Air
7:30 p.m. Tuesday Riviera Theatre, Chicago
The French-duo Air are touring in support of their recent release, "Talkie Walkie," a fantastic collection of ambient, jazzy electronic tracks. Pilots (if you will) Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel have made a career of creating sexy, romantic music. Sexy music for robots and astronauts. The knock against Air (and other Astralwerks labelmates) is that their music is too distant, too cold. It doesn't help that the duo's concern for crisp, clear production is prominent on "Talkie Walkie" like it is on any of the albums in their discography, from their debut album "Moon Safari" to their scoring of Sofia Coppola's debut film, "The Virgin Suicides." What turns some critics and fans off is that, ostensibly, Air makes music that sounds like space might. Gone are the dirty growls of Detroit-based garage rock or the rusty mufflers-cum-electric guitars of corporate faux-grunge. But what's in place is a collection of relaxed guitars, insistently prominent synthesizers, treated vocals and pristine percussion that makes Air sound like spacesuits: The band is loose, sterilized and ... well, airy. But this electronic distance that the band creates might make first-timers wonder if Air's programmed sounds can captivate in a live setting. This critic thinks so, but he urges you to find out for yourself. Head to the Riviera next Tuesday and post the results in your LiveJournal.
Sugar Ray
7:30 p.m. today House of Blues, Chicago
Mark McGrath and Sugar Ray have probably lost many fans because they've - gulp - "sold out." The Southern California-based band got its start playing its version of revved-up, punk-lite near-metal: McGrath said he is influenced by The Sex Pistols and Black Flag; the band's drummer, Stan Frazier, cites The Dead Kennedys. "Lemonade and Brownies," Sugar Ray's debut LP, undeniably lays claim to these influences, but the band's second record, "Floored," contained a song called "Fly" and the rest is easy, breezy radio-friendly history. "Fly" is the only track on "Floored" without distorted electric guitars and sparked a string of similar sounding hits for the five-piece. If you watch VH1, you've seen McGrath crooning the band's impressive list of singles: "Everyday," "Someday," "When It's Over" and "Chasin' You Around." Maybe it was the commercial success of "Fly;" or, maybe Sugar Ray realized the song was the best thing they'd ever done. Either way, the band stopped trying to imitate punk bands and has been doing now what it does best for three albums: writing simple, unchallenging, sunny pop. The thing is, especially at this time of year, an abundance of carefree, sunny pop is worth having around. With DJ Homicide providing a dash of hip-hop to the catchy, immediate guitar lines of Rodney Sheppard, Mark McGrath has a winning palette for every song. Though his voice is middle-of-the-road, his melodies stick. He makes it work. So Sugar Ray isn't the greatest band in the world; in their case, that's fine.
Joss Stone
8:30 p.m. Wednesday House of Blues, 8:30 p.m. Chicago
In 2001, The White Stripes broke into MTV culture with "Fell in Love with a Girl," a two-minute blast of howled vocals, dirty guitars and pounded drums. Three short years later, Joss Stone, the 16-year-old British sensation has covered the song, only changing a few key words so people will know she's heterosexual. She's also changed the song's attitude and energy, which - and let's face it - were the only reasons it worked. "Fell in Love with a Girl" is one of Jack White's weakest offerings; his manic panache sold it. Joss Stone doesn't have that. She's taken a rudimentary song, slowed it down, stretched it out and messed it up. Over tinny, James Brown-aping guitar lines, Stone moans White's lyrics in a faux-come-hither voice that is supposed to make the listening public understand Stone is sultry, sexy and mature beyond her pubescence. But the listening public doesn't think breathing hard is sexy. The listening public suggests she start doing cardiovascular exercise if she's having trouble. The song just reeks of posturing. Of course, Stone can sing. She has a record deal and recorded her debut album, "The Soul Sessions," with widely talented Philadelphia-based hip-hop artists The Roots. But if "Fell in Love with a Boy" is any indication, Stone is in for less time than Andy Warhol expected.
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