I’ve gradually been easing this blog into the Chicago scene. Have you noticed yet? (image a devilish grin on my face right now — not that hardly any of you have seen my face, but that’s another post, just imagine it) I love covering the music that comes through my city and at the same time there’s lots of music already in my city. And then there’s the posts about me and my moods and my life that’s filled with all sorts of music … but I digress. I’ve been making an effort to follow some local, unsigned acts here in Chi-town. And here’s a really talented indie-folk quartet, In Miniature. Sarah wrote me wondering if I’d help promote the band and maybe plug their show tomorrow night. Well, hell yeah I will 
So give Stefanie and Erin, who like to sing harmonies, a listen. They say their bass player, Philip, “likes to stand quietly in the corner, occasionally surprising us with a sudden burst of hilarious political commentary.” Well that’s not on the EP I got, so I guess we’ll have to go see them live to figure out what kind of politics Philip is into. Sarah says “we all play multiple instruments, so on a given song you might hear guitar, bass, drums, keys, accordion, banjo, or xylophone–wow, right?” Yeah, wow! This music is low-fi and sweet, not sweet like twirly-girly twee stuff, but sweet like sharp harmonies and stripped down songs that bare their construction without shame. Their EP, Hey Marsupial opens with “Tornado,” their most “marketable” track, lyrically cryptic and very catchy. “No Surprise” takes off in an entirely new direction. With a strong, slow downbeat, I’m drawn in and swooning over the melody in no time. It’s a song that the Indigo Girls could easily have written but didn’t, but In Miniature has made this all their own. “Call It In The Air” with it’s repeating guitar motif is a good song, but I feel it has a sort of identity crisis. It wants to be sung like a pop song, but lyrically it’s folk all the way. And then “Barefoot Lullabye” hits my ears and I sit back with a sigh, you know all these lullabye songs always get me. And this one is sad, tender and smooth as it should be. Finally, “Compass Rose” shows off their harmonies nicely; fast paced and quirky, it has a theatrical flair to it that suits their instrumental talents. All in all, In Minature’s EP Hey Marsupial gives a great taste of what this quartet is capable of. It has a wonderful range of songs, none sounding like the other yet all having a In Miniature sound. With careful production it could be a wonderful EP, and as it stands it does give a wonderful view into what this group has to offer.
There’s a lot of folk in this, indie for sure, and the aesthetic of the indie generation carries this forward in time nicely. But older traditions of folk shine through in the way their songs are crafted both musically and lyrically. Stefanie and Erin have a bit of the folkish waver, the mature female voice of 60s and 70s music that I grew up on. It’s nice to hear it again. And they’re smart enough to find a good balance between instruments and vocals, something that is often lacking in groups like this. If you like folk music from indie girls then get yourself over to Ronny’s Bar tomorrow night. (I say girls, hoping not to offend them, they’re ladies, we know! but “indie ladies” just doesn’t roll off the tongue darlings!) xoxox
Playing Monday (4/6) 9:00 PM w/ Papermoons (TX)
Ronny’s Bar
2101 N. California Ave
Cost: $7
No Surprise mp3 In Miniature Hey Marsupial
Barefoot Lullabye mp3 In Miniature Hey Marsupial
MySpace where there’s details on how to get their EP for free
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coo yeah, I’d come along if just a bit nearer. wish there was more bass playing on No Surprise; it seems to build vocally, but w/o support from the instruments… they’d sound seriously good with even some teensy production.
Andy, you and I think so much alike, it’s scary! That’s exactly it… and exactly the reason I’d like to see them live, to see how their sound fills the room, not something you can capture on an mp3 or even on vinyl for that matter. Thanks as always for your thoughts, xoxo
nearly said this earlier, but, well, I dunno why not (ahh feeling rushed, remember now) – but I bet they sound better on stage, by a mile. When bands get a bit bigger & start prattling in the studio with decent gear & engineers/producers, it’s very difficult for them to sound anything like their recordings when they play live, whereas lotsa little bands, sound absolutely splendid in yer local venue, yet can’t capture that feel on tape. It doesn’t help any when typical local yokel engineers ask the bands “who do ya wanna sound like?, which album?” ffs!.
You don’t always know (re bigger guys) what they actually want to sound like, cuz studios/labels stamp their own signature with an eye on sales, or just personal aesthetics, and lightweight family fare ends up being all grungy & horrid at the mid-size (400+) venues, and seeing a band live can be just the experience of going along & cheering to songs you know, which bear little resemblance aurally, to the very same ones you liked ‘em for in the first place; which as you can guess, bugs me something terrible – bah! humbug! – I don’t want the full orchestra you used on the album, but a bit of effort’d be welcome, esp when (comparatively) money’s not the problem.
end of rant – I discovered yesterday that my neighbour’s garage is chock full of ridiculously expensive studio gear, not today’s cutting edge, but real top level pro stuff from not that many years ago; damn, I’d love to get to grips with it.
Ah hun, I know exactly what you mean. And yes, I suspect this quartet to be quite exquisite in person.
That said, I particularly hate it when “big” bands (meaning really big sellers who play to large crowds) who should have the acoustics worked out and the show fine tuned, just honestly either don’t or can’t. And no, I don’t feel that I have to have the same experience as I do in my living room, but some resemblance please! Point in case, Bloc Party last week… sorry, but it was a royal mess for the first half of the show and even the die hard fans (of which, admittedly I’m not) were not singing along. That’s the true test, eh? Lack of real talent or lack of vision or lack of direction or lack of management expertise, or what? What is going on in a situation like that with a band that big? I observed the crowd from multiple vantage points and no dancing, very little singing, some moderate head nodding, and a bit of hand raising but mostly meh until about 4 songs in. Shameful really, it was in such a great venue.
Ok, rant over, and yes, this fine quartet will not have that problem tonight, so Chicago go see em! xoxo
spooky you, I’ve been jotting down bits on & off all day along those lines, + thinking of bands who really make the effort and/or succeed at sounding half-right; beginnings of a post I imagine, tho got badly side-tracked by a movie scene that came to mind as a useful illustration.
what? – All/any of the things you mention, I believe: little teeny venue not so long ago (ok, not a big name artist), label owned by emi & management/or agent ex same & present + very involved…. couldn’t hear the vocals from 25feet away, smack by the desk. Silly buggers, too busy leading the applause to notice?