That time of the year is upon us: the initial artists of the Pygmalion line-up have been announced. And while there are still slots to fill, both big and small, everyone is starting to get damn excited.

Whether you’re insanely pumped about the line-up or are unsure how you feel, you came to the right place. Here’s the first mix-tape in a series of WPGU 107.1 Pygmalion Mix-tapes. These highlights are sure to get you excited for that beautiful, musical weekend in late September.

1) Grizzly Bear — Two Weeks

Hopefully everyone is already familiar with this hit. “Two Weeks” was the single that generated all of the buzz for Grizzly Bear’s 2009 album Veckatimest. There are rumors of a new album in the works from the Brooklyn-based indie group. They headed down to Texas last year to start writing songs and getting inspiration, and hopefully we’ll get a sneak peak of some new material at Pygmalion.

2) Dinosaur Jr — Feel the Pain

Honestly, I was pretty surprised to see these guys on the line-up at first. My immediate thought was, “But what decade are we in again?” As an avid fan of older music (… I do host Flashback Cafe for those of you who don’t know …), I was intrigued but also just a bit confused. Listening to their hit single, “Feel the Pain,” you can’t avoid getting excited at the chance to see these guys live. Plus, these guys toured with Nirvana way back one. +15 cool points!

3) Cloud Nothings — No Future/No Past

This group of lo-fi, indie, kinda garage-punk (really-just-a-little-bit-of-everything) dudes just released their sophomore album in January. Attack on Memory marked a bit of a transition for the group. Prior to this, Cloud Nothings had more of a power-pop sound; now they’re ready to show off a darker and heavier side of themselves. Pitchfork even bestowed a “New Best Album” designation to these guys, so it’s definitely worth checkin them out before they get swept up into the big, bad world of music and media.

4) Owen — O, Evelyn …

Polyvinyl Record Company alert! Polyvinyl Record Company alert! Owen is the solo project of singer-songwriter Mike Kinsella. He was absolutely amazing at the Pygmalion Polyvinyl Anniversary show last year, and is sure to please the crowd again. Owen’s music is bone-chillingly beautiful. Really you just have to hear this guy. ”O, Evelyn …,” featured in a music session in this video, is off his most recent album Ghost Town, which was released in November 2011.

5) Craft Spells — The Fog Rose High

Oh my dakljfg;sdlgja;lsd. This song! This music! Here’s the true beauty of Pygmalion … I hadn’t ever even heard of these guys. They’re seriously amazing. This song is going to be stuck in my head until I see these guys live. These guys are the epitome of shoe gaze music. Whether you prefer The Smiths or The Radio Dept., you’re bound to adore this group.

6) Oh No Oh My — Take It Back

These Texas-natives are really excited to be coming to the U of I campus, and we’re equally excited to have them! Fans of Radiohead are sure to dig their tunes. I think I might be their new number one fan after watching this video. I mean like, wow. These guys are. Wow.

7) Elsinore — Life Inside An Elephant

Elsinore released Life Inside An Elephant right before traversing the country and leaving a lasting impression on all of the east coast. Now these guys are back in their native Illinois and ready to rock out with some familiar faces in familiar places. Make sure you support these guys. Sometimes you can even find a Ryan Groff (lead singer) in his natural setting at Target or the Food Co-Op.

8 ) Common Loon — Mexico

Local goodness meets psychedelic pop. Fun songs, crazy dancing and a raunchy good time will always ensure. Common Loon is a must-see local group.

9) Santah — Teeth

Santah is currently up in Chicago, making a name for themselves in the big city and playing with the likes of The Hush Sound. They certainly won’t forget about their C-U roots though, and are sure to play some local faves off of White Noise Bed. The last time I saw them, they gave the crowd a taste of some of their new material … maybe it’ll be time for a full entree now.

P.s. check out more about our amazing local/Illinois-based music scene here. Quite a few of the local bands that are going to be featured at Pygmalion can be found in this article.

 

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”-The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

We’ve entered May and we’re all with Fitzgerald on his sentiments: life really is beginning again, it seems, as reflected by that carefree spring in our step, the shedding of clothing along with wintered sadness and, of course, our fresh choice of music. Here’s a list that follows a summer day into its summer night; a couple of honorary throwbacks are mixed in with some newer stuff forming a soundtrack to this summery Monday.

1.  ”Hey Ladies” — The Beastie Boys: 

It would have been on here with our without the unfortunate passing of member, MCA, earlier this week (may he rest in peace). The Beastie Boys, to me, are the epitome of summer: their crazy, yell-y, I-don’t-care-what-you-think, vocals with their ever-funky, rocky-hard samples creates the perfect summer party jam. Let’s all get funky.

Listen Here:

2.  ”Rock Lobster” — The B-52′s:

Growing up, I was trained to associate certain bands with summertime, The B-52’s being one of them. I went with Rock Lobster because of its goofy, beachy feel, the little marine-biology lesson it gives part way through and of course that surfy riff that will never stop repeating in your head. 

Listen Here:

3.  ”Bad Kids” — Black Lips

Ah yes, don’t we all grow a little rebellious bone in the summer? This is a quick and dirty commemoration to all those ridiculous things that give kids a rush; with its fast-paced beat, ragged vocals and rock-n-roll flavored bass line, it’s hard not to clap and dance along and admit that indeed, those bad kids are just, “like you and me”

Listen Here:

4.  ”Stormy Weather” — Reigning Sound:

To be single in the summer…does it mean there’s always stormy weather? Reigning Sound’s rendition of this Ella Fitzgerald hit makes it sound like it might. Instead of taking the traditionalist route with this tune, the band sped up the beat, threw in some crunchy distortion and fun, forceful vocals. So if you’re single this summer, don’t wallow, just rock out! 

Listen Here:

5.  ”The Bronze Beached Boys” — PAS/CAL

We’re all rearing to go this summer—so is PAS/CAL. Indie little band from Detroit, these guys encompass the sound of The Beach Boys in their poppy, sugary-sweet, upbeat tracks. In the words of the song, “come on let’s go, let’s not talk about tomorrow…” at least during this little tune. 

Listen Here:

6.  ”California Saga” — The Beach Boys:

Speaking of The Beach Boys…come on, you can’t have a summer playlist without them. I chose one of their less appreciated songs off The Warmth of the Sun. A little more matured, perhaps, than their all-out surf stuff, this song brings you to some attractions of California with a bunch of friends and sunshine. Sounds nice, right?

Listen Here:

7.  ”Hot Fun in the Summertime” — Sly & The Family Stone:

Oh yes. This 1969 hit was released in the wake of the band’s performance at Woodstock, making their fan base grow exponentially. And it’s just so groovy…with the clean piano part, horn section, laid back vocals, it’s hard not to tap a foot or have a little dance to this one. Sly, you’ve got major swag.

Listen Here:

8.  ”Light A Roman Candle With Me” — Fun.:

Yes, everybody, Fun. DOES have songs besides We Are Young. An entire album, in fact! Their first release, Aim and Ignite, is a very light and charming album. This track in particular captures a romantic New York summer night with Nate Reuss and his incredible floaty voice, a classy piano and the promise for a lazy evening during which no one needs to think about tomorrow.

Listen Here:

9. “Sleep All Summer” — The National and St. Vincent:

And we’ll slow things down with this cover by The National and St. Vincent, an unbeatable team, if you ask me. It’s slow, dreamy and lyrically beautiful, starting with the beautifully image-inducing “Weary sun sleep tonight, go crashing into the ocean.” 

Listen Here:

10.  ”Summer Wind” — Frank Sinatra: 

I legitimately think it would be a crime if I didn’t include this crooning song in the summer playlist. Frank Sinatra’s buttery voice paired with his swanky band and the realization that all good things must end makes this track a satisfying ender to the list. And now that I’ve got you feeling all sentimental and nostalgic, I’ll remind you that it’s MAY and we’ve still got a good 4 months of summer left! 

Listen Here:

When I first listened to the live stream of Jack White’s Blunderbuss on iTunes, it was like a breath of fresh air. As a classic and modern blues fan, Jack White is the best of both worlds, and he’s finally getting back to his roots. Between the sound of screeching guitar riffs and a slow rolling bluesy feel there is nothing not to like.

The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather were very good, yes, but they just left something to be desired. Jack White, who has always stressed the beauty on minimalism, got away from that. The Raconteurs opted for a more mainstream alternative feel, while The Dead Weather took a step into the more electronic, experimental realm. As I said, both side projects were good, but neither had the extra “umph” of The White Stripes. There were no songs like “Seven Nation Army” or “Fell in Love with a Girl” that could take control of your mind for weeks at a time. I love Blunderbuss because it’s Jack White’s attempt to get back on that track.

The album starts off strong with a few songs that will leave you trying to catch your breath. “Missing Pieces” is the perfect re-acclimation to the old Jack White, and “Sixteen Saltines” is easily the most kick-ass song on the album with hard power chords, riffs and so much reverb you’ll still be hearing it when you wake up tomorrow morning. (Not to mention the completely nuts music video you can watch at the bottom of this review.)

The second half of the album is a lot slower. Songs like “Trash Tongue Talker” show that White’s mastery of classic Blues is better than ever, with a bluesy sound a lot more faithful to the classic sound than anything he made in his White Stripes days. “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” and many of the later songs sound a lot like Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky days, but with a little Jack White southern twist on them.

I’m, overall very happy with Jack White’s first plunge into a solo career. Besides some minor quirks and some things that I personally would have liked to see more of (nowhere near enough killer guitar solos), the album is solid. As I’ve stated, it’s a step back towards the bluesy, simple, yet killer White Stripes sound. The White Stripes, however, could only go as far as Meg White would. This is all Jack, and it’s going somewhere. Blunderbuss just became White’s first album EVER to reach #1 in the U.S. Clearly he’s doing something right. We can all only hope for many more solo albums from Jack White, and knowing Jack White, it will only get better.

Rating: W — P — G — 1/2

Key Tracks: “Sixteen Saltines”, “Love Interruption”, “Trash Tongue Talker”, and “I’m Shakin”

RIYL: Wilco, Fitz & the Tantrums, and The Black Keys

Check out : “Sixteen Saltines”

If you’re an enthusiast of the indie singer-song writer/folk type, chances are you’ve heard of Joe Pug. He’s got the spirit of Bob Dylan with his poetic lyrics, tinny instruments and hearty harmonica routine (but he’s got a much prettier voice…sorry Bob) and he’s made a name for himself in the genre since the release of his first EP, Nation of Heat in 2008. He’s also a regular visitor to Urbana’s Canopy Club, his most recent show back in February, which he absolutely ROCKED.

Pug’s newest album, The Great Despiser, doesn’t disappoint. Beginning the album is “Hymn #76,” a song with a title reminiscent of a few of his older tracks (Hymns #35 and #101). It’s nice and slow paced with purely bass and guitar accompaniment. The lyrics are piercingly poetic; he sings, “To meet me is to dare into the darkness / If you are devoted to a dream,” and “To love me is to sit upon the mountain / Every step is harder than the last.”

As the album progresses, Pug deviates from this slow, soft, folk ballad trend and starts to delve into his more country and rock-sound. “The Great Despiser”, the song giving the album its name, was not my personal favorite of the set—-it is twangy and honestly kind of cheesy in production. During the instrumental breaks, I initially felt I could have just as easily have been listening to a CMT hit, but in the end, Pug’s lyrics and soul made the song worth listening to.

He gets back to what he’s known for—the driving, but folky tune—with the track “Ours”, which encompasses some pretty cool harmonies and tasteful layering of instruments, creating one of the more innovative sounds heard on the record.

Pug proceeds interweaving genres, slow and fast, throughout the rest of the album; he includes some shades of Old Time Music with the addition of a fiddler in “The Servant’s Aces”, and a more rocky, even Beatles-y feel in “Neither Do I Need a Witness”.

Honestly, I had to listen to the album a few times to get a true handle on it. I was confused, because individually all of the songs were well produced and cohesive. But when all strung together, with the variety of sounds and genres represented, the tracks formed a strangely diverse tapestry that I did not at first understand.

On my third listen, I grasped what I was listening to—the conglomerations provided in The Great Despiser tell a story lyrically, but musically, too. It represents the plethora of sides of Pug’s musical self in each song, truly fulfilling each of these sides.

The last track, “Deep Dark Wells”, is still echoing in my ears (perhaps because I’m listening to it as I write this). Pug sings, “as long as you’re not finished, you can start all over again.” And it’s funny, because when that song comes to an end, my iTunes graciously starts the album from the beginning again for me, with “Hymn #76″, and it circles together really beautifully. So I hope you give it a listen. And if you like it, when you’re finished, you can, in Pug’s words, “start all over again.”

Rating: W — P — G 

Key Tracks: “Hymn #76”, “Ours”, and “Deep Dark Wells”

RIYL: Blitzen Trapper, Bob Dylan, and Delta Spirit

Check out : “The Great Despiser” 

The musical community witnessed an extreme loss today. Adam Yauch, or Adam MCA as he was known, died this morning. Adam was 47 years old and died of cancer. Adam Yauch was one of the three members of the Beastie Boys, a band that was instrumental in the mainstream acceptance of hip-hop starting with their very first album License to Ill. Yauch also directed several videos and films under the pseudonym Nathaniel Hornblower. The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame just last week.

Head over to Pitchfork for a more in depth look at Yauch.

You can now stream American-punk rockers The Gaslight Anthem’s new single at Rolling Stone’s website. On the track, entitled “45,” singer Brian Fallon sings, “Turn the record over.” You can be the judge of whether his band’s sound has made a turn-around in terms of their sound or not. The Jersey band’s album is set to be released July 24^th, according to Rolling Stone, many songs off of which they will undoubtedly be playing at their Lollapalooza set this August.

Check out the song here.

Monday, April 30: The usual 80s night at Cowboy Monkey, plus a free book giveaway at The Urbana Free Library and a new (also free) exhibit on Carnaval at Spurlock Museum.

Tuesday, May 1: Piano Man is, as per usual, gracing the Canopy Club tonight. Go check him out!
Also, May 1st marks the third annual Bike to Work/School Day. Bust out your bikes and be good to the environment and your cardiovascular health today!

Wednesday, May 2: The usual free salso and tango night at Cowboy Monkey. For something totally different, there’s also the usual dub-step inspiried 312 Vibe Night at Cowboy Monkey. Doors open at nine and cover is one dollar.

Thursday, May 3: Tom Hanks’ son, Chet Haze (Chester Hanks) is stopping by C-U on his first ever music tour. He’s a fusion of pop music, R&B and a lil’ funky fresh. He will also be releasing his first EP this summer, so this is your chance to say, “I heard him before he was popular.”

Friday, May 4: Chicago-based, bluesy and dream-folk. Three great things. Fall Fox, the band in question, is going to be playing at Mike ‘N’ Molly’s tonight. They released their first full-length, studio album in December 2011; this album is packed with energy, excitement and Bob Dylan-esque vocals. Local bands Trouvere and Year of the Bobcat are opening, and these are two very unique bands. You really can’t miss out on these guys. Trouever is upbeat, progressive rock that is coupled with a saxophone — this makes for a super attention-grabbing combination. They are also working on their first studio album, so make sure to give these guys some support! For something completely different, Year of the Bobcat is your classic heartfelt, lilting indie music. Nothing will go better with your deep thoughts and a PBR tonight. (I promise.)

Saturday, May 5: Mike ‘N’ Molly’s is the place to be tonight also. Local, hard rock faves, The Decadents, will be gracing the stage. After their performance at Unionfest, these guys are sure to get the crowd going. Opening act, The Sugar Prophet, are a group of groovy, fiery blues-lovin dudes. These guys were finalists in the 2011 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. If raw energy and down-home lyrics are your style, The Sugar Prophet is sure to please.

Sunday, May 6: Maybe you should actually study for one of your finals today?

In Face Off, WPGU music staff writers will argue for different sides of the same topic. The experiences and knowledge of these music lovers could introduce you to a different perspective on the issue. Read their opinions on the subject and then add your own in the comments.
This month, we’ll look at two of the best and biggest Chicago music festivals and explain why we love them.

(Pictured Above: WPGU Staff with Ryan and Mark from Elsinore)

CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH ELSINORE AT UNIONFEST HERE!

Though it was seemingly thrown together in a week, and the schedule wasn’t released until about 3 hours before the show on Friday, UnionFest was a huge success.  The Illini Union Board did a great job of establishing a great local and non-local lineup that seemed to cover the entire spectrum of genres.  Upstairs in the Ballroom, Grandkids, Hathaways, Santah, and Elsinore all represented for the local C-U music scene.  Downstairs in the I-rooms, the music took a decidedly different turn.  The U-C hip-hop congress was coupled with headliner Chicago-based Kids These Days.

(Pictured Above: Stanton McConnell, Guitarist/Vocalist for Santah)

On the Ballroom stage, Santah, Grandkids, and Hathaways killed their sets, offering great guitar-based rythyms and excellent on-stage personalities to match.  It truly is harder to get a better atmosphere than when local bands play to local crowds.  Everyone was so laid back, and seemed to legitimately enjoy everything that they were doing.  Elsinore hit the stage at 11, and played one of the best sets of the night.  The Champaign-based indie-pop band played a healthy mix of songs from their local hit, Yes Yes Yes, as well as several new tunes from an unnamed album that is in the works presently!

(Pictured Above: A light post on Wright St. decked out in Kids These Days posters)

On the I-room stage, Kids These Days’ performance was nothing short of spectacular.  Main M.C. Vic Mensa lifted the crowd (and the huge Chicago contingent) and created one of the most amazing show atmospheres that I have ever experienced.  Macie Stewart’s vocals were enough to make any man in the audience fall in love right then and there.  The band as a whole played a ridiculously energetic show, which featured cameos from Chicago’s own Chance The Rapper.  KTD featured many of their songs from their Hard Times EP and also many songs that will presumably be on their next mixtape: Traphouse Rock.  WPGU got a chance to interview them a couple of weeks ago.  You can check that out here!

(Pictured Above: Vic Mensa of Kids These Days)

All in all, UnionFest was a huge success for everyone involved, and I think it is safe to say that we all hope it returns next year!