In December 2016, a fire ripped through Oakland arts space Ghost Ship, killing 36 residents and guests who were attending an underground electronic show. As the tragedy was picked up by mainstream media, misinformation and misrepresentation of DIY artists and venues resulted in a backlash felt across the country. Shortly after the fire, the Denver music community was hit hard when arts hub Rhinoceropolis was shut down without warning, displacing its occupants to face the high rents and gentrification that already threatened the city’s creative scene. Among them were multi-instrumentalist Madeline Johnston, who makes slow-burning dream pop as Midwife, and her close friend Colin Ward. A little more than a year later, Ward took his own life, and Midwife’s new second album, Forever, is dedicated to his memory. Over the mournful, atmospheric guitar of opening track “2018,” Johnston conjures the surreal feelings that can come when tragedy strikes hard and fast. The fuzzed-out, hook-driven “Anyone Can Play Guitar” and “S.W.I.M.” wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack of a 90s indie flick, but underneath their relaxed, summery vibes, they’re both poignant confessionals about inner struggle and saying goodbye. “C.R.F.W.” starts with several minutes of spoken-word poetry recorded by Ward, after which Johnston emerges with a shimmering, ambient instrumental. Everyone is missing someone, and plenty of us are grieving–and those personal voids can feel even more overwhelming during these times of physical isolation. So while Forever focuses on one community and a special relationship between two friends, its intimate revelations can resonate with anyone. v
When I wrote about these Finnish xenonauts last October, on the occasion of the only stateside tour in their 13-year history, I called their music“wormhole black metal”: “Oranssi Pazuzu plunge you into a tunnel of fatally deformed spacetime, bathe you in a sizzling cocktail of exotic radiation, and spit you out somewhere cold, dark, alien, and very, very far away.” I stand by the wormhole metaphor, but the band’s brand-new fifth album, Mestarin Kynsi (“The Master’s Claw”), has me rethinking the “black metal” part. Over the years they’ve drifted so far from the genre’s familiar signposts that wherever they are now, they’re alone out there–and I can’t ask for more from musicians than that they grow to sound like no one but themselves. You’ll waste your time hunting for frosty tremolo-picked guitars, blurry blastbeats, and sandpaper shrieks on Mestarin Kynsi. The clotted vocals of guitarist and front man Juho “Jun-His” Vanhanen admittedly signal “some sort of metal is happening, probably,” but the album is dominated by turgid, peristaltic bass and a kaleidoscopic constellation of keyboards. Increasingly, Oranssi Pazuzu don’t have a sound so much as a psychedelic profusion of sounds: insistent oscillations of cosmic roller-rink organ, smears of dissonant hornlike synths, a violin ostinato that wobbles like a dragging reel-to-reel tape, pinging rhythmic chatter reminiscent of late-80s EBM, cascades of urgently pulsing wordless female vocals, a grotty guitar that dives in pitch like a circular saw biting into sheet metal. Only one track on Mestarin Kynsi uses a steady rock backbeat, and the lone recognizable blastbeat arrives in album closer “Taivaan Portti”: the drums hammer steadily forward, gradually overwhelmed by an insane ecstasy of cathedral-size drones that grows and grows until its howling overtones pour from the heavens like curtains of fire. The songs complicate riffs that might otherwise be catchy by dilating them with unpredictable extra beats or adding competing patterns–these guys will give you something awesomely heavy to dig into, but only so they can use that hook to drag you somewhere weird. “Ilmestys” begins with oozing synth bass and a kick drum that feels like it’s pressed up against your forehead, while whirling disco-ball keyboards stagger dizzily over the bar ends–one phrase is nine beats long, the other ten, and the phasing overlap creates a sort of gravity-defying tension. When the full drum kit finally enters, along with a second keyboard part that sounds like somebody going bonkers on a touch-tone phone, all the patterns converge at ten beats in an explosively satisfying release of that tension. In English, “Ilmestys” means “Revelation.” v
Like many other participants in Chicago’s contemporary jazz scene, drummer Charles Rumback is both a sideman and a leader. Whether backing singer-songwriters such as Steve Dawson and Angela James, playing space-bound Americana with guitarist Ryley Walker, swinging behind jazz saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, or leading this trio with bassist John Tate and pianist Jim Baker, he sustains momentum and adds atmospheric accents without hogging the spotlight. The three pieces that he wrote for June Holiday, the trio’s third album, invite the listener to appreciate his accompanists’ strengths. While Rumback restricts himself to subtle accents on his tune “Here & Now,” Tate fluently articulates the piece’s dynamic shifts and harmonic framework; the molasses pace of “Burning Daylight” seems tailor-made to showcase Baker’s ruminative method of working through a ballad’s improvisational potential. Baker, who spends most of his time working in totally free settings these days, contributes three compositions as well, and their fleetly stated, elegantly constructed melodies showcase Rumback’s light but propulsive touch when playing at quicker tempos. Tate only brings one tune, “Hard Goodbye,” but the way that he and Baker exchange melancholy phrases over Rumback’s rustling brushwork makes it the album’s emotional center of gravity. Drummers are often evaluated by how good they make the rest of the group sound; part of Rumback’s genius as a bandleader is that in the group he’s put together, everyone has everyone else’s back. v
Katie Crutchfield has taken a huge step forward. The sound of her new album, Saint Cloud (Merge), her fifth under the Waxahatchee name, is a far cry from the ragged glory of her previous records, trading in bombast for slick, streamlined introspection. Crutchfield started Waxahatchee as an acoustic solo project shortly after the dissolution of her previous band, P.S. Eliot (which also featured her twin Allison, later of the band Swearin’). The fractured, confessional bedroom emo on her debut as Waxahatchee, American Weekend, remains one of the saddest, most beautiful collections of heart-on-the-sleeve songs ever put to tape. By the release of 2013’s Cerulean Salt, Waxahatchee had grown to a full band, and while the music was louder this time around, it still felt raw and exposed. With each subsequent album, Crutchfield’s sound grew bigger as her songwriting grew even better. It was an amazing progression to witness. The 2017 record Out in the Storm felt almost as over-the-top as Dinosaur Jr., barreling forward with guitars soaring; even the most heartbreaking numbers conveyed the punk energy and ethos behind the music. That’s why I find myself feeling a bit let down with Saint Cloud. Crutchfield can still write a chorus that will bring a tear to your eye, but the sound of the songs feels very safe and quaint. But while the album might not seem as punk as its predecessors, its musical shifts come from a place of positivity and personal growth–Crutchfield recently got sober, and many of her lyrics here explore this change. v
Enigmatic former Chicagoans Wrekmeister Harmonies recorded their seventh full-length, We Love to Look at the Carnage (Thrill Jockey), in a cold, isolated farmhouse in upstate New York with producer Martin Bisi. This time around, the core duo of J.R. Robinson and Esther Shaw added insightful, versatile percussionist Thor Harris (Swans, Shearwater) and confrontational, challenging electronicist Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu). Neither of these musicians is a stranger to the trevails of laying oneself open in dark and challenging work, which makes them perfect collaborators for an album whose loose concept has to do with the late hours that start well after midnight and end before dawn. We Love to Look at the Carnage is subtler and more restrained than some of Wrekmeister’s heavier records, such as 2016’s Light Falls. On these tracks, Robinson’s voice narrates a struggle against breakdown moment by moment, with clenched-jaw determination (think Nick Cave with more self-control or David Tibet with less). The band creates a thick and spiky environment in which to nestle: the way Shaw’s violin and Harris’s percussion adorn the churning riffs of “The Rat Catcher” adds grace to the horror-inducing inevitability of time passing and sweeping people away. The sepulchral windswept echoes of “The Coyotes of Central Park” give a rapt tenderness to a heavy lullaby evoking nature’s reclamation of human spaces. On their Facebook page, Wrekmeister Harmonies describe their sound as “pastoral doom,” and here that’s apt. This album is pastoral in both senses of the word: it’s spacious enough to reflect the peace and the terror of the countryside, and it can also conjure visions of rogue clergy ministering to flocks of parishioners whose desperation has sent them in search of salvation. v
On March 11, prolific Chicago rapper Adamn Killa debuted a new dance on Triller that he calls “Hit the Adamn,” performing it to a sample of his new song of the same name. In the clip, Adamn cocks his arm at a 90-degree angle and leans his shoulder to one side, then makes sharp crouching movements in response to the track’s thundering, minimal bass–it’s simple enough, but the connection of the song to the dance is so unpredictable that I can’t imagine anybody actually learning it. Lots of local rappers with untraditional approaches to the genre have emerged in the past five years or so, but Adamn knows better than most how to embrace the whimsy in his style without undermining his workmanlike dedication to the craft of hip-hop. On his recent self-released EP, also called Hit the Adamn, he half-whispers through raps about his place in the world of hip-hop, his flow teetering on the edge of the beat–but even when Adamn sounds like he’s tripping over himself, he never loses his footing. Wild affectations rub up against dry detachment in his delivery, creating a strange but magical friction. He releases music frequently enough (Hit the Adamn follows up February’s Life of Whodeywant) that he can quickly pivot to respond to the news, and on the new EP he uses “Wash My Hands” to address everybody’s least favorite new virus. It’s one of several songs on Hit the Adamn with hooks as catchy as jingles, and some of their instrumentals evoke nursery rhymes too (on “Throw in the Towel,” producer the Legendary Fya Man interpolates “Mary Had a Little Lamb”). This makes them perfect for replaying in your head to make sure you keep scrubbing long enough. v
Illinois State running back James Robinson will likely become the fifth Redbird drafted by an NFL team under head coach Brock Spack (Photo by Barry Bottino, Prairie State Pigskin)
James Robinson left a legacy for both the Illinois State and the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The next question being pondered is the mark the Rockford native leaves in pro football.
From all indications, Robinson will become the fifth Redbird drafted under head coach Brock Spack, who was hired by ISU in 2009.
Robinson not only impressed NFL personnel last fall, but also through two rounds of the FCS playoffs, the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine.
Robinson left the ISU program No. 2 in rushing yards (4,462), rushing touchdowns (44), all-purpose yards (5,236) and total touchdowns scored (46).
During January’s East-West Shrine Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla., Robinson rushed for 80 yards on seven carries and caught two passes for 56 yards. Robinson produced two highlight plays — a 46-yard catch and run off a screen pass and a game-record 63-yard touchdown burst.
Robinson, a Rockford Lutheran High School graduate and the all-time leading rusher in Illinois prep history, measured at 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds at February’s NFL Scouting Combine. He also impressed pro personnel in Indianapolis with 24 reps on the bench press, a 125-inch broad jump, a 7.03 3-cone drill and 40 inches in the vertical jump. He ran a 4.64 40-yard dash.
Up next is the NFL Draft, which runs April 23-25.
What the experts say
Dane Brugler is the national NFL writer for The Athletic, covering the upcoming draft. He previously covered the annual event for NFL Draft Scout and CBS Sports. Brugler rates Robinson as 13th best running back and grades him as a fourth-fifth rounder.
Brugler lists Robinson’s strengths as his quickness “out of the chute, accelerating quickly through holes . . . drives his legs at contact and won’t allow arm tackles to slow him down . . . excellent decision-maker in the backfield, quickly scanning and reacting . . . instinctive pacing to set up his moves . . . able to drop his hips and move laterally to shake defenders . . . attitude runner and his NFL-level toughness in his blocking . . . praised by his coaches for his competitive mentality for all four quarters . . . above-average production at the college level, often putting the team on his back.”
Brugler lists Robinson’s weakness as “average long-speed and lacks a home run element . . . loses foot races to the corners . . . shows tightness in his hips, limiting his wiggle or ability to patch together moves . . . inconsistent pad level and needs to better throw his shoulder into contact . . . must improve his reliability on third down, including his routes and ball skills . . . worn down tread with 855 offensive touches in college . . . didn’t play against top competition each week, facing only two FBS opponents in his career (rushed for only 16 yards on 13 carries against Northern Illinois in 2019).”
James Robinson (25) and Luther Kirk (34) both performed well in Saturday’s East-West Shrine Bowl. (Twitter photon)
Brugler’s summary states, “Overall, Robinson is a proven workhorse who consistently picks up positive yardage with his vision and determination, although his quicker-than-fast run style could be an issue vs. NFL-level speed.”
Dan Schmelzer of Fansided was impressed by Robinson’s numbers, but stated “it is much more than that. It does not take long while watching Robinson to come away impressed with his game and how he can translate to the next level.
“Robinson is not the most explosive running back in the 2020 NFL draft class, but his overall skill-set certainly makes him such an intriguing prospect. He has incredible ball carrier vision and the quickness to get to the hole once it opens up. His burst is average at best, but Robinson has impressive short-area quickness that helps make him elusive in the open field.”
Schmelzer further wrote, “Robinson is not only quick, but he is also powerful at the point of attack. He does a great job of keeping his feet moving and picking up extra yards after the first contact and has fantastic natural contact balance. Robinson has a knack for keeping his feet throughout contact and that kind of skill can be incredibly valuable at the next level.
“There are going to be questions about his level of college competition, but Robinson’s combination of vision, quickness, power and balance is going catch the attention of NFL scouts. The 2020 NFL Draft is loaded with talent and depth, but Robinson certainly has the ability to make his mark at the next level. If the middle rounds roll around and you need a running back, look no further than James Robinson.”
Longtime ProFootballWeekly.com editor Hub Arkush ranked Robinson as his 20th-best running back available in the draft.
Neither Mel Kiper, Jr. nor Todd McShay has Robinson in their top 10 running backs for the draft.
What the coaches say
Spack told the Rockford Register Star following the East-West Shrine Bowl: “I get asked a lot: ‘How fast is he?’ Well, he’s as explosive as they come, and he can stop and start, change directions, do that kind of thing, as good as any of them out there . . . I’ve taken lots of calls — oh, lots of calls. Every single NFL team has been here (watching practices or games) — the Bears the most.”
Spack added that he isn’t concerned about Robinson’s interpersonal skills. “He’s shy and introverted around adults,” Spack told the Rockford newspaper. The ISU head coach saw Robinson as going in the “third- or fourth-round area.”
Khenon Hall is ISU’s running back coach and worked directly with Robinson. Prairie State Pigskin spoke with Hall in late March by phone.
“There’s a lot of (draft) predictions, as early as third or fourth or as late as fifth and sixth,” Hall said. “James did what he needed to do when he went to the combine. He tested well, I think he was top five in all the major categories except for the 40. But for the style of back James is, he ran under a 4.6 on many of the scouts’ watches and that was enough for a 220-pounder. With James, the sky’s the limit for him. Whoever takes him is getting a steal. He’s an NFL every down back.”
Will special teams be the difference?
For a player like Robinson, showing the ability to play on special teams can be a determining factor.
“It would be very important as you’re making an NFL roster,” Hall said. “That third guy, that fourth guy, sometimes even the second guy, you’ve got to be able to do multiple things to earn your spot. That’s one thing about James Robinson, in his early years here he played special teams.
“Coach Spack and I joke around that if he wasn’t so great a running back, he’d have been a dang good strong safety or ‘Will’ (weakside) linebacker in a 4-3 defense. He has that type of mindset. Throughout the (pro evaluation) process I was asked about that (special teams) a lot. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he’ll be able to do that.”
Luther Kirk
Meanwhile, Luther Kirk, Robinson’s teammate at both Illinois State and in the East-West Shrine Bowl, is most likely to sign with an NFL team as a free agent following the draft.
Brugler of The Athletic ranks Kirk as the 28th-best safety.
Kirk, who nearly quit football midway through his time at Illinois State, garnered defensive MVP honors at the East-West Shrine Bowl. The Garland, Texas, native had an interception (and lost another to a penalty on another defensive back). Kirk recorded two tackles.
Blog co-authors Barry Bottino and Dan Verdun bring years of experience covering collegiate athletics. Barry has covered college athletes for more than two decades in his “On Campus” column, which is published weekly by Shaw Media. Dan has written four books about the state’s football programs–“NIU Huskies Football” (released in 2013), “EIU Panthers Football (2014), “ISU Redbirds” (2016) and “SIU Salukis Football” (2017).
If you don’t know Better Call Saul, you need to know that Jimmy McGill, now known as Saul Goodman, is the younger brother of Chuck McGill, a big-shot lawyer who won a multi-million dollar verdict that put his firm (HHM) and himself, on the map. Slipping Jimmy, as he once was called, was a scam artist that never quite lived up to his brother Chuck’s legacy. Even after getting his law degree, and turning his life around, he was never truly respected.
Slippin’ Jimmy
During this episode, Jimmy sits on a panel with other HHM employees who will be awarding a scholarship in his brother Chuck’s name to the candidate who impresses them most, therefore getting the most votes. There are several immaculate contestants that apply yet Jimmy wants to give it to the girl who’s haunted by a shoplifting charge from her past. As a young girl, she made a mistake, but no one else on the panel can see past that mistake.
Saul Goodman
Jimmy tells the panel he wants to give that girl a second look, saying that everyone makes mistakes, and she has really tried hard to right the ship. He continues to lobby for her saying she’s kept her grades up and stayed out of trouble, but the panel has already made up its mind. We don’t get to see who wins, we just see Jimmy running out to catch the girl and then explaining to her why she “didn’t get it.” This has come to be called “The Winner Takes All Speech.”
“You didn’t get it, You were never gonna get it. They’ll smile at you, they’ll pat you on the head, but they’ll never let you in.”
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“You made a mistake, and they are never forgetting it. As far as they’re concerned, your mistake is who you are. It’s all you are.”
Like a sucker punch to the gut, the truth hurts. I didn’t win any scholarships. Heck, I didn’t even go to college until I met my wife. I tried my hand at junior college and started working full time. When I started bartending, digging foundations, and making enough money, I dropped out. But for me, not belonging to the club started much earlier, in high school, when everyone was traveling around to different colleges and applying to them.
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I didn’t look at colleges when I was a junior or a senior. I lived with my grandma, and it didn’t seem possible, it wasn’t an option. She had a hard enough time keeping food on the table.
I didn’t know how to talk to her about college and when I once got the gumption to bring it up, she very calmly told me, “You don’t need college. You’ll get a job in town at a local store. You’ll meet a nice girl, and settle down. God will provide.” Something like that.
When all my friends went to look at schools, I was inwardly very jealous. When they brought it up, I had nothing to add, I felt like I didn’t belong. When they came back from graduating college, it felt worse. I felt like I wasn’t as good as them anymore, it was beyond not belonging.
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Society has a habit of making people feel like they don’t belong, and Jimmy feels this more than anyone does. We can take a different route to the top and still win. That’s what Jimmy wants the girl to know. If they won’t give it to her then she has to take it; by any means necessary.
Either way, this particular speech hit a nerve with me. “The Winner Takes It All,” struck a chord and I felt the need to write about it.
Someone always has to win. But that doesn’t mean that the rest of us have to give up. We need to grab our own slice of the pie.
2208 Drury Lane in Northfield: $3,495,000 | Listed on March 24, 2020
This 6,500-square-foot Northfield home has seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and two kitchens. The home’s open floor plan includes a kitchen, walnut-encased library and origami bar. There are two master bedrooms, one on the first floor and another on the second floor. The lower level features a gym, second kitchen, steam room, lounge and game room. An illuminated Trex deck can be found outdoors along with a gazebo and bonsai displays.
Agent: Jason Pietrucha of Berkshire Hathaway, 847-401-1200
