Rising Chicago hyperpop sensation Fraxiom had a hell of a weekend. On Saturday, they performed alongside the likes of Charli XCX, 100 Gecs, Aaron Cartier, and Clairo as part of Appleville, a virtual festival organized by PC Music founder A.G. Cook. And on Sunday, Fraxiom dropped their second EP of the year, Feeling Cool and Normal, a deliriously joyful collision of grainy, blown-out bass, jittery synths, chipper vocals pitch-shifted wildly in every direction, and sentimental acoustic strumming—the combination works especially well on “This Guitar,” with its “third-wave emo at the rave” vibe.
In 2014 Gossip Wolf covered the debut of Carmelo Española’s metal and punk zine, Distort/Delay, but since then he’s been so busy making killer music—with menacing industrial duo Ozzuario and electronic solo project Lnr Tmb—that he hasn’t published an issue in four years. Last week Española shared the third Distort/Delay, which he’s selling in a print edition of 100 for six bucks a pop. It’s a quarantine-themed issue, with interviews by Gossip Wolf faves Hide, Brazilian grindcore ghouls Test, São Paulo postpunks Rakta, and more—plus action snaps of live shows by the likes of Boy Harsher, Bloodyminded, and Mystifier. Never has a mosh pit looked so close but felt so far away.
Since late August, DJ DREAM has hosted Vibes on Logan, an outdoor gathering that celebrates selectors who spin vinyl—he got the idea from the Live on Logan jazz series that Sergio Castro launched on his lawn. Vibes on Logan happens Sunday afternoons on the south half of Logan Boulevard near Rockwell; masks and social distancing are required, and donations to the DJs are encouraged. “Making a community around this event has been pretty extraordinary,” DREAM says. “This is the fifth week, and the last weekend was incredible—it was 150 people.” DREAM hopes to keep the party going till mid-October, or later if the weather stays nice. v
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