By Jodi Root

I feel incredibly privileged to be amongst the few media folk lucky enough to have gotten a sneak peek at Stars’ forthcoming fifth studio album The Five Ghosts. This 11-track collection is the group’s most cohesive and flawless release to date, even trumping out my personal fave, ‘04’s Set Yourself on Fire. Departing from their long time label, Arts & Crafts, Stars funded their album independently and self-released the record on their new label, Soft Revolution. As a result, you can tell the group really took the time to fine tune their weaknesses, and The Five Ghosts is much more synth driven than past efforts, also focusing more on the vocal harmonic chemistry between Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan. The album doesn’t drop until June 22nd, and so far the sextet has been fortunate to avoid any digital leaks. So I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness the musical majesty which unfolded last night at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall as the other 95% of the crowd.

I strolled in a few minutes late just in time to catch the bittersweet poppy gem “I Died So I Could Haunt You.” My favorite track on the new record, I instantly knew this show was going to be a great one. The sound quality was a bit on the quiet side, but was crisp and clearer than ever. The collision of soft percussion, slinky synth work and jittery keys led Millan’s whispery honey dripping vocals into what she introduced as “track four,” (better known as the first single, “Fixed”). Violet and gold hues splashed the stage, and the sold-out crowd politely swayed and bopped accordingly to the next 45 minutes or so of the majority of The Five Ghosts.

Thanking the audience for allowing them to present their new material, Campbell tossed a handful of rose stems and petals into the crowd. Millan assured the full house they would soon return with the second half of the show, with more familiar material, which surely didn’t disappoint. The overall vibes and quality of the performance was much tighter and memorable than their last Chicago date at the Vic a few years back. Highlights included numbers from their full catalogue, including Heart’s “Elevator Love Letter,” Bedroom’s “Take Me to the Riot,” Set Yourself on Fire’s “Your Ex-Lover is Dead,” “Ageless Beauty” and a mass crowd sing-along to “One More Night (Your Ex-Lover is Dead).”

Then, as if the eloquent encore finale “Calendar Girl” wasn’t mind blowing enough to call it a night, Lincoln Hall proceeded to drop their flat screen to the crowd with just enough time to watch the Blackhawks score their overtime Stanley Cup winning goal. It was a good night to be in the city. You might say that for Chicago, the stars were aligned.

Buy: Stars – The Five Ghosts

By Jodi Root

It’s hard to summarize the dreamy sequence that took place last evening at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. A breath taking combination of visuals and melodies, The Album Leaf wowed all those fortunate enough to be present with their stunning performance. Accompanied by String Quartet, the medium sized stage was packed tightly with ten musicians, more instruments than a 6th grade marching band (including six keyboards), and a whole lotta talent. Backed with some pretty trippy audiovisuals, the stage was illuminated by a variety of neon blue bug zapper-like flashing bulbs and golden hues. The screen kicked off with foggy images of children playing an innocent game of duck duck goose, as magenta and maroon lighting shadowed the fantasy makers below.

Showcasing a variety of instrumentation, everything from brass to strings, guitar to keys and a whole lot of percussion (drum machine, ironically enough, included) was accounted for. Frontman Jimmy LaValle managed to seemingly effortlessly operate two keyboards simultaneously, while still delivering his airy, light vocals interwoven into selected tracks. The Album Leaf struck me as a magical entrance into another mysterious, musical dimension with their various layers of melodies. The performance was simply eloquent, almost comparable to a more electronicy, lighter version of the Arcade Fire with all the musicians on stage. The magical orchestration entranced the audience, serving as a somewhat fine dining soundtrack for distinguished indie kids. This was one chorus of storytellers not to miss—I definitely recommend checking this outfit live the next chance you get, hopefully you’ll luck out like Chicago did and get to catch one of the handful of tour dates with the string quartet.

Myspace: The Album Leaf
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Buy: The Album Leaf – A Chorus of Storytellers

By Jodi Root

Miike Snow is one interesting fictional character: mysterious, sleek and one hell of a dancing machine. When two-thirds of your band are mastermind production artists responsible for such dance chart toppers as Britney Spears and Madonna, it’s no surprise that your own beats are equally polished and addicting on the dance floor. Violet lights and an abundance of fog foreshadowed the sleek and mystical ambience pre-show for the second night of the sold out set at Chicago’s Metro last evening. The packed crowd seemed restless, and shouted, stirred, and cheered their excitement as the temporarily double-sized electronic trio took over the stage, donning mysterious white facial masks. Kicking off a 60+ minute dance party around the 10:15 mark, this predominantly Swedish troupe of hip-hop and electronic production maestros started busting out several numbers from their 2008 debut release–proving that these dudes can hold their own with live performances in addition to mastering behind the scenes.

A sexy and subdued, slowed down version of “Cult Logic” opened the night up, hyping the crowd up with a melodic array of keys, thumping bass and a collision of synthesizers. Vocalist Andrew Wyatt purred in his gaspy, talk-like casual prowess, while still able to effortlessly belt out the high falsetto notes, all while managing double duty with his guitar work and a side stage synthesizer. The sleek and sexy soundtrack was infused with minimal banter, but a lot of non-stop bass and futuristic synth-work, mixed with some chimes, woodblock percussion and heavy guitar. Highlights of the night included the upbeat dancey, “Animal,” an extended outro rendition of “Sylvia,” and a pounding, yet polished “Plastic Jungle.”

Buy: Miike Snow

By Jodi Root

Before I even stepped foot into the Metro last evening, I knew something special was going to take place. Teen Dream, the latest release by indie dream-pop outfit Beach House, has held my iPod and listening pleasure hostage since its release this past January—making little room for any additional competition. Both excited and nervous that my long anticipated personal experience with their live performance may either blow me away or underwhelm, I soon learned that I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

I was a mere one of many eager fans in the crammed, sold-out house, stilling anxiously when Beach House kicked their hour long set off at 10:15 sharp. The stage was decked in a display of large, suspended, glittery foiled diamond shapes, which majestically twirled and shimmered amidst the various red, violet, fuchsia, golden, green and blue illuminated hues. The setup itself posed the ideal backdrop of a dream sequence – which is exactly what seemed to unfold as the trio of musicians took the stage and opened the night up with the blissful and lazy “Walk in the Park.”

Victoria Legrand’s seemingly effortless vocal magic transcended on a level which should be humanly impossible. The translation from recorded album to the stage is eerily dead-on, if not even more raw and guttural, yet soothing and mesmerizing. Legrand’s overall stage presence was in itself something to be awed; backed up with enchanting organ work, she seemed subdued, swaying, while other times head banging and hopping – she proved herself as an incredible front woman. That’s not to say that guitarist Alex Scally did not hold his own as well. Without his sheer instrumentation and musicianship, the musical equation that took hold last evening would not have been possible. Combined with his guitar skills, keys and the addition of a touring percussionist, the experience would not have nearly had the full throttle it held.

The entirety of Teen Dream was accounted for, in addition to a handful of other older favorites to the crowd’s pleasure. The 60-odd minutes that Beach House took over the Metro passed exactly as it should have – dreamily, trancelike, quickly and unreal. No words, descriptors or review can do proper justice to witnessing such magical and thunderous peaks of seasickness and musical otherworldliness as such highlights as “Zebra,” “Silver Soul” or “Norway” live. At no point did I feel a sense of who or where I was, or what I was doing there—it was a beautiful hypnotic sequence, pure and simple. Majesty unfolded and pure musicianship prevailed. Last night was one dream I did not want to wake up from.

Previously: Review: Beach House – “Teen Dream”

Buy: Beach House – Teen Dream
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MP3: Beach House – “Norway”

By Jodi Root

The final day of March in Chicago marked the first (non-official) day of summer – at least it seemed to, with its cloudless, sunny skies and 70 degree temperature. Skipping over to Schubas, the summeresque vibe transitioned into an almost Caribbean like flavor, when Sub Pop’s electronic darling trio The Ruby Suns took to the stage. Headlining a night of ambient and refreshing digital beats, The Ruby Suns kicked their set off around the 10:15 mark, following a set by Toro y Moi. Layers of synthetic samples, rounds of percussion (sometimes attacked by all 3 members simultaneously), and cool, echoic vocal harmonies set the foundation of an hour long journey into the ideal soundtrack for the perfect, chill summer evening.

Following the trends set forth by electro-indie outfits Animal Collective and El Guincho, The Ruby Suns kept their digital collage of melodies flowing from sounds of upbeat pop to darkened safari and somewhere mysterious in between, all with a dancey backbeat. With a $3 Jim Bean concoction in my hand, I found myself taken by the charm and trance like rhythms casting from the small, violet, fuchsia and gold illuminated stage. The small, yet condensed audience seemed to eat it up, swaying their bodies in the tight crowd, swigging back cocktails and applauding their appreciation—especially after front man Ryan McPhun confided his infatuation with spring break. Between the floral decked out drum kit, gentle vocal harmonies, tinkering chimes, thunderous synth work and electro guitar, there was no denying that Chicago had finally concluded its notorious annual cold spell known as winter. Thanks are due, of course, to the Ruby Suns for casting their mesmerizing melodic rays.

Buy: The Ruby Suns – Fight Softly
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MP3: The Ruby Suns – “Closet Astrologer”

By Jodi Root

It’s no secret that Swedes do it better. While I may not know too much of the traditional Swedish culture, their music scene is insanely ahead of the indie curve, leading the international pop craze left and right. (See: The Knife. Annie. Peter Bjorn and John. Shout Out Louds. Fever Ray. Robyn. Etc.). So really, there’s no surprise that I’m really digging on the new Love is All record, Two Thousand and Ten Injuries, which find’s its Polyvinyl Records debut release on March 23rd.

This is the third of this Swedish eclectic indie pop outfit’s discography, and while I was an above average fan of ’06′s Nine Times that Same Song and ’08′s A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night, I wasn’t expecting anything different from the new album. If you’ve followed this troupe, you’ll get what I’m saying: they deliver consistent, upbeat and scattered pop tracks – delivered atop fast guitar work, traditional percussion, crazed out synth and jazzy sax breakdowns, led by the childlike, shouting and sometimes difficult to comprehend lyrical styles of Josephine Olausson. While their content is all enjoyable, it doesn’t tend to stick out apart from their past releases. It’s a successful formula, but once you’ve got one album, you’ve basically got them all. Or so I thought.

There’s something about Two Thousand and Ten Injuries, however, that disproves this theory. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the tracks are more tightly packaged and there seems to be a sense that as the album progresses, the band is getting closer to some musical destination on an overdue adventurous road trip.

The album kicks off with the delectably catchy, “Bigger and Bolder,” proving this album to be exactly that with its melodic, fast paced and dizzy tempo. Additional highlights on this collection include the self-depreciative “Early Warnings,” which Olausson shares the typical bad day routine we’ve all encountered at one time or another (“Straight out of bed, I smash my head on the book shelf,”) topped with sax and melodies that almost make you want to have a bad day if it can sound this fun. The single “Kungen” is an addicting number clocking in just under three minutes, packed full of “bah-bah-bah-bah-bah’s,” driven by percussion, backed up by a steady bass line and topped with the signature chaotic sax/thrashtastic guitar breakdown. Perhaps the most standout track of the album is the closing number, “Take Your Time.” A step away from the traditional Love is All pop craze, this song slows it down with a dusty marimba/key musical bed, with a fuzzed out, yet delicate, Olausson sadly and distortedly speak-singing minimal lyrics. The track is a synth pop lullaby, perfectly concluding an otherwise energetic, unforgettable third effort from this quintet.

Love is All proves their eclectic pop formula to once again be successful, while still managing to step it up a notch, with a mere twelve tracks clocking in under 35 minutes–I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Coming Soon: Love is All – The Empty Bottle, Chicago – April 6th
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MP3: Love Is All – “Repitition”
Pre-Order: Love Is All – Two Thousand & Ten Injuries