Dave Chamberlain

Although Earthlings? share the same Joshua Tree, California hometown as Queens of the Stone Age, the terrestrial band's output in no way resembles Josh Homme's crew. (It's worth nothing that, on Earthlings? most recent record, "Disco Marching Kraft EP" on Crippled Dick/Hot Wax!, Mr. Homme makes a bass-playing cameo, and QotSA bassist Nick Oliveri has been known to play with them live.)

The band's first, self-titled record released by now-defunct Man's Ruin Records in 1998, revealed Earthlings? as remarkably lo-fi, without the battalion of metal that said label was known to propagate. I'd make a case for calling Earthlings? desert rock in the truest sense: hazy from the excess heat, psychedelic in the use of silence as a weapon. In fact, much of both records would have done well on the Homme-procured "Desert Sessions"--there's no way to construe this as metal, but on occasion it's hard rock with an edge. Conversely, there's also an excess of artistic sonic mindfuck involved, without a power chord in sight. Completely unpredictable. Check out Earthlings? September 5 at the Prodigal Son.

I imagine Fin Fang Foom goes over well in other cities. This trio from Chapel Hill-via-Florida plays a version of the indie-math-decon rock so popular in Chicago--with the occasional piano part thrown in for grounding--charged with off-kilter time signatures and melody that's less submerged than esoteric. The band's "Texture, Structure and the Condition of Moods" sounds like a side project from one of ten different Chicago bands, but unfortunately, those bands would have made this in the nineties, not 2002. A great show for shoe-gazing hobbits who like to ponder the good old days, like '98. Catch Fin Fang Foom at the Fireside Bowl, September 6.

Protracted, jazz-influenced prog rock make up the meat of French TV, and if it's your thing, you'll come away full. The band's "The Case Against Art" (Pretentious Dinosaur Records), combines extended and painfully technical guitar solos, programming, brass and woodwind instruments and even a "Dr. Who" like synthesizer sound to create music that's mind-numbingly boring. While writing all these intricate compositions, apparently the band members forgot to include any soul, heart or musical lust. The record clocks in at just under fifty minutes (five songs), and many attempts to get through the whole thing just made me angry and frustrated. Those down with plasma-free music can check out French TV at Schubas, September 10.

Matador released Interpol's debut record, "Turn on the Bright Lights," two weeks ago after the band spent much of the last year building itself a Strokes-like buzz, touring and getting established in the UK. A New York City quartet, Interpol blends late seventies post-punk, embryonic psychedelia and just a touch of pop to churn out a record that's difficult to pigeonhole. Tracks like the choppy, churning "Roland" and "PDA"--both of which recall a less morose Joy Division--suffer due to glossy production, but there's an emotional nugget here that can't be buried, no matter how hard the high-end production team tried. I've no idea what Interpol will sound like on stage, but my instinct says the sloppier the better. Check out Interpol's Chicago headlining debut at the Empty Bottle, September 6.

In brief:

Openers for the The Lost Sounds, September 6 at the Beat Kitchen, the Peelers planted their first recorded material on me recently, and trust that if you're a rock'n'roll fan who hasn't seen them, it's a worthy journey. Later this year the Peelers will record an official full-length, with the esteemed Mr. Tim Kerr doing the duties behind the boards... . Local band Milemarker officially releases its six-song EP, "Satanic Versus," September 7 at the Fireside Bowl. Fans of Milemarker's past records won't be disappointed--"Satanic Versus" squeezes the best of the band's bi-polar personalities together: hard nineties-style indie rock and bubbly synthesizer-based postmodern wave. Local unrock monster atombombpocketknife opens.

You missed it?

Last Tuesday night the Empty Bottle hosted a surprise, one-off show by Tomahawk, who had the night off from its nationwide, stadium-sized tour with Tool. (Tomahawk was to play August 27 in Normal, Illinois, but Tool's James Keenan apparently had a sore throat.) A large and enthusiastic (but not sold-out) crowd watched Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) lead the band through the bulk of Tomahawk's eponymous record from 2001, Patton singing through multiple microphones and only occasionally letting the vocal chords shriek the Bottle. Par for the course: guitarist Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard, among other jobs) and Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins, Cows) kept the energy at the boiling point, never letting their instruments smother the affair, but achieving perfect balance with Patton's often insane ramblings.

The following night at the Note marked my first experience with Pelican, which plays an intriguing brand of doom metal that sounds like the band's been inhaling smart drugs nonstop for two weeks. The band's self-titled record is astounding: ultra-heavy and dark by nature, but with a casual, almost shuffling cadence and without any vocals to cheese things up. The band's live show, it should be noted, went over well with the crowd--every person I talked to was amazed by how well this local quartet was able to pull off their unique, dark-sound texture without letting the noise bog it down. That said, Pelican can be better. The band members could still get a little tighter, the drummer could use some more creative fills, and as a unit, Pelican should strive to find the controlled sense of foreboding it has in the studio. All the same, a band to watch; Pelican plays again, September 26 at the Bottle opening for Isis.

(2002-09-04)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

Raw Material
We often preview shows based on a record, rather than previous shows. The flow of new bands, and the nature of the roads they travel makes this an unfortunate compromise, since the live show and the recorded product are two very distinct animals. But, like you, we do eventually see the shows themselves.
(2002-08-28)

Fire Starter
At the age of 16, Damarcus Beasley officially became a member of the Chicago Fire--not bad for a junior in high school, and not bad for a kid from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
(2002-08-28)

Tip of the Week
Jones and her traveling octet the Dap-Kings want to get you shakin' to the sixties-style funk, hard and dirty, sounding more influenced by James Brown than even the Godfather of Soul himself.
(2002-08-21)

Raw Material
This year's Chicago Underground Film Festival features five music films (including the excellent doc, "MC5--A True Testimonial") that come off well.
(2002-08-21)

Rock Tip of the Week
(2002-08-14)

Raw Material
(2002-08-14)

RAW MATERIAL
(2002-08-07)

TIP OF THE WEEK
(2002-08-01)

RAW MATERIAL
(2002-08-01)

RAW MATERIAL
(2002-07-25)

RAW MATERIAL
(2002-07-18)

DISCOVERIES
(2002-07-18)

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