Who are The Saturday Nights? Good question. Their bio is wrapped in vague mystery, talking about how drummer Joe Daley cuts the sleeves off of his sweaters, JB (Jason Brammer) plays bass like Carol Kaye and Paul McCartney, Finn Swingley (real name?) has a mammoth record collection and guitarist Paul Foreman takes Lake Shore Drive to band practice. Informative, not quite, but included with the bio in question was a clear-vinyl 7″ with two songs from this unsigned band’s forthcoming debut album, The Saturday Nights Vanish Before Your Eyes. I LOVE getting promo vinyl. It’s such a nice change of pace from crappy no-art CD singles, so I (of course) put it on right away. What I heard made me smile, not just because the music was good, but because it proved that the wave of great new bands coming out of the city of Chicago is showing no signs of slowing down. A-side “Stranded” commands immediate attention. After a quick acoustic guitar-strumming intro, the song leaps into dreamy pop landscapes with bubble gum trees and candy cane street lights (well… in my head at least). Though there’s only four members, layers upon layers of textured sound abound, providing a merry-go-round of profound underground sound that surround the vocals in a fortress of musical dexterity. Just two minutes and thirty seconds long, the indie pop gem ushers in thoughts of The Beatles, Beach Boys, Phil Spector, and heads bobbing back and forth while smiling a lot. The B-side, by contrast, is a lurking, sneaky, sexed up rock & roller called “Julianna Convince Me”. Fuzzed-out guitars, slow pounding drums and wailing guitar solos show that this young quartet has a few tricks up their collective sleeve. I can’t wait to hear the rest! (these two tracks are available for free download here).

The Saturday Nights
unsigned

1. Julianna Barwick @ Pianos | NYC
2. Stranded In Egypt
3. Once We Were Diamonds EP
4. The Tripwire Podcast 035
5. Diamond Nights Kick Off Month-Long Delancey Residency