Update on Wednesday, September 18: This column has been edited to correctly reflect which Lollygagger release is on the Midwest Action label.
When Lollygagger debuted last summer with the EP Life on Terminus (via local label Midwest Action), Gossip Wolf was smitten with their delightfully cartoonish melding of glam and alt-rock. On Saturday, October 19, the band self-release a new sketch-comedy-style video album, The Lollygagger Family Fun Variety Hour—and though there aren’t any cartoons, what family wouldn’t enjoy seeing Lollygagger jamming out while dressed as hot dogs and condiment bottles, performing dramatic readings from The Ethical Slut, or hosting “God” for a live Twitter Q&A? The goofy video for “A.C. Ripple,” which gets pretty literal about the birds and the bees, just dropped this week—it’s the perfect blend of Sir David Attenborough and the Monkees! The band screen the video album for free at Logan Arcade on Thursday, October 10, and then celebrate its release on Saturday, October 19, at Liar’s Club.
Chicago rapper (and professional glassblower) Solo Sam proved himself one to watch with last summer’s self-released Itis EP, and since then he’s opened for Freddie Gibbs and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. On Friday, September 20, Sam will drop Plated, an EP that showcases his evolving skills—he untangles knotty verses with a smooth delivery that’s a perfect fit for his supple, R&B-tinged instrumentals. Sam will host a listening party at Exchange 312 on Thursday, September 19, and release a companion cookbook, also called Plated, with twists on other people’s recipes in addition to originals. If he’s as good a cook as he is a rapper, then they’ll be tasty!
Underground hip-hop label Why? Records, run by a collective of Chicago rappers, only just launched this year, but it’s already a crucial part of the local scene. On Friday, September 20, Davis Blackwell (also half of Why? Records duo Udababy) drops his debut album, Green Parakeet Suite, which he’s also calling GPS. Gossip Wolf has high hopes for this one—on the single “Super Green,” Davis chews up every second he’s on the mike. v
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