Ro's Roundup: November 2023

Hannah Sandoz, Bar Italia and other artists for cold weather

It’s been a difficult month. Amidst the global turmoil, I’ve found solace in going through old vinyl records, from both my grandparents’ house and the store where I work part-time. Some I’ve kept, like a Bossanova album by Laurindo Almeida. Most, though, are fleeting visitors in my life, filling my speakers for thirty minutes or so before I move on to the next artifact. During times of turmoil, I find it comforting to explore music from bygone eras, particularly albums I’m less familiar with. I did something similar during the pandemic.

Time marches on, though. As we head into colder months, artists are offering new music to warm us up and to wallow with us in the gloom.

FEATURED ARTIST: Hannah Sandoz

Sandoz is a self-described freak folk artist based in Chicago. Last year they released their debut LP “Leaving the Party Early,” an atmospheric, melancholy reflection on their early twenties. Now they’re promoting a new single: “Summer Song.” The track is a wistful ballad, glistening with silky vocals over a lush melody that offers just a momentary dive into Midwest emo before returning to a feathery whisper. We took a moment to discuss the new release.

What inspired the single?

At the beginning of summer, I was feeling really stuck in my life. All these opportunities, the promises of summer, were laid out in front of me- and I felt overwhelmed by the excitement of it all. Summer song was a way of musing about the past, keeping memories alive in the present day and assuring that my life would find the right path in the coming months.

You’ve told me that “Youth” by Daughter was your mixing reference for the guitar on your new single. Can you talk about that more?

I listened to that song a lot as a young teen. It felt like a safe place to meditate on my and my friends’ self-destructive behavior. I think back then I didn’t really understand what the song was about, but the richness and depth of that electric guitar stuck with me through the years as the perfect foundation for a wordy ballad. 

I’ve noticed that you largely approach your creative process individually. What about working solo resonates with you?

Practicing and performing my music as an individual is a spiritual undertaking. When working with others, this kind of intimacy requires immense trust and diligent communication. I’m able to focus on my visions so much more closely when I can go completely inside myself; not escaping the outside world, just tending wholeheartedly to the world inside me. 

You were self-taught as a musician until went to Oberlin Conservatory for college. How did you get into music, and how does your sharp shift into professional training shape your work today?

I dabbled in music as a kid, but I didn’t take it seriously until my dad sent me his old Ibanez [guitar from college]. Going to Oberlin taught me the basic stuff like writing arrangements and harmonic functions, but the program I was in gave me tools that were far rarer. I use the electronic processing skills I gained in the TIMARA (Technology in Music and Related Arts) program to add to the intention of my writing, emphasizing or contradicting the meaning of my words and taking the feel of my music to a place that’s more intangible. 

Do you have anything coming up that you’d like folks to know about?

I’ve got a live show on November 10th at Cole’s Bar in Logan Square. I’ll also have some more singles coming out in the spring. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram to keep up with my work, inquire about session vocals/collaborations, or ask any questions you might’ve had about the track.

UPCOMING RELEASES

November 3

Bar Italia, The Twits (Matador), post-punk with some blues, some noise influences

The rising British outfit’s newest album is more expansive than May’s “Tracey Denim,” leaning at times into psychedelic noise and at others into something best described, perhaps, as dark stomp and holler (note the already-released single “Jelsy.” The range of styles, along with a distinctly British brand of dry, gloomy lyrics make The Twits a repeat listen.

Arly Scott, Head in the Walls EP (Better Company), singer-songwriter

Sen Morimoto, Diagnosis (Sooper), jazz/neo-soul/art-pop

November 10

Art Feynman, Be Good The Crazy Boys (Western Vinyl), art/dance-pop

Feynman’s latest album evokes the manic side of 80s new wave, in particular Talking Heads. Sonically, it’s dance-ready with crisp beats and slappy basslines (xylophones and saxophones also make an occasional appearance). Lyrically, it’s darker, with references to the imminence of death and the futility of trying to change. Feynman lightens these tours into existentialism, however. Case in point: “Therapy at 3pm,” which breaks up verses about doom spiraling with the (relatable for some of us) refrain “therapy at 3pm if I can remember.”

Jesse Kivel, Life and Death at Party Rock (New Feelings), folk/pop/electronic

Aesop Rock, Integrated Tech Solutions (Rhymesayers), hip-hop

Daneshevskaya, Long is the Tunnel (Windspear), art folk

November 13

Smushie, Scream Fire (single, self-released), garage/folk rock

The Chicago indie rock artist’s latest remake of half his October 6 release possesses an upbeat, 60s feel with a country edge. Think Leon Russell or Three Dog Night. The hook is fresh and irresistible, enlivened by catchy guitar and vocals filtered with a retro, fuzzy distortion.

November 17

MJ Lenderman, And the Wind (Live and Loose!) (Anti-), alt-country

Water From Your Eyes, Crushed by Everyone (Matador), art rock

N0trixx, Rejected EP (self-release), Russian trap metal

Danny Brown, Quaranta (Warp), hip-hop

Kurt Vile, Back to Moon Beach EP (Verve), folk rock

Ryan Burns, A Sign of Things to Come (self-released), Americana/folk

NORTH AMERICA TOURS

Slaughter Beach, Dog - Now - Jan. 21 (folk/rock)

Deer Tick - Now - Nov. 25 (folk/rock)

Cory Hanson - Now - Nov. 30 (psych rock)

Petey with North Americans - Now - Dec. 6 (emo rock, experimental folk)

Spiritualized - Now - Dec. 16 (neo-psychedelia)

Armand Hammer - Nov. 16 - Feb. 24 (hip-hop)

Uniform - Now - Dec.1 (industrial)

Palehound - Now - Nov. 18 (rock/folk/singer-songwriter)

Speedy Ortiz - Now - Dec. 12 (slacker rock)

Beach Fossils - Now - Nov. 30 (dream pop / surf rock / post-punk / lo-fi)

Sun June - Now - Jan. 3 (folk/rock)

Chicago shows

Nov. 4 - Rich Jones with ShrapKnel, J Bambii and Udababy at Empty Bottle (hip-hop)

Nov. 9 - Inferno ft. Glamour Cadaver, Kobe Dupree and Flores Negras at Smartbar (dark electronic)

Nov. 17 - Cruel album release with Joyfriend and Footballhead at Empty Bottle

Nov. 24 - Capital Soireé, Pinksqueeze, Violet Crime and Teen Blush at Subterranean

Nov. 16 - Ryan Burns album release with The Kantors and Lydia Cash at Burlington Bar

Nov. 11 - Slow Pulp with Babehoven at Thalia Hall – read my preview for the Chicago Reader