A Reader staffer shares three musical obsessions, then asks someone (who asks someone else) to take a turn.
Luca Cimarusti, Reader music listings coordinator
Molly, Peach Melba This Copenhagen trio is quickly climbing the ranks to become one of my favorite extant bands. Molly sounds like the Lemonheads, HĂĽsker DĂĽ, and the Replacements had a baby—and then that baby made the best songs you’ve ever heard. I imagine the records that Bob Mould is putting out these days would sound a whole lot more like Peach Melba if he didn’t spend so much time hanging out with Dave Grohl.
The Kind, The Kind The staff at Permanent Records showed me this forgotten 1982 release from little-known Chicago-based rockers the Kind. Illinois is known for cranking out top-notch power-pop records in the wake of Cheap Trick‘s breakout, and this gem might be the best of the bunch. These boys can Zander and Nielsen just as well as Rockford’s finest, if not better.
Minbal I’ve recorded at his modest Humboldt Park studio a couple of times, and I’m always amazed at the wide array of sounds that a talented engineer can pull out of its main tracking room—the session I had there last month produced a dead-on Albini-Âstyle snare sound. Minbal’s cozy control room houses a tape machine from Muscle Shoals in Alabama, where the Rolling Stones recorded parts of Sticky Fingers—and you can make your own album with it. That’s just really, really cool.
Luca is curious what’s in the rotation of . . .
Alejandro Morales, drummer for Running
Rev//Rev I went to college in Indiana, and its bleakness is why I celebrate my Indiana homies who moved away. But you don’t have to leave Indiana to make awesome music. Tim Gick, formerly of weirdo noise-rockers TV Ghost, has a new band called Rev//Rev that combines the early-Âindustrial and gothic leanings of Cabaret Voltaire and SPK with what sounds like Depeche Mode in a K-hole—and it’s delivered without irony. Rev//Rev’s self-titled tape on Castle Bravo is full of sick sounds for wasted summer nights.
Triangulo de Amor Bizarro, Victoria MisÂtica I dig catchy tunes hiding behind a haze of guitar noise, and one record I’ve had on repeat is Triangulo de Amor Bizarro’s 2013 Victoria Mistica. They’re from Granada, Spain, and their urgently fast noise-pop combines shimmery feedback-laden guitars, lysergic vocal effects, and relentless bass and drum work. Recently TAB played Ruido Fest, which priced out the common man—I was hoping for a club show at night, so I could avoid that sunlight and get real dark.
The Fall, Sub-Lingual Tablet I’m obsessed with the Fall and infamously cantankerous wordsmith Mark E. Smith. All the drumming I do for Running is informed by the Fall’s catalog. The new Sub-Lingual Tablet is the best Fall record ever, because to me the latest one is always the best. I hope one day he’ll jump the pond and come back here, but I have a feeling that he only plays in the U.S. when Republicans are in control, since assholes are what keep him going.
Alejandro is curious what’s in the rotation of . . .
Kyle Reynolds, drummer for Oozing Wound
The discography of Dome In 1980 postpunk band Wire went on hiatus. Bassist Graham Lewis and guitarist Bruce Gilbert continued playing together in various projects, my favorite of which is Dome. By the time Wire released 154, their final prehiatus LP, they’d started moving toward art-punk. Dome continue in that experimental direction: song structure disappears and eerie, murky vibes take over, with lots of samples and noise interludes. Of the four LPs Dome released between 1980 and ’82, I especially recommend Dome 2. Buy it on Discogs now!
Container Ren Schofield has been in the DIY scene for more than a decade, playing in projects such as God Willing, Form a Log, and Dynasty. For his latest, Container, he’s replaced his drums with synths and drum machines. The former noise-rocker strikes the perfect balance between noise and techno in his down-and-dirty beats. He’s released three LPs (all titled LP) and the amazing EP Adhesive. Give them a spin and get jacked up in the most damaged way.
Sam Nigrosh Sam NigÂrosh is one of Chicago’s most talented graphic artists. He’s crafty with his pen and brush, mixing up his style while making consistently original, powerfully dark-and-Âtwisted images that retain a sense of humor. Having done many posters, T-shirts, and album covers for local bands (including mine), he’s a hometown hero. At CAKE this year he premiered the collaborative comic book Trash City, my favorite score from the expo. This is one scuzz punk whose art you’ll want on your wall.  v