The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 7 You will not find “Thriller” on my Halloween playlist. Nor will you find “The Monster Mash” or “The Munster’s Theme.” Iron Maiden? Check. The Misfits? Check. Ministry? Check. Indie rock songs about vampires and ghosts? Check. Even some Johnny Cash. I hope you enjoy this alternative Halloween playlist.…
The Mountain Goats Win Over Chicago Fanboys and Fangirls With Ease He is the only guitarist who wields an acoustic like it’s an axe. And that axe delivered a drop-dead ravishing performance Saturday night at the Vic Theatre in Chicago. The genius behind the Mountain Goats – John Darnielle – is also the…
It was magnificent. Grandiose. Sublime. And one year later I still can’t stop listening to it. French electronic collective M83 was the band responsible for last year’s splendid double album “Hurry Up We’re Dreaming.” The only drawback – I absolutely can’t stand “Midnight City” because that track has been used in so many TV…
The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 6 Nu Gaze emerged in the early 2000s as a horde of bands started playing music influenced by the Shoegazers that came before them – see yesterday’s post on Shoegaze. Deerhunter, A Place To Bury Strangers and Beach House are semi-popular examples. There is also a prevalence of somewhat…
The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 5 Shoegaze is a genre widely known by aging hipsters and audiophiles. It’s mostly foreign to the masses. Well the masses are missing out. There are two playlists I have crafted: one on Shoegaze and one on Nu Gaze – new bands inspired by the initial shoegazers. The term “Shoegaze”…
And Why Death Cab’s Benjamin Gibbard Is Wrong “The meteor’s hit. The dinosaurs have all died. And it’s time for whoever’s next to take over. And I think it’s a good time for new ideas.” – Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy That was 2007. At the time, Radiohead released the pay-what-you-will In Rainbows.…
Matt And Kim’s 4th album “Lightning” is one of this season’s best albums. The duo’s brand-spankin-new video for “Let’s Go” premiered today exclusively on Funny Or Die. And it’s cheese-tastic. The clever concept: Matt and Kim invade a K-Mart-style photo studio and rock some goofy poses while wearing ticky-tacky clothing. Someone dug deep…
The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 4 Since 1994, John Darnielle has recorded a total of 14 full-length albums under the moniker The Mountain Goats. An indie-rock legend, Darnielle has won the hearts of hipsters and critics and performed on a main stage at Lollapalooza. Today, to celebrate the release of his 14th album Transcendental…
London Rockers Slay Chicago Crowd London indie rockers Bloc Party unleashed their now-classic debut “Silent Alarm” seven years ago. Bloc Party were supposed to be the next Radiohead. And while they never became megastars, the band has released four solidly consistent albums that rock. At the Riviera in Chicago Friday night, Bloc Party proved they…
A Mind-Blowing Lineup of Punk and Indie in Chicago’s Humboldt Park Fat Mike of NOFX They say punk is dead. Stale. Watered Down. Redundant. Old hat. Chicago’s Riot Fest proved the naysayers wrong. Ogle these Riot Fest snapshots and the brief commentary underneath each pic. F*** yeah! Fishbone The one band of the weekend…
