The Indie Antechamber

Pau Vallve- 2010

2011-08-12T00:44:00.001-05:00

Wow. After listening the first few songs in this album, that is all I can muster. This Catalan (?) artist is messing with my emotions with his light guitar licks and his captivating voice.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://pauvallve.bandcamp.com/album/2010"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;2010 by Pau Vallvé&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Takenobu- Exposition

2011-08-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

Another cool set of chill tunes. His voice is not resonating with me as well as I hoped, but the multiple layers of cello is sweet to my ears nonetheless. Enjoy.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://listen.takenobumusic.com/album/exposition"&amp;gt;Exposition by Takenobu&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Balto- October's Road

2011-08-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

I think it is time I put some folk tunes on my blog. Well, here you go everyone. Enjoy.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://balto.bandcamp.com/album/octobers-road"&amp;gt;October's Road by Balto&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

LYNX- On the Horizon

2011-08-11T19:04:00.000-05:00

Pretty good stuff here. It's $10 for the album. Go for it.

On the Horizon by LYNX

il Abanico- Crossing Colors EP

2011-07-30T12:50:00.004-05:00

This is awesome. I am not quite sure why (maybe due to its active drumming), but the first song reminds me of how excited I am for Mute Math's next album in October. Every song on here is great, and I have not been this excited about an EP since the Modern Rivals released their first one a year ago. The best part is that this Crossing Colors EP is free! Stop reading this and download the EP already!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://ilabanico.bandcamp.com/album/crossing-colors-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Crossing Colors EP by Il abanico&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Iration- Time Bomb and Fresh Grounds EP

2011-07-29T02:12:00.001-05:00

While everyone bought their Lollapalooza ticket this year to see Eminem, the Foo Fighters, or whatever three bands they've only heard of, nobody [not surprisingly] mentioned anything about this reggae rock band Iration. These guys from Hawaii released their most recent album Fresh Grounds EP a few months ago and also have a great full length album Time Bomb. Time Bomb is more reggae rooted with branches of rock and hip hop while the Fresh Grounds EP is more alternative reggae. Click on the buy button on the player to purchase Time Bomb for $10 and Fresh Grounds EP for $4.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://listen.irationmusic.com/album/time-bomb"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Time Bomb by Iration&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Fresh Grounds EP by Iration

Idaho- You were a Dick

2011-07-28T16:22:00.000-05:00

I am really enjoying this new find. Apparently Idaho has been around since the early nineties but this is the first time I've heard of them. This is the first album release for Idaho in nearly 6 years and from what I've heard Jeff Martin (not the Canadian) is the only member left in the band. Aside from the history lesson, the album is really great and it is chock full of different subtle styles of music. You were a dick and Impaler have subtle similarities to Beck, and something about Reminder and Up the Hill reminds me of Broken Social Scene. The second half of the album picks up and brings some rock riff like pieces, only to cascade down in the end to more serious songs similar the the beginning of the album. If you really like this one it will cost you, but the mp3 download is only $6. Idaho also has a CD and Vinyl version up for sale as well, just click on the buy button below if you are interested.

&amp;lt;a href="http://idaho.bandcamp.com/album/you-were-a-dick"&amp;gt;You were a Dick by idaho&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Robot Science- Good Luck

2011-07-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

This is a another good electronic chill album that all you indie fanatics will love. From San Francisco, Robot Science has a sweet electronic hipster sound that should be blasted when soaking up those California sun rays. This album is name your own price, so all you cheapsters can buy it for 1 cent!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://robotscience.bandcamp.com/album/good-luck"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Good Luck by Robot Science&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Alexandra Streliski- Pianoscope

2011-07-28T11:36:00.004-05:00

Now for something completely different. Alexandra Streliski is a pianist based in Montreal who release her first album several months ago. Her work evokes a simplistic piano style to create these light and melancholy songs. All of the songs are fairly captivating, and I wouldn't be surprised if her songs will be adapted in films later. This album is $10.53 USD and is available for download or physical CD.

&amp;lt;a href="http://alexandrastreliski.bandcamp.com/album/pianoscope"&amp;gt;PIANOSCOPE by Alexandra Streliski&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

The Boomjacks- Beats vol 3

2011-07-28T02:49:00.002-05:00

Note to all: I found this gem instead of sleeping. The Boomjacks are Finland brother duo consisting of electic hip hop beats. Their newest creation named Beats vol. 3, a 17 track album, is free on their bandcamp page. They also have teamed up with Apollo's Sun to create a pretty sweet hip hop single. If you are a fan of Onra and Flying Lotus, then you should like these guys. Take a listen and chill.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://tapes.theboomjacks.com/album/beats-vol-3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Beats vol. 3 by The Boomjacks&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://apollossunandtheboomjacks.bandcamp.com/album/aprils-musings-single"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;April's Musings - Single by Apollo's Sun &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; The Boomjacks&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Son Lux- We Are Rising

2011-07-27T15:01:00.002-05:00

If you liked Sufjan Stevens Age of Adz or any of St. Vincent's music, you will fall in love with Son Lux. Ryan Lott, a musician from New York, recorded this fantastic album in just the month of February, AKA the RPM challenge. Amazing what can result in just four weeks of writing and recording!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://music.sonluxmusic.com/album/we-are-rising"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;We Are Rising by Son Lux&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Barton Fink- Gear

2011-07-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

Been on a time crunch lately so my analysis of this album won't be as good as it should. I found this band a few months ago on accident and I have been obsessed with them ever since. The best analogy of their sound I could think of is like a mixture of The Black Keys, The Heavy, and The Faint (that analogy works best with their song Fever). If you don't have time to listen to the whole album, I'd recommend starting off with Dicey Street Blues, Gimme Some More or Nothing.

Gear by Barton Fink

Sufjan Stevens- Age of Adz

2010-10-25T18:59:00.000-05:00

What better way to hear about Sufjan's new album then from a student at his former college (Duh, Hope College; Everyone's heard of it). Just when you though All Delighted People EP was kick ass, Mr. Stevens released this even better album shortly after. Let me describe it as eloquently as any college freshman would: this is dope stuff.

Magic Man- Real Life Color

2010-10-25T18:50:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've touched my blog, and lot of things have occurred during this hiatus. I stopped my summer job, started college and a new life, partied, studied, ate crap cafeteria food, etc. Only during one night of procrastinating on lab reports would I decide to finally rejuvenate my music blog with new posts. So on this night I give you...Magic Man. Actually I'm not sure if I had already mentioned this album before, but what the hell. I'm listening to it, it rocks, and best of all its a free download.

We Used To Wait Music Video

2010-08-30T09:39:00.000-05:00

Quite possibility to coolest interactive video I know.

http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

Music I Wish I had in 2009: Part 3

2010-08-26T11:52:00.000-05:00


Mos Def- The Ecstatic

I've always liked collaborations that involved Mos Def, especially with the Roots and Gorillaz, so for me to like his album doesn't surprise me. I had always noticed rave reviews for this album, but it didn't hit me to actually get it until now.

Life In Marvelous Times

Priority

Music I Wish I had in 2009: Part 2: Jazz Themed!

2010-08-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

As summer is nearing an end, I've been getting slightly sick of listening to new [dare I say hipster?] indie music all the time, so I thought I would try to diversify my blog a little bit more by posting Jazz related articles. Now as we all know, fall season can sometimes suck. School goes back in session, just as you forgot everything taught last year. The big summer vacation just ended and you forgot to function on a work schedule. Shit starts falling from the sky and you retaliate by smashing your neighbor's pumpkins on their stoop. And then even worse, Winter shows up. So under all the enmity against fall, Jazz will help sedate the notion of the various fluid colors enveloping your lawn.

Vijay Iyer Trio- Historicity

Probably the most "mainstream" appealing Jazz album of 2009. If you want just one good Jazz album from 2009, I suggest you start with Vijay Iyer (My favorite from here: Mystic Brew).

Galang (trio riot version)

Mystic Brew

Well if you enjoyed y first Jazz album I wish I had, then check out this list of the Top 10 Jazz Records of 2009 by NPR, especially Allen Toussaint, Ran Blake, Buika & Chucho Valdes, Diego Barber. That list will surely convince one to find a red leather couch by an open fire while holding a novel in one hand and brandy in the other.

New Sufjan Stevens EP

2010-08-22T18:52:00.000-05:00

Sufjan Stevens came out with a new EP titled All Delighted People EP after a long hiatus of new music. Well I can attest that this EP satisfies the break, including two lengthy 10+ minutes songs All Delighted People (Original Version) and Djohariah. The EP can be purchased at Sufjan's bandcamp site for $5, on Amazon (below), or you can wait for the physical CD later.

Also check to see if you can find any recognizable people on the cover. My favorites are Leonardo DeCaprio and teenage Sufjan Stevens.

All Delighted People EP

<a href="http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/all-delighted-people-ep">All Delighted People (Original Version) by Sufjan Stevens</a>

Listen to streams of !!!'s and Ra Ra Riot's New Albums

2010-08-18T23:55:00.000-05:00

!!! NEW ALBUM STREAM

Ra Ra Riot The Orchard on NPR

Living Rooms- House Kid

2010-08-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

It may not be an amazing find like Yellow Ostrich, however Living Rooms is another band with great free songs available for free download. If you are a fan of anything Animal Collective, this is very much similar.

House Kid by Living Rooms

Heart Music Group

2010-08-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

This is taken from their band camp site:

"This EP was a collaborative effort between Heart Music Group and all the artist involved. All the tracks are previously unreleased.

Heart Music Group is a full service music company specializing in artist management, consulting, marketing and branding.

We currently represent:

Fol Chen
Kárin Tatoyan
Baths
Hard Mix
COOLRUNNINGS
Wise Blood

Add us on facebook and stay in the loop... Heart Music Group- Facebook"

If you haven't heard of many of these band names, you will know them very well from my blog. I should mention these bands a few more times in my next future posts soon.
<a href="http://heartmusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/3">Nordic Laurel by Heart Music Group</a>

Yellow Ostrich

2010-08-15T18:42:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted, so consider those 10 days my vacation. And also I finally have my first follower! Woo!
Now I know there are more people that do follow, but may not have a Google account (which they should because Google rocks) so I will show you how to make an RSS feed for my blog. On Firefox, go to bookmarks, subscribe to this page, and then choose RSS. Then once you are at the window asking to subscribe using live bookmarks click "subscribe now." And then choose "bookmarks toolbar".
If you have a browser different than Firefox and you can't figure out how to subscribe, then go get a Google account and follow!!!

Now back to music. I found this band out today called Yellow Ostrich. They have three EPs out, The Serious Kids, The Morgan Freeman, and Fade Cave, for FREE! After listening to the first EP, I think its safe to say that all three EP should be awesome. Then again, why would that matter when its FREE music? I hope you agree with that statement and take a listen.

[UPDATE] All three EPs are incredible! Who knew an EP of everything Morgan Freeman would be this awesome? All it needs is his buttery voice and it will be an epic.
<a href="http://yellowostrich.bandcamp.com/album/the-serious-kids-ep">He-Horses And She-Horses by Yellow Ostrich</a>

<a href="http://yellowostrich.bandcamp.com/album/the-morgan-freeman-ep">Morgan Freeman's Early Life by Yellow Ostrich</a>

<a href="http://yellowostrich.bandcamp.com/album/fade-cave-ep">Bread by Yellow Ostrich</a>

You can check out Yellow Ostrich's Bandcamp site here.

August Playlist 2010

2010-08-02T16:28:00.000-05:00

Blalock's Indie/Rock Playlist, an excellent music discovery site (one I use regularly) has uploaded their August 2010 playlist via torrent, multiupload, and stream.
You can listen to stream of the August play list here. Stream August 2010
Or if you want to go straight to downloading it to your computer, go here. August 2010 Playlist page

Arcade Fire- The Suburbs (review)

2010-07-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

So this album leaked several days ago and I got it, legally of course. ;) Well anyways I was gonna do a full analysis of this, but since it took me a couple days to get to this I'm gonna half-ass it. Um some BBC article mentioned that this album is Arcade Fire's Ok Computer, but better. I hate when people use comparisons like these especially when it involves putting one above the other because who or what is better is all a matter of opinion [more so than rating an album based on it's quality itself]. I actually don't really know what the author is trying to say with that statement. Since I think The Bends is better, does he/she mean that The Suburbs is great but not as great as Funeral? I don't really know. I think it is obvious that you cannot match something as perfect as Funeral. However, after listening to this album for the past day or so, I can tell you that this album is very satisfying. My half-ass is kicking in; go by this album when it comes out on August 3rd.

The first song is the title track. You can here it from my previous post along with Month of May which is track 8. (Arcade Fire Singles- New Album in August)

2. Ready To Start

9. Suburban War

13. We Used To Wait

The Faint Concert Rocked!

2010-07-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't already know, The Faint are awesome. I saw them on friday at the Metro and I have to say you missed out on the best $27 tickets one could ever buy. But the show would be severely tested with many worst-case scenarios.

The show started with Codebreaker first opening the show, late. They weren't terrible, but the singer just got on my nerves because he said the same five words over 6 minutes songs. After they finished, late, I had to listen to the worst band I have ever heard in my entire life, Zola Jesus. While they played their terrible music, I could stop thinking about that one episode of south park with the goths versus the douche bag vampires. This band must think, "Oh, no one understands our music, but we still rock."

Oh, but everyone there understood that you suck, Zola Jesus. What an unfortunate name, and probably the worst reference Jesus could ever have. And as I kept wishing for Jesus Christ to smite this terrible band, the lead singer (who reminded me of a train-wreck Christina Aguilera on meth) decided to pace back and forth off the stage, as if she was a rat trying to find the nearest exit out of the simplest maze.

Ooo0o0o0ooo00ah...GOD NO MY EARS!!!

As if that was not bad enough, I have to add the story my adventure trying to get home from this concert. Because the concert ended later than expected due to the two horrible opening acts, we had missed the last Metra train at 12:40pm. So, our best bet was to take the red line down to the chicago loop, and then transfer to the blue line all the way to Forest Park, and get someone to pick us up from that stop. Well, of course at midnight, there was a torrential downpour. Not only that when we get on the blue line, the first train we got on had to go out of service at UIC-Halsted and we had to wait there with the occasional ghetto folk asking if we smoke weed.
Twenty minutes later, we hopped on the next CTA train. Some guy wearing a trash bag over his body comes up to us four and mumbles a story about how he needs two dollars for a bus ride in Cicero. We don't budge at first, but the guy keeps mumbling his "story." Finally one of us cracks, probably due to fear he had a weapon under his garbage bag, and gave him two dollars. Lucky his stop comes up shorty afterwords and we never see him again. Seconds later, we learn that the train has to stop at Austin because of flooding at Oak Park. Yes, Austin. In case you didn't know the neighborhood, Austin is the largest neighborhood in Chicago, 87% African American, and 3 days before 7 people were shot within the hour. Oh, and did I mention I am still in my work clothes?
So once we walked out of the Austin station, there were two buses waiting to take everybody either to the westbound or eastbound destinations. We got on the westbound bus and overheard that it has been sitting there for already an hour. (Screw this!) I tell my friends to just call our ride and tell him to pick us up at the Austin station. An hour later after waiting in the station with various questionable people and two cops, in the torrential rain, our ride finally shows up. It was 3:00am at the time.

Even after the insane pain, agony, and fear I had to get through that day, The Faint Concert at the Metro was still one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Front row, with a perfect set-list, and killer performance for $27 is definitely something worth risking my life for.

Speaking of the set, The Faint had these alien statues all around the stage made out of what looked like plastic wrap and newspaper, and a couple of them had LED light eyes. You can kind of see them in the video.

Drop Kick The Punks (Full Song)