Chaz Hearne
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  Chaz Hearne

Chaz Thoughts

Reviews on music you may not have heard but should totally check out

14 songs i'm spinning lately

4/30/2015

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Elvis Perkins - On Rotation Moses 

Elvis Perkins's newest album I Aubade is folk music for a carnival. There are so many bells and whistles that make this album a joy to listen to. Although it is worth noting that when you take away the bells and whistles you still have some great songwriting. 

Fionn Regan - St. Anthony's Fire

This is Fionn Regan laid bare with a lone guitar to back his delicate crooning. His classical training comes through on his guitar licks and this is all you need to get captured in his spell.

Sufjan Stevens - All of Me Wants All of You

Sufjan's whispered lyrics of ghosts and a neglectful childhood are enough to drain even the most cynical of us. It's hard to pick just one song from this album full of heartbreaking melodies.

The Staves - Don't You Call Me Anymore

The Staves are branching out instrumentally on their second album, with the help of grammy winner Justin Vernon on production, but never underestimate the power of their vocals to dominate a song.. Everything from the distant xylophone to the auto harp to the way they all sharply inhale in unison during the "ohs" make this a favorite of mine.

Jacob Mau - Lead Forth In Peace

Jacob has a way of captivating a room by beginning most of his folk shows with a poem. He has important stories to tell and he delivers them in a collection of beautiful songs reminiscent of some of the pioneers of folk. Listen here.

Frances Luke Accord - Egoeye

It's nice to see Frances Luke Accord utilize percussion. They are masters of arranging and inventive instrumentalists. With a beat driving the song they have a lot more room to play around on their instruments with kick ass results.

Fee lion -Lovebug

On her EP ///, FEE LION layers surreal acoustic guitar over sampled beats enhanced by her vocal clicks to create a sound so entrancing I forget the last two tracks are live until the cheering at the end. 

Cryptacize - Mythomania

They were experts of playful music. Perfectly topped off by Nedelle Torrisi's wistful vocals with lines such as "every time we turn around the moon is laughing at us." Not only is this music complex and innovative, it's fun.

Courtney Barnett - Anonymous Club

Although I normally listen to Courtney Barnett to rock out, I am entranced by this electric lullaby suggesting a perfect night in. She repeats herself in the second verse with a male voice joining her mid phrase on each line suggesting she is inviting him. The song ends with Courtney thanking him for a nice evening "just you and me" over and over. As he sings lower she gets quieter like they are falling asleep.

Matthew Morgan - First Day

Matt Morgan has such a beautiful voice. You can hear the weariness and pain as he promises to help a friend escape an abusive home. He has a touch of americana and old country mixed in with his folk songs and his new album is wonderful.  Listen here.

Punch Brothers - Julep

This song is set up so well. Beginning with a groovy line on the double bass, each instrument gets an entrance as the song builds into this mystical interlude around 2 minutes in. The Punch Brothers embrace Brian Wilson's idea of a "pocket symphony" or a symphony in pop song format. Combine that with the harmonies on the vocal bridge and you know Brian would be proud. 

Liz Chidester - People Pumping Pedals

What an awesome intro. It sounds even more ethereal on the album joined by a violin. While I love Liz's voice I especially enjoy her finger style on this song. 

Sedgewick - So Long, John

I love that when you download Sedgewick's Gardens EP this video is included. So Long, John is the closing track of an album that expertly spins sentimental melodies into epic rock hymns.

Zoe Keating - Optimistic

I first heard Zoe Keating at a dance performance. Her cello looping creates a symphonic experience that is haunting and addicting.
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Frances Luke Accord & The Barefoot truth children's choir-Kandote

4/20/2015

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From the opening track you can tell this is going to be a fantastic folk album. The electric guitars, mandolin, and acoustic guitar all trading licks over a steady beat hook you in immediately. In The Water is the perfect opening as it depicts beautiful scenes of nature that pervade the entire album. This is a tight song that doesn't waste any time and the arrangements are stunning. Speaking of arrangements, I know it's no secret that there is a children's choir on the album but OH MAN is that a great entrance for them 2 and a half minutes in on the refrain. "How am I getting hoooome."

One of the smartest aspects of Kandote is how everything builds together. It would be one thing to use songs you already had and just add a children's choir but these songs were clearly put together as part of a bigger idea. They describe the night sky and the outdoors in their first song and as the choir fades you hear wind chimes and what sounds like a gentle evening breeze. They aren't describing Uganda, they are taking you there.

It takes a special kind of musician to make a song with an African children’s choir singing Kumbayah and rain sticks without sounding contrived. Frances Luke Accord pull this off partially because they are such fantastic musicians (listen to the stunning backing vocals on the 3rd verse of Insomnia) and partially because everything about this album is so genuine. Again they didn't add this children's choir to random songs, they put this together for the Barefoot Truth Children's Choir. And this is the spirit of Kandote: inclusion. Whether they are singing an African chorus on the title track or telling "a Spanish tale to the tourists in Rome."

This album has already taken you to Africa. The next track takes you directly to the village of Kkindu right into the Barefoot Truth Children's Choir practice room when Brian and Nick step aside to let their hosts take the lead. You hear the excited chatter and people testing their percussion instruments before the choir instructor begins Amaholo which quickly turns into a call and response chant. The song fades after 3 and a half minutes and although that was the right choice for the album I find myself wishing I was in that room to be present for the chant which I imagine lasted much longer .

Amaholo reinforces something that we have heard in the first 3 tracks. This is a JOYFUL album. There are few things in this world better than music and true joy. Kandote doesn’t ask people to change. It shows them how great it can be to work together.

The fact that this album is so uplifting makes their rendition of Swing Low on the latter half of the album that much more heartbreaking in comparison. I have heard Swing Low Sweet Chariot as many times as I have heard Kumbayah and yet the Barefoot Truth Children's Choir have made me appreciate a song I thought I knew. It is sung with such emotional depth that I can't help but feel chills. 

We end with an instrumental piece expertly arranged with a euphoric “oooo” from the now familiar choir over the mostly instrumental ending. I love that this last track is titled Wasswa and Kato (an African term for male twins). The whole album is about unity and your “long lost brother twice removed darker than the night” and how we can all work together. You can tell there was a lot of growth from both sides over the process of recording but this last song shows that it doesn’t matter what language you speak because music is universal.


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Kendrick lamar - to pimp a butterfly

4/13/2015

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To Pimp A Butterfly was the perfect album for me to hear to get into rap music. Not only is it musically intriguing but it has a powerful message. I am very interested in political music and here is an entire album about socio-economic classes and how to cope with success when the memory of being poor and forgotten is so painfully fresh and, most importantly, still happening all over the country.

I’m a sucker for a theme and Kendrick Lamar has put together a thematic album in a way that is intelligent and emotionally powerful. Kendrick takes us from trading vocals with George Clinton about Wesley Snipes, (yes this happened) to the insanely catchy King Kunta to angry drunken rants all the while quieting everything down every so often to speak into the the silence.

"I remember you was conflicted, 
misusing your influence, 
sometimes I did the same." 

The album is not without light hearted moments but it gradually loses any casual aspect as it progresses and you hear more of his poem. One of the most important parts of the album is on the 2nd to last track I when the song is interrupted. You're transported to a concert and the song is cut off by a fight. While you find yourself enjoying the beat to a song with the refrain "I went to war last night" you hear a fight and you're reminded of the grim reality that Kendrick is addressing. 

As the horns fade on the groovy yet emotional last track Mortal Man Kendrick finishes his poem and reveals the person to whom this album has been directed. Kendrick reminds us how the issues he's been rallying against throughout the album are nothing new. In a throwback interview clip Kendrick talks to his old hero Tupac who leaves us with one of the most haunting images on an album full of hard truths delivered with endless sophistication from Kendrick himself.  

"In this country a black man only have like 5 years we can exhibit maximum strength and that's right now while you a teenager, while you still strong or while you still wanna lift weights, while you still wanna shoot back. Cause once you turn 30 it's like they take the heart and soul out of a man out of a black man in this country. And you don't wanna don't fight no more. And if you don't believe me you can look around, you don't see no loud mouth 30 year old muthafuckas." 

Even if you don't consider yourself a fan of rap I would highly recommend you check this album out. It's catchy as hell, you hear some great different genres and it really makes you think.
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On March 27th we released core dynamo

4/2/2015

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On Friday, March 27th at The Throne Room in Chicago we recreated the entire album The Legend of Core Dynamo with ALL of the original musicians on the recordings (save Karen Olsen's epic trumpet on the title track).

If I was humbled to have these fantastic people play on the album it was nothing compared to the ecstatic feeling of recreating these songs live.

Although this was a solo album it was all about collaboration. In that spirit each of the musicians from the album also played a set of their own at the show.

The Puffins kicked off the show at 8:30 pm 

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Listen to The Puffins contribution to my song "One" track 7 on the album. Out of frame is Alex Hall, vocalist for the Puffins who sang on my track and mixed the whole thing. 

Frances luke accord came next

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These guys are so good! They recorded and mixed most of the album and you can hear both of them sing on my song MY MG. Also listen to Nick's dynamic percussion throughout.

The Overmen performing our 2012 ep 

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I've been playing music with Dan Powers for over 10 years. We formed The Overmen with our friend Chris Bentley and reunited to play our 2012 EP in our first performance in over a year! Listen to the EP here.

the legend of core dynamo is born

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Thanks again to everyone who came to make this such a magical experience. Until next time. 
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    Chaz Hearne

    Spreading the word on great local bands, local venues, good gear, album reviews and just anything inspiring.

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