The popularity of instrumental music is growing every year, and it’s truly amazing how people respond to solely music playing with no words. It’s like having no words takes the music down to its bare …

The third and final night of this year’s Great Cover-Up has come and gone, so let’s get straight to work. Reds (above) took the stage in a swell of smoke and colors, playing Depeche Mode’s …

[Ed. note: Special thanks to our writers, photographer, and videographers who are going above and beyond while “covering the Cover-Up” this year, turning over their articles, (analog!) photography and video very quickly in the wee …

Johnny and the Moon is another offshoot of the ever-productive Wolf Parade crew. Where the music of Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown are sonic cousins to the Wolf Parade output, this time the lesser-known guitarist …

Radiohead do not make B-sides, they make non-album tracks (listen to the stuff that didn’t make Kid A, Amnesiac or OK Computer). In Rainbows (Disc 2), a 30 minute mini-album, includes various tracks recorded and …

Tunnels / New Ruins / Shipwreck / Headlights I walked into the largest starting crowd of the Fall Showdown thus far with Tunnels, the first band of the night’s great lineup, on stage. Tunnels is …

Curb Service / Common Loon / (The Living Blue) / (elsinore) The third night of the local music showcase started off with Larry Gates, the former lead singer of local legends Lorenzo Goetz. Now Gates, …

The Beauty Shop / The Chemicals / Darling Disarm / Books Died On Starting their set with what would be described as an empty room, Books Died On played a pleasing set of electro-acoustic pop …

Okkervil River fans in the Champaign-Urbana area: in case you didn’t already know, your new favorite eclectic rock n’ roll band not only recently stopped by at Daytrotter for a quick recording session (downloadable for …