STEPPIN' OUT

Gaaahdamn. This night in Chicago is going to be absolutely insane. I think I might call it "Justice Weekend II," which is misleading since Justice won't actually be there. But the line-up is fucking crazy. Swedish keyboard popsters Lo-Fi-FNK just got added to the bill, which I will run down hyah:

SATURDAY MARCH 24

METRO @ 9 PM
*Lo-Fi-Fnk
*Crystal Castles
*The Presets

SMARTBAR @ 10 PM
*Guns'N'Bombs
*Digitalism

To expand... the Lo-Fi-FNK record Boylife was definitely in my top 25 albums of last year. Synth-pop where every sound just twinkles and pops and snaps. Should be fun live; I don't know if the chick will be with them or not. Tour dates for the FNKrs:

06-MAR-Los Angeles, CA Safari Sam’s
07-MAR-San Diego, CA Beauty Bar
08-MAR-Seattle, WA Atlas
09-MAR-Vancouver, BC Shine
10-MAR-Portland, OR New Noise
11-MAR-Eugene, OR Indigo District
13-MAR-San Francisco, CA Mezannine w/ Fujiya & Miyagi
14-MAR-Austin, TX SXSW Super! Alright! Space
15-MAR-Austin, TX SXSW Beauty Bar
16-MAR-Austin, TX SXSW Urban Outfitters - 1 pm
17-MAR-Washington, DC Rock’n'Roll Hotel
18-MAR-Baltimore, MD Sonar
20-MAR-Charlotte, NC Fit for Use
21-MAR-Atlanta, GA Kiss Atlanta event
22-MAR-Gainesville, FL Common Grounds
23-MAR-Miami, FL Pier 14
24-MAR-Chicago, IL The Metro w/ The Presets, Digitalism & Crystal Castles
27-MAR-Toronto, ON Drake Hotel w/ Crystal Castles
28-MAR-Montreal, QC Club Lambi
29-MAR-Boston, MA Square
30-MAR-Philadelphia, PA Making Time w/ Datarock, The Presets
30-MAR-New York, NY RUFF Club
31-MAR-Brooklyn, NY Studio B

I don't know what the deal is with Crystal Castles. All blogs love them, and I feel like they shouldn't. And I feel like I shouldn't like them, but I really do. Errr they must be good or something. Glitchy and screamy but still melodic and madly driven by the beat.


I've dug the Presets ever since I saw them open for Ladytron (actually no, since I saw the mind-blowing video for "Are You The One?"). They were good then, they were great when I saw them open for the Rapture, so I expect a very fun headlining performance from them.


Guns'N'Bombs is my associate Johnny Love's project, sort of like a bastardized, post-post-apocalyptic Daft Punk. The guy drops everything he's doing in Chicago, moves to LA, and a few weeks later their debut single is out on Kitsune. Go figure. The A-side "Nothing is Getting Us Anywhere" is fun and scary and visceral, and the B-side "Crossover Appeal" makes me anxious to hear the forth-coming LP (assuming they finish it). In the meantime their latest mixtape is here for download.


Digitalism... Digitalism Digitalism Digitalism. Once I found out I'd be catching these dudes, any regret about missing Coachella this year instantly vanished. Last year's single "Jupiter Room (Martian Assault Edit)" never gets old for me, all booming bombast and echoing beats and synthesizer destruction. I actually hope their forthcoming LP follows the path laid out in "Jupiter Room": throbbing beats with the sound of collapsing buildings, add the hi-hat, then enter the puking synths, then the prickly synths, then everything builds and builds until it dissolves into this distorted mess, which coalesces into a huge roller-coaster peak which rides out into the sunset. Yes.