Sam Prekop, guitarist, bassist and vocalist for Chicago’s The Sea And Cake, is releasing a new solo effort on September 7 titled Old Punch Card.
According to a press release from local imprint Thrill Jockey, Old Punch Card is not only a departure from Prekop’s previous solo material but from his main band The Sea And Cake as well. The album is said to be influenced by early electronic music as well as avant garde compositions as it’s composed entirely of modular synthesizers with no vocals, no beats and only one instance of guitar.
If this sounds like something right up your alley, good news! Download the Old Punch Card track “The Silhouettes” right here. The song is definitely composed entirely of synthesizers with whirling blips and buzzes, but it is highly melodic, which is very promising for the rest of the album.
Thrill Jockey released a new video today for Chicago progressive electro-rockers Lazer Crystal. The clip is for the track “Love Rhombus” from their album MCMLXXX, which hits stores next week and features some really cool visuals that will cause you to reminisce about the days when videotape was king. You can catch Lazer Crystal tomorrow at the May Day Party at Co-Prosperity Sphere (3219 S Morgan) for Version Fest. On with the clip:
Left to right: Parker, McCombs(top), Bitney (bottom), Herndon, McEntire
While much of the mid-90’s musical era was saturated with grunge-wannabes, Chicago’s Tortoise gained much attention for issuing album after album of exciting and intriguing instrumental progressive/experimental rock music. Tortoise’s influences are countless with their music spanning multiple genres such as punk, jazz, Krautrock, avant-garde, and even electronica. The group’s current lineup, of which is all multi-instrumentalists, consists of Dan Bitney, John McEntire, Jeff Parker, Doug McCombs, and John Herndon.
Tortoise formed in Chicago in 1990 and have since released six studio albums on Chicago imprint Thrill Jockey. Their newest effort, Beacons Of Ancestorship, was released on June 23 and has already garnered much critical acclaim. Additionally, Tortoise is performing at Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday July 17 as part of the ticket buyer-voted set list series “Write The Night.”
We caught up with Tortoise drummer/sequencer/whatever-ist John Herndon before their U.S. tour kicks off at Los Angeles’ Troubadour tomorrow night to discuss the five-year gap between albums, synthesizers, Pitchfork Music Festival, and the label “experimental rock.” Complete interview following the jump:
According to Pitchfork.com, Chicago post-rockers Califone will release their new album All My Friends Are Funeral Singers in October on Austin-based record label Dead Oceans. The band had been releasing albums on Chicago’s Thrill Jockey imprint as well as their own label.
The article also mentions how the album is a kind of soundtrack to Califone frontman Tim Rutili’s feature film of the same name. The film, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, is set for release at film festivals in 2010.
The complete All My Friends Are Funeral Singers tracklist:
1 Giving Away the Bride
2 Polish Girls
3 1928
4 Funeral Singers
5 SNAKE’S TOOTH = PROTECTION AGAINST FEVER AND LUCK IN GAMBLING
6 Buñuel
7 Ape-Like
8 A WISH MADE WHILE BURNING ONIONS WILL COME TRUE
9 Evidence
10 Alice Marble Gray
11 Salt
12 Krill
13 SAVEN, FOURTEEN, OR TWENTY-ONE KNOTS
14 Better AngelsBy Richard Giraldi\1 comment
While it’s been five years since Chicago instrumentalists Tortoise have released a proper studio album, their new LP titled Beacons of Ancestorship is well worth the wait. The album not only offers 11 tracks that blend and bridge genres, but the band stays true to their defined progressive, post-rock sound and manage to subtly slip in their influences and inspirations without hitting you over the head.
Already slated to perform at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park July 17 as part of the the “Write the Night: Set Lists by Request” series (fans who purchase tickets will be able to vote on what the band plays in their set), a few additional tour dates were also announced today which include a trip to Japan July 24.
Sam Prekop, guitarist, bassist and vocalist for Chicago’s The Sea And Cake, is releasing a new solo effort on September 7 titled Old Punch Card.
For the second year in a row, Chicago imprint 
