Spin Control
On the Offensive
One of the most head-scratching band names to come along in a while is Reading quartet Does It Offend You, Yeah? As the story goes, bassist James Rushent and keyboardist Dan Coop decided to put some of their homemade songs on MySpace. They needed a name for the project, so they turned on the TV to a scene from the British "Office" in which David Brent goes, "Does it offend you, yeah? My drinking?" Seconds later, the band was born
(2008-05-06)
more >

Spin Control
Physical Philipp
Philipp Jung sits at a Swiss restaurant in Berlin and waits for his order during a rare two-day stretch at home between touring. Joining him at the table are some new friends from Iceland, where Jung and his partner-in-crime Patrick Bodmer recently holed up to start work on what will hopefully become their full-length album debut
(2008-05-06)
more >

Tip of the Week
Jackson: James T. Cotton, Traxx, Beau Wanzer (live)
The techno and left-field electronic-artist promoters at Meiotic have an appealing edge to their events, supplementing their minimal and micro-house lineups with retro-futuristic bookings that often connect the dots between current trends and past innovations (like past bookings Metro Area and Egyptian Lover)
(2008-05-06)
more >

Music 45
Who rocks Chicago’s music world
We know a few things. This year will be huge for Chicago hip-hop (what else is new), with the highly anticipated releases from The Cool Kids and Kid Sister, plus another record from Rhymefest. Andrew Bird’s proven to be, once again, more than ever, a local treasure. R. Kelly could kill your parents and you’d still buy his albums. Wilco ages like wine, and the music world changed during the absence of Smashing Pumpkins
(2008-05-06)
more >

Soundcheck
Treehuggers
Local rock outfit Sybris’ self-titled Flameshovel debut, from 2005, raised many an eyebrow for both its musical complexity—heavily reverbed guitar and open-space arrangements hadn’t so sounded this good in a while—and singer Angela Mullenhour’s wicked, piercing vocals. ("The Best Day in History Ever," the song that got everyone’s attention, was one of the top local cuts of that year.) After a long break that involved some touring and a patient writing period, the band’s back with "Into the Trees"
(2008-05-06)
more >

Ultramusic
The mad DeVotchKa remains faithful
Denver quartet DeVotchKa, which takes its name from Burgess’ Nasdat term, meaning "young girl," began its career as a backing band at burlesque shows (they even toured with Dita von Teese), and after a performance at the 2006 Bonnaroo festival were seemingly plucked from nowhere by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris to write the score for their hit yellow-van road flick, "Little Miss Sunshine"
(2008-05-06)
more >

Tip of the Week
El Perro Del Mar
Sweden’s Sarah Assbring—alter ego, El Perro Del Mar—builds gentle, harmonious pop songs, sixties-sunshine-pop-inspired, straightforward and beautifully rendered
(2008-05-06)
more >

Spin Control
Girl Power
Fresh off a killer DJ set at Coachella and a live performance at the Spin magazine house in Palm Springs, "sexy asshole" Jesse Murphy seems to have the Midas touch
(2008-04-29)
more >

Copy Cats
Australia’s Cut Copy in full "Colours"
When the year-end accolades come out, Cut Copy’s sophomore record, "In Ghost Colours," will most likely appear on a multitude of best-of lists. More aligned with psyche-pop than straight-up pop, the Australian trio wax nostalgic and cite influences Tangerine Dream, ELO’s "The Time" and Krautrock. Upon listening, aural flavor crystals explode as the record sounds vintage, yet completely ingenious
(2008-04-29)
more >

Tip of the Week
Midnight Juggernauts, Shy Child, Hey Champ
It’s quite possible to envision the collapse of a specialnewband who had been honored/saddled with the tag of "Justice’s Favorite New Band" on Pitchfork—all before the Stateside release of its debut album. Luckily for us, the trio of young Aussies in Midnight Juggernauts appears poised to capitalize from endorsements tossed down from on high
(2008-04-29)
more >

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment