Few artists embody the home-brewed pop spirit quite like Riddle M. Over the last few years, Harrison Riddle has carved out a universe of his own built on lo-fi psychedelia, tape-warped surrealism, and an unfiltered sense of imagination. Now based in Chicago and surrounded by likeminded peers (e.g. Alga, Sharp Pins, Answering Machines), Harrison's fragmentary pop wonders stretch wider than they first appear. Wherever you start, whether it's Aurora or his latest album Lo Stere

So you've heard the news that it's a mod mod world, but have you heard it's also the year of Sharp Pins? The latest pop sensations direct from Chicago. Things have been moving fast for Kai Slater's brainchild from the teenage bedroom daydreams to a full-fledged rock 'n' roll happening. With the latest LP Balloon Balloon Balloon , Slater delivers 21 technicolor blasts of pop reverie that sounds like a transistor radio cutting across decades. You get a mod snap that brings to m

Peter Cimbalo may be best known right now as the pounding heartbeat behind Thee Sharp Pins live trio, one of America's latest pop rock 'n' roll sensations, but under the name Alga, he’s been quietly shaping his own world of sound. His latest self-titled LP is a hook-filled, harmony-laden power pop detour that nods to the greats (The Beckies, Utopia, Julian Leal, and Tom-Foolery -era Toms), while still sounding like something straight from the teenage basement daydreams of tod

Chicago-via-New York's Horsegirl — a trio of longtime friends Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi...

Chicago's most modest popsters Pleasant Mob craft songs that feel like they may have always been there for you, existing in the ether and...

Sharp Pins, the songwriting vehicle for Chicago native and pop noisemaker Kai Slater, (guitarist-vocalist of Lifeguard, publisher of...

Chicago's Answering Machines are DIY heroes, from the tasty crunch of their recordings to their hand-dubbed tapes; it's the sort of...

Last Friday, the Chicago trio Lifeguard released their final single of the year, the shattering "Taking Radar," which reaches beyond the...

After releasing their debut 7" and signing with the prolific Matador Records, we caught up with Horsegirl to discuss their sudden rise,...