What’s New

Oddisee is aging like fine wine, becoming a producer-rapper’s producer-rapper. Two decades into his career, the native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, still doesn’t care about mainstream popularity—as long as he can feed his family off his music, fame isn’t important. This doesn’t mean mainstream accolades aren’t apropos; his big music is innately hip-hop, but the way he infuses it with elements of genres such as soul, R&B, and go-go makes it more expansive and widely relatable. From his early days with D.C. rap trio Diamond District through his widely heralded solo projects (such as 2011’s Rock Creek Park mixtape), and including his production work and killer live band, Oddisee has always been far above average. And in the spirit of Pharrell and the oft-troubled Ye, Oddisee has the vision and skills to do whatever he wants with music, because his music is just that good. He touts fierce independence, sociopolitical commentary, and intelligent, layered introspection over bright production. 

Oddisee’s latest record, To What End (his second project with Outer Note), continues on that path. The album is so polished that even when some of the choruses falter, the powerful verses and dynamic instrumentation are strong enough to create balance. The orchestral opener, “The Start of Something,” floats in knowing and proud, with Oddisee declaring that you “can’t appreciate the winnings, never learning loss.” Philadelphia rap icon Freeway provides his signature “rah-rah” to the driving bass of “Ghetto to Meadow” and surprisingly meshes with Oddisee’s mellifluous veteran’s flow. To What End shows Oddissee’s knack for bringing together incredible talent; “Choices” is a melodic bed of roses with great verses from Little Brother’s Phonte, British rapper and producer Kay Young, and singer BeMyFiasco. If Oddisee never blows up, that’s OK. His family is fed, and his music is so good it feels universal.

Oddisee’s To What End is available through Bandcamp.

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Oddisee is aging like fine wine, becoming a producer-rapper’s producer-rapper. Two decades into his career, the native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, still doesn’t care about mainstream popularity—as long as he can feed his family off his music, fame isn’t important. This doesn’t mean mainstream accolades aren’t apropos; his big music is innately hip-hop, but the way he infuses it with elements of genres such as soul, R&B, and go-go makes it more expansive and widely relatable. From his early days with D.C. rap trio Diamond District through his widely heralded solo projects (such as 2011’s Rock Creek Park mixtape), and including his production work and killer live band, Oddisee has always been far above average. And in the spirit of Pharrell and the oft-troubled Ye, Oddisee has the vision and skills to do whatever he wants with music, because his music is just that good. He touts fierce independence, sociopolitical commentary, and intelligent, layered introspection over bright production. 

Oddisee’s latest record, To What End (his second project with Outer Note), continues on that path. The album is so polished that even when some of the choruses falter, the powerful verses and dynamic instrumentation are strong enough to create balance. The orchestral opener, “The Start of Something,” floats in knowing and proud, with Oddisee declaring that you “can’t appreciate the winnings, never learning loss.” Philadelphia rap icon Freeway provides his signature “rah-rah” to the driving bass of “Ghetto to Meadow” and surprisingly meshes with Oddisee’s mellifluous veteran’s flow. To What End shows Oddissee’s knack for bringing together incredible talent; “Choices” is a melodic bed of roses with great verses from Little Brother’s Phonte, British rapper and producer Kay Young, and singer BeMyFiasco. If Oddisee never blows up, that’s OK. His family is fed, and his music is so good it feels universal.

Oddisee’s To What End is available through Bandcamp.

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Ella Williams, the Massachusetts-born musician who makes music as Squirrel Flower, released her first EP, Early Winter Songs From Middle America, while attending Grinnell College in 2015, and she’s been steadily touring ever since. After graduation, she moved back to Boston to make her way in the DIY scene, and she soon turned heads with stunning back-to-back albums, 2020’s I Was Born Swimming and 2021’s Planet (i), both released through Polyvinyl. She moved to Chicago in 2021, and since then she’s seamlessly settled into the city’s tight-knit music scene, even joining tours with local bands, including Tenci, Mia Joy, and Whitney. Squirrel Flower’s latest single, “Your Love,” is a full-band reimagining of the softer, more stripped-down track “Your Love Is a Disaster” from last year’s Planet EP. Here, Williams steadies herself against the sharp gut punch of new love, her voice careening over fuzzed-out guitar and a punchy drumbeat. Bursting at the seams with layers of vocal harmonies, pedal steel, and a twangy guitar solo from MJ Lenderman, “Your Love” is a nervous reckoning with the pain of love as much as it is a ringing celebration of desire. 

Williams’s songs often toe this line, creating a staggering balance between decay and absolute comfort. Through these extremes, she manages to unearth bright, unclouded insights about herself and her most intimate relationships. Onstage, this clarity lends Williams a certain sternness; she often sets her face with a calm and unsmiling reserve. While she holds chaos and catastrophe close in her songs, beneath the surface there’s a taut and aching longing for connection, no matter the price. To love is to face the sharpest razor’s edge, but Williams convinces us that the risk is worth it. How far would you go to feel close to someone again?

Squirrel Flower Dearly Somber and Soft and Dumb open. Thu 1/26, 9 PM, Sleeping Village, $20, $18 in advance. 21+

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Ella Williams, the Massachusetts-born musician who makes music as Squirrel Flower, released her first EP, Early Winter Songs From Middle America, while attending Grinnell College in 2015, and she’s been steadily touring ever since. After graduation, she moved back to Boston to make her way in the DIY scene, and she soon turned heads with stunning back-to-back albums, 2020’s I Was Born Swimming and 2021’s Planet (i), both released through Polyvinyl. She moved to Chicago in 2021, and since then she’s seamlessly settled into the city’s tight-knit music scene, even joining tours with local bands, including Tenci, Mia Joy, and Whitney. Squirrel Flower’s latest single, “Your Love,” is a full-band reimagining of the softer, more stripped-down track “Your Love Is a Disaster” from last year’s Planet EP. Here, Williams steadies herself against the sharp gut punch of new love, her voice careening over fuzzed-out guitar and a punchy drumbeat. Bursting at the seams with layers of vocal harmonies, pedal steel, and a twangy guitar solo from MJ Lenderman, “Your Love” is a nervous reckoning with the pain of love as much as it is a ringing celebration of desire. 

Williams’s songs often toe this line, creating a staggering balance between decay and absolute comfort. Through these extremes, she manages to unearth bright, unclouded insights about herself and her most intimate relationships. Onstage, this clarity lends Williams a certain sternness; she often sets her face with a calm and unsmiling reserve. While she holds chaos and catastrophe close in her songs, beneath the surface there’s a taut and aching longing for connection, no matter the price. To love is to face the sharpest razor’s edge, but Williams convinces us that the risk is worth it. How far would you go to feel close to someone again?

Squirrel Flower Dearly Somber and Soft and Dumb open. Thu 1/26, 9 PM, Sleeping Village, $20, $18 in advance. 21+

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

Read More