The Chart Show: b'lieve Kurt Vile is goin up
by Mark Wheat
October 01, 2015
With Pitchfork and Rolling Stone both giving his new album rave reviews and our First Listen stream being very popular, Kurt Vile, the new No.1, seems set to step into the limelight. b'lieve I'm goin down... released last week and he celebrated by performing on Conan.
Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win tickets to Words & Music (and Art) by Dan Wilson at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on Friday, Oct. 16!
Another brand new album getting "back to form" reviews is from our highest new entry New Order. Original bass player Hooky is not there, but keyboardist Gillian Gilbert is after a 14 year hiatus. This weekend the Guardian did a lovely career retrospective interview, outlining some deep cut collaborations the members have been involved with, too.
That interview is done by a writer but more and more artists are interviewing other artists as of late. This recent example is an interesting combination as Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES, who has a background in journalism, is interviewed by Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney.
Ezra Furman is new for the very first time at No.12 and he's celebrating with a cover of our local heroes the Replacements, which will appear on the deluxe version of his latest album. "Androgynous" is a good song for Ezra to cover as he likes to perform in dresses or skirt-suits and pearls. You can see what he chooses to wear next Wednesday at the Turf Club.
Courtney Barnett is back after dropping off the chart last week. She's helping to celebrate one of her heroes: Patti Smith's Horses turns 40 this year and Courtney is playing it in its entirety in Melbourne with fellow Aussies Jen Cloher, Adalita from Magic Dirt and Garth Liddiard of Drones.
Beirut are back after a hiatus that could have crippled a band's career, but no, no, no, they seem set to make a big return. Our friends at NPR Music live streamed his performance at Brooklyn's Bell House. That might be the closest you get to Nate Condon and the band live this year unless you take a road trip to Chicago in November.
A lot of other Chart Show denizens are playing here soon though as we kick off ROCKtober: Of Monsters and Men, Oct. 1 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium; Wolf Alice, Oct. 5 at First Avenue; CHRVCHES, Oct. 10 at the Myth; Kurt Vile, Oct. 21 at Mill City Nights; and Leon Bridges, Oct. 28 at First Avenue. Our friends at City pages compiled a list of 104 acts coming through town, ranked on a scale of amps cranked from 1 to 11.