Songs

Hey Chicago, what do you say? Do the Cubs need more songs to play? Sure fans belt out "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," a seventh-inning stretch tradition usually led by a celebrity singing off-key. And then there's the beloved anthem "Go, Cubs, Go" by Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman blaring when the Cubs claim victory at home and fans stumble out the ballpark. Well, turns out there's a boatload of other songs penned and recorded in honor of the lovable losers joining the likes of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder's "All the Way. " Just in time for the start of the season, a video that...

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, they say. Then try 58 more times and maybe write some songs about it too, they say. At least that's what they do if you're Logan Square's Sam Zelitch, who bombarded Patton Oswalt's Twitter account with tweet after tweet inviting him to attend 826 Chicago's Promi-con this weekend. Zelitch, 26, volunteers for 826Chi, a non-profit writing and tutoring center, and once the staff found out Oswalt was in town for the C2E2 convention, they set their sites on getting him to their prom, an annual event that always has a differnet theme.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, they say. Then try 58 more times and maybe write some songs about it too, they say. At least that's what they do if you're Logan Square's Sam Zelitch, who bombarded Patton Oswalt's Twitter account with tweet after tweet inviting him to attend 826 Chicago's Promi-con this weekend. Zelitch, 26, volunteers for 826Chi, a non-profit writing and tutoring center, and once the staff found out Oswalt was in town for the C2E2 convention, they set their sites on getting him to their prom, an annual event that always has a differnet theme.

Near the close of Youngblood Hawke's debut album, "Wake Up," frontman Sam Martin sings, "You don't get a second chance to make the same mistakes. " Yet a second chance is exactly what Martin has been given. Prior to forming the Los Angeles-based sextet, the singer and his bandmate Simon Katz spent six years grinding away in Iglu & Hartly, a California-by-way-of-Colorado rock band that scored a major label deal and briefly flirted with mainstream success before disintegrating in 2011.

*** (out of 4) Fall Out Boy has a new single, as you might have heard. The band announced both an album ("Save Rock and Roll") and a reunion Monday by making sure to point out that this is NOT a reunion because "we never broke up," as they say on their website. So yeah, just for the record. Like many FOB songs, it's weighed down by a terrible, wordy title "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up). " It opens with a blippy, Ke$ha-esque sample, a soaring background "WHOOOO--OOOOOAAAAAHHH" and some thumping drums--which is to say, this...

***1/2 (out of four) Dirty Projectors songs don't generally work like regular songs. They clatter, contradict and undermine themselves. They are full of syncopation. They abruptly veer away from their own melodies. They bounce between fragmented sonic elements. Listening to Dirty Projectors (whose last proper studio record was 2009's fascinating “Bitte Orca”) can be a delicate undertaking: It seems like the songs could collapse at any moment. While their music scans as Brooklyn indie rock, the band's experimentalist bent...

Welcome to Cultural Exchange Fridays, where we learn more about different cultures and hold hands and smile..or something. Anyway, to kick it off I (with the supreme guidance of David Drake from the Fader and his own blog) have prepared a Spotify playlist of some of the biggest and most influential Southern Rap classics. These songs have inspired hundreds, kept butts shaking, and boomed through vintage Cadillacs and Buicks outfitted with subwoofers. The list is here , so subscribe and get it in yo speakers.

Former the Academy Is ... singer William Beckett releases his debut solo EP "Walk the Talk" today. The Barrington resident was kind enough to stop by the RedEye offices and perform an acoustic version of the first single, "Compromising Me," as well as sit down for an interview with yours truly. We'll leave you in suspense for our chat until closer to Beckett's May 29 show at Schubas. For now, enjoy a solid version of an excellent tune. OK, here's a small snippet of the interview to tide you over: On releasing a few songs at time (Beckett will release two...

***1/2 (out of 4) Having limited exposure to previous work from Fun (an indie super-group comprising members of the Format, Anathallo and Steel Train), I showed up to the New York outfit's sophomore full-length merely expecting some fun indie pop. Receiving stadium-ready songs like “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monae) and “One Foot,” both songs either currently or soon to be invading every commercial in the known universe, was a kick to the gut I didn't mind one bit. The title track has lush vocals from Nate Ruess and guitar play that recalls Paul...

And I thought I picked a needle in a haystack when selecting J. Roddy Walston and the Business as my favorite show at Lollapalooza 2011. Clearly the needle has pricked some others. At a sold out Double Door Friday, the Baltimore boogie-rock quartet had a packed house singing along frequently--especially joining in on the band's fantastic "oohs" and "aahs" that anchor blistering songs that sometimes sound as if Kings of Leon indulged a Little Richard phase. In fact, Walston makes Richard's "Lucille" sound like an original, and, packed...

Chicago rapper St. Millie isn't shy about revealing his innermost thoughts to both friends and journalists alike. "This is my first big interview, by the way," he admitted in a recent phone interview, "So I'm a little nervous. " Born Milton McKinney III 21 years ago, the rapper is similarly unguarded on his debut mixtape, "No Religion but Up," a soulful effort packed with songs that touch on everything from Chicago gun violence ("Hello") to his mother's struggles with drug addiction ("Dear Moms")

*** (out of four) On 2009's “Brand New Eyes,” Paramore singer Hayley Williams couldn't believe the Tennessee outfit was still a band. On the record, which had its moments but often failed to excite like breakout predecessor “Riot!,” Williams sang about what it takes to stay together and the perspective that comes from being a hugely popular group. Two of Paramore's founding members since have departed, and the band now soldiers on as a trio for their self-titled new album, an effort to start fresh and do things the way Paramore 2.0 sees fit. Williams still...

**1/2 (out of four) In his self-titled 2011 debut album, James Blake was already beginning to pivot away from the purely electronic production that first got him noticed. A show-stopping cover of Joni Mitchell's “A Case Of You” and a collaboration with fellow sentimentalist Bon Iver released later in 2011 made it clearest where he was headed. These days, Blake's production is crisper, more exciting and more widely celebrated than ever - Kanye and Drake are both fans - but his approach on his sophomore effort, “Overgrown,” is as much that of a...

**1/2 (out of four) The French dance music scene that gave us Daft Punk, Justice and the late DJ Mehdi has also produced a lot of lesser names that weren't worth your time and effort. For a long time, producer/DJ Kavinsky was one of them. He released the usual scattered remixes--mostly music to buy chinos to. That changed with his song "Nightcall," whose inclusion in the opening credits of the Ryan Gosling film "Drive" rocketed Kavinsky back into popular conversation. On the heels of that success, he releases "Outrun," his first full-length album...

This just in from Canada: The Vancouver Canucks held an online contest to pick the song the team skates out to before the game (Japandroids beat out Nickelback). C'mon, we all know Chicago never takes a backset to Vancouver. These blood-pumping tunes are guaranteed to get Chicago crowds amped from the start. . Cubs "Riding The Storm Out," REO Speedwagon I almost suggested "L's Anthem" by Lil' Durk, honestly, both for local ties and the fact the Cubs see a lot of "L"s over the course of the season.

*** (out of 4) Fall Out Boy has a new single, as you might have heard. The band announced both an album ("Save Rock and Roll") and a reunion Monday by making sure to point out that this is NOT a reunion because "we never broke up," as they say on their website. So yeah, just for the record. Like many FOB songs, it's weighed down by a terrible, wordy title "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up). " It opens with a blippy, Ke$ha-esque sample, a soaring background "WHOOOO--OOOOOAAAAAHHH" and some thumping...

**1/2 (out of four) In his self-titled 2011 debut album, James Blake was already beginning to pivot away from the purely electronic production that first got him noticed. A show-stopping cover of Joni Mitchell's “A Case Of You” and a collaboration with fellow sentimentalist Bon Iver released later in 2011 made it clearest where he was headed. These days, Blake's production is crisper, more exciting and more widely celebrated than ever - Kanye and Drake are both fans - but his approach on his sophomore effort, “Overgrown,” is as much that of a singer-songwriter as of a producer.

NPR.org reports: Pro tip for Andrew Bird fans hearing Break It Yourself for the first time: Clear away any and all distractions, listen on headphones and let its subtle charms sink in slowly. Early mornings or late nights work best. This isn't a record for chaotic commutes or busy offices - these are songs of quiet contemplation, performed by a classically trained artist who sounds unmistakably confident in his craft, yet more muted than usual. Read the full story and listen to the album at NPR.org .

Shakespeare: For me, Shakespeare brings to me a sense of the sonnet and innovation in the sonnet--and that's what John Berryman also brings to me. Lil Wayne: I listen to Lil Wayne and try to learn from him to see what he's doing in terms of rhymes and rhyme structure. Lil Wayne is very post-modern--that's why I also love Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang moves associatively through their songs in a very post-modern way. Their language play is some of the best you'll see. Lil Wayne brings to me a sense of rhyme structure, metaphor-making and fresh metaphors that I think, ultimately, produce reactions...

*Editor's note: This column originally was published Dec. 4, 2011. As a person who thinks all organized religions have been a net "bad" for human civilization, I gotta say, I still really enjoy Christmas. You get days off work, you get to see your family, your friends, there's good food, alcoholic eggnog, presents, the lights are pretty and tend to put women in an amorous mood - don't ask me why. Therefore, I'm anti-"War on Christmas. " But I'm pro-"War on Christmas Music. " There's not really a way to sugarcoat this, but people who like Christmas music...