The Laureates are a great-sounding rock group from Chicago. Their sound is probably best described as Indie/Alternative, or maybe Indie Rock. They’re actually almost Sloan-like in their instrumentation, which is also quite good. The group has been active since 2005, but – unfortunately for me – this is the first I’ve heard of them.
They have a new album out called No Kontrol, available for free over at the Free Music Archive. I discovered them via FrostClick, whose description is a little more flowery than mine. That’s okay – I’ve already admitted I’m terrible at writing up music reviews. Moving on, No Kontrol is a 5-track EP and runs just over 18 minutes. Short and sweet, it’s got the cool indie rock vibe I mentioned earlier, but also some punk influences.
http://freemusicarchive.org/swf/playlistplayer.swf
I decided to see what else they have available, and saw that on FMA they have a live recording with WFMU’s Evan “Funk” Davies Show, recorded back in April 2010. It features some of the songs found on the No Kontrol EP, but the live performance gives some of the songs a slightly different edge. You can get that live performance from Free Music Archive, or stream it from the blog, as I’ve conveniently embedded it.
Alternative Airwaves 