Of course, I’m not talking about the sport, but rather the abrasive post-punk slash garage-rock outfit from Chicago.

Just back from last month’s SXSW, during which they opened for Thee Oh Sees, Football has finally released what I’m fairly certain is their first real studio recording.

“Set Them On Fire” is the name of the game, and it’s a good one. The track opens with concussion-inducing bass that quickly gives way to dirty guitars and rambunctious beats (via Jered Gummere of The Ponys/Bare Mutants). The refrain, “Set’em Up! Set’em On Fire!” is even sung with a sports chant-like intensity. Jam on “Set Them On Fire” below:

Austin’s annual South by Southwest music festival has been slowly releasing its list of bands traveling to the Lone Star state this Spring and, yes, Chicago is represented.

On tap to play the 2012 edition are sunny pop rockers Gold Motel, dancehall DJ Chrissy Murderbot, acoustic folker Musikanto, lo-fi ambient poppers U.S. Girls, and Chicago – by way of Philadelphia – dream poppers Mahogany.

Built to Spill, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Talib Kweli, and Thee Oh Sees will also play SXSW this year. And while Broken Social Scene is headed toward hiatus-land, its members will be well-represented with Metric, Stars and Zeus scheduled to appear.

South by Southwest’s 2012 music conference will be held March 13-18.

Wild Flag | Photo by John Clark

What a weekend we have in store for you, Chicago. It’s a big one with both Wicker Park and Sheffield Garden Walk competing for your attention with great local and national acts like Wild Flag, Wavves, Soul Aslyum, Company of Thieves, Canasta, Archie Powell & the Exports and more rocking the two neighborhood fests. Not to mention Thee Oh Sees are playing not once, but twice this weekend.

Let’s get ready to rock!

FRIDAY

PANDA RIOT
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Panda Riot’s name pop up locally, so when we found out they were playing a last minute show at No Exit Café in Roger’s Park it caught our attention. The band’s lush and dreamy take on shoegaze earned them a spot on our a place in our Top Ten local videos for 2010 as well as the coveted mention in our Bands to Watch in 2011. Additionally, the band have Facebook’d that they’re currently recording, and we can’t wait to see what beautiful, hypnotic sounds they come up with next. Also performing tonight are Chicago indie rocker Future Ghost, who will no doubt thrill with sweeping melodies and psychedelic tendencies. (Richard Giraldi)

8:00 p.m. Friday, 7/22. No Exit Café (6970 North Glenwood Avenue). All Ages! FREE!

AKASHA
During the icy cold winter, Chicago reggae band Akasha helped us to remember warmer days. Now that summer is actually here, we can escape the scorching heat for the cooler Hideout to absorb some mellow vibes. Akasha will also celebrate the release of its mixtape tribute to Gregory Isaacs entitled The Cool Ruler Overture. Go get your groove back. (Audrey Leon)

10:00 p.m. Friday, 7/22. The Hideout. 21+ $10.

WILD FLAG
Can you get any more EPIC than a band where Mary Timony, Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss and Rebecca Cole join forces? If you’re a fan of Sleater-Kinney, Helium, Quasi, the Minders or just women who fucking rock HARD, then this show is a no-brainer. Wild Flag’s full-length debut is due out in September but songs like “Romance“, “Glass Tambourine” and “Future Crimes” have been making the rounds on social networks. The evidence suggests exactly what you would expect: bouncy power pop with sweet riffs, powerhouse drums and sweet-to-howling vocals. Also upping the rad quotient are local buzz-worthy garage rockers Mickey and Radar Eyes. If you didn’t get tickets, Wild Flag will return October 9 at the Empty Bottle. (Audrey Leon)

10:30 p.m. Friday, 7/22. Subterranean. 17+ SOLD OUT!!

SATURDAY

THEE OH SEES
San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees continue to pump out album after album of their brand of weird garage pop. And when I say pump out I don’t mean like a record here an EP there. No sir, I mean I’m a fan and I’m probably four albums behind by now. It’s comforting to know that whenever I clear my schedule there’s a-plenty of material I’ve not heard. Anyway, you’ve got not one but two opportunities to check out these freaks of nature. There’s the traditional route of going to the Empty Bottle on Saturday and catch openers Paul Cary and Absolutely Not. Or maybe you like the outdoors in which you can catch them Sunday at the Logan Square monument with Football. Maybe you really like music and will do both? I won’t stop you. (Ross Meyerson)

10:00 p.m. Saturday, 7/23. Empty Bottle. 21+. $12.

SHEFFIELD GARDEN WALK
I normally wouldn’t advocate a festival that enlists Soul Asylum to headline, but the Sheffield Garden Walk stepped up its game this year enlisting some pretty fantastic local talent. On Saturday, pop rockers Archie Powell & The Exports will blow the gates off the place starting at noon followed by the soothing indie rock sounds of Brighton, MA. On Sunday, Chicago kid rockers School of Rock open the musical festivities along with bluesy rockers The Congregation, baroque poppers Canasta and headliners Poi Dog Pondering will close out the fest with some smooth funky grooves. Sounds like a blast. (Audrey Leon)

Noon-9 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, 7/23-7/24. Sheffield Garden Walk (Webster & Sheffield). All Ages. $7 before 3 p.m., $10 after.

WICKER PARK FEST
There’s no denying that Wicker Park Fest does it right. It’s got the big names including a couple of bands last weekend’s Pitchfork Fest would mind having (Wild Flag, Wavves). But there’s still a ton of excellent locals acts including Loyal Divide, Company of Thieves and Netherfriends to name a few. Wicker Park Fest 2011 finds the perfect balance between local and national and showcases the beautiful Wicker Park are as well. Can you say win-win? In this case, it might be win-win-win! Check out the complete line up right here. (Richard Giraldi)

12 p.m. – 10p.m. Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24. Milwaukee at North Ave. All Ages. $5 donation.

SUNDAY

THEE OH SEES
See above.

4:00 p.m. Sunday, 7/24. Logan Square Monument. All Ages. Free with RSVP.

Starting June 26 and running until October 9, the Bottle plans to bring musical acts such as experimental rockers Califone, metal super group Bloodiest and San Francisco psych-rockers Thee Oh Sees to perform at its Sunday afternoon concert on the Logan Square monument.

All shows are free with RSVP and will take place at 4 p.m. The final show on Sunday, October 9 is slated to have a surprise mystery guest.

The Empty Bottle had previously staged a concert at the monument last October featuring Dan Deacon and Lightning Bolt.

Grab the Bottle’s monthly concert lineup after the jump.

Logan Square Afternoon Summer Concert Series

June 26 Califone w/ Bloodiest

July 24 Thee Oh Sees, with Football

August 21 High Places, with special guests

September 18 Mucca Pazza, with Lord of the Yum Yum

October 9 Surprise final guests

Thee Oh Sees

2. Chicago’s Hot Machines are THE Chicago super group. Right? I mean we’re talking Miss Alex White, Jared from the Ponys, and Matt from Baseball Furies. You tell me what tops that. Plus, their driving garage punk is top notch. Top Notch I say! There’s a little Vibrators sneaking around underneath that lo-fi sound. Sometimes too much of a good thing is still a good thing.

3. Chicago’s Paul Cary opens things up and brings with him a blusier take on the evening’s garage sound. It’s an oddly mature sound in a genre not necessarily known for its maturity. Check it out by downloading his album at Candydinner.com.

9:00 p.m. Wednesday, 9/15. Lincoln Hall. 21+. $12 advanced/$14 door.

Seeing Thee Oh Sees did nothing to diminish their unique mystique. Yes, they are regular folks and not the underwater dwelling subhumans I may have made them out to be in my review for Help. Even so, the combination of John Dwyer’s spastic antics (think Crispin Glover having an epileptic seizure) and Brigid Dawson’s cool, ladylike demeanor creates its own, different strangeness than what you get from their records.

Their set at Schubas on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, was short and sweet and, right from the start, full of an almost religious revival amount of energy. This energy was amazingly matched by the crowd’s which made even a modest fellow, like myself, get going.

The whole night Dwyer played his guitar as if it were shapeless, or had many shapes. At times, Dwyer aimed it like a rifle at drummer Mike Shoun while strumming it from many seemingly impossible angles, often resting it somewhere near his neck (I used to think George Harrison played his guitar comically high, but Dwyer takes it to a whole new level).

Dwyer also has an unfortunate habit of sticking the mic halfway down his throat, which made my own gag reflex kick in. Meanwhile, from across the stage, Dawson calmly sang along often with a smile on her face. She came across as the girl you’d love to take home to meet your parents, while Dwyer felt like a guy you’d be afraid to let into your apartment for fear of him breaking everything.

Their set was brief, but eclectic. But that should be no surprise considering Dwyer’s proficiency. The set sprinkled with new tunes which included a long, sprawling, surging, repetitive one that felt like it took up 15 minutes of the no more than 35 minute set. However, the unrelenting power of the show was probably better served in this small dose.

As much effort as Thee Oh Sees put into each and every song, and as much energy as the crowd gave back, anything more might have been detrimental to our health.

Thee Oh Sees’ 2008 album, The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending, although steeped in 60′s garage and psychedelia, had a feeling of not existing in a particular time or place. The band sounded like they played underground, possibly underwater. Though their new album, Help, offers a similar sound to their previous effort, it does seem that the band has at least come up for air.

Help sounds bigger and fuller, and the vocals, although still full of haunting reverb, are much more upfront. It’s not so much that they’ve softened or cleaned their sound as much as the band seems a bit more confident. Lyrically, the band alternates between love and looking into the distance with occasional forays into the unknown. But it really doesn’t matter because, up front or buried, it’s hard to make out what lead vocalist Jim Dwyer is even singing.

Musically, Help is not a great departure from Master’s Bedroom, but there are definite flourishes from time to time that indicate that Thee Oh Sees are willing to work outside of a strict garage model. “Meat Step Lively” contains a flute breakdown, and the poppy “Go Meet the Seed” has an extended ending with occasional electronic explosions. These new age flourishes give the album a sense of being lost in time. Yes, the band’s main influence comes from 60’s-era garage rock, but the added punchiness of the production plus the ghostly, shimmering vocals and watery guitar give Help it’s distinctness.

The previously mentioned “Go Meet the Seed” features a clean and almost radio friendly riff. Other songs chug along with dirtier riffs such as with “Ruby Go Home” or barely stay afloat with slower tempos, “A Flag in The Court,” that are reminiscent of those lazy Ringo Starr beats.

Help is a more consistent listen than Master’s Bedroom but doesn’t ever lose its strangeness. The album is not only a breathe of fresh air at the surface, but it features Thee Oh Sees at their most comfortable and consistent level to date.