laneway festival || detroit

Never before have I found myself wanting to visit Detroit as much as I have this year. There's no denying it though -- Detroit is the birthplace of techno + has a serious musical scene which is evident from the Movement Detroit Electronic Music Festival that occurs every year. I was especially bummed to miss out on Movement this year, but I may have a chance to redeem myself with St. Jerome's Laneway Festival this September. The one day festival has a seriously awesome lineup + only costs $80. Check out this lineup:

Sigur Ros & The National are headlining + there's also a very solid representation from Ghostly International which is never a bad thing. This is quite the dream lineup for me.

Anyone up for a roadtrip? I don't have a car, but I'm willing to go halfsies on gas!

washed out || it all feels right

weekends almost here now

it's getting warmer outside

it all feels right

a little bird told me || may

You should follow: @BillMurray, @espn, @PrinceTweets2U, @ThrillistCHI, @Danielkanter, @alaindebotton, @laura_valerie, @michaelroche, @thefoxisblack, @nate_robinson, @lenadunham, @FourTet, @mylomusic, @suziovaldi

rain dance

I've said this a million times but after watching at least 3 different people have their umbrellas flip out on them (literally) during yesterdays monsoon while I sauntered along just fine I feel like I have to share the secret to my dry + problem-free success: Gap makes the cutest, affordable + durable umbrellas around.

I've had two Gap umbrellas over the past 6 years or so + if they can last that long in the Windy City they must be pretty damn good. The only reason I had to buy a new one recently was because my hand (with said umbrella clenched in it) was trying to stop a CTA door from closing + my only options were to drop the umbrella + slip my hand out or get pulled to my death by a moving train. I was pretty sad to see if go but I knew exactly where to get a new one.

There doesn't seem to be any on their website, but you should be able to find a couple cute options in the store for $30 or so. It's totally worth the special trip/few extra dollars.

via

toro y moi || harm in change

His album has been out for a little bit now, but I'm really starting to get into Toro Y Moi. He'll be at Pitchfork, which is great, but I'm thinking I might also want to see him indoors. He'll also be playing at Turner Ballroom in Milwaukee on 11/1 which might be a good excuse to get out of the city for a night + check out a new venue.

disclosure || help me lose my mind (ft. london grammar)

It was a tough decision but I finally settled on my favorite song off of Settle. I cannot wait to see these kids live.

i was there || dirty projectors

Show: Dirty Projectors

Location: Lincoln Hall

Date: 6.13.13

Favorite Song: Choosing a favorite song is like having your parents split up + then having to decide who you want to live with (or so I assume). Both David Longstreth + Amber Coffman are ridiculous vocalists + I honestly don't think I could pick one song over the other because I liked when they led equally. I guess if I had to choose one from each I'd go with "About to Die" + "The Socialites".

Memorable Moment: "Beautiful Mother" was one of the most amazing live experiences I've ever seen in my life. I have no idea how Coffman managed to perform that song without passing out. It really was unreal + the fact that she could pull those tricks three different times was amazing.

Biggest Letdown: About halfway through the show my body just decided to hate me + I felt absolutely awful. I talked myself into staying for the entire show but I just wish I could have have fully enjoyed the whole experience.

This Show: was very musical. I realize that is a strange comment to make since all concerts produce music, but sometimes instruments just blow my mind. I think I sometimes lose this a bit with all of the electronic shows I go to. Dirty Projectors really was quite the well oiled machine though. It feels like there are a lot of random bursts of sounds + starts + stops, but they timed everything perfectly.

photo via Lincoln Hall

delilah || inside my love

snapshots || may

 

cardinals vs cubs on a beautiful night | may flowers | i missed this face while i was in costa rica | foals at the vic | park day at oz park | my buddy for the weekend | i've got a best friend for life | xxxy at lincoln hall

i was there || chvrches

Show: CHVRCHES

Location: Lincoln Hall

Date: 6.10.13

Favorite Song: The set was about 50% songs I was familiar with + 50% songs that were new + appearing on their upcoming album in September. Not surprisingly, "Recover" really got the crowd going, but I also loved one of their newer releases, "Guns." There were also a few new songs that caught my attention as well. One had male vocals (more on that below) + the other I'm just going to call "Take Your Time." I'm anxious to see how the album shakes out.

Memorable Moment: Girl crush alert! I'm not quite sure how old lead singer Lauren Mayberry is, but she just felt like that cool little sister you wish you had. She was incredibly sweet + charming + her between song banter gave the crowd an honest laugh. I mean who doesn't love a girl that talks about the pitfalls of eating a Chicago hot dog just before show time?

Biggest Letdown: In the words of Mayberry, there were some "children" that needed to be killed off. And by "children" she meant "songs." Most of the newer stuff was very good, but I did hear a couple of songs that I just wasn't a fan of. I also thought some of the male backup vocals sounded a bit off with her extremely sweet voice. But then again, I ended up loving one of the newer songs that was all male vocals. Funny how things work out that way.

This Show: was quite impressive for a group that doesn't even have a full album yet but still managed to sell out two nights at Lincoln Hall. This quick success is well deserved + I'm anxious to hear more from the trio.

photo via Lincoln Hall

i was there || mount kimbie

Show: Mount Kimbie

Holy Other

Location: Lincoln Hall

Date: 6.8.13

Favorite Song: "Maybes" is one of their older songs, but I never really took notice of it until this show. "Blood + Form" is also a very cool song to hear live. You really felt that pounding.

Memorable Moment: Aside from the (occasional) puppy slideshow that set the backdrop to the Mount Kimbie performance, I was really happy to have gotten a tip from a friend to check out the opener, Holy Other. It seems appropriate because I actually first heard of Mount Kimbie when they opened for Squarepusher in 2012 + ended up liking them more than the main act. While I wouldn't quite go as far as saying I liked Holy Other more than Mount Kimbie, I was very much impressed. I'll definitely check out much more from him. Nothing like a little music discovery to top off a good night.

Biggest Letdown: I don't have too many complaints. Some cords came unplugged a time or two + the show was a little later than I was hoping (rough week), but overall, very impressed.

This Show: was felt just as much as it was heard. The moment they started playing I remembered exactly why I wanted to see them live again. As cliché as I feel saying it, that bass was insane. It definitely added energy to the room + the additional third member definitely helped with that as well.

the bike that i was so excited to build that i built it backwards

In my defense this project wrapped at 12am after a very longer + stressful day. And in full disclosure, I did try to ride it the full 10 feet across my living room + something felt a bit off. Oh well. Easy fix + I am absolutely in love. I'm also pretty proud of the fact that I built this all by myself. Now I'm just waiting on my $100 worth of maximum security locks + then I'll be all set to ride!

lee foss + mk || electricity ft. anabel englund

I don't know why it took me so long to familiarize myself with Chicago native Lee Foss, but I'm glad it finally happened. I kind of stumbled upon him by accident. Honestly it was just a matter of getting two producers names confused. When I heard him talking about the Ben Wilson 30 for 30 special on ESPN at the beginning of his Essential Mix I knew this guy had to be legit. And he was. This song stood out to me.

He'll be at Wavefront Music Festival as part of the duo Hot Natured. I'm looking forward to that set.

disclosure || latch ft. sam smith

I've slowly gotten myself familiar with Disclosure's new album Settle since it seems like they've been releasing a new song for the past several weeks. I really like what I've heard. Each song seems to have it's unique style, but the overall flow is great too. I've kind of been psyching myself out of being excited for Lollapalooza, even though I was one of the lucky souls that actually snagged a 3-day pass. I know I'll have a great time when I actually get there, but at this point, Disclosure is really one of the few sets that I'm insanely excited to see.