understand . However , like our State Department and our EPA , something is definitely missing .
Appearing 7 / 8 at Huntington Bank Pavillion at Northerly Island
5
- John Vernon
GORILLAZ Humanz
( Warner Bros )
Hard to believe what was once a cartoon side-hustle and lark between Blur vocalist Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett has morphed into one of this year ' s most celebrated bands and one of 2017 ' s most anticipated albums . But 15 years on , Gorillaz has become the most commercially successful of Albarn ' s projects , which is no minor feat . The surprise election of Donald J . Trump allegedly drove Albarn to finish music here , as it ' s motivated countless other musicians . Indeed , we ' re going to see an avalanche of protest music for the next few years . Humanz finds Albarn playing more of a producer role than previous albums , with guests filling out the roster including Mavis Staples , Vince Staples , Danny Brown , Pusha T and Savages vocalist Jehnny Beth . With this cast of thousands , the tracks are hit and miss , and it some spaces sound forced . Albarn sounds most at home when he makes music that sounds like his beloved Blur (" Busted and Blue ," " Hallelujah Money ") while Grace Jones is wasted on " Charger ," where her vocals and the tiny-house guitar riff that seemed an engineer ' s afterthought . Jehnny Beth does her best to bring some indie-cred to the cheeky " We Got The Power " a track that ' s drawn that ' s drawn the ire of battling Oasis brother Liam Gallagher , who scoffs at the idea of his brother Noel sharing a studio with a former enemy , and the notion that ordinary people have the power to change the world . How Trumpian . Gospel and R & B icon Mavis Staples brings a touch of soul to a sometimes soulless album (" Let Me Out ") accompanied by Pusha T ' s crucial interplay .
If November 8 , 2016 spurred Damon Albarn to finish Humanz , we completely
28 illinoisentertainer . com may 2017
K . FLAY Everywhere is Somewhere
( Interscope )
Wilmette ’ s Kristine Meredith Flaherty , who records under the moniker K . Flay , spent close to a decade working towards a break in music . It finally arrived in the form of her 2014 release Life Of A Dog . The record charted , she hit the road and eventually signed with Interscope for her major label debut Everywhere Is Somewhere . Her music is a dynamic blend of icy pop yolked with hip-hop beats . Although it may be the sounds that initially intrigue the listener , it ’ s her confessional lyrics that pull you into her world . She documents situations that feel so intimate , they ’ re almost uncomfortably voyeuristic . At times , it can feel like the aural version of “ Fight Club ,” with Flay seemingly hurting herself to see if she still feels . The first single “ Blood In The Cut ” is excellent proof that she ’ s more than willing to expose her self for the sake of her art , specifically when she sings “ Take my car and paint it black / take my arm , break it in half / Say something , do it soon / It ’ s too quite in this room .” The pain is palpable , but almost goes unrecognized because the hook is so tasty .
Appearing 5 / 20 at Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre , Tinley Park
– Curt Baran
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RAY DAVIES Americana
( Legacy )
On his first new album since 2007 ’ s Working Man ’ s Café , Ray Davies scratches an itch that reaches down his back all the way to the earliest days of The Kinks . The proto-punk blast of “ You Really Got Me ” began as a lurching piano-based blues , inspired by American blues staples like Big Bill Broonzy . Davies ’ fascination with American roots music and the country itself coalesced on The Kinks 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies . Faint echoes of that album can be heard throughout Americana . The album can be seen as a soundtrack to Davies ’ 2013 book by the same name , or the book can be considered book can be considered a conversational extrapolation of these autobiographicallyinformed songs . The ghost of “ Oklahoma U . S . A .” and the traveling rock circus tales of Everybody ’ s in Show-Biz drift through “ Message from the Road .” Davies sings about missing the comforts of home and his young daughter . The Jayhawks ’ Karen Grotberg assumes the character of a partner back home who knows that her traveling man is out partying with “ good time girls who come and go .” As the song continues , Davies ’ lyric describes the strain on the long-distance relationships . The cinematic scope of the title cut is enhanced by the countrified twang of Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris . The band provides reliable support with their famous harmonies and Grotberg ’ s shimmering organ and parlor piano . Davies sings about “ my baby brother and me ” setting off for the land of big skies and wild west heroes . It ’ s an idealistic view that crumbles further into the album as reality encroaches upon the dream . Americana gets more sonically adventurous as the album progresses , peaking with the minimalist arrangement of “ Change for Change .” Percussion provided by what sounds like a bag of coins underscores Davies ’ street-preacher narrative about the clash between idealism and hard times . With the jazz shuffle of “ I ’ ve Heard That Beat Before ,” Davies puts himself in the shoes of an upstairs apartment neighbor , hearing the writer ’ s own domestic squabbles through the walls . With its brash power chords , “ The Great Highway ” is the closest to a Kinks-styled rocker . The story of wanderlust dots the map from coast to coast , recalling city shout-outs like brother Dave ’ s “ Rock and Roll Cities .” Louris ( or is it longtime sideman Bill Shanley ?) caps the song with a lick reminiscent of “ Do It Again .” Kinks veteran Ian Gibbons adds additional keyboards to the album . “ The Invaders ” recalls heady days at the forefront of the British Invasion , but also speaks to the xenophobia and intolerance levied at the young Davies brothers upon visiting the land of their fascination . It also hints at the musicians union ban that stalled the Kinks ’ momentum in the late 60s . “ We just came to get a break , not to turn into enemies of the state ,” sings Davies .
The love is evident , but Americana is haunted by disillusionment and the struggle against fading chances . “ Poetry ” pokes at the hollow meaninglessness of consumer culture . The waltz-time “ Rock ' n ' roll Cowboys ” describes the long walk into the sunset . “ Your time ’ s past , now everyone asks for your version of history ,” he sings . Still , if Davies is that cowboy , he ’ s making the most of the fading light .
– Jeff Elbel
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AT THE DRIVE IN in • ter • a • li • a
( Rise ) “ There ’ s a narc on every corner / Knock , knock , knock on every door .”
After a 17 year recording absence , El Paso ’ s At The Drive In return just in time to immerse themselves in a Trump-era nightmare . 2000 ’ s seminal Relationship Of Command was their last studio document , and the second Bush administration they were raging against now feels effortless in comparision . With the exception of original guitarist Jim Ward ( replaced by Sparta guitarist Keely Davis ), the core of the posthardcore quintet remains intact . As do the band ’ s signature trademarks . in • ter • a • li
• astill trades in the currency of whiplashinducing tempo shifts , Omar Rodriguez ’ s frantic guitar squalls and Cedric Bixler ’ s rapid fire vocal delivery . As expected , paranoia is prevalent throughout the recording . Wolves , guillotines , cannibals , hostages , contagions and a laundry list of other sleep-sweat inducing images swill around inside of the band ’ s urgent , antagonizing soundtrack . On songs like “ Continuum ” and “ Incurably Innocent ,” Bixler spits an impossible number of syllables per measure as a spleen venting rhythm section thunders underneath . Bixler and Rodriguez have played together for so long at this point in their careers , the musical dialog between them is practically clairvoyant . It ’ s that symbiosis that takes a line like “ I ’ ll drop a dime on you first ” and gives it the menace that more than half of our population is currently experiencing . Appearing 6 / 18 at Aragon Ballroom , Chicago .
- Curt Baran
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THE HUMAN LEAGUE AVery British Synthesizer Group
( UMe )
The Human League were among the defining bands of the New Wave era , with a string of hits that serve as four-minute time traveling expeditions to the ‘ 80s . The
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