Its hard to ignore certain cities and the influences that they have had on the music scene, or at least some of the venues within those cities. Such examples would be CBGB in New York City, or the Fireside Bowl in Chicago. However, some towns in themselves, rather than specific locations, emulate sounds that not only permeate from within the walls of their venues, but within the mindsets and lives of those who live there. Once such town in particular is Portland, Oregon, a city rich in not only its arts, coffee shops, and microbreweries, but its resident musicians. Such artists include names like Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, The Shins, Blitzen Trapper, The Dandy Warhols, Everclear, Pink Martini, and of course the former Sleater Kinney and the late Elliot Smith, just to name a few.

The next group to claim a stake? A Weather.

A Weather, in my book, is bound to be the next Portland based, Folk sensation to be hitting the musical pavement. Currently the band is working on their second release, Everyday Balloons, that is due for release on April 10th, 2010. Thererfore, it is a little bit ahead of myself to give much commentary on this release except for what I have heard of the single that has been put out, Giant Stairs. It has the feel of a contemporary shoegaze, words spoken with such sincerity that it makes you blush on the outside and smile within. If this track is any implication for the upcoming release, than consider me ready for the rest of the release.

While waiting for this release, I constantly have been finding myself lost in the muscial tapestry that is Cove, A Weather's first full length that was released back in 2008. As with the single Giant Stairs, this album also features the breathtaking vocals of both Aaron Gerber and Sarah Winchester. As these two tell their hushed tales, you feel as if you are being given a window into a secret world of beautiful reflections. This is paired with the majestic swirling of electric piano, guitar, and delicate drums, resulting in what can only be described as heartmelting. Their music lies between the sensation of paint on a new canvas or a flow of words transcribed by a budding writer, a surreal state of pure energy and joy.

In their sound, you can immediately hear some of their influences that are shining through within their craft.Hometown hero Elliot Smith definitely reincarnates alongside sounds Iron & Wine, with the band having appropriately toured with Bright Eyes in 2007. This more or less may be due to the fact that they are signed to Team Love Records, owned by Conor Oberst and features other greats such as Tilly and the Wall, Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins, and Simon Joyner. Or by the sheer brilliance that this group brings both as a album and live performance artist. Or maybe just a little bit of both. Either way, upon listening to Cove, and any other releases that have come across my plate, I feel like I have found my way to fall in love with music again. Other comparisons has been made from Belle & Sebastian to Kings of Convenience, Mates of State to Bon Iver. But at the end of it all, A Weather is a beautiful collaboration that I am proud to say is their own.

If I had to painstakingly choose one favorite track, I think I would end up choosing Small Potatoes off of Cove. For whatever reason, the song strikes some kind of unique chord with me. Perhaps its my affinity for clever lyrics, as this track is definitely chock full of views that can resonant with many music listeners. Perhaps my favorite part of the entire track:

Ideas like these creep through the album as a whole, forcing you to pay attention to the witty thoughts that may ultimately make the easily digestible tracks more challenging. Its one thing to create a hushed sound, but its another to make a hushed sound with a loud and concrete message. A Weather has definitely done so, and will continue to as their work makes its way into the stream of the music circuit. Without a doubt, this is one group I look forward to having the chance to see live again, and my belief is that anyone with a beating heart will ultimately feel the same.

Care to listen to their music? Check out their myspace!

Have any comments for me or the review? Got an idea for who I should talk about next week? Leave them below! Otherwise, you can  find me on Twitter, where I occasionally make  music recommendations, share music news, and will let you know when I have a new blog up instantly. My handle is @MarkWellMyWords. Also, I don't want to just be a random music critic, so want to get to know me more? You can ask me a question, or say anything, on my Formspring!

When I first saw the album cover of "Stranger In The Alps", I was worried that it would be just another "acid rock, tech trip band" that "wants to be the next big thing." I won't name any names, just to be fair, but lets just say certain members of the chillwave genre that were hyped and gone in several months seem to come by. And, with the vast powers of the internet that may be, anybody can load up garage band with a microphone and claim themselves to be attention worthy. Thankfully, Soft Speaker actually proved to catch my interest. Turns out, the waves that are on the cover of this five song EP are not just chill, but spectacular.

Soft Speaker is a four piece, Chicago, Illinois based group that in themselves are hard to classify. With a cryptic self biography that suggests the ideas of musical reincarnation, old traditions, and assassination plots, this group is seemingly as creative in their work as their sordid tale of earthly existence. Its difficult to say what Soft Speaker is trying to project in their work, but their releases thus far prove to be as interesting as their tale. While only forming as recently as 2008, they have already developed a sound that is certainly catching the attention of many, including myself, in and out of the Chicago music scene.

"Stranger In The Alps" is not the first release for Soft Speaker, but is the most recent. The group has had one release before this, which was the "Conditions" EP released in the middle of last year. That work is great in itself, and has smatterings of comparisons from Pavement to Wilco. However, I would say "Conditions" has more of a straightforward rock release, while "Stranger In The Alps" seems to have more of tha experimental/folk type feel. Pick either one for your taste, but you certainly couldn't go wrong with either one. However, for my personal vote, "Stranger In The Alps" seems to be willing to push more of the limits and settle onto the flame at the end of your lighter. For their second release, they have already created a sound that could destined for a big arena. Fans of bands such as Interpol, Hawkwind or Band of Skulls, you have definitely found your next ipod upload.

There are a few favorite tracks of mine on this recent release. As I began to listen, the first track that stood out,and was the first of the EP, was "Tennyson Tea". Its difficult to say why it struck me so well, perhaps the tambourine that immediately brought some hip shaking to my mind, or the smooth vocals that have me sailing easily through the caverns of  Nick Rocchio and Paul Foreman's mind. Another favorite of mine was the last track of the EP,"Weathervane", which reminded me a lot in the beginning of "Cape Canaveral" by Conor Oberst (one of the best artists of all time in my opinion.) While the song ended up taking a more streamlined, rock approach, it definitely was not a disappointment. While these two songs were my favorites, the rest of the EP,  featuring the compelling percussion of Joe Daley and the haunting use of the Theremin by Blair Douglass, are all worth your time and attention.

So, where can you listen to Soft Speaker and jusdge for yourself? Normally I would direct to their website or myspace, but both seem to command you to check out Musical Family Tree. According to their own description:

"Musical Family Tree is an online music archive featuring mostly Indiana bands from the Punk scene through the present. Its also an online community and a store"

So, if you happen to be a fan of Soft Speaker, I would definitely encourage you to check out some of the other bands that are represented on their website. Here is the link specifically for Soft Speaker themselves:

http://www.musicalfamilytree.com/band/soft_speaker

Also, if you happen to be in the Chicago area this Friday, the group has a show coming up at one of my haunts, the Darkroom. It is their official EP release show, and will be accompanied by artists Yukon Blonde (Vancouver) and Moxie Motive (Chicago). Perhaps I will see you there, enjoying the crisp sound of Soft Speaker.

Have any comments for me or the review? Got an idea for who I should talk about next week? Leave them below! Otherwise, you can  find me on Twitter, where I occasionally make  music recommendations, share music news, and will let you know when I have  a new blog up instantly. My handle is @MarkWellMyWords. Also, I don't want to just be a random music critic, so want to get to know me more? You can ask me a question, or say anything, on my formspring page!

http://www.formspring.me/thesimpleson

By Stephanie Morgan & Sam Ash

These bitter-cold winter nights are getting old. Lucky for us, we had a bit of southern heat grace Chicago, at least for one night. There was a toe-tapping, hand clapping, and all around fantastic show at the Subterranean this past Saturday.

Starting with an all acoustic set was Kevin Andrew Prchal. He is a very

It was a bright Sunday, and it just happened to be perfect weather for a beautiful and sweet Valentine’s Day.  Valentine’s night, however, was steamy, hot, and full of fantastic acts at Subterranean.  The venue was full of people buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the evening’s events.  The Resolutions and Revolutions Tour, featuring The Audition, The Dangerous Summer, Sparks the Rescue, and The Right Coast, began at the beginning of the year and has been going strong ever since.

When it comes to the idea of Love, people have many different ideas about what truly defines it. If you are in high school and dating a week, you can apparently love somebody. Or, some people believe that you must be dating for several months and await a blessed wave to wash over you that tells you that you are truly in love. Or maybe she just laughs at that one joke, or he picks up on that on detail, and you just know.  Some people think that there is one person in life you can ever love, the one true person who has been set out on a course of Fate, just for you. Our entire lives are dedicated, in one way or another, to persuing the reality of being in another persons loving gaze, forever.

Forget all of that.

In my mind, love doesn't have to involve just one person, but many. And no, I'm not talking about polygamy. I'm talking about the love that you can have for bands, artists, and music scenes. The individuals in the groups, who spend hours writing, recording, producing, and even many more touring the country and spreading their message, just for your entertainment. I don't know about you, but my last girlfriend wouldn't even buy me a sandwich. And yet, these total strangers are with us through our darkest and brightest moments, creating what is essentially the soundtrack to our lives. They give us advice on the concepts of the world, tell us how to deal with certain problems, and maybe even get us to at least tap our foot a bit. This is why I firmly hold on to the belief that music is true love, not some other person with their own complicated agenda. The enjoyment of music, the comradery of a music scene, the soft crooning of a weathered tale, this is what we should seek to always be in love with.

And just like my therapist says, all feelings need to be shared. Therefore, I decided that today would be a good day to show you some new recent loves of mine to help you get through this mushy weekend. If you do have a date this weekend, maybe you can show off some new music knowledge on Valentine's Day. Don't worry, you can thank me later.

1. The Dig

The Dig is an indie pop group from New York City that caught my attention when I saw them on a current bill with The Antlers and The Editors. They also have shows coming up in the future with Portugal the Man and Port O'Brien. Needless to say, with those kind of wolves running in your pack, it seems that success can only be the future. Their sound is progressive, the vocals of David Baldwin and Emile Mosseri are haunting, and are certainly going to be making their way to my ipod as soon as I can grab a CD. Check out their myspace below:

http://www.myspace.com/thedigisup

2. Florence and The Machine

While Florence and The Machine has been on my radar for some time, I wanted to be sure that I was able to share this beautiful, talented woman with you. Florence and The Machine is one of those rare breeds, where the sound has that heart stopping, jaw dropping kind of a sound. To me, I feel that if you mixed Imogen Heap, Feist, and maybe even a little bit of Madonna, you'd be able to get a feel for her sound. Still, Florence and The Machine is definitely a force of her own and with bands like The XX covering her work, she is definitely worth taking notice. Want to hear for yourself?

http://www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachine

3. The Bloodsugars

I first met the Bloodsugars a couple weeks ago, and was so happy to have done so. They came in for an interview at Fearless Radio, and performed some acoustic versions of their songs. This in an indie (what is that anyway?) group that upon their in studio performance, I couldn't hide the sheepish grin on my face. It was like the first time I heard Pearl and The Beard or Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps. They just have this raw, soulful energy that makes the writer in me at a loss for words. These are four men who are looking to not only explore their own purpose, but invite you to do so along with them. I would definitely take that chance:

http://www.myspace.com/thebloodsugars

Hopefully you will fall in love with these groups as easily as I have. They are life partners that don't ask for much, except your support. Keep the crappy card and stale chocolates for someone else.

Have any comments for me or the review? Got an idea for who I should talk about next week? Leave them below! Otherwise, you can  find me on Twitter, where I occasionally make  music recommendations, share music news, and will let you know when I have  a new blog up instantly. My handle is @MarkWellMyWords. Also, I don't want to just be a random music critic, so want to get to know me more? You can ask me a question, or say anything, on my formspring page!

http://www.formspring.me/thesimpleson

WRITTEN BY SAM ASH & STEPHANIE MORGAN

Fans of all ages braved the cold to wait in line outside of Metro this past Saturday. The line wrapped around the block for the sold out 5th anniversary of their breakout album, "Almost Here." Joining them on this bill were Minneapolis natives, Sing It Loud, as well as Chicago locals, Mark Rose and Cavashawn.