Scurvine
11:15 PM — The Life and Times

Bentley’s:
10:30 PM — Take Care
11:30 PM — Marmoset
12:30 AM — Mordechai in the Mirror

Looking for a music festival that features big names but hate fighting massive crowds of hippies, frat dudes and hipsters in the summer heat? Then Champaign-Urbana’s Pygmalion Music Festival might be right up your alley.

Entering it’s fifth year, the Pygmalion Music Festival goes down September 16 – 19, 2009 in Champaign-Urbana, IL.

This year’s edition of the festival features big names and up-and-coming acts including Iron and Wine, Low, Lucero, RJD2, The Books, The Antlers, YACHT, Wavves, Headlights, Japandroids, Autolux, BLK JKS, My Brightest Diamond and many more.

The Pygmalion Music Festival is less like other major Illinois festivals such as Lollapalooza and Pitchfork and more like Austin’s annual spring event South By Southwest as the event takes place over four days in 15 different venues in two of Champaign-Urbana’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

The full schedule and ticket information is available right now at 2009.pygmalionmusicfestival.com.