Blommer chocolate 🤝 midwest emo memes

Plus: join Nicole Lane at Promontory Point this Saturday! [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | March 27, 2024 Blommer Chocolate Company will close its Fulton River District plant in May and [lay off 200 employees](. I’ll miss the way it makes a few blocks near the Loop redolent with chocolate. The smell takes on a particularly thick musk on hot days, which, [as a person with an insatiable sweet tooth]( I could generally appreciate (though I suspect it could be unpleasant at the end of a long, sweaty walk). When I learned of the factory closing last week, I thought of the gnarly, abstract song [“I’ll Never Be…,”]( off Owls’ 2014 album, Two. I’ve never asked the band’s front man, [Tim Kinsella]( about one particular line in the song: “All Chicago smelled like chocolate.” But when the album came out, that lyric immediately reminded me of the sensation of passing by the Blommer building and feeling like chocolate has saturated the city. Whether or not Kinsella intended to reference that particular section of Chicago is immaterial to me; I cannot think of that song without that very specific Chicago experience. For the little bit of time left I have left to experience the fragrance of the Blommer factory, I will think of that Owls track. I reference some other music Kinsella has made in my latest Reader feature about the evolution of [midwest emo memes](. (For those who are unfamiliar with Tim’s oeuvre, I specifically name-check his old band Cap’n Jazz.) The essay is a bit of a departure from what I usually put together for music features. It’s a fraction of the length of my deeply reported features about seemingly arcane local music phenomena, though emo memes are also infrequently the main subject of a piece of music journalism. I enjoyed using the feature space to emphasize culture criticism. I think any writing about arts and culture functions as a work of criticism—profiles, scene reports, and trend stories employ a lot of elements that appear in typical album, film, and lit reviews. (Straightforward reviews can also incorporate trend reporting and scene documentation, while I am most interested in a big review that covers so many bases.) But it’s been a little while since I’ve elected to use my feature space for a straightforward essay . . . about an unusual subject. I had a fun time with it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. ◈ [“Image Without Metaphor,”]( by Vicky Osterweil (All Cats Are Beautiful) ◈ [“I Took Bass Lessons From a Punk Legend For a Year. I Learned About More Than Just the Bass,”]( by Alex Scordelis (GQ) ◈ [“Fast Hardcore, Fireworks & Police Shutdowns: The Oral History of Chicago Fest,”]( by Hugo Reyes (No Echo) ◈ DAR, [A Slightly Larger Head]( ◈ samlrc, [A Lonely Sinner]( ◈ Nivaldo Ornelas, [À Tarde]( ◈ Goalden Chyld, [War Cry]( [Chicago hip-hop comes together to help treasured veteran Gq tha Teacha]( Plus: Sibling shoegaze duo Twin Coast preview a noisy, boundary-pushing new EP. by [DMB (Debbie-Marie Brown)]( and [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Ishmael Ali, cellist and cocurator of Elastic’s Improvised Music Series]( “There could be an exchange in general with all of the arts. I wish it would be more like a summit of sorts, rather than just, you know, ‘Concert tonight!’” by [Philip Montoro]( | [Read more]( → [Spring Powerjam brings together Gucci Mane, Trina, and Cam’Ron for a night of iconic rap]( by [Cristalle Bowen]( | [Read more]( → [Glass Beach take one giant leap for emo on Plastic Death]( by [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → See the Reader come to life IRL! This Saturday, March 30 at 12pm, join Reader freelancer [Nicole Lane]( for a [community meet-up at the Point]( to share stories, make new Point-buddies, and learn about the rich history of the Chicago landmark. Hear from Jack Spicer & Debra Hammond of Promontory Point Conservancy about their efforts to preserve the Point. See you there! [S. NICOLE LANE: “SAVING THE POINT, AGAIN”]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, March 21, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 12]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Become a member of the Chicago Reader.]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Website icon]( [YouTube icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616