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Common: Black America Again
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Common: Black America Again

By
 / 7 November 2016
Chicago veteran returns with his 11th album, a record that sees Common reinvigorated and at his most potent and inspired, marking another entry into one of the most consistent discographies in hip-hop history.
The Flat Five: It’s a World of Love and Hope
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The Flat Five: It’s a World of Love and Hope

By
 / 18 October 2016
A collection of happy sounds for a troubled time, this record evokes the innocence of another era while acknowledging the artifice of such nostalgia.
‘Southside With You’ Is Strong on National Character
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‘Southside With You’ Is Strong on National Character

By
 / 6 September 2016
The Obama Administration is a testament to rising from progressive grassroots politics to The White House, and a small scale indie is an ideal medium for the Obama family’s origin story.
Out of the Ashes and Making Smashes: Welcoming Whitney
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Out of the Ashes and Making Smashes: Welcoming Whitney

By
 / 6 September 2016
Born from the ashes of Chicago's beloved rock stalwarts Smith Westerns comes Whitney: a sly pop duo whose sharp changes in direction and sound may very well change your life.
Stage 773’s Comedy Ensemble Unlikely Company Finds Their Footing in Farce
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Stage 773’s Comedy Ensemble Unlikely Company Finds Their Footing in Farce

By
 / 13 July 2016
Unlikely Company’s talented ensemble finds both the humor and the melody in adult life, urging us to laugh at our own indulgent banality.
Al Scorch: Circle Round the Signs
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Al Scorch: Circle Round the Signs

By
 / 12 May 2016
Chicago-based and smarter than most, Al Scorch gives us a record that feels genuine, touching and wise.
Haroula Rose: Here the Blue River
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Haroula Rose: Here the Blue River

By
 / 5 May 2016
Haroula Rose writes and sings about ways of escape on a record that doesn't offer easy answers but does give us hope.
The City as Autobiography in Darryl Pinckney’s Black Deutschland
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The City as Autobiography in Darryl Pinckney’s Black Deutschland

By
 / 14 April 2016
Leaping from one fragmented city to the next, Pinckney’s narrator uses history to simultaneously define and obscure himself.
Defending Chicago’s ‘Defender’
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Defending Chicago’s ‘Defender’

By
 / 4 March 2016
It's possible to trace much of 20th Century America’s history through the pages of the Defender, a local paper with a national impact.
Free Agent of Sound: An Interview with Rob Mazurek
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Free Agent of Sound: An Interview with Rob Mazurek

By
 / 16 September 2015
The heralded avant-jazz great Rob Mazurek speaks of space operas, working through grief with music, and, of course, the singularity.
Oozing Wound: Earth Suck
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Oozing Wound: Earth Suck

By
 / 7 November 2014
Oozing Wound are bigger and badder on their sophomore effort, Earth Suck, which definitely has a spot among the best metal of 2014.
Chicago: Now (Chicago XXXVI)
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Chicago: Now (Chicago XXXVI)

By
 / 11 July 2014
Now (Chicago XXXVI) will likely make moms across the land swoon, and that’s pretty much all you can ask from Chicago by this point.