Radio Show 4 yesssss!

Fox’s Radio Show July 23 2008

Today's show is based on the theme of laziness (hence the last hour). However that Kitsune mix is fucking sick, you can find it free for download at elbows blog aggregator.

Artists, labels, managment etc. Please make my life easier and email me and send me tracks. I'm only one man, and like I said earlier, I'm lazy.

That being said, enjoy the set. I'll be posting a blog on what I thought of pitchfork music fest, so stay tuned.

Love,

Fox


TRACK ARTIST ALBUM (IF APPLICABLE)
Disorder Joy Division Unknown Pleasures
I Remember Being Young Bikini Concerning The Number 7 And Your Love
I Want Nothing The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts
Ode To Puerto Rico The Killer Whales The Killer Whales
Yacht Club Spitzer Roller Coaster EP
Nightdrive With You Anoraak Anoraak
Bright Red Helmet Styrofoam A Thousand Words

Pitchfork Music Festival Retrospective

Ribs Out Fuck Buttons Street Horrrsing
Electric BORIS Pink
Eraser No Age Nouns
Crimewave Health Health
Winter Vacation Atlas Sound Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
Comfy In Nautica Panda Bear Person Pitch
Dance Wiv Me (feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome) Dizzee Rascal
Nobody Lost, Nobody Found Cut Copy In Ghost Colours
Talk Like That The Presets Apocalypso
Klaxons - Magick (Simian Mobi Simian Mobile Disco Bugged Out: Suck My Deck
It's The Beat (Shit Robot Remix) Simian Mobile Disco Sample and Hold
Damaged Goods Gang Of Four Entertainment! [Remaster]
Wait a Minute Osborne Ghostly Swim
Fire The Whip X Marks Destination
Platinum (Featuring Bobby Birdman) Y.A.C.H.T. I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real.
I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you (The Twelves Remix) Black Kids
When You Talk The Twelves Throw It Away (DESIGNER_DRUGS_remix) Messinian
Versus Microfilm Singles
How I Became Paranoid Cansei de Ser Sexy Donkey
Starstruck (Diplo Remix) Santogold
Girls (Spruce Lee and Kato Remix) Walter Meego Singles

Album (mix) of the week
Kitsune Tabloid Mixed By Digitalism Digitalism Kitsune Tabloid Mixed By Digitalism
(FCC VIOLATION AT 18:53 till 21:22)
(SET LIST)
01 Mawkish - Baba
02 Muscles - Sweaty (Shazam Rmx )
03 Zongamin - Tunnel Music
04 Hercules & Love Affair - Raise Me Up
05 Holy Ghost - Hold On
06 Zombie Nation - Filter Jerks
07 The Human League - The Things That Dreams Are Made Of (Original dub)
08 Shadowdancer - Cowbois / with Spank Rock - Put That Pussy On Me (A Capella)
09 Digitalism - The Pulse (Der Die Das Rmx )
10 Midnight Juggernauts - Ending Of An Era
11 The Jonzon Crew - Space Cow Boy
12 I Sream Ice Ccream - Closing Time Closing In
13 Siriusmo - Diskoding
14 Calvin Harris - Colours
15 The Presets - Yippiyo Ya
16 Hey Today ! - If I Was Wonder
17 Hot Chip - Shake A Fist
18 The Kills - Cheap And Cheerful
19 The B 52 - Funplex (CSS Extended remix)
20 Proxy - Dance in Dark
21 Decalicious - La Favière 76 ( Larz Chapter remix)
22 In Flagranti - Business Acumen
23 Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Metronomy remix)
24 WhoMadeWho - The Plot
25 Digitalism - Echoes ( Digitalism's Underwater Sonar Club mix)

rapid:
http://rapidshare.com/files/132009441/rock_show_july_23.part1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/132009442/rock_show_july_23.part2.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/132009444/rock_show_july_23.part3.rar.html
pass: foxxycloud

Radio Show 3 Suckas

Here's the set list (I lost the first forty minutes or so to the void that is my ineptitude, the rar is in three mp3s, named in sequential order, you should be able to tell where it fades in and out)

Technical difficulties be damned!
FOX’S WNUR “ROCK” SHOW (9/16/08)

Track Band ALBUM

& Down Boys Noize Oi Oi Oi

Reckless Crystal Castles Crystal Castles

The Crystal Cat Dan Deacon Spiderman of the Rings

Pogo Digitalism Idealism

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BLACK GHOSTS-BLACK GHOSTS

Anyway You Choose To Give It The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts

It's Your Touch The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts

Repetition Kills You (ft. Damon Albarn) The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts

House Jam (XXXchange remix) Gang Gang Dance Get Free Music at RCRD LBL.com

Black And Gold Sam Sparro Sam Sparro

Marina Gasolina (Fake Blood Remix) Bonde Do Role Marina Gasolina

Unbearable Lightness of Being My Milky Way Arms My Milky Way Arms

Getting Away With It Electronic Electronic

ITALIANS DO IT BETTER SPECIAL (IN HONOR OF MIKE SIMONETTI)

Las Night A DJ Saved My Life (Mirage) VA After Dark

Candy Castle Glass Candy Beat Box (Tour CD)

Computer Love (Glass Candy) VA After Dark

In The City (Chromatics) VA After Dark

Mask Chromatics IV

The Chameleon (12 Inch Version) Glass Candy I Always Say Yes (TMU-186) Vinyl

I Want Your Love Chromatics IV

Pegaso Professor Genius I Think / Pegaso - EP

Miss Boradway (Glass Candy) VA After Dark

BAND YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO ALREADY

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR (DFA)

You Belong Hercules And Love Affair Hercules And Love Affair

Blind Hercules And Love Affair Hercules And Love Affair

Twenty Four Hour Party People Happy Mondays Greatest Hits

Triceratops (Acid Girls Rmx B) Health Health//Disco

Under The Sun Junior Boys Last Exit [Disc 1]

DVNO Justice †

Deserter Matthew Dear Asa Breed

Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep's Extended Dance Mix) New Order Best Remixes

No Comply Studio Yearbook 1

Into The Groove The Medic Droid Whats Your Medium

She's Going Out Tonight The Remote Too Low to Miss

Neo Violence The Tough Alliance New Chance

Animal House Simian Mobile Disco Live from SoHo (iTunes Exclusive)

Lazer@Present Ricardo Villalobos Salvador

Lover PNAU PNAU

rapid:
http://rapidshare.com/files/130491424/radioshow7_16_08.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/130491425/radioshow7_16_08.part2.rar

pass: foxxycloud

Radio Show #2 Fuck Yeah!

Alright,

The levels may be off just a little bit, but my radio show from this wed. is included with the post (complete with my actual voice). Also included is a set list with my two special sections for Pitchfork Music Festivals and Partie Traumatic. Leave a comment if you want to know about any of the bands. Let me know if there are any issues with dloading.

Rapids links:
http://rapidshare.com/files/128937679/Wnur_Rock_Show_7-9-08.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/128937680/Wnur_Rock_Show_7-9-08.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/128970322/Wnur_Rock_Show_7-9-08.part3.rar

pass: foxxycloud

set list

Title Band Song
Gronlandic Edit Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Evident Utensil Chairlift Evident Utensil - Get Free Music at RCRDLBL.com
witch final Cut Off Your Hands Covers
Details On How to Get ICEMAN On Your License Plate Don Caballero American Don
Tonto Battles Mirrored

TOP TEN REASONS TO SEE PFORK
10 Oh, Mojave The Ruby Suns Sea Lion
9 Sweet Love For Planet Earth Fuck Buttons Street Horrrsing
8 Soul On Fire Spiritualized Songs in A&E
7 Don't Let Him Come Back Jay Reatard Singles 06-07
6 The Underdog Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5 Red and Purple The Dodos Visiter
4 Sleeper Hold No Age Nouns
3 Pink BORIS Pink
2 Fame and Fortune Mission of Burma Signals, Calls, and Marches
1 For Reverend Green Animal Collective Strawberry Jam
ONLY REASON Hearts On Fire Cut Copy In Ghost Colours
Spring Hall Convert Deerhunter Cryptograms

Album of the week: Black kids – Partie Traumatic
Partie Traumatic Black Kids Partie Traumatic
Listen To Your Body Tonight Black Kids Partie Traumatic
I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You Black Kids Partie Traumatic
A Prospector Can Dream Forward Russia Life Processes
Cobrastyle Robyn Robyn [2007]
Embrace ft. Ladyhawke (Fred Falke & Miami Horror remix) _128kbps Pnau
Common Species Wow Common Species - Single
Running Up That Hill Chromatics IV
La Grotta Professor Genius Professor Genius
Unflug Ricardo Villalobos Salvador
He Keeps Me Alive Sally Shapiro Disco Romance
Paris Is Burning (Original) Ladyhawke Paris Is Burning
This Boy's In Love (LifeLike Remix) The Presets Apocalypso Sampler - modular.rcrdlbl.com
Hustler (Joakim Remix) Simian Mobile Disco Sample and Hold
Empire Falls Plastic Palace Alice The Great Depression
To Hell With Good Intentions Mclusky Mclusky Do Dallas
Wet and Rusting Menomena Friend and Foe
If I Had A Reason OCS 3
Unless It's Kicks Okkervil River The Stage Names
Ruins The Panics Cruel Guards
The Only Truth (US Remix) Paul Haig Then Again
That's Not My Name The Ting Tings We Started Nothing @ imediar.in
Lauren From Glebe Muscles Guns Babes Lemonade


love,

Fox

Khan BBQ- 2401 Devon Ave (Devon St.)

Northwestern has its share of Indian students, and my dorm floor was filled with people from India or among the first generation from Indian born American citizens. My freshman year was spent with many of these friends, experiencing the power and fucking glory of Indian food. I was the white kid that could take the heat that is a Bombay kid’s birthright, and I love every minute of that shit. Fast forward to today, where my girlfriend and I (also white) dare Indian, Thai, Japanese, and Korean chefs to do there worst to our palates, bring it the fuck on!!

And then one day, Khan BBQ walked into our lives (or we walked into theirs) and it was like coming home. There’s nothing better than hot slabs of protein, perfectly marinated and spiced, and ramped up by the curries, cumin and other earth shattering spices of the land of Ghandi. Did I mention this is one of the cheapest places to eat that I have been to (Indian food that is). Are you in? You should be.

One thing about most Indian (and for that matter any restaurant with roots in asia/middle east) is their absolute need of an interior decorator. Come on, you could at least try. If you find yourself sitting in the large room (the one that doesn’t have the grill view), you will find yourself staring at not only the couch and big screen tv setup (where the fuck did that come from), but also the faux eighties green and blue lighted looks-like-dade county-“cocain cowboy”- 80’s-shitshow. Dude, its time for fucking changing spaces, or Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares, or something; we have an ambiance crisis. That being said the restaurant is large and spacious, with clean tile floors, and big windows. Interesting drapes adorned on doorways give this place subtle charm, but again, nobody will be calling Architectural Digest or anything.

Not to mention the menu makes my blog look as if I carry Elements of Style in my back pocket (which I don’t….duh….but I am flattered that you think so). It is riddled with spelling errors, and is not very specific as to what dishes are specials, and what entrees are dinner or lunch only.

Luckily you don’t have to understand the menu to get a good meal, you will be hard pressed to find something on this menu that you are going to dislike. The tandoor is in heavy use here, with half and whole chickens being served to about every table (oh my god its so fucking god). The kababs, goasht and nan, are all strong, but one of the dishes that caught my fancy (and have yet to order) was the frontier rice (a kitchen sink approach to rice featuring chicken, countless vegetables and hers, and rice) this dish was at every Indian persons table, and I highly regret that it was not on mine.

This place has the best, cheap, Indian food available in the city of Chicago. The great selection, the fire-hot-cuisine, and the charcoal broiled meat make this a must go restaurant. They just need to hire an interior decorator.

cirKus -Laylow (Tent 2008)

Subtlety is the lifeblood of trip-hop and dub step. Its fathers, techno and hip-hop, are not the subtlest of art forms, nor are they meant to be. While cirKus has delivered a solid album, with good production, the product seems more like an improvised Frankenstein of different musical subtexts. While the creature is, technically, what you wanted, you’d much rather listen to the specific aspects than the whole conglomeration. Laylow, ultimately lacks the refinement of its contemporaries (early Massive Attack, Burial, etc.).
Dj Kamil (a.k.a. Matt Kent) and Burt Ford (a.k.a. Bogga Bear) use the contrast between acoustic picking, drum machines, and record spinning to great effect in the actual production of this album. The title track is ethereal, with a beautiful drumming track, as well as impressive backing vocals. Yet, as with most of the songs in this album, the vocals fail. The lyrics are poorly written (see You’re such an……), and lack the subtlety, or for that matter the abstraction, that it could.
The songs have similar structures, and there is a very defined aesthetic to this band. Most of the songs have moments of brilliance, such as the chorus of “Ruff Turf,” and the middle of “Time for the Whistle.” Yet there is always some aspect, usually vocally, that you wish you could eliminate. Those vocals are usually the hip-hop ones that the female sings (the band refused to give contributors names away because it has “fuck all to do with music” so “female sings” will have to do). The production is ultimately what carries this band past mediocre, but not that far past.
Not to mention that the range of the album is limited. The songs have some distinction, yet the structure of the songs generally remains the same. The songs all blend together and are almost unrecognizable, especially because the vocals are consistent through most of the album. This wouldn’t be a problem if there were adequate transitions between songs (see Cut Copy’s In Ghost Colors), but the songs attempt to stand on their own. The beauty of trip/hop and electronic music in general is that you have limitless instrumentation and vocal capabilities; it would have been nice to hear different structures, and vocals. However, as is the case with a lot of this genre, the songs lack a specific identity, and, because they lack the “duuf” “duuf” of their forefathers, they aren’t really infectious enough to keep you interested for the entire four minutes.
Ultimately, while this album has moments of uncanny production, it falls flat on the execution of the actual songs. The lack of subtlety makes this album seem contrived, even though for all intensive purposes it isn’t.


For fans of:
Burial, Massive Attack, Portishead, Unkle

Fox-o-meter 6.3 Missed opportunities outta 10

Attn bands: stay at my place

Hey doods,

Any indie band that needs a place to crash, as long as i like your music, its cool.
Obviously sex, drugs and rock and roll are included, just shoot me an email if your touring, and Chicago isnt an option cause it's so fucking expensive.


Email me at dustinjfox@gmail.com if you got any questions/interest


Rock out with your cocks out

Radio Show #1

Wa'gwan' Rastas

Until I can figure out how to record my radio show into an mp3 directly, i'm just going to rar all the music files with an xml playlist included. All the tracks I played are included, but not in order. (The xml spreadsheet should be able to guide you if order is your thing).

Let me know what you guys think. I should be able to record my show (with my voice) within a few weeks. These are just the tracks, with no input by me (which is why your listening.....right?).

One Love

Rapid Links:

http://rapidshare.com/files/125027823/radio_show_1.part1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/125062656/radio_show_1.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/125063731/radio_show_1.part3.rar

Pass: foxxycloud

Mado - 1647 N. Milwaukee Ave. - Wicker Park

I came to Chicago from a beautiful 132-acre farm in Ohio, so I know what farm fresh is. We raised cattle, chickens, turkeys, had gardens full of vegetables, and everything we ate during the summer was just-picked-it-or-killed-it fresh. So I know, literally, what farm fresh is.
A lot of places in Chicago that are representatives of the green/sustainable/blah de fucking blah movements talk a big game, but when you eat at their place you wonder how long this tomatoes you are eating was on the farmers market truck. Mado, on the other, refreshing, hand tastes fresh. Fresher than at home at least (and that pretty fucking fresh if you caught my drift).
If that wasn’t enough freshness for you: while I was there, a farmer walks in with a couple crates full of farm picked strawberries, then sits down and has diner at the place. To actually see the person who grew your food, eating in the restaurant with you, it is a powerful fucking message.


The menu changes daily (depending on what they have bought from the farmers), and everything, I mean everything is made here. Sausage, cured meats, and sparkling water (are you fucking kidding me) not to mention, everything, is made on premises. Chef Rob Levitt (above) definitely deserves the bread he is making (I'm a fucking genius) (actually his wife, Allison, is the pastry chef so she probably makes the bread).


The ambiance is what you would come to expect from a Wicker Park restaurant: exposed brick walls, halogen light bulbs (oooh! How green of you), and walls riddled with abstract expressionist art (which seems very pedestrian in this day and age). There is a lot of space, and this restaurant definitely doesn’t try to stuff extra tables in (we’ll see upon success). The vaulted ceilings give the illusion of even more space, yet it feels that they could have done more things with it (chandeliers, track lighting, etc.). This place ultimately panders to the soon-to-be yuppie crowd of Wicker Park, while presenting nothing new, albeit nothing bad, to restaurant ambiance in general.


The service was good, but the servers can be overwhelmed by this restaurants fresh approach. Expect long waits for coffee drinks, mainly because they grind the beans, by hand, for every cup of coffee. Our server was helpful and attentive, but definitely overwhelmed because of the small plate needs of our table. The delivery of ten different dishes has to be vexing from a waiters A simple remedy would be to hire more servers, but seeing as this is a new restaurant, and knowing the chef, it’s a matter of time before this is sorted out.


The standouts of the meal, for me was the asparagus with a farm fresh egg on top, which was playful and interesting, without being over pretentious. The fresh snow peas, the cured meats, and all our entrees (I had the lamb sausage, which the server informed me was made 30 minutes before I ate it) were great. The Gorgonzola polenta was one of the best polenta dishes I have had. People recommended the shortbread cookies, which were a good texture, but there was too much sugar for me to handle. Even though it took a long time for the coffee drinks to come out, they were worth the wait.




Booze is BYOB, with plenty of good liquor stores around (there’s one on North, not to mention several others in the area). Pairing is a breeze; the light cuisine goes for hoppyer beers than maltier (my party bought several different types of beer, with the Dogfish 90 Minute working out the best). With wine, I’d go drier, but even sweet dessert wines such as Rieslings will work.
With small plates ranging from 5 to 12 dollars, and the entrees in the high teens and low twenties, this place isn’t going to break your bank. That doesn’t even consider the BYOB, but who knows…they could always decide to try their hands at bathtub gin, and foot pressed wine.

Fox-o-meter
Food: 9.2 jeez this is fresh out of 10
Ambiance: 7 Contrived Wicker Park skeet skeet out of 10
Drink: 10 byob always gets 10 in my book

No good website yet

Kuni's - 511 Main St - Evanston

I wish I had a time machine (ala terminator) so that I could go back to the first restraunteur who thought Sushi + House Music = Great Ambiance. There is nothing more annoying than a pretentious, overly dark, overly loud sushi bar that reeks of cool, and of bad fish. Sushi restaurants, much like people themselves, are not great by their exterior, but by their interior. It shouldn’t be about whether the dj is spinning the latest Guetta mix, it should be about how fresh the fish is. With this, and only this, is taken into consideration: Kuni-san runs the premier sushi establishment in Evanston.

Let me preface this, I eat at Kuni’s an average of once a week. When I eat there, Kuni recognizes me, and I usually get 2 mini apps for free, and there have been times where I get multiple pieces of fish (including fucking TORO!) for free. These hook ups are not exclusive to regulars however; when a person sits at the sushi bar, they are sometimes (at Kuni’s discretion) entitled to free edamame, and the fried green tea noodle appetizer (freaking excellent). These acts of anti-capitalism make this one of those homey spots where a relationship with owner/operator Kuni becomes essential to your own happiness.

Ambiance is not the priority here. It looks as if Mr. Miyagi designed the interior himself, and with the traditional Japanese (sometimes contemporary) soundtrack, you feel like you are a character in The Karate Kid series. The ambiance is much more function than fashion. It looks like one of those places that have remained unchanged for untold years. Its cute, but no ones going to be calling architectural digest or anything.

Service is a definite focus here, your glass will always be full, and your sake always warm, and your food delivered within 15 minutes of ordering. If you sit at the sushi bar (recommended), Kuni will give you your sushi as it is made, not all on one plate, making this one of the freshest rolls you can possibly have. Some servers English is bad, but there are enough of them so that you will remain pretty happy. Service takes center stage relative to the ambiance, but by the time you get your freshly cut fish, you won’t give a damn.

Sushi itself is the main focus on the menu, yet the kitchen can also provide some surprises (especially on the appetizer front. The classics Japanese entrees make appearances, with the Naba Yaki Udon, and the Unagidon being some of my personal favorites. Yet even with all the kitchen and entrees, you would be crazy not to order the extremely large cuts of fresh fish that Kuni brings in every day. If you arrive right at the opening of lunch, you can ask Kuni to cut your pieces of fish directly off the fillet, some of the freshest if not the freshest fish you will ever taste. This is only place in Evanston that will continually have fresh Blue Fin tuna (Kuni calls it Boston Tuna). The rolls are all good, but I generally stick with Nigiri. All the fish is fresh, and the special rolls are simplistic (something refreshing in the new Mozzarella baked Sushi world of ours), and most of the rolls are designed to keep the flavors simple and refined. So if you don’t like fresh, raw fish, I understand if you don’t like this restaurant. Let me close about the food by saying this: there is almost always several older Japanese couples every time I eat at Kuni’s (every fucking time). If that doesn’t convince you that this is the place to go, you must like house music much more than you like sushi.

Booze is non-existent, with several Asian beer selections (Kirin, etc). Watch out for the house wine (the house is fucking Carlo Rossi lol). Sake is the must have there, with about 10 varietals available at any given time. With a large sake going for about 7.50, his is one of the cheapest places to drink in the city. With the fish and the perks for multiple visits, this is one of the best sushi places to eat in the city both economically and for the fish itself. A new trendy sushi restaurant opens (and closes) every day, but the quality and quantity of fish that Kuni provides his customers ensures that this place will be around long after those other posers are gone. I’ve eaten at Heat, Sushi Wabi, Agami, and countless other restaurants of the kind, but when people ask me what my favorite sushi spot is, I always say Kuni’s (not just because he gives me the free Toro either…..well….maybe)

Recommendations:

Spicy Tuna Hand Roll
Salmon Nigiri
Aji (Horse Mackeral)
Green Tea Noodle Appetizer

Fox-O-Meter
Food 9 free toro pieces outta 10
Ambiance 5 wax on wax offs outta 10
Service 8 domo arigatos outta10
Booze 7 if you sake bomb at this place I’ll have a shit fit outta 10

Sepia - 123 N. Jefferson St. - West Loop

It’s rare when a restaurant takes your breath away, Yet there I was, entering a little place on Jefferson near Randolph, little did I expect to find one of the best looking restaurants I have ever stepped into. From the impressive door and entrance, to the chic minimalist bar, to the absolutely breathtaking chandeliers, everything looked “stylish without being sleek,” an amalgamation of different times, styles and aesthetics. Many restaurants in the area benefit from the architecture of the old industrial buildings from the later 19th century, this building happened to be a print shop. There is a degree of intimacy in layout of the restaurant, as well as a huge disparity between some seats. Each and every time a person eats at this place, the ambiance will be different. Ask for the group table (seen below). Basically, they could serve shit on a plate here, and I would have a great time eating it.

Obviously owner Emmanuel Nony is a man of absolutely impeccable tastes (he ran the hotel that Lost in Translation was filmed at). So it’s no surprise that the front of house is perfect. The service is impeccable, thoughtful pairings as well as definite opinions on dishes (something I find essential among servers). The bar itself is ornate with its contents, and its sheer breadth of cocktails is impressive. While having a great wine selection (the wine rack is one of the more impressive decorations of the place), and a decent beer selection, the cocktails are worth the price of admission. Resident mixologist Peter Vestinos is one talented dude. I had the tangerine nectar, which is subtly sweet, with the perfect bite of Plymouth gin (which they infuse with tangerine herbal tea). The addition of egg white to the mix causes there to be a frothy top to the drink, which combined with the tangerine rind makes this drink un-freaking-believable. I decided to blaze a trail and I also had the Drunk Monk (gin, chartreuse, lemon juice, orange peel) , and a Bourbon Sour (just as good as the tangerine) . From the bar, to the service, to the ambiance, people will find it hard to find better mixed drinks within the city.


The kitchen follows suit, somewhat. The service is still excellent obviously, but there is the occasional flavor slip up. The selection of ingredients is near perfect as well, yet sometimes the execution of the dishes comes to question. A seasonal menu ensures that the experience is going to be crafted to the season. During the winter I had a beef cheek dish here that was to die for, however the veal chop I ordered this time was a little overcooked and a little over seasoned. The earlier courses are unique and interesting, yet the entrees have a propensity (I swore I wouldn’t run a pretentious blog when I started) to let you down. I would digress that it could have been a poor choice by myself, perhaps I should have asked the waitress (with whom I entrusted my drink selections). We also were one of the last parties to eat there, so that could explain it as well. Not to say that executive chef Kendal Duque doesn’t produce some fantastic dishes, yet I would like to see more consistency and continuity with his selections.
With a superb front of house, and an above average kitchen, Sepia delivers some of the finest mid-upscale dinning in Chicago. Not to mention that the website is one of the best flash websites I’ve seen for a restaurant. Bravo, Barv-fucking-vo.
http://www.sepiachicago.com/
My Meal:
Food:
peekytoe crab, potato and pesto flatbread 6
Seas scallops with ramps, peas, and pork belly 14
Free range veal chop with roasted root vegetables 31
Bread Pudding (again not on website)
Booze:
Tangerine Nectar: tangerine herbal tea infused Plymouth gin, agave nectar, fresh lemon, egg white 11
Drunk Monk: old raj gin, yellow chartreuse, lemon juice, orange peel 12
Bourbon Sour: wild turkey bourbon, fresh lemon sour, orange juice, eggw hite, bing cherry syrup, topped with orange bitters. 11

Fox-o-Meter
Food: 7 consistency is everything out of 10
Drink: 10 egg whites are everything out of 10
Ambiance: 10 wooooooowie! Outta 10
Service: 8 helpful sweeties outt 10

Avec - 615 W. Randolph Street- West Loop

My best friend, my girlfriend and I strolled into this restaurant at 10 pm on Tuesday. Thursday I come to meet the same friend after eating at Sepia (see later blog), and I find my friend sitting at the same table, eating the same exact fucking dishes we had less than 48 hours before. Of the hundreds and hundreds of places my Friend could have taken his family to this weekend. Seeing as this weekend was Northwestern's graduation, perfect time to beg dad to expense account a big meal, and he goes to the same place we were at two days before. That's how fucking good this restaurants is.


When you step into Avec, you feel as if you are walking into a Sauna. And while there are no old ass men's balls sagging their way onto the all wood interior, at first it can be a little off putting. However, once the first dish comes, and you acclimate to the cafeteria like brightness of the place, you realize that this is one of the more comfortable eating environments you've been in. Not to mention that the food is so good, that you could be in some Tony Bourdain like street vendor booth, and you wouldn't have sense enough, or care enough, about anything other than the taste of your mouth (how hasn't that dude gotten a tapeworm or dysentery or something- if he does...Travel Channel..if you're reading......you have my email......please......).

Koren Grieveson took her career two doors down the street, and prepares dishes that are in fact similar to her old job at Blackbird, but definitely distinctive. Every dish is incredible, but the specials really reigned supreme. My party had a large plate of Whole New Zealand Red Snapper with caperberries and a lemon butter sauce, at 40 bucks its an investment, but it was totally worth it. While it claims to focus on "small plates" the offerings have a tendency to be larger than you would expect from a tapas themed place. That being said, plate swapping should be expected, and the food is so good you may loose a friend or two cherry-picking dishes. the pork shoulder (roasted with whole prunes and apricots) could start WWIII, or at least cause you to stab your friend/girlfriend/brother/mother with a fork. It's that good. Expect to get 6 or 7 different tastes if your in a party of three, up to 10 with a party of four.

While I agree with their no reservation policy in theory, the reality turns out to be much more annoying. If you show up before 9 on most nights, you won't get seated right away. Not to mention weekends could just be packed until they close (which is at 12 am on weekdays, 1 am on weekends). Not that there aren't a wealth of eating/drinking opportunities within a stones throw to pass the time (I recommend Sepia on Jefferson for some of the best old-school cocktails you'll see in this city: it's all in the egg-white). However, you will have a hard time finding a better place to eat at that dreadful 9:30 all-the-decent-places-to-eat-are-closed time slot, I mean, it beats the Irving Park Diner Grill for that late night food run (not that I've never had a "Slinger" or know the griddle master Ken).

Booze isn't the strong point here, however they do go for quality over quantity as far as selection is concerned. Some interesting Belgian, French/Belgian Style Beers (and by that I don't mean Stella you ignorant JP Morgan prick), a thoughtful wine list, and a few good top shelf selection (Snow Queen Vodka may be the best/only good thing to come out of Kazakhstan that includes fucking Borat). The carafe style wine pour is more than generous, so much so that it may be economically better to order a carafe relative to a bottle.

Avec's length, lack of width, and general set up provides for a logistical nightmare as far as service is concerned. The bartenders, and staff try to overcome it, but ultimately are overcome by the fact that they work in a fifty foot long sauna. The service does suffer, but that's only if you aren't eating. Like I said; if there is food in front of your face at this place, you are happy.

Ultimately Avec is a much cheaper and chicer restaurant relative to it's sister Blackbird. Its hours make it an amazing destination for that 11pm dinner, however the lack of reservations make that the only time I would go. We had seven tastes in my meal and I would order them all again. Just not two days after eating there.

My Meal.....
Group Meal (tapas style)
Small Plates:
warm spinach salad with treviso, haricots verts, cranberry beans, shallots and hot duck vinaigrette 9
red pepper and tomato-braised cod with caperberries, pancetta and spicy mustard greens 12
olive oil-poached organic salmon with melted lardo, grilled scallions, dill and lemon vinaigrette 13.
Large Plates
whole roasted fish (New Zealand Red Snapper) "picatta" with fried capers, herbs, butter and lemon m.p. (40)
wood oven-roasted pork shoulder with dried apricots, prunes, slab bacon and apricot mustard 22
desert
Pistachio Cannoli (not on menu to drunk to remember specifics) 8

Fox-o-meter
Food: 9.2 tastes I loved outta 10
Drink: 6.7 tasteful selection no execution otta 10
Service: 6 blame the architect outta 10
Ambiance: 8 big sauna's outta 10

http://www.avecrestaurant.com/

La Sardine (111 N. Carpenter, West Loop)

Located right beside Oprah's Harpo Studios, and right in the heart of the daunting Randolph St. strand lies La Sardine, owner Jean Claude Poilevey's back to basics (what about French is basic) French bistor/cafe/whatever the fuck they call restaurants.

The ambiance is homey, and unlike other restaurants in the area there isn't an exposed brick in the place. Dark colors, big windows, and comfortable seating (especially the booths) denote a nice but all together too loud ambiance. I heard/said "what?" or "excuse me?" about a thousand times during the meal.

Luckily for you the ambiance is the worst part about this place, and its not all that bad. The food, however, is fan-fucking-tastic. Whether it's the mind melting (Gruyeres melting- haha) orgasm-in-a-bowl Onion Soup, the recently legalized fois-gras (seared; an amazing preparation), the incomprehensibly good theres-no-way-this-is-good-for-you salads (I had the special, a squab salad that almost gave me a brain annuerism), or any of the slew of old-school French entrees, your gonna be extremely pleased. I'm a sucker for sweetbreads, and the staff delivered with an interesting combination of veal sweetbreads (Thymus gland of veal), tender potato gnocchi, and a mustard based sauce that was incredible. The table next to us ordered the "Bouillabaisse "Jean Claude," and upon the arrival of the dish, four people at my own table ordered it. Huge chunks of lobster, muscles, squid, and fish (god knows what else) heaped on a plate with a tasty broth enhanced with rouille (see right).



And then....epiphany, two different types of souffle: chocolate with a cream sauce, and Grand Marnier with a strawberry sauce. This dish was recommended by a friend of mine, and, well, earth shattering is not good enough to describe it. Just savory and sweet enough, the souffle doesn't collapse under the weight of the sauce (amazing). This dish takes some time to prepare, so do yourself a favor and order it with you meal, you know you want it anyway. You don't even have to look at the dessert menu.

Couple nitpicks however. It's a French restaurant and I couldn't order Ciroc (my fave French grape vodka) and had to settle for Chopin (my fave polish potato vodka, seems sacreligious). The wine list is excellent however, and the servers are glad to help pair vino with your dishes. Drinks are a little pricey, but there are worse rip offs in the neighborhood, and the bartender knows how to poor a good dirty (with fucking awesome blue chees olives).

All in all, the menu is excellent. The entrees are right at the 20-24$ range, with the apps and salads coming in at about 10$. There is a fixed price three course menu for 25$ on Tuesdays and 22$ everyday for lunch that represents an economical solution.

Ultimately La Sardine is a some-frills French restaurant that presents no nonsense French dishes with subtlety. The reliance on fresh produce is obvious, and the dishes are not heavy on pretentiousness. One of the best French experiences I've had in the city, yet the ambiance is a bit of a letdown.

My Meal: French Onion Soup, Squab Salad with simple vinaigrette, Sweetbreads with Gnocchi, Both Souffles

Fox-O-Meter
Food: 9 force fed livers outta 10 (everything was great)
Ambiance: 6 What did you say? out of 10 (loud, fucking loud)
Service: 7 can I have another tini out of 10 (attentive and helpful)
Drink: 7 If I ordered wine from Poland you woulda stared at me like an idiot outta 10 (good wine and booze, beer is questionable if non-existent)

http://www.lasardine.com/index.html

Walter Meego - Voyager

Remember that old Art Brut song "Bad Weekend?" There's something about saying "Popular Culture no longer applies to me" over and over in your head that is appealing, but ultimately your girlfriends penchant for shitty reality TV brings you back. That being said, I believe there was a song of this bands on some sort of commercial or tv thing (that I'd rather not take the time, or give time warner the pay per click). So other than that, this band rocks.

Something about the distorted jazz/swing vocals of Justin Sconza (plus the sick dual Van Halen riffs of "Keyhole" which they nailed expertly during their live set in the Abbey just rattles my cage) and the ability for the band to produce thoughtful dancey music without the XXXbpm of most bands who take that aesthetic .

Did I just parenthetically compare music on an indie blog to Van Halen? Not in the Girl Talk review.....oh fuck me. With my already shotty music credibility flushed down the toilet, I'm going to go play Drarklands and stare off into space.

Rapid: http://rapidshare.com/files/123873850/walter_meego_voyager.rar

pass:foxxycloud

Fox-O-Meter 7.1 Darn That Dream Vocals out of 10

Crystal Antlers - EP

Hey freaky people.....

Hard to find because it's self released. Band is brilliant noisy/psych rock. Support the band and buy the album/go to show when you get a chance. Read Pitchfork Review more details (would link but pfork seems to be down).


Rapid: http://rapidshare.com/files/123871333/Crystal_Antlers.zip
Pass: foxxycloud

http://www.myspace.com/crystalantlers

fox-o-meter: 7.2 distortion pedals out of 10

The Presets - Apocalypso

Not that I subscribe to pitchfork's rss feed or anything, but they are beginning to piss me off. Not only do I have to stand by ugly, faux-poor, poorly dressed, wanna-not-be-yuppie-yuppies at every cool show in Chicago (and their festival, which if they don't pay for some fucking good speakers and roadies I'm gonna have to split some toothpick sized bones)...I have to hear their writers disrespect some of my favorite albums. First the Walter Meego Album then this, you sonuvabitch (scarface voice).

Perhaps I'm pissed off because not only do bands not make t-shirts in my size, the people who wear those t-shirts have to take the critical credibility of some of my favorite new acts and flush it down the toilet. Furthermore, I have to hear these hipster fucks praise Win Butler for a Bruce Springsteen cover album that Neon Bible is....and 8.6 for Jay-'s American Gangster are you fucking kidding me Pitchfork..so you can pander to the hip-hop crowd (i.e the last three festivals) and not the techno crowd.....this rant could go on all day.......... somebody call a whambulance.

Another Australian band, the Presets are about as subtle as their Australian brethren Cut Copy, Muscles (indie name drop here). Just think of them as a VNV Nation clone that didn't listen to much industrial music and also doesn't qualify for social security checks. Like most dance music the emphasis is on the "duuf" "duuf" (see previous post), the lyrics make Chris Martin look like the poet laureate of England, and front man Julian Hamilton sounds something like what would of happened if Bernard Sumner never had to take the vocals over for New Order (give me poetic license at least). However, drummer Kim Moyes' nice high hat work, the excellent backtracking, and the well managed drum machines make this band intriguing at live performance.

Standout tracks are "My People" "Yipiyo-ay" "This Boy's in Love" "Together."

I kid pitchfork, I'll be there, loving the music; hating the fans.

Fox-o-meter
pitchfork: 10 pretentious assholes out of 10
Presets: 8.7 .1 higher than Jay-Z out of 10

rapid: http://rapidshare.com/files/123863990/Presets_Apocalypso.rar

pass: foxxycloud

PNAU - PNAU

The beauty of the blog age is that you can be fucked up out of your mind, surfing Google, and find a fucking brilliant gem that really strikes you. PNAU represents one of those defining moments in internet surfing where countless hours of meandering shitty blogs actually gives you the return of sweet music.

Pronounced Pa-Nau, this Sydney based duo has been together since 99'. Limited success in Australia means that you can be the first kid on your block to have that next, relatively obscure techno/indie band from Australia (my there have been some good ones recently). Look for the energy of Muscles and the playfulness of Cut Copy.

If that wasn't enough, they skate that fine line between Trance, House, Indie sensibilities, with pop song structures that just happen to be heavy in the synth and acid dept. Standout tracks "Come Together," "Lover," "We Have Tomorrow" "With You Forever" couldn't be any different from each other. While they all subscribe to the classic "duufff duufff dufff" of electronic music, "Forever" feels new wave (I would have aid rave but thats just too fucking cliche). "Lover" definitely could be played in clubs like Crobar. Subtlety is not this bands gig, but if you like the trancey/indie shit coming from down under, this is a must have.

Enyoy......

Fox-o-meter: 8.3 G's up hoes down out of 10

Rapid:http://rapidshare.com/files/123851910/PNAU_PNAU.rar
Pass: foxxycloud

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (Illegal Art 2008)

When Greg Gillis a.k.a. Girl Talk started his new album with a Likin' Fucking Park riff I was wondering where his taste went. But I digress, his musical tastes never really have strayed from the mainstream since his previous album Night Ripper. Yet through this series of bumping tracks you'll find yourself listening to a Jimmy Page guitar lick while Eminem is rapping, listening to Vampire Weekend (again!?), M.I.A, Of Montreal, and about every Pitchforked band in existence. And thats only about ten seconds of the actual album.

The entertainment value consistently comes from the "where have I heard that before? was that fucking Handsome Boy Modeling School, what the fuck happened to them?" gimmick that so many mash up dj's rely upon. Mr. Gillis just happens to be ADHD enough to pull it off effectively. I feel bad for the douchbag lawyer who has to count the cases of copy write infringement.

Highly entertaining, yet I feel as dirty listening to this album as I would after suspiciously leaving an asian massage parlor at 2 AM.

Fox-o-meter: 7 head bobbing frat boys out of 10

Rapid: http://rapidshare.com/files/123849582/Girl_Talk_Feed_The_Animals.rar

Pass: foxxycloud