Crown Larks

If you have ever read a review of mine, you know I love talking about cities I have lived in. Now it’s Chicago’s turn. I lived a block from Lake Michigan, went to shows almost every night and remember cruising down Lake Shore Drive on hot summer nights. That said, it makes me happy to see the music scene is still alive and kicking with bands like Crown Larks. The group captures the city’s eccentricities as an experimental noise psychedelic rock quartet. If they aren’t being played on soma.fm’s Drone Zone, they should be.

The core players are Lorraine Bailey, Jack Bouboushian, Bill Miller and Linda Malonis. Together with touring guests, the group plays these multi-layered, very curious songs. You start to listen and you think you get the gist, then out of nowhere you hear something odd and ask yourself, “Is that
a flute?” Yes, that is a flute. Listen for savage sax that gets thrown in (a lot) too. On last year’s EP Blood Dancer, “Blood Mirage” and “Fog, Doves” showcase the collective sounds that the Crown Larks so effortlessly put together.

I keep trying to nail down where you will enjoy listening to Crown Larks the most. While shopping at Whole Foods? While sipping on gin in the 1920s in an avantgarde, brick-walled speakeasy? While laying in your bed with your cat on a Friday night? If the Twin Peaks soundtrack was to be revamped, Crown Larks would be all over that. Punk vibes and essences of Radiohead and Explosions in the Sky take over entire parts of songs. The magic trick is them being able to incorporate so many instruments, including their voices, into songs that at the same time make no sense, yet make all the sense in the world. The work they are doing is so fantastic as it blurs the boundary between all the arts. Throw a wrench in your playlist with Crown Larks and keep an open mind. »

– Kelly Kovl