The Golden Age of Emo
The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 2 In the late ‘90s, bands like Milwaukee’s The Promise Ring, Kansas City’s The Get Up Kids and D.C.’s Dismemberment Plan churned out albums filled with confessional lyrics that resonated with the college radio crowd. I was a DJ at KURE at Iowa State University from 1997 – 2001, the golden […]
The Complete Bloc Party Videography
London-based indie rockers Bloc Party have accumulated quite the arsenal of cool and captivating music videos. From the cinematic to the colorful to the animated to the optically poetic, each one has a unique treatment. Bloc Party released their not-so-cleverly titled fourth album “Four” a couple weeks ago. The first single and video “Octopus” is a […]
First Taste: PAWS – Jellyfish
There’s a rich tradition of Glaswegian rock bands. Scotland has produced Frightened Rabbit, Yatsura, Belle & Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand and Primal Scream among others. Add to that list PAWS, a trio of lo-fi rockers whose new single “Jellyfish” bursts with unflinching energy. Vancouver rockers Japandroids announced today that PAWS will open for them on select […]
First Taste: Benjamin Gibbard Solo
T-minus two months until the solo debut from Death Cab For Cutie frontman Benjamin Gibbard comes out. Today he gave us a first taste of the upcoming “Former Lives” album. If it’s anything like Death Cab guitarist Chris Walla’s solo effort, we’re in for a treat. The album releases 10/26. Teardrop Windows by Gibbstack
’80s Horror to Watch Now
In this first installment of Netflix Instant Queue Theater, I watched all or part of 18 movies. Horror movies are a dime a dozen and chock-full of clichés. They take place in cabins. At summer camps. In creepy old mansions. High schools. And tiny towns. They are rife with hot coeds getting naked. It’s no secret […]
The ’90s Punk Renaissance
The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 1 I used to make punk rock mixtapes and trade them with my friends in high school. We listened to all the bands in the image above. Plus local Chicago stuff like Apocalypse Hoboken, Oblivion and No Empathy. We would drive around the city with the windows rolled down […]
Lollapalooza 2012
…And Justice For All Justice Reigns Supreme Over a Sold-Out Lolla Crowd – The Wise Choice Over Jack White The French really know how to make electronic music. Daft Punk. Air. M83. Les Rythmes Digitales. And then of course Justice – one of two headliners Sunday night at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The Paris-based duo brought […]
Shut Up and Play the Hits
New Doc Highlights LCD Soundsytem’s Gangbusters Grand Finale LCD Soundsystem is tied with Bright Eyes as hands-down my favorite band of the past decade. The Brooklyn-based electro rockers – led by mastermind James Murphy – almost single-handedly revived and reinvented a genre known as dance punk. Loud. Fast. Fun. It’s rock music with a disco […]
Pitchfork 2012: Five Observations
Japandroids Rocked Pitchfork Along with Lollapalooza, Pitchfork is one of the biggest perks about living in Chicago. When most people look at the lineup they have never heard of the majority of the bands. But this festival is a great way to learn about new music. Let me introduce you to the greatest bands of […]