Bones Jugs have dropped a brand new EP for you to check out called Rag Day II, and you can stream it below. This is the first release since their 2016 album Don't Waste a Drop, which finished in our top 10 that year.

Bones have a show this Thursday at Blackbird, check out the Overture for all the info there.

1. Rainbow Ripples 
2. Jovial Jasper
3. Triplets
4. Cross Corners 
5. Dotty Dimples

Without a doubt, one of the most influential and impactful records in the history of emo, Braid's Frame & Canvas was released 20 years ago to the day. Though I believe the official date was April 7th, 1998, April 6th is close, and Polyvinyl and the band are celebrating this. Consistently recognized as a staple of the genre, Frame & Canvas is celebrated far beyond our community.

You should read David Anthony's article on Noisey about the record.

Stream the record below, and check out some old videos I dug up from YouTube:

It has been roughly two years since Kyle Lang retired his project, Easter, which formed in Urbana in the late 2000s. Today I'm listening to DEMONSTRATION, one of the better albums to come out of Champaign-Urbana over the past decade. We voted it our favorite album of 2011.

It has been a minute since I listened to this, so that's what I'm doing this morning. Whether you celebrate Easter, or April Fool's Day, or something else, enjoy this 15 minutes.

Singer-songwriter Paul Kotheimer has been making music for quite some time in Champaign-Urbana. He recently released a new EP with a title too long for me to place in the title of this post: You don't have to be perfect to fulfill your dream.

Stream it below via his Bandcamp page:

I was pointed in the direction of this local release just a few minutes ago: Fake Friend's ∴∵  is some of the best local music I've heard in quite some time. Fake Friend is the project of Spencer Walters, and that's about all I know about the release right now, outside of it being very good.

Do yourself a favor and check out the release below, you will not be disappointed.

Poster Children have announced their new record, their first since 2004's No More Songs About Sleep and Fire. They're calling it Grand Bargain!, and it's out May 18th — you can hear the title track now:

Produced by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, this is action from a band that had a quick stint in 2016 for the 25th anniversary of Daisychain Reaction, including a performance at PYGMALION in Champaign that same year.

Check out the album art below, and some more information about the release.

Lyrics from "Grand Bargain!":

Grand Bargain!

America held hostage day one
A lot of folks woke up without power this morning
It’s every man for himself
And every woman at 70% of the going rate

In the land of the free market
And the home of the wage slave
It's not the robots you need to worry about
It's the corporate human

I am a paid enemy of the state
Guilty in an attempt to educate
To teach is to leach to sell divine
The business of America is business

This is a company town
A 21st Century Pullman
16 tons or 64bits it's all the same

Kleptocracy
Rule by thieves
To use the mechanism of government
To enrich oneself
At the expense of the greater good

The 6 billion dollar man will be our savior
Greed is God
Starve the Beast
Deregulate
Let’s see if that puts food on your plate

Here's the press release:

America held hostage day one

A lot of folks woke up without power this morning

It’s every man for himself

And every woman at 70% of the going rate

- Poster Children, Grand Bargain!

Poster Children are back with a scathing new political album, their first new release in 14 years. Grand Bargain! is a return to their formative years, engineered by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, with a raw and intense fury matching their heralded live performances.

Leading to their return, in 2016, Poster Children released the 25th anniversary edition of their renowned album, “Daisy Chain Reaction” (Twin/Tone / Sire / Lotuspool Records). The limited edition vinyl included a hand-made zine with forward by indie rock guitarist/journalist, Jon Fine. Both the album and subsequent tour garnered rave reviews in celebration of PC’s return and in anticipation of their upcoming new release. That release, “Grand Bargain!” is here and it happily greets those expectations with an aggressive view of our current state of affairs. 

In the land of the free market

And the home of the wage slave

It’s not the robots you need to worry about

It’s the corporate human

Poster Children was formed in Champaign, Illinois in 1987 by Rick Valentin (guitar, vocals) and Rose Marshack (bass, vocals). Jim Valentin joined on guitar in 1991 and Matt Friscia (drummer #7) joined in 2001. The band are known for their DIY attitude and for pioneering digital communication with fans.

They began coding their own websites and Enhanced CDs in 1994, started blogging online in 1995 via tour reports and have one of the longest running podcasts, Radio Zero, which started in 1998 before the word podcast was even coined.

I am a paid enemy of the state

Guilty in attempt to educate

To teach is to leech, to sell divine

The business of America is business

Poster Children Grand Bargain! out on May 18th 2018 on Lotuspool Records, in LP, CD, and cassette. Single release on January 19th 2018.

Local punk outfit The Dry Look has dropped a new EP, Arid Stare, via their Bandcamp. You can check it out below. We called Juiceless Glare one of the best local albums released in 2017.

Psych rock outfit ZXO has released their much-anticipated new record, LP1, which you can stream below at your leisure.

With an exciting upset win over Washington, the Illini advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. They take on Michigan State on Friday.

Scott Wells has followed the team for us all season, and has provided some photos for this SPlog to accompany the news.

Photos by Scott Wells.

Local artist SPRK has released his debut EP Nadir and features three Champaign rap artists (Blackmage, Young Club and Rota).

The EP is somewhere between Bon Iver and Francis and the Lights. 

Check it out on Spotify:

Perimeter Road Sound Recordings is a student staffed record label at Parkland College. They are currently looking for artists to sign for 2018, which would involve recording an EP or album. Check out the flyer below. 

Our Landmark is going to be releasing their debut album What the Silence Says on Friday, December 8. From what we've heard so far it's definitely one to check out. 

Check out "After Them" released exclusively to Smile Politely

Also be sure to check out their album release show at Cowboy Monkey next week Friday with We the Animals and Extremities.