Made In America - MODERN VICES, "Modern Vices" (2014)

Chicago continues to churn out dirt-laden garage-rock with the likes of Heavy Times and The Orwells, both of who we featured here in the past. The newest kids on the scene are Modern Vices. The five-piece formed last year began putting together tunes that, while less punk than Heavy Times and The Orwells, still retain a gnarly edge.

Front man Alex Rebek's tone-heavy vocals give me an Ian Astbury feeling and helps to set Modern Vices slightly apart from your typical garage rockers by adding more depth to their sound.

Their self-titled debut is our now via Autumn Tone Records and check out the first single from Modern Vices Cheap Style via Soundcloud.

And the video for "Cheap Style" here:

Modern Vices - "Cheap Style" from RYAN OHM ▲ on Vimeo.

Made In America - Terry Malts "Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere" (2013)

I could easily rattle off a handful of bands that have been directly influenced by The Ramones, most of who couldn't escape the gravity of their influences and effectively became clones of them. Ramones Clones if you will. That would be a good name for a tribute band...trademark.

San Francisco's Terry Malts managed to free themselves from the near inescapable pull of their influences with last year's Slumberland Records release Killing Time, taking a familiar sound and making it their own. Their 2013 release Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere, also out on the Slumberland label, continues where Killing Time left off. Singer/bassist Phil Benson's Morrisey-like crooning vocals, perfectly compliment guitarist Corey Cunningham's fuzzy power chords and drummer Nathan Sweatt's time keeping.

Made In America - Heavy Times, "I'm Single" 7" (2013)

I like to think that I have a decent handle on new music but in this day and age with so many bands self-releasing music on the internet sometimes good bands just slip through the cracks. Chicago's Heavy Times are one of those bands that I completely missed the boat on, and shamefully so because they are right up my ally.

Lo-fi garage rock with pop tendencies is as close as I can get to describing Heavy Times whose sound really doesn't fit into any one category and you can't do a band like this justice by pigeonholing them. If I had to draw comparisons to other bands I would immediatly go to Guided By Voices and Husker Du who share two common traits in their songs, melodic driving guitar riffs and monster choruses that will eat you alive.

Heavy Times released their debut album Dead on Rotted Tooth Recordings in 2010 and their breakout record Jacker, released on Hozac Records, the following year. Their latest, I'm Single, a three song 7", also out on the Hozac lable, defines their sound nicely and keeps you believing that Heavy Times are destined for something bigger. The closing song "Bath Salts" just might containg the catchiest guitar hook I've heard in years. Listen to it and you'll be instantly addicted like I was.

Heavy Times - Skull Hair - From the album Jacker