Chicago-based rock band Algren is announcing the May 2009 release of their first full-length album, A Wayward Sound Floods the Streets, as well as the release of an accompanying graphic novel that further explores the themes of their music. The album and book will be packaged and sold together at their shows and various independent music and book retailers around the Chicago area.

The short graphic novel is an abstract work featuring a protagonist who witnesses the destruction of his city and struggles to fight the corrupting influences. The story’s look, characters, and environment all share the social observationist perspective taken by Algren, many of whose songs are reflections on corporatization, consumerism, cultural decay, and society resignation.

The members of the band brought the graphic novel idea to local writer Jason Hissong and Wisconsin artist Brian Defferding of Deftoons Comics and Illustration (www.deftoons.com), who worked together to craft an original story and design influenced by the eleven songs that will appear on Wayward Sound. Hissong incorporated song titles and lyrics into the script while Defferding used his underground drawing style to provide the perfect visual complement to the music.All of the songs appearing on Algren’s album were recorded at Gremlen Studios by head engineer Sam Beckley, with whom the band had worked previously on various demos and single song recordings. The album is currently being mastered at Colossal Studios.

Algren’s album release show is tentatively scheduled at Double Door in Chicago, IL on Saturday, May 9, 2009. Advance copies of the album will be made available to the press in early April.

Algren has been featured on Q101, 97.9 The Loop, Chicago’s free daily
newspaper Red Eye, and numerous other media outlets. Algren is also one of the
founding members of Chicago Noise Machine (www.chicagonoisemachine.com), a unique consortium of area bands that are collaborating on a series of concerts and compilation albums over 2008 and 2009.

More information about Algren can be found online at www.myspace.com/algrenmusic. The band can be contacted at algrenmusic@gmail.com.

It’s my turn to throw down a blog about Algren’s studio experience and I’m going to spend some time discussing the precious few moments we have outside of the studio. We’re in the middle of our third 14-hour day at Gremlen Studios, a schedule that doesn’t allow for a lot of free time (or sleep). And after spending that much time listening to the same songs over and over again, it’s difficult to remove yourself from that mindset. I recorded all of my bass parts for the most part on Saturday so everything was fresh in my head on the way home. I chilled out for a half-hour or so before going to bed, finally hitting the hay at about 2:00am. But all of the songs kept replaying in my head while I was asleep so it never really felt like I left the studio. The songs were flowing so well that I even woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I had played an off-keynote in the verses of Chasing Down a Ghost. I practically leapt up and shouted “C#, not C!” in a eureka moment that would have made Archimedes proud. Sunday night was even worse because Jonathan and Aaron worked almost exclusively on A-Okay and Exposed so those two tunes were hammering through my head all night. It’s a good thing I like our songs.

We’ve had some transportation adventures over the last few days too. I am the only band member with a reliable car so I’ve been driving everybody to and from Aurora each day. Reliable may not be the best word for my 1997 Ford Taurus with 152,000miles on it, but we’re grading on a curve here and the class ain’t strong. My car’s problems in the past were annoying but had an endearing quality: slightly broken side view mirror, no air conditioning, faulty speakers on the passenger side, etc. Now the problems are growing more serious: malfunctioning temperature gauge, funny smell when I turn on the heat, possible engine coolant leak, a defogger that does anything but, and a loose windshield wiper that wags like a dog’s tail once we hit 50mph. The defogger has made things especially interesting because my windshield in a continuous haze so whoever is riding shotgun has to wipe it off every couple minutes with a towel. Driving my car has become a team effort.

Day 3 has been going well, although today’s projects are taking a little longer than we expected. There are a lot of special musical effects that we are layering into “End of the World” (we’ll post a video blog about that on YouTube soon) so we spent quite a bit of time getting that right. It sounds good though and that’s what matters in the end.

-Jason

OK, so I was talked into writing something called a blog…which I had someone google a few days ago and apparently is a contraction of the term web log.  And also, I guess that I have "blogged"before on the Algren web site before…wasn't aware of that, but I'm doing it now … So here we go.  I wasn't around much yesterday (day one)because I was playing drums…and a lot of it.  I was on the kit for a solid ten hours or so(I definitely rounded up for embellishment purposes to make me sound more like a hard core rocker).  Also, ps, I'm not typing this...J-Ho is.  I have vowed never to be a part of this technological world and its technological advancements, and I'm not going to let something called a "blog" get in the way of that.  I'm awesome and J-Ho sucks.  Anyway, I have some mega hard-core blisters on my hands (I counted 16 today in the shower) and there is no immediate sign of them healing any time soon…The whole "16" number was a  gross embellishment again…do you guys think I'm cool yet? The worst thing about waking up this morning and finding 18 blisters on my hand was the fact that I had to come in this morning and re-record one track because the tempo was off by a lot (definitely J-Ho's fault and not mine).  So, I had to grit my teeth, bear the elements and play through the pain for about an hour this morning.  But, now I'm done for the rest of the session and I get to do things like play video games (check my first blog from 2 years ago),sleep on these amazingly comfortable couches, consistently check espn.com in an obsessive nature to see what the scores are in the football playoffs, make fun of Priest, tell Iseman to make me coffee, and other really fun things.  

Yesterday was an interesting day in the realm of food.  We got Arby's for lunch, and I then realized my infatuation for Big Montanas…especially with Horsey Sauce on it.  Then, dinner was another story.  For some sick and twisted reason, Priest and Ice enjoy (yes, that's right, they actually enjoy)Long John Silvers (or as they put it "LJS").  So I rode with Priest to the drive-thru at LJS (which was fun because living in the city, you don't get your dose of the novelty known as the drive-thru) and watch him purchase the substance Long John Silvers considers food.  He took me through a Subway to get real food afterwards.  The End. 

OK, well Priest is in the booth and all the guys are hard at work which is my cue to go to sleep on the couch in the other room… have a good one.

Writing is incredible. 

The last few weeks have been some of the more exhausting of my young life, but so rewarding as well.  We're getting some great songs together.  We put the finishing touches on a song that I'm very excited about the other night, and even after 6 hours of practice it still held a smoldering intensity I cannot wait to put forth in a live setting.

The album is coming together.  The melodies, the lyrics, the mood of the songs are all syncing up.  The thematic elements that make a great album are present.  I can't wait to get back in the studio in January.

Four new songs being premiered on Saturday at the Red Line Tap.  Come out if you're able!

- Jonathan

ps - I am listening to Kanye.  Egocentric?  Yes.  Production Genius? Check. 

pps - And for the most part I despise auto-tune.

Well, it's about that time.  Time for the summer to end (boo), time for the Hideout Block Party (yay!), and time for Algren to write.  A lot.

After putting our heads together and examining our situation Algren decided it's time for a full length album.  Mainly because, well, we all want to.

Speaking for myself, I grew up with albums.  I like them.  I tend to think about music in terms of them.  The only time I enjoy mixtapes are when they carry a thematic element as a good album might.  Even when I load up my ipod with tunes, it's always groups of albums.  Well, with one exception: Algren's music.

Anyway, it's time to fix that.  Due to this you'll probably see a few less shows up here, but in actuality we're working our tails off even more than usual.  I'd count on the upcoming Reggie's show as a good one to check out if you'd like to hear where we're going with things musically.  I just spent last night working with Aaron on the last lines and melodies for two completely new songs, and I would guess we'd have some more in the hopper by the time October comes around. 

Sound-wise I don't know that we've entirely identified where we're going with things, but I'd like to think it's new musical territory for us.  We love rock music, and I don't think we'll be shedding that focus anytime soon, but we're definitely experimenting with a lot more electronic sounds, additonal instrumentation, and furthering the steps we've been making already with loops and samples.  Aaron and I are getting to good, creative places lately lyrically as well.

I'll leave you all for now, but felt an update was long overdue.  Hope you're all well.

Jonathan

ps - No promises, but I'll try and post more here as we're working through new things to keep you all updated!