Early one morning back in August, while he was in Chicago for Lollapalooza, Rob Grote from The Districts woke up early, shook off the cobwebs, and made his way to the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. While the city woke up and began to stir below, Grote tooled around with an acoustic guitar, working his way through a couple of tracks from Popular Manipulations, the Philly group’s third LP, for the latest installment in Original Tracks, our video series in partnership with Original Penguin. The latest installment is from The Districts, performing tracks from their Fat Possum debut, “Popular Manipulations.”
While that record is firmly rooted in the brand of local-hero power-pop perfected by Big Star, in the gloam of the Chicago summer morning, Grote’s voice shifts into a high-lonesome wail, imbuing his songs with an added level of sweet sadness. That’s the case in “Violet,” and it’s true of Popular Manipulations’s “Ordinary Day,” too. FLOOD magazine, in partnership with Original Penguin, have created Original Tracks: a special video series showcasing performances from some of the most original up-and-comers in the music world. The latest installment is from The Districts, performing a cover of Neil Young’s “Tell Me Why,” from “After the Gold Rush.”
Of course, anything high and lonesome automatically makes us think of After the Gold Rush, and as a nice little bonus, Grote also gave us a cover of Neil Young’s “Tell Me Why,” that album’s opener. Both it and “Ordinary Day”
The Fat Angel Sings 