No Expectations 063: If It’s Gone
Seven new LPs that are worth your time. Plus, the Hannah Frances record release show at Constellation.
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Headline song: Good Looks, “If It’s Gone”
Thanks for being here. Kudos to everyone who hit up the mailbag email last week, I’m slowly responding to each reader's question. Those responses will likely end up in future newsletters over the coming weeks. No newsletter next week. I’m giving myself a small break. I’ll use the hiatus to respond to every mailbag question and focus on a huge deadline. The Chicago Show Calendar is updated to reflect this week and the week after.
Seven Albums to Soundtrack Your Week
Hannah Frances, Keeper of the Shepherd
This is the best album I’ve heard in 2024. From the very first song on Keeper of the Shepherd, Hannah Frances solidifies herself as a singular, uncompromising artist. The seven mystifyingly stunning songs here feel timeless, combining the knottiest parts of folk with propulsive energy and her powerful voice. Tracks like the opener “Bronwyn” and the title track elegantly unfold with vividly rendered full-band arrangements but the more minimalist numbers soar with the same urgency. It feels crude to mention excellent RIYL acts like Cate Le Bon, Sandy Denny, or The Weather Station when talking about this album because right now, Frances feels peerless. More and more folks are catching on too: Pitchfork gave Keeper a deserved Best New Music and NPR’s Ann Powers gave Frances a nice segment on All Songs Considered and even gave No Expectations a shoutout (near the 42:40 mark).
lake j, Dizzy
You may already know Cadien Lake James through his time with the influential Chicago indie rock outfit Twin Peaks, but this year he’s venturing out with a solo project called lake j. On March 1, he unveiled his excellent debut LP called Dizzy. For the past eight or so years, James has been one of my very best friends (he’s also a paying subscriber to No Expectations), so take this recommendation with that necessary disclaimer. That said, this LP is so unbelievably in my wheelhouse and I think it’ll do the same for you. Here, James takes on a much breezier and laid-back approach than the rowdy rock of Twin Peaks. When I first heard some of these songs, they reminded me of The Sea and Cake and Pinback (When I mentioned this to him, James told me that these were two bands he had not listened to while writing the LP lol). Even if the lyrics suggest a quiet melancholy, there’s ebullience in the arrangements like on the bouncy “Wild Wind” and funky “Tell Me Something Good.” It’s uniformly tasteful and engaging stuff, especially on the string-laden “Keeping Score,” the almost proggy “Looming Towers,” and the gorgeous eight-minute closer “Sparrow.”
Wildflower, Green World
Wildflower is the songwriting project of Portland, Maine’s Adrian O'Barr. On Green World, the band makes lush and adventurous folk with ample twang and jazz-minded experimentation. Their new LP Green World is kind of the platonic ideal of a “spring album.” The songs bubble over patiently like on the nine-minute opener “Seabirds,” which slowly builds for three minutes until O’Barr’s inviting vocals, which remind me of Damien Jurado or Major Murphy’s Jacob Bullard, enter the mix. Elsewhere, the instrumental track “Cloud Bay” is stunning: it bursts with a vivacity right out the gate but it slowly lilts into something more patient but still beautiful. This is immersive music: the kind of gentle Americana to get lost in.
Sonny Falls, Sonny Falls
Ryan Ensley has been quietly making some of the best, loud rock’n’roll in Chicago as Sonny Falls for years. Though he’s released several stellar LPs under the moniker his latest is the self-titled. True to its name it’s the finest collection of songs he’s written yet. Sonny Falls has always been a project of big riffs and cathartic choruses and you certainly get that on tracks like the turbocharged “Going Nowhere” and “Night Scene” but I think Ensley elevated his writing. More understated numbers like the jaunty “Had a Thought” and the twangy “Factory of Feeling” really showcase his perceptive lyrics. If you found a band like Greg Freeman, Dusk, Cory Hanson, Florry, or more from this newsletter, Sonny Falls will be up your alley too.
Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven
I’m so delighted to see all the deserved press Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy has earned for their masterful new album I Got Heaven. When I first heard this LP to write its press bio last fall, I immediately realized it was something special. It’s just undeniable: the kinetic ferocity on the opening title track, the delicate pop of “I Don’t Know You,” and the growling “OK? OK! OK? OK!” It breezes by at 10 tracks and a 30-minute runtime but every tune is meaty and endlessly repeat-worthy. It’s the kind of full-length where your favorite track changes with each listen. At first, it was the title track but now it’s “Loud Bark” and “Softly.”
Bobbie Lovesong, Shadow of a Cloud
Once based in Taos, New Mexico but now settled in Brooklyn, Bobbie Lovesong, the songwriting project of Madelyn Strutz has another understated and eccentric LP of impeccable psych-pop. Last year, Woodsist reissued Bobbie Lovesong’s 2021 LP On The Wind. I really dug that release: a collection of off-kilter, feathery tunes that were dreamy and compelling. With this latest LP Shadow of the Cloud, she mines the same palette but with a more grounded approach. The hooks feel stronger. The arrangements despite being leaner are more mesmerizing and adventurous adding bossa nova, jazz, and baroque flourishes. Perfect for a weekday afternoon.
Dave Harrington, Max Jaffe, Patrick Shirihoshi, Speak, Moment
Speak, Moment was entirely improvised and recorded in one afternoon on October 25, 2021 (which, entirely coincidentally, was my 30th birthday). Knowing that they knocked out these five soaring songs is impressive. It’s even more astounding when you find out that was also the day that Dave Harrington (Darkside, Tapers Choice), saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi (Fubuutsushi, The Armed), and drummer Max Jaffe met. Their chemistry throughout these five tracks is seamless and organic: they venture into unpredictable tones on “Ship Rock” while collaborating on the serene and pastoral opener “Staring Into the Imagination (Of You).” There are moments of surprise, provocation, and times when everything comes together in pure catharsis. I wonder why they sat on it for over two years but I’m happy it’s out.
What I listened to:
The No Expectations 063 Playlist: Spotify // Apple Music
1. Good Looks, “If It’s Gone”
2. Sun Seeker, “A Dirty Bath of Everything”
3. Finom, “Haircut”
4. Hannah Frances, “Haunted Landscapes, Echoing Cave”
5. Amen Dunes, “Boys”
6. Eric Slick, “Anxious To Please”
7. Mandy, “High School Boyfriend”
8. TAGABOW, Greg Mendez, Sun Organ, “krillin”
9. Bleary Eyed, “2 True”
10. Jon McKiel, “String”
11. lake j, “Keeping Score”
12. King Hannah, Sharon Van Etten, “Big Swimmer”
13. Bobbie Lovesong, “New Stone”
14. Valebol, “Multivitaminas”
15. Wildflower, “Cloud Bay”
Gig report: Hannah Frances, NIIKA at Constellation (3/8)
The first time I saw Hannah Frances perform was at Hungry Brain last summer where she opened for Sima Cunningham with a transcendent full band set. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing: her voice was so powerful and her band was full of some of the best players in Chicago. Even though I knew what to expect, I was still floored at Constellation on Friday for the release show for Keeper of the Shepherd. I hope this isn’t the last time I see her with this group of players. It was profound, intimate, and everything I love about Chicago’s live music community. Special shoutout to Frances and her band, guitarist Chet Zenor, bassist Meredith Nesbitt, woodwind artist Hunter Diamond, drummer Lily Glick Finnegan, violinist Scott Daniel, and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Clausen. A triumphant night for Frances. Watch some high-quality footage via Goodhaus’ Derrick Alexander from the show above.
What I watched:
Napoleon (dir: Ridley Scott, Apple TV+)
Tonal war here. While I was stoked by the trailer plus the fact that Ridley Scott directs and Joaquin Phoenix stars, I was spooked by the very tepid reaction to it. I don’t think I saw a score higher than a 3 on my Letterboxd, which made me want to wait till it hit streaming. This is a weird one. Half of the film is a straightforward account of Napoleon’s biggest battles with elongated scenes of bloodshed, military tactics, and epically staged battlefields. The rest is a muted comedy about how the guy was a weird, little dude. Some parts are really funny but I can hear my history buff friends losing their minds on how much is flubbed here. Compared to a recent Scott masterpiece like The Last Duel or even the underwhelming but more consistent House of Gucci, this is probably one of the more disappointing films in his catalog.
What I read:
Adrianne Lenker Isn’t Scared of Sadness (Jeremy Gordon, New York Times)
Big Thief’s woodsy vibe also masked a serious virtuosity: All of its members attended Berklee, and forged a telepathic musical connection born from repeated practice, as well as natural talent. Lenker, Meek said, has “this really exploratory relationship with the guitar that, if you analyze it, is super complex — but to her, it’s all intuitive in the service of the song and the words.”
But building an indie band into a reliable brand exerted tremendous pressure on Lenker, both emotionally and physically. “I had a turbulent childhood, and a lot of pain in there,” she said. “It was all put aside when I was working — it wasn’t possible to deal with it on the road.” When it all caught up to her, she described it as running at full speed into a brick wall: “I literally, physically, could not move.”
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
Thursday, March 14: Lifeguard, Shanta Nurullah, Anaiet Soul, Erez Dessel, Lily Finnegan, Jason Stein, Eli Winter, Sumoud Collective (Anera Benefit Show) at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Thursday, March 14: Hurray for the Riff Raff, NNAMDÏ at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Friday, March 15: Early Eyes, Thank You, I'm Sorry, Pictoria Vark at Beat Kitchen. Tickets.
Friday, March 15: Harvey Waters, Ira Glass, Los Skin at Cole’s. Tickets.
Friday, March 15: In The Pines, Thompson Springs at Hideout. Tickets.
Friday, March 15: Luna, Sam Blasucci at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Friday, March 15: Video Age, Sean Nicholas Savage at Schubas. Sold out.
Friday, March 15: Mclusky, Ganser at the Vic. Tickets.
Saturday, March 16: Luna, Twin Coast at Lincoln Hall. Sold out.
Saturday, March 16: Arlo Parks, Chloe George at Thalia Hall. Sold out.
Saturday, March 16: Dorian Electra, Uffie, Izzy Spears at the Vic. Tickets.
Monday, March 18: The Deals, Morpho, Sprite at the Empty Bottle. Free.
Monday, March 18: Reality Club at Schubas. Tickets.
Wednesday, March 20: Astrobite, Punchlove, Old Coke, Interlay at Cobra Lounge. Tickets.
Wednesday, March 20: Danny Brown at Metro. Tickets.
Thursday, March 21: Mitski, Julia Jacklin at Auditorium Theater. Tickets.
Thursday, March 21: Circles Around the Sun, Mikaela Davis at Chop Shop. Tickets.
Thursday, March 21: Tomato Flower, babybaby_explores at Hideout. Tickets.
Thursday, March 21: Chaepter, Fruit Leather, Gerfety at Schubas. Tickets.
Friday, March 22: Florry, Lily Seabird at Hideout. Tickets.
Friday, March 22: Mitski, Julia Jacklin at Auditorium Theater. Tickets.
Friday, March 22: Ulna, Mol Sullivan, Hello Sapien at Cole’s. Tickets.
Friday, March 22: HEALTH, Pixel Grip, King Yosef at Concord Music Hall. Tickets.
Saturday, March 23: Tommy Goodroad, Blue County Pistol, Jane Hobson at Gman. Tickets.
Saturday, March 23: Mitski, Julia Jacklin at Auditorium Theater. Tickets.
Saturday, March 23: Stuck, Cruel, Cel Ray at Schubas. Tickets.
Saturday, March 23: John McCauley at Hideout. Sold out.
Sunday, March 24: Mitski, Julia Jacklin at Auditorium Theater. Tickets.
Sunday, March 24: John McCauley at Hideout. Sold out.
Tuesday, March 26: Codeine, Helen Money at Empty Bottle. Sold out.
Wednesday, March 27: Loving, Fog Lake at Schubas. Sold out.
That Hannah Frances album is special, indeed. Thanks for the Sonny Falls tip, great, wild stuff. Chicago strikes again! As for Napoleon, I'm withholding final judgement until a second viewing. Saw it in the theater and liked it a lot, although the comedic aspects were so unexpected as to be baffling. But a second viewing can make a huge difference in that case - could fall apart on further scrutiny or make perfect sense when you know what's coming. Now, House of Gucci...that was a disaster, practically a Lifetime movie.
Saw Wildflower here last weekend. Had never heard of them before but they were great! Will check out the LP.
Opener Holy Heart great too and up your alley, tho don't think they've released anything yet. https://www.instagram.com/holy_heart_music/