Roy G Biv: Radiohead’s latest is stellar and, literally, priceless

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By MATT MEDVED

October 1. With no advance warning other than a few cryptic updates to their “Dead Air Space” blog, the Radiohead Web site was replaced with a choppy Technicolor page. It informed the reader that the band, sans record label, had finished a double album called In Rainbows, and that the first disc would be exclusively available in ten days from their Web site.

The shocker? The “pay what you wish” download marketing model, which sent an electric charge through the hordes of Radiohead faithful starving for the band’s first album in four years – and a collective shiver down the spines of music industry bigwigs across the globe.

October 10. After generating an enormous amount of buzz in over a week – with rumors of Nine Inch Nails and Oasis following their DIY distribution example, causing some straining ears to swear they could hear the record industry’s funeral knell – the album finally dropped shortly before 12:30 am CST.

The message boards on the Green Plastic Radiohead fansite immediately crashed from the traffic as fans worldwide hit play. Gigwise.com reported that Radiohead had sold 1.2 million copies of In Rainbows by Oct. 11. An online market survey found that the estimated average price paid for In Rainbows was £4 ($9.10). I paid £2.50, but it’s certain there are plenty of heavyspenders and freeloaders to pad each extreme.

In any case, it all adds up to over $10 million going directly into Radiohead’s pockets within 34 hours of the launch, lending immediate legitimacy to their novel approach.

Whether In Rainbows has irreparably changed music remains to be seen, but it is evident from the onset that it is a departure from the conceptual classics of OK Computer, Kid A and Hail to the Thief. Radiohead albums take time to digest. They require repeated listens to carefully settle into cerebrums, and even after 17 listens I’m still hesitant to write anything in stone.

With the exception of the chugging “Bodysnatchers,” In Rainbows is a softer and more stripped down album than its predecessors with an emphasis on atmosphere, ethereal vocals and subtler guitars.

“15 Step” opens the album with a schizophrenic 5/4 dance beat while “Nude,” a haunting gem from the 1997 OK Computer sessions, is Radiohead’s most beautiful track since “Motion Picture Soundtrack” and “True Love Waits.” The brooding “All I Need” is another standout track with dissonant synthesizers over a stark bare bones drumbeat.

“Faust Arp” is a short stream-of-consciousness beat poem against sweeping strings in the vein of “A Wolf at the Door” that leads into the powerful “Reckoner.” But the highlight of the album may be the eclectic “Jigsaw Falling into Place” which builds to a crescendo before the post-mortem piano ballad “Videotape” closes out the album in brilliant fashion.

In Rainbows may lack the cohesive chemistry of previous Radiohead releases, but it is, rather simply, an assortment of very good songs that should satiate the fanbase until the discbox orders arrive in December. The songs discretely worm their way into the listener’s psyche – a Radiohead trademark – and should ensure that In Rainbows is regarded as approaching their lofty level and remains on international play lists in the foreseeable future.

Ones we love: The Rapture smooth out edges on new album

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By MATT MEDVED

There was never any discussion about the kind of music The Rapture would play.

“To me, rock and roll is dance music. Period,” says saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi. “They’re catchy songs but also simple enough so that people could go out, have a good time and shake their asses. That’s what I’ve always been attracted to. It’s what we like to do as a band.”

The New York dance-rockers live up to that ideal on Pieces of the People We Love, their sizzling follow up to 2003’s critically acclaimed Echoes. More importantly, the band recorded their sophomore effort on their own terms.

“A lot of times a band does their second album and doesn’t get enough time to write the songs,” Andruzzi says. He adds that labels will then “put them in with a stodgy seasoned producer.”

“We weren’t really interested in any part of that process,” he says. “We wanted to work with someone young.”

Enter DJ Danger Mouse. The Rapture set up a weekend with the talented producer of Gnarls Barkley and Gorillaz fame and was thrilled with his interest in their brand of groove infused dance-punk. He signed on to co-produce the album soon after.

The results will be on display when The Rapture plays Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St.

The Rapture was formed in 1998 by vocalist/guitarist Luke Jenner and drummer Vito Roccoforte. Matt Safer later joined on bass and invited Andruzzi, his second cousin, to play a couple of shows. Andruzzi officially joined the band in 2002, just in time to record Echoes and its flagship single “House of Jealous Lovers” in 2003. The success of the ragged, feedback-churning single propelled awareness of the band and anticipation for Echoes’ release.

“We went to Europe, out on our own, just a little band. And we realized that “House” had kind of blown up,” Andruzzi says. He adds that dance bands will often break in the United Kingdom before they do in the United States. “Europe doesn’t necessarily get it but is a little more open to dance music.”

Echoes was released on Universal Records, but not before it was leaked online six months before its release date.

“A lot of music critics had heard it online and had made up their minds already,” Andruzzi says. “I prefer a sneak attack myself, but it wasn’t much of a sneak attack.”

Regardless, Echoes fueled The Rapture through two years on the road, touring with the likes of Funeral for a Friend, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol and The Cure. The grueling trek culminated at Manumission, a gigantic summer techno party on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza.

“The show sucked; it was one of the weirdest atmospheres I’ve ever experienced,” he says. “There was a little midget running around, there was a very scary 30-year-old woman trying to give one of the DJs a blow job, which he wasn’t really into.”

Tired of touring, The Rapture entered the studio to record Pieces of the People We Love. The new songs were completed and demoed before the band even set foot in the studio, resulting in a more uniform sound.

“It’s a little more cohesive. We just decided to center the rhythm sections and develop pop songs around them,” Andruzzi says. “It’s definitely a more traditionally produced record than Echoes is, so it is less raw. But I don’t think it’s any less immediate.”

Flyin’ under the radar: The Wrens still have their day jobs – and a sizeable indie following

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By MATT MEDVED

It took seven years of record label limbo and working day jobs before New Jersey rockers the Wrens could release their critically acclaimed third album, The Meadowlands, in 2003.

And although they still have their day jobs, you won’t sense any bitterness onstage when the Wrens play Norris University Center’s Louis Room Friday, Feb. 10 as part of a Niteskool production.

“Once we got to the point where we just looked at each other and realized, ‘This is all bullshit. Let’s not worry about anything and try and make a record that we like and go out and play shows the way we want to play them and just have fun again,’” says guitarist Greg Whelan. “Then all of a sudden things completely turned around. So now for us, this is the greatest thing.”

The quirky indie quartet seemed to be on the brink of widespread success after releasing their sophomore effort Secaucus in 1996 to excellent reviews. However, halfway into the following tour, the Wrens were told by their label Grass Records, under the new ownership of Alan Melzter, that they would have to sign a million-dollar contract and make their music more radio friendly or promotion for Secaucus would cease.

“(Melzter) was looking for the next big thing,” Whelan says. “He wanted to make it in the record industry, so obviously he needed a pop kind of format to get onto the radio because he had a lot of money to put behind it.”

The Wrens – consisting of guitarist/vocalist Charles Bissell, bassist/vocalist Kevin Whelan, drummer Jerry MacDonnell and Whelan – chose not to re-sign, and Grass Records eventually became Wind-Up Records, later home to the platinum-selling band Creed.

“We did re-record a couple tunes for him and they came out absolutely atrocious,” Whelan says. “Plus (Melzter) had never run a record label before. We didn’t want to sign away the rest of our lives to see if he could do it or if he would just give up after a year or whatever. That’s the risk you take in signing.”

The positive feedback that Secaucus garnered caused considerable interest in the band among other record labels, but it was difficult to find a successful fit.

“That’s when the A&R dogs, you know, they just come out flocking,” Whelan says. “So for one whole tour they were at every single show. I think by the time we got home, they had completely forgotten about us anyways. It just goes like that – whatever appears to be the flavor of the day. They’ll do anything for a quick fix.”

The Wrens began recording The Meadowlands on their own in 1999 and were in a position to be signed by then fledgling Drive-Thru Records, which had been started by two friends. But delays in finishing the album doomed the prospective deal when Drive-Thru became very successful catering to the pop-punk community.

“At that time we didn’t really know if the kind of music we were writing would fit with their label per se,” Whelan says. “I can’t really see some of our tunes playing to kids like, skating in a half pipe at Warped Tour.”

Putting their major label woes behind them, the Wrens decided on Absolutely Kosher Records, a label run by longtime friend Cory Brown, for The Meadowlands’ release.

“We’d always joked about him starting a label and doing a record with him,” Whelan says. “So for us it was just a good thing. We’re friends. It’s business, but it’s a really cool deal, and it works well for us and it makes sense. I mean, he doesn’t have Alan Melzter’s money, but it works.”

The album quickly received high accolades, including a scintillating review by Pitchfork Media, which gave it some of the highest marks of the year. Since the release, Whelan says that he has noticed a diversity of age groups at the band’s notoriously high-energy live shows.

“We have young kids who come to the shows who are into the records,” Whelan says. “Then we have the people who we knew throughout the years who will come. And then you’ve got older people. The fact of us being older. The drummer’s got kids. We’ve all got shitty day jobs. I think a lot of people our age can actually kind of relate to us. We kind of enjoy the fact that we’re kind of like them but we’re doing this. Different age groups have been able to pick up different things on it, which has been really cool and really weird.”

A documentary produced by Little Quill Productions is on the way, as well as a U.K. tour and a new album. Whelan hints they will stick with Absolutely Kosher for the new release.

“Everything seems to be going really cool right now. So we’ll probably just continue doing what we’re doing,” Whelan says. “First we’re trying to concentrate on finishing the damn thing.”

Whelan says that although they could quit their day jobs, the band is holding on a while longer at this stage in their lives and still manages to tour every weekend.

“For us, it’s not all of our eggs in one basket any longer,” Whelan says. “We can do all kinds of things and just have fun with it. There’s not that ridiculous pressure you put on yourself, like, ‘Put it out there. Can we do this? Can we do that?’ Just go out there and play music. It’s not like we’re curing cancer or something.”

Non-stop noise: Deerhoof may or may not buzz on new release

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By MATT MEDVED

What will Deerhoof’s new album, “The Runners Four,” sound like?

Guitarist Chris Cohen doesn’t want to tell you.

“Actually, I’m going to tell you what it’s going to sound like, and it’s going to be completely different. You’ll be totally surprised,” says Cohen. “It sounds like you’re listening inside a cardboard box just sort of full of buzzing bees, just kind of whistling.”

Fans can listen for themselves when Deerhoof plays Sunday, Sept. 25 at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave.

But given the stylistic range of Deerhoof’s catalog, buzzing bees may not be so farfetched.

Deerhoof’s hypnotic marriage of noise rock and dream pop has been as erratic as its lineup, which has seen numerous members come and go since drummer/keyboardist Greg Saunier and guitarist Rob Fisk founded it in 1994. The lineup coalesced around Saunier, bassist/vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki and guitarist John Dieterich after Fisk left in 1999.

The band released the critically acclaimed “Reveille” in 2002 before Cohen joined in 2003 for “Apple O,” which was recorded in just one day, and 2004’s concept album “Milk Man.”

Unlike “Apple O,” “The Runners Four’s” recording process took several months and followed a more rigid schedule.

“It was like practice. We would learn a song, and then we would record it and start on a new song, record it and forget it,” says Cohen. “Then we started mixing, and we arranged pieces of it and chopped it all up. We’d start at 9 a.m. and go until 5 p.m. It was a daily routine.”

Cohen asks that listeners take special care in confronting “The Runners Four.”

“When you listen to the record, try and listen to one instrument at a time,” says Cohen. “We wanted to make this record something where if you listen to it, you can pick things apart and move around like what’s in a room. Hear all the different subtleties of each individual instrument, which is meant to be the subject matter of the music.”

The album follows a series of downloadable releases, including online live release “Bibidi Babidi Boo” in 2004 and the “Green Cosmos” EP in 2005.

“Filesharing has contributed a lot to people hearing us,” says Cohen. “Our attitude about it is pretty much that we like to share and we share as much as we can without giving up our ability to earn a living.”

Cohen defends filesharers despite the fact that “The Runners Four” has already been leaked onto peer-to-peer programs such as Limewire and Kazaa.

“You can download it, people are trading it online and it’s not even released yet. We take it as a compliment that people want to hear it,” Cohen says. “It was only a matter of time anyways; you can’t stop people from sharing it. We’re not like Metallica or something.”

Cohen also says that Deerhoof appreciates that its fans circulate bootleg live shows on the Internet.

“We’re more like the Grateful Dead than Metallica, by the way,” says Cohen. “One thing I always thought was cool about the Grateful Dead was the tapers. The fact that anyone would want to relive our shows is a compliment.”

Cohen doesn’t limit the band’s influences to just music. “We’re influenced by everything we’ve ever heard. Things that we like, things that we didn’t like. Things that our friends liked,” says Cohen.

“Not just music, I guess, the way that our parents talked, the color of the wall in our practice space, the horrible smell in the hallway. We’re influenced by the dreams that we have at night. The music that we make ties into us as people. Everything.”

Spring into June: Alumni band returns to city

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By MATT MEDVED

Meet June’s Arrival … reloaded.

Or so bassist and Northwestern alum Lucas Lin likes to jokingly call it.

The rock quartet is playing its biggest show, since its November 2004 resurrection on May 14 at The Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., with Blackout and the Lovehammers, which invited them to open last month.

“This is a huge deal for us,” says vocalist and guitarist Eric Bleile. “Its not like we’ve made it or anything like that, but it’s every band here’s original goal to make it to The Metro.”

The show will be the band’s third with the Lovehammers and the third since adding new drummer Anom Lane and guitarist Michael Young. Lin, Weinberg, ‘00, is eager to plug in his bass following a March acoustic show at Joe’s Sports Bar.

“They wanted us to play acoustic, not scare away the crowd or anything,” Lin says. “Our new song ‘Loverhead’ went over really well with the crowd. But with acoustic, everything sounds different. We’re looking forward to rocking out at The Metro.”

But one year ago today, the possibilities of June’s Arrival playing any gig seemed remote. Lin and Bleile were forced to pick up the pieces when lead guitarist Mark Alaimo and drummer Jake Hyzny left the band after a show in April of last year.

“It was tough,” Lin says. “We were set to play some cool outdoor festivals in the summer. We had pretty good momentum going until the show. It just came out of nowhere.”

Following what Lin and Bleile refer to as a sub-par performance in July 2004 with stand-in musicians for a charity show, the two began a seven-month search for permanent replacements for Alaimo and Hyzny.

“We spent a long time looking for new people,” Bleile says. “We were pretty picky about it because we knew what kind of sound we wanted. We knew we needed people energetic about the music, people that had stage presence and gear.”

Lin remembers the long cycle of e-mails and auditions that culminated in finding Lane and Young.

“The hardest thing was just being patient, because you know the other members that you’re looking for are out there,” Lin says. “(But) just how are you gonna find them?”

This isn’t the first time Lin’s patience has paid off. Lin started playing guitar after his 18th birthday and spent his four years at NU honing his skills before ever setting foot onstage.

“I had one really good roommate in Allison who played guitar, and I practiced religiously,” Lin says. “At that point I wasn’t ready to play in a band but I knew that once I got out of school it was something I really wanted to pursue and jammed with people here and there. Once I got out I felt it was time to find the right people and make something happen.”

June’s Arrival began to coalesce in February 2002, when Lin and Hyzny auditioned Bleile. The band officially formed in April 2002 with new guitarist Gene Scharf and Lin’s transition from guitar to bass.

“I’m still learning bass as we go, although I guess I’ve technically been playing for three years,” Lin says.

After Scharf’s departure in July 2002, the band added Alaimo and began playing numerous gigs throughout the Chicago scene. In December 2003, the members recorded their second demo EP, an upbeat offering of catchy hooks and modern rock.

Bleile credits the changes in lineup and songwriting approach with the evolution of the band’s sound, which he describes as “high-energy hard rock” and likens to bands like Foo Fighters and 3 Doors Down.

“I think we’re moving on from the ballad-y or bluesier stuff to more of an ‘in your face rock’ presence,” Bleile says. “I’d rather be really into it and running and jumping around and singing than standing there with an acoustic guitar and making out with a microphone and not moving.”

Power Chords: Fans come to aid of NU alum, helping her finance new album

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By MATT MEDVED

Fans of singer/songwriter Kat Parsons wanted her to record a new album so badly they financed it themselves.

More than 400 fans of the Northwestern alum (Communication ‘99) donated more than $18,000 toward the recording and production of her second full-length album, “No Will Power,” which was released in March. Parsons, who embarked on a 13-date tour to support the album’s release, arrives April 30 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave., for her final show of the tour.

“It’s incredible — it’s a win-win situation,” Parsons says. “Fans feel like they are part of the album. It’s a great synergy and partnership.”

It appears to have been a good investment.

On the album, Parsons’ lilting vocals and melodic guitar and piano work to document a story, self-described as the “unraveling of a romantic relationship at its every stage, but not necessarily in chronological order.”

The album opens with the seductive title track, punctuated by its energetic chorus, which Parsons describes as “mischievous” in its frustration while attempting to stay away from an ex-lover.

And on “Standing Still,” an infectious song she wrote as a college senior, her excitement and uncertainty at embarking on life after college meld in a polished rock package that exhibits her wide vocal range.

“It’s like going along a river which opens up into an ocean with no bank in sight,” Parsons says. “The possibilities are limitless, but you have no idea which would get you anywhere.”

Parsons says recording her sophomore album was a “much more involved process” than her first album, “Framing Caroline,” which she recorded in just one day during her senior year in 1999.

“They were the first songs I’d ever written,” Parsons says. “After playing so many shows, I wanted to get one written and recorded.”

Parsons is often pegged as a folk-rock singer, but she says she feels the label is inaccurate for her new music, which is more along the pop-rock vein.

“I think that it’s just grown as I’ve grown,” Parsons says of her music. “I have more of a message now. I’m not just sitting there singing, I’m sensibly telling a story.”

Just like her life now, the story of Parsons’ upbringing is full of music. Parsons was born in Vienna, Austria, where her father was an acclaimed opera singer and her mother was a singer/songwriter. Both her parents and her brother have accompanied her onstage, and she credits them as her greatest influences, beating out other favorites such as Patty Griffin and Bruce Springsteen.

“Growing up, there was always music playing, always someone singing,” Parsons says. “I’m lucky to have parents that can relate to how good it feels to have a good show and how bad it feels to have a crappy one.”

Before getting to the point where she could headline her own shows, Parsons was a theatre major at NU and a member of a cappella group Melodious Thunk. But she began to feel more comfortable expressing herself in a personal way.

“(Kat) had the heart of an artist, a performer, but not necessarily an actor,” says David Downs, Parsons’ former instructor and an associate professor in the Theatre Department. “I was thrilled when I found out about her love of writing and performing music.”

Parsons began exploring her own musical expression during her sophomore year with an impromptu show at Allison Hall’s “munchies,” where plans of a cover song set fell through when her co-musician cancelled. Unfazed, Parsons managed to distract students from their food long enough to make an impression.

“I barely knew how to play, only three chords, but I played my own songs,” Parsons says. “I’ve never been one to worry about being prepared. I’m not a shy person when it comes to giving it a shot.”

After her unexpected solo debut, Parsons began playing shows on campus, performing at events including Dance Marathon, Suitcase Party and Greek coffeehouses. She then branched out to venues like Unicorn Café and, as an upperclassman, even landed a few professional gigs in Chicago.

Parsons credits NU for providing a positive environment for her musical development.

“It was a very nurturing environment and was a small sphere for me to embark upon my career, as opposed to going straight to the city where I didn’t know people, and they didn’t know me,” Parsons says. “I knew it was instrumental in my growth.”

After graduating from NU, Parsons toured constantly and began receiving hundreds of requests from fans for a second album, a prospect that appealed to her creativity, but not her wallet.

Ever the innovator, Parsons set up a preordering system whereby fans could pledge money in exchange for bonus rewards. A $20 pledge got fans an autographed copy of the new album, $55 netted fans three autographed copies, $500 earned fans signed posters, tickets and a song dedication, and $1000 earned fans a lunch date with Parsons and an inclusion in the album’s liner notes. The strong response defied her expectations.

“The work she has done in the last several years suggests that music is what does this for her,” Downs says. “I can’t wait to see what she does next.”