A lot of crazy shit happened at Of Montreal’s show at the Riviera on Monday, but the craziest thing may have been that it all wasn’t, you know, insane. Sure, some may look at 2008 as the year when front man Kevin Barnes finally lost it, releasing divisive schizo-pop opus Skeletal Lampings and then going on tour that’s one-third rock show and two-thirds nightmare ballet. In Chicago — as he has been doing elsewhere on this tour — he brought a performance troupe, bizarre costumes, stripped down to a bikini-bottom, rubbed himself down with red ink, put on a bath robe, walked himself up a mock-gallows, was hanged, stripped down again, emerged from a coffin-thingy filled with shaving cream and brought his own daughter Alabee on stage to watch the madness.

So yeah, the concert was weird. But it wasn’t psycho pointlessness. Walking away, I felt I had a better sense for what Barnes was trying to do on Skeletal Lamping and, to a lesser extent, its two most recent predecessors (The Sunlandic Twins and Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?). To put it simply, Barnes is ashamed of being a man. He wants to be a sensitive dude who loves his wife and can control his own actions, but his gawdamn libido keeps getting in the way. Barnes has a Freudian view of life, with the id containing all of his manly tendencies and the ego his desire just to be human. That explains why, no matter what costume the performers on stage were wearing — they changed from golden Buddahs to wild west card-sharks to fatigued soldiers to zoo animals — there was always some domineering outcast, taller and brawnier than the other actors, wearing some sort of terrifying mask (tiger, skeleton, football player). And in each skit, the “man” stomped around, either hitting on or just hitting his feminine counterparts until they ganged up and beat him to the ground. There were variations on the basic plot, but the idea was the same: The man is the menace.

And that’s the idea behind Barnes’ recent musical output. He acknowledges he’s a “Woman Studies Victim” with one song title, and a good portion of Skeletal Lamping and Hissing Fauna is narrated from the point of view of the fictional Georgie Fruit — a middle-aged black transsexual who was born a man, had an operation to become a woman, and then switched back to being a man. Fruit stands in for Barnes’ own anxiety about his masculinity, as he constantly veers back and forth between sweetness and lustfulness. This all leaves him with guilt, depression and an ear for fabulous pop hooks.

Monday’s show, though, also showed the weakness in Barnes’ recent artistic direction. It was just too much. Just as on Skeletal Lamping, the music jerked from electro/disco/twee awesomeness into formless noise making and tiresome melody-free passages. As the show went on, things felt more and more muddled, and eventually it seemed that Barnes was less singing than shouting his lyrics. But Of Montreal must have a high-school street team or something: The hordes or teenagers who showed up to the show were absolutely enraptured, dancing and screaming and dolled up in glam outfits no matter what the band was playing. Still, there were plenty of musically amazing moments from Barnes and co. — they brought the house down by closing with “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Plus, the spectacle of it all gave amusement to anyone who wasn’t thrilled by, say, the way that “Plastis Wafers” goes from bubbly Sade-on-steroids to echo-chamber mess in its second half. It’s never a good sign when music needs an entire theater production to make it palatable, but luckily, most of Of Montreal’s output isn’t that way: To be a fan, it’s not that hard to take all the good parts you can get and then sit back and appreciate Barnes’ glammy daddy issues the rest of the time.

As a girl wearing a white stocking cap makes her way through the audience, the crowd suddenly bursts into applause, and Kelsey Wild takes the stage with a gracious smile and many “thank yous.” Flipping her bright red hair to the side, she begins to play, alone on the stage except for her keyboard.

Her confident, yet shy, stage demeanor suggests Wild is no novice. With a smooth voice that sounds like the lovechild of Cat Power and Regina Spektor (both of whom Wild cites as inspirations), Wild does not leave any doubt of her that she belongs on the stage. Between songs, she mentions her new EP which she says will be on iTunes soon. What Kelsey Wild does not mention is that in the back of her mind, she’s still worried about midterms.

Wild is a Communication freshman at Northwestern University, as well as an active member of the Chicago indie music scene. For the past two years, Wild has been balancing music and school quite successfully.

“I love it. I really really like Northwestern a lot. I have a really easy schedule right now,” Wild said.

Born in Hawaii, Wild moved briefly to California before spending most of her life in rural Byron, Illinois, a town of about 4,000 people. She is not used to the support she has received at Northwestern.

“People have been so supportive here, which is a lot different from where I’m from,” she said. “There, music isn’t a big deal. People aren’t really interested.”

A Jones resident, Wild says that a combination of concentration, a relatively manageable schedule with only three classes and the facilities at her dorm have made the balancing act between writing and practicing music and keeping up with schoolwork manageable.

“I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it is. It’s about keeping a lot of things in balance.” she said. “I spend a lot time studying, but I still have a lot more free time [than in high school]. I just can’t do a lot of activities here.”

Wild has been a finalist in several songwriting competitions over the past two years, including the 2007-2008 International Songwriting Competition, but her interests in school lie in other areas of the arts. An RTVF major, she is not currently in any music classes.

“I’m in Radio, TV, Film because my main thing is playing music, but I don’t have a huge passion for music theory,” she said. “I can’t say that I won’t end up taking music theory and composition down the road, but I just feel like film and music intersect so much.”

While many aspiring musicians will move off to L.A. or New York the first chance they get, Wild chose to continue her schooling, and she feels her music has actually benefited from being at Northwestern. Other than offering Wild more time to practice and a better place area to rehearse, the school has given the singer people who inspire her on a daily basis, and her songwriting has reflected that recently.

“I’m inspired from a lot of things. Definitely real-life experiences, but also from a lot of people I know. If I just wrote all my songs about me, they’d be kind of boring,” Wild said. “I’ve met a lot of people, especially here, that just have really great life stories.”

For Wild, a month into college, things are going well. She likes her classes and says she’s doing well as far as grades go. The self-described “average freshman” should release her first EP within the month on iTunes.

You know, average freshman stuff.

Listen to Kelsey Wild at her MySpace.

Chicago-based mash-up artists The Hood Internet will be playing in the basement of the Sigma Chi house on Friday, doors open at 10:30 p.m. These two local DJ’s will be figuratively spinning up their custom brand of hip-hop-meets-indie-rock mash-ups, which promise to be a high-energy good time. North by Northwestern spoke with one-half of the Hood Internet, Aaron Brink, aka ABX.:

Max Brawer: You guys are a new step in this ever-evolving world of sampling. From Grandmaster Flash to Fatboy Slim to Girl Talk and all the people in between, do you think the game’s been changing or have the fundamentals remained the same?

ABX: I think the thing that’s changed the most is the technology, so it’s much more accessible for pretty much anyone who has computer software to sample things and mix them in a pretty professional sounding way. I think that’s the biggest difference…going back to records like Paul’s boutique–that was pretty labor intensive and they had to search through records and put them together, and now you can go to iTunes and do it in a matter of minutes.

MB: Do you dig yourself or are you mostly digital?

ABX: No, pretty much all digital.

MB: In your song choices, do you ever like to have a sense of humor? I know its definitely an opportunity when you’re mashing up different songs.

ABX: Yeah, I think mash-ups are inherently funny. I think one of the standards for mash-ups is to have song titles that are similar or that combine to make a funny or “joke title,” and we do that now and then, but it’s not the driving force of any of our songs.

MB: Sample artists, do you have any favorites, or at least people who are inspiring?

ABX: I wouldn’t say I have a lot of favorite mash-up artists. I like Girl Talk—I like what he does. Other than that I don’t listen to tons of other mash-ups. In terms of samples, Paul’s Boutique is a big influence…also De La Soul. All their records have great samples…Old hip hop samples were great, before they got prohibitively expensive.

MB: Definitely. And what’s your process like with making a song?

ABX: It varies from song to song. Usually I have a list of songs that I might want to cut up and sample, and a folder of songs that I have a cappellas for. So I’ll always just be messing around with what will mix well. It’s a lot of trial and error.

MB: Traditionally, you see a lot of people who focus on the beat of a song and then find lyrics to put over a rhythm. Do you ever work from a lyrical standpoint, where you have an a cappella and find music to match?

ABX: Yeah, I mean I think it goes as often that way as it does to the reverse. Especially with songs with singing in them, you need a specific song that’s gonna match the key, the chords and music of it. So often I’ll sit there with my guitar and figure out what the chords are and try to find a song that’s similar, or that’s going to fit within that.

MB: When you guys try to put a song together, do you press yourselves to really tweak and tweeze at it and create some new original complexities, or are you just more focused on the concept of the mash-up, as in what you’re putting with what?

ABX: I think it varies, Sometimes things come together pretty easy and there’s not a lot that you have to do in terms of manipulating the sounds, and I think that if it works, it works. But I think other times if you want to go above and beyond what some of the other mash-ups around floating around cover, you know, I’ll take a very little piece of it and I’ll add a lot of drums and sounds to fill it out…I think that that can be a little more rewarding because people might recognize one part from a song but not hear the whole melody of a song.

MB: So about the genres—I know you guys are really popular for mixing indie rock and rap. I’ve noticed, and I don’t know if you agree, but you see a lot of people who like soft indie music and are also big Kanye people, and etc. What is it about indie and hip-hop? Why do you think they mesh?

ABX: It’s interesting because I don’t think it was always that way, I think it’s moved in that direction recently. And I’m not sure exactly why that is…I think the two worlds are getting much closer, especially as dance music has become more popular in the indie rock scene. And you see a lot of the things that are happening in that world sort of crossing over and influencing or co-occurring in the hip-hop world, where there’s Kanye West sampling Daft Punk and things like that…I don’t know exactly why but I’m all for it. I think people should have a wide range of musical tastes.

MB: I noticed you started to talk about dance music being more popular. When you guys make a song, does it always have to be a dance mix?

ABX: It doesn’t always have to be a dance mix. I think we have plenty of songs that aren’t exactly dance appropriate. I think it’s definitely influenced us as we’ve been doing more and more live shows over the last year, because that’s not how we started out. We started out just doing the blog and the mash-ups, but we’ve been doing more and more live shows. I think, how is this going to work on the dance floor.

MB: Speaking of which, what elements are you guys planning on bringing to the live show?

ABX: Just having people dance. We’ll play songs that they hopefully know and love and make a good party out of it. We like to have a high-energy, good crowd.

MB: On a personal level, aside from what you guys choose to sample from, do you have other influences? Is there stuff that you don’t really touch but you listen to on your own time?

ABX: I think there’s a lot of stuff that I listen to that doesn’t make it into this, some of the softer stuff I listen to.

MB: Mostly a fan of softer music?

ABX: No I think there’s a mix, but I don’t always want to listen to hip hop or dance music.

MB: Not a closet Metallica fan or anything?

ABX: I am not a closet Metallica fan. I’m trying to think if there’s any embarrassing music that doesn’t make it in here.

MB: Well, one last question for the gear heads out there: What’s your setup like?

ABX: Well we use Abelton Live to make the mixes that we make, and for live shows too…and then we have a trigger finger which you can use to trigger sound effects, so we have a lot of awesome sound effects that we do live.

MB: Love Abelton. This all sounds great–got any last words to get people excited?

ABX: I think people should be excited enough as is!

MB: Good point, I mean you can always go out with a “Go Wildcats…”

ABX: Yeah, I can’t do that…

For free music downloads and more information, check out their Web site.

Broken Social Scene loves Chicago.

On Thursday, the Toronto-based super-group played its fourth show here in almost as many months. When founding member Kevin Drew asked how many people had attended their small, post-Lollapalooza show at Metro, much of the sold-out crowd at the Vic cheered.

For Northwestern students, though, the band may be best remembered for their performance at Dillo Day 2008, or as founding member Brendan Canning put it in a Pitchfork Media interview, that “funny little college show.”

While Thursday’s show lacked the free-spirited energy of Dillo Day, it captured a more focused and diverse band that traded anthems and short-sleeved plaid for atmosphere and long-sleeved plaid. Free of the constraints of an hour-long set in a festival setting, the band was able to explore more of its own catalog, along with solo projects from Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning and newcomer Sam Goldberg in its two-hour set.

Elizabeth Powell of Land of Talk. Photo by author.

The eight-piece collective took the stage with a subdued start with a duo of instrumentals from You Forgot it in People, “Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries” and “Shampoo Suicide”. Within minutes though, the freewheeling guitar solos and stomping beats of “Cause = Time” provided an early surge of energy.

Those who attended the band’s Dillo Day performance were fortunate enough to see the female-vocal duty fulfilled by Amy Millan, who also played the Norris East Lawn last spring with Stars. With the usual leading ladies (Feist, Millan and Emily Haines of Metric, among others) unavailable, Elizabeth Powell of opening band Land of Talk took over on “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” that stayed true to the robotic pulse of the album version. By the end of the night, Powell meshed in as another member of the band rather than a fill-in, erasing the relevance of that always present question: “I wonder if Feist is going to show up?”

While the mid-section was occupied by mostly quieter and solo project songs, the end of the show was more exciting. Less than a minute into “Superconnected,” the momentum was nearly ruined when Kevin Drew stopped the band. “We’re gonna turn it down folks,” he said. “It’s like swimming in feedback up here.” After Drew stopped the song a second time, drummer Justin Peroff made several frustrated gestures toward Drew. The band cleared the stage, while Charles Spearin was left onstage to entertain the crowd with his “Happiness Project,” in which a sax mimics the vocals of a woman speaking on a tape loop.

The band soon returned to the stage, with smiles on both Drew’s and Peroff’s faces. They kicked off with “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day),” complete with a stress relieving screaming section and ended the show with the extended bombast of “It’s All Gonna Break.”

In the last 20 minutes, the band stormed forward with an unmatched intensity as Andrew Whiteman clutched his guitar, hunched over on one leg while Brendan Canning’s scraggly hair bounced as he performed splits in midair. When the music finally stopped, the cheers of the crowd and the band’s visible gratification suggested that it wouldn’t be too long before Broken Social Scene invades Chicago again with some more Canadian awesomeness.

With its worn-down appearance and old-school feel, the Riviera was the perfect venue for rockers Death Cab for Cutie. For many attendees, myself included, the concert was a night of nostalgia, a throwback to the music of their early teens. For others it was the chance to see what the hype was all about. Why is this band still popular after 11 years?

The roughly one and a half hours Ben Gibbard and co. played were simply not enough to delve into their extensive discography. And not surprisingly, the band drew the majority of its set-list from their most recent albums, perhaps taking the average age of the audience into account. Disappointing as that was, Death Cab delivered a performance more than worthy of the A&O Fall show.

So Many Dynamos, an Illinois-based band and friends of guitarist Chris Walla, opened the night with a sound starkly different from that of Death Cab. More alt-rock with a slight punk feel, the only real similarity was the use of synthesizers on a few songs; nevertheless, the band managed to charm the crowd, admitting that it was the largest group they’d ever played for.

Then Death Cab took the stage. The band showcased their ability to put on an excellent live show. Many songs sounded eerily similar to their recorded counterparts. And although Ben’s mic could have been a bit louder, his voice easily carried over the instrumentation. One of their most recent singles, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” — and yes, they did play that four minute and 35 second long intro — cemented a statement drummer Jason McGerr recently made about Narrow Stairs. The new album really does sound the most like Death Cab live. Not to mention Nick Harmer’s bass riff, which, though simplistic, sent chills. Previously, I might have pictured a Death Cab show where the band stood calmly on stage, essentially “too cool.” But the boys definitely had a good time through the set, moving around and enjoying the music as much as the crowd. It was especially cool to see Chris singing along sans mic, just for the fun of it.

Although about three songs into the set they played a tune off We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, that trend did not continue. Photo Album was largely unrepresented. However, songs off of Transatlanticism, Plans and Narrow Stairs received a more positive or at least widespread response from the crowd. Sweetly dedicated to “those in love,” Gibbard stood under a lone spotlight, playing his unaccompanied take on “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” one of the band’s more well-known songs. In that vein, songs from Plans seemed to be the best received — not surprising given it was their first major label release.

Gibbard is as adorable as you would expect. As the frontman, he really personifies the band — the sweet and talented nerd you used to know and love that unexpectedly became really cool.

Despite their newfound fame, Death Cab showed that they still love their fans by coming back for a four-song encore. Closing the night with “Marching Bands of Manhattan,” the band finished a great set but left the crowd wanting more. My junior-high fantasies have finally been fulfilled but I could have listened to another two hours of that dream-like instrumentation and the sweet, whispering sound of Ben Gibbard’s voice.

Over the course of two albums and the upcoming release of Gossip in the Grain, LaMontagne has established himself as a truly unique artist, writing tales of heartbreak and the ecstasy of love. The native New-Englander weaves his own brand of blue-collar mysticism with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a voice so soulful, it surprises many at first.

Much of the personality in LaMontagne’s songs comes from his complete openness in both singing and songwriting. His lyrics paint pictures of romance in the Maine countryside and of soul-affirming blue-collar labor — both semi-autobiographical — without resorting to the maudlin and shallow effects of a modern-day country song. Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, LaMontagne moved frequently while growing up, eventually settling down in Lewiston, Maine. He then worked in a shoe factory until the night he heard a Stephen Stills song on the radio, inspiring him to begin a career in music.

Photo of Ray LaMontagne courtesy of his myspace.

Alongside a full band, LaMontagne performed at the historic Chicago Theater last Wednesday, leaving no doubt that comparisons to Van Morrison and Stephen Stills are not unfounded. Known for his raspy voice and shy on-stage demeanor, the folk singer played off to the side, forgoing the attention of center stage. He opened the set with his new single, “You Are the Best Thing,” an Otis Redding-esque anthem, and followed-up with “Hold You In My Arms,” featured on the soundtrack for The Last Kiss.

The flawless sound system at the Chicago Theater was a gift considering LaMontagne’s incredibly expressive voice. Every guttural intonation was amplified clearly and maintained the intimate atmosphere present on his albums. This mood was especially evident when the band left the stage after a few songs, leaving LaMontagne alone. Bathed in blue light during “Burn,” LaMontagne rang out singing, “Oh Mama, don’t walk away. I’m a goddamn sore loser. I ain’t too proud to say.” The entire audience remained completely silent — expect for the occasional “Marry me” from female audience members to which LaMontagne simply replied, “But I don’t even know you.”

Known for obliging his fans, LaMontagne and his touring band returned to the stage for two encores, finishing his set with a lovelorn tale of rough times: “Jolene.” Listening in silence, the crowd burst into a standing ovation when the bearded singer had finished. Then with a bow and a wave, LaMontage left the stage and hundreds of satisfied fans. Not bad for a shoe factory worker.

It’s Dillo Day! Get up early, head out to the Lakefill and start enthusiastically… carrying eight-foot metal trusses.

For most students, Dillo Day marks a day-long festival of alcoholism and marathon partying. But for me and the rest of the Mayfest crew, Saturday was a marathon of intricate organization, risk management and fetching the artists whatever their musical hearts may desire.

Want to see how a sample Mayfester’s Dillo Day compares to your own? Let’s take a look at how my day went.

5 a.m.: Wake up! Curse/applaud myself for thinking of setting the alarm clock a good ten feet from my bed.

5:45 a.m.: Run to the Allison ATM, where an exec member (who has already been working for an hour) picks me and other Mayfesters up. Drop phone in bush; consequently almost miss ride.

6 a.m.: Arrive to Lakefill and begin unloading the three semis full of sound and lighting equipment. The trusses are heavy, but sun is shining and the field still has grass.

7:30 a.m.: Take scenic golf cart tour of the shoreline in search of merchandise tables. The lake is beautiful. I am nearly convinced that I should become a morning person.

8 a.m.: Fold/organize vast piles of t-shirts available for sale with the rest of the Promo team. Who knew that my extreme perfectionism would come in handy?

9:30 a.m.: Broken Social Scene’s tour bus is too tall and the band is stuck on the west side of the El tracks. Where in Evanston is there a bridge with 13-foot clearance?!

10 a.m.: Receive call from Third Eye Blind’s merchandise rep. He’s here and wants to set up camp. But wait … our supply of tables is running low. The Production Team rations them out carefully, and the wary rep sets up a makeshift stand near the stage.

10:20 a.m.: Go to drive Broken Social Scene’s tour manager and bus driver to the Hotel Orrington.

10:21 a.m.: How the hell do you start this SUV?! When did turning a metal key become uncool? Why would a company make a car this high-tech? Better question: Why does Northwestern have a car this high-tech? I think my tuition may have bought this.

11 a.m.: Back on the Lakefill, I grab some water and notice a man sitting on a couch in the hospitality tent. He looks strangely familiar. How do I know him? We make awkward eye contact as I try to figure out why he looks so familiar… then I realize it’s because he’s Ted Leo.

12:30 p.m.: Join Third Eye Blind merch man in his little homemade booth. This is a good spot for this show; I have a clear view of the stage and I can talk to the crowd. Students are very slowly starting to trickle in. That oblivious parent on the field might want to take their small child and run.

1:30 p.m.: Awkward drunk kid quote of the day: “You look familiar. Have we hooked up?” No. No we have not.

2:30 p.m.: Mud wrestling/awkward sexual tension begins directly in front of my table. People are more interested in throwing watered-down dirt at each other than they are in buying this merchandise. The Third Eye Blind rep is not thrilled.

4 p.m.: Realize I am in love with Ted Leo. I consider taking a golf cart to go buy a ring somewhere, so I can propose.

5 p.m.: Red Bull has officially become the newest and most important food group.

6:30 p.m.: Watch Broken Social Scene from ground in front of the barricades. You can tell these guys are just having the best time on stage. I, meanwhile, am getting a massage by sitting directly in front of the subwoofer.

7 p.m.: Clear stage from Broken Social Scene. Somehow I am trusted to take their guitars offstage. Sweet.

7:20 p.m.: Short dance party break on the lacrosse field.

7:35 p.m.: Shit! We lost Broken Social Scene’s merchandise. Way to be aware, Karen.

7:40 p.m.: … and they still give me a free CD? Forget Ted Leo, I love Canadians. We find the merch under a table.

7:30 p.m.: Opt to sit back during Cool Kids. A Broken Social Scene roadie discovers that if he pokes my sunburn, it turns white. He finds this repeatedly amusing.

8:45 p.m.: Drive Broken Social Scene members to the Hotel Orrington. I know it’s been a long day now because I have a van full of an amazing band and all I can think about is how much I want to use a real bathroom instead of a Port-a-Potty.

9 p.m.: The crowd here to see Common is HUGE. In the dark I can barely see the back, even from the DJ booth. Seeing crowds this big makes all of this worthwhile.

Post-Common ~ 2 a.m.: Take down all lighting and sound equipment we put up this morning, including digging cables out of the Woodstock-esque mud pit that used to be a field. My back will never be the same.

2:15 to 3 a.m.: Find ride home, shower, collapse in bed. My shoulders are burnt to a crisp, my back and knees are screaming at me, my hands are raw and the sun will be rising soon. The Dillo tattoo on my neck will not come off. My day has reached the 23-hour mark, and I am functioning in a DM-esque haze.

And I love it.

Forget the parties: I am definitely crewing again next year.

There’s little that most students want to do on Dillo Day besides, obviously, get crunked. But for those students who don’t view getting sloshed on the Lakefill with thousands of our peers as the best day ever — or for those who remember how poorly it went last year — fret not, Northwestern and Chicago are here for you.

Not into porn at Tech? See it at the Museum of Contemporary Art

This weekend marks the opening of the Jeff Koons exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Jeff Koons is considered an artist-provocateur. My extensive knowledge of art — provided by one art history survey class — informs me that artist-provocateur means, person-who-makes-things-that-most-people-would-not-consider-art. That said, his takes on popular images often illuminate what we hold important in our culture. And they’re pretty to look at.

The event is special in its depth. According to Tricia VanEck, the curator for the exhibit, “the Jeff Koons show is probably something that you won’t see ever again in Chicago. It is 59 works from his career… 38 years of work. It’s a really fantastic grouping of work that Jeff has personally installed himself. It’s not only seeing works that will never be seen again, but it’s seeing them through the eye of the artist.”

If the whole art thing doesn’t appeal to you, consider this: The MCA Web site says, “This exhibition contains some sexually explicit material. We strongly advise you to preview this exhibition before visiting with children.” The explicit material referenced is his “Made in Heaven” series, which shows Koons and his now ex wife, and former porn star, consummating their love. That’s the kind of art Northwestern students can appreciate on Dillo Day.

Don’t want to do Dillo Day? Do Division instead

The Do Division Festival is a two-day street festival and sidewalk sale being held by the West Town Chamber of Commerce. If you miss Ted Leo at Dillo Day, you can catch him here on Sunday. And with Mucca Pazza and Lucero headlining on Saturday, it might be worth it to skip Dillo Day.

According to Kara Salgado, the executive director of the West Town Chamber of Commerce, “The major appeal [of the Do Division fest] is that it’s a really local event. The Empty Bottle did the booking for the music. The event really reflects the neighborhood.” What neighborhood is that? Nothing less than the uber-hipster Wicker Park. So grab your ironic t-shirts, and head over for an “okay” time.

Not hipster enough for you? Check out the Breeders at the Metro

Capping off a fantastic day for concerts in Chicago, Kim Deal’s post-Pixies band the Breeders will headline a show with The Montana Boys at the Metro. Tickets are a steep $23, but since you’re not likely to catch the Pixies anytime soon, it’s worth it to shell out the money.

Don’t want to take the El anywhere? Stay on campus

One of the many benefits of attending a fine, prestigious university such as Northwestern is that there are always fine, prestigious things to do, even on a day that’s mostly about drinking. If classical music is more your style, Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, or NUSO, will be performing “The Requiem” by Giuseppe Verdi at 7:30 p.m.

If you’d rather skip music altogether, TI will be showing two MFA directors’ projects this weekend, Amadeus and In a Dark Dark House. While they are technically student projects, this is Northwestern, so they’re sure to be good. And if they’re not, no loss, because both shows are free.

Broken Social Scene is a big band. No, they’re not all that famous, even in their homeland of Canada. But they’re big: They’ve got 16 members and counting, and the volume of instruments, movements and melodies on each track threatens to blow out speakers while the sheer enormity of their ambition aspires to blow minds. The simplest thing you could say about them is that they’re a rock band, and the most commonly said things about them involve words like “orchestral” “epic” “shambling” and “awesome” (and, of course, “hipster,” “indie,” “Canadian” and “Pitchfork“).

The thing, though, is that all those adjectives make them sound like your typical over-the-top emo-ish indie rock outfit, but Broken Social Scene definitely don’t sound like the Arcade Fire or Stars (though their roster includes members of Stars, as well as other household hipster names like Feist and Metric). The best Broken Social Scene tracks sound like rock n’ roll, folk, movie-score strings and beautiful but meaningless lyrics thrown into a blender set to “chop.”

For a quick look at the band’s two main modes, listen to “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” and “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)“: The former shows the group’s capacity for slow-building tear-jerking grace, and the latter shows their capacity for ridiculously huge tear-jerking rock. To get better-acquainted before Dillo Day, check out these three albums…

You Forgot It In People (2002)

Their debut , Feel Good Lost, was a pleasing, if boring, collection of well-made ambient instrumentals. You Forgot It In People, though, stands as an almost-unbelievable leap forward into a world of glimmering, pummeling pop-rock. As if to diffuse criticism that all indie rock bands’ songs sound the same, each track on You Forgot It In People bears little resemblance to the last. In the span of three songs, the band swings from crashing post-rock bombast (”KC Accidental“) to hand-clappin’ psychedelic pop (”Stars and Sons“) to a punk track that has always reminded me of The Stooges in space (”Almost Crimes“). I’m hoping the band busts out the schmaltzy, strolling instrumental “Pacific Theme” on the Lakefill: There are few better songs that conjure the feel of a cool breeze on a sunny day by the water.

Key tracks: “Stars and Sons,” “Almost Crimes,” “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl,” “Cause=Time”

Broken Social Scene (2005)

I suspect the band self-titled this album because it represents the purest distillation of Broken Social Scene’s spirit: It’s 14 tracks of raw, simmering sound, with the songs collapsing and whirling and thrumming with the energy of, well, an entire social scene. That’s not to say there aren’t real songs here (”7/4 Shoreline” is one of the catchiest things they’ve done), just that they’re often encrusted with ADD drumming, intertwining fuzzed-out guitar lines, strange filters and coats of noise from unidentifiable sources. If you ask me, it’s the band’s best album. From the gravity-free apocalypse of “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)” to the schizophrenic twitch-rock of “Windsurfing Nation,” it’s the kind of record that inspires you to put it on in your room and spend the next hour kicking around your pillows and imagining you’re in a war movie.

Key tracks: “Swimmers,” “7/4 Shoreline,” “Fire Eye’d Boy,” “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day),” “Windsurfing Nation”

Spirit If… (2007)

This technically isn’t an album by Broken Social Scene but rather by Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew. That’s what the band is doing nowadays: “presenting” albums by their own band members (Brendan Canning is up next with a release on July 22). The music on here sounds as you’d expect it to sound — like a slimmed-down Broken Social Scene. The songs are still overstuffed, but not quite as overstuffed as their other material, and Drew’s vocals aren’t as compelling as they are when supported by the band’s other singers (which often include Leslie Feist, Drew’s girlfriend). Still, Broken Social Scene will likely bust out a few of these tracks on Dillo Day. My money’s on “Tbtf,” a perky ballad featuring the best pickup line of the decade: “You’re too beautiful to fuck.”

Key tracks: “Lucky Ones,” “Gang Bang Suicide,” “Backed Out On The…,” “Tbtf”

Fun fact: Stars‘ Amy Millan will play on the Lakefill for the second time this quarter when Broken Social Scene plays Dillo Day. The band’s MySpace lists her in their current touring lineup, along with six others. While the seven-person band might pale in comparison to Broken Social Scene’s former 21-person glory, have some faith: Whatever this band does, it’s gonna be big.