Dig ‘in: The Lipschitz, Cloud Nothings, The Vaselines

Dig ‘in with us as we comb through the latest releases that’ve caught our ears, plus the resurrection of a prior, under-appreciated gem, and find out what performances we’re excited to see and hear that are coming to Chicago’s stages.

INCOMING

The Lipschitz - Chevron (Company Businesses Inc™ LP)

Taking the band name of The Lipschitz is a strong indicator that there’ll be plenty of irreverence packed into the music. Further cementing this impression is the inclusion of TJ Maxx as a descriptive tag on their Bandcamp page; a wink and a nod to the popular off-price retailer that maintains a thrift store mentality. On Chevron, Chicago duo Daniel Lynch and Rachael Boswell have created a primitive, eclectic-sounding record that occupies a middle ground between early B-52’s and The Cramps. Over half of the 14 songs clock in under two minutes, displaying absurdist humor (“Ventilator”), banal observations (“Dirty Carpet”) and offbeat oddities that suggest the band is even creating their own language (“Yuggie”). Chevron certainly succeeds in bringing a smile to my face, and during times like these that’s more than welcome! - Bruce Novak

Take a spin over at their Bandcamp page

Delivery - Yes We Do (Spoilsport Records EP)

With idle time on their hands, Melbourne denizens Rebecca Allan (Gutter Girls, Blonde Revolver) and James Lynch (The Vacant Smiles, Kosmetika) set about creating Delivery. Their four song 7” EP is split down the middle with each of them authoring a couple of tracks. Allan’s songs are edgy and built around repetition of phrases and riffs. “Floored” is propelled by a driving surf guitar contribution and “Rubber” is underpinned by an elastic bass line that well serves the song’s hypnotic feel. Lynch’s efforts come in on the quirkier side with a new-wave era vibe. “The Explainer” is particularly effective with its blend of synths and herky-jerky rhythms paired with his paranoid-sounding vocal take. Yes We Do is a noteworthy introduction for this new outfit and one can only hope that it’s just the start of more great things to come. - Bruce Novak

Give the album a listen over at their Bandcamp page

The Umbrellas - The Umbrellas (Slumberland Records LP)

San Fran has birthed plenty of top-shelf pop musicians in recent times (Red, Pinks & Purples, Papercuts, Tony Molina, Kelley Stoltz), and certainly The Umbrellas can be counted among those ranks. Their self-titled album is chock full of the jangle and shimmer that was prevalent during the Paisley Underground era, which the band cites as an influence. Their sublime “City Song” track gets revisited from the band’s 2019 Maritime e.p., along with eleven new compositions that serve up a healthy dose of ear candy. The traded harmonies between Morgan Stanley and Matt Ferrara shape their sound in the same manner that presented itself with Francis McKee and Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines, with the male voices registering as plaintive while being topped by the soaring sopranos of their female counterparts. Now I wonder if there’s another Pacific Northwest band out there that have their sites set on covering a dose of Umbrellas songs! - Bruce Novak

Soak it in over at their Bandcamp page

UPCOMING

Cloud Nothings

Where: Empty Bottle / Directions

When: August 19 9:30 PM and August 20 10:00 PM

Ten years ago Cloud Nothings' Turning On hit the blog airwaves and a new torch bearer of Ohio garage rock was born. Back then when they made it to Chicago you could catch Dylan Baldi leave it all on stage at beloved dive venue Ronny's in Logan Square. Ronny's may be no more, but Cloud Nothings are still cranking out tunes fueled by Baldi's alienated angst and propelled by Jason Gerycz's skin shattering drumming (seriously - if you go for no reason other than to watch Gerycz assault his drum kit it will be worth the price of admission). You can catch them at Empty Bottle touring behind their solid 2021 release, The Shadow I Remember. I'm guessing attendees may get treated to some throwbacks from Turning On as well. - Wade Novak

Bully

Where: Empty Bottle / Directions

When: August 27, 28 & 29 9:30 PM

Bully has maintained a remarkable consistency since their 2013 debut. Alicia Bognanno strikes a commanding presence; endlessly ready to take on all comers with a throaty response that elevates quickly from a whisper to a scream. If Bully’s songs come across as unhinged, it’s more than understandable considering Bognanno’s struggles with bipolarism that she’s recently been able to better cope with. With a rare three night stand there’ll be ample opportunity for the band to fully explore their catalog. Come prepared to have your ears pinned back and your head on a swivel. - Bruce Novak

Spanish Love Songs

Where: Beat Kitchen / Directions

When: September 3 7:30 PM

“On any given day, I’m a 6 of 10” sings Dylan Slocum on “Routine Pain,” the opening track on last year’s highly-acclaimed record, Brave Faces Everyone. So it seems somehow inevitable that, just as the band was poised for a huge breakthrough with a great record and a big tour with The Wonder Years, the positive momentum came to a screeching halt. But, undeterred, Spanish Love Songs is finally back on the road – this time with a sold-out headlining gig at the Beat Kitchen. Their passionate, aggressive punk/pop/rock sound is keyed by Slocum’s emotional vocals & guitar, but driven by guitarist Kyle McAulay, drummer Ruben Duarte, bassist Trevor Dietrich and keyboard player Meredith Van Woert. They’ve also got a new single, Phantom Limb, out on the streaming services. - Tom Novak

UNCOVERED

The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines (Sub Pop compilation)

Were it not for Nirvana, The Vaselines would’ve likely toiled in relative obscurity. They embraced the band wholeheartedly with recorded covers of “Molly’s Lips” and “Son Of A Gun,” as well as a performance of “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam” for MTV’s Unplugged series. They also coaxed the band back on stage for a support set in Edinburgh a year after they had broken up just as their Dum-Dum record hit the shops in 1989. Soon thereafter Eugene Kelly was off to form Captain America (which later morphed into Eugenius) while Frances McKee went dormant until joining Suckle in 1997. In 2006 Kelly and McKee went out on tour together as solo artists which led to a full Vaselines reunion two years later and the subsequent recordings, Sex With An X (2010) and V For Vaselines (2014) - worthy efforts in their own right. Enter The Vaselines collects the band’s early singles and their Dum-Dum LP along with a few demos and live performances from that era. Listening to this output it’s easy to observe how this nascent band caught the ear of Kurt Cobain. Kelly is a versatile guitarist; able to deftly navigate between a jangly strum to a grimy feedback-soaked solo. When paired on the mic with McKee, their songs maintain an edginess along with the inherent sweetness of the harmonies. A real pop narcotic that’ll have you hooked before you even begin to realize it.

We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: