White Mystery

There are some great songs about Chicago out there. “Chicago At Night” by Spoon, “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens (of course), and a whole myriad of material by Wilco. But one of my favorite songs about Chicago is by one of Chicago’s greatest garage rock bands—”Take a Walk” by White Mystery. It’s a song about walking, not driving, around Chicago.

White Mystery is a two-piece ginger-haired garage explosion. On guitar and vocals is Miss Alex White. On drums and vocals is brother Francis White (hey Francis, you should consider calling yourself Brother Francis White). The harmonies are trashy and gorgeous. Alex wails like a blues queen affecting a punk rock drawl. If you’re one of the few fortunate ones to own their Hozac Hookup Klub 7″, you’re extremely lucky.

White Mystery – “Take a Walk” (7″)

The Whites will be at the Bottom Lounge tonight (Oct. 20) with Shonen Knife. The “Take a Walk” split 7″ is out right now. Here’s a list from Miss Alex White.

five tunes

1) Mirrors - “Hands In My Pockets” (from Something That Would Never Do) – “Essential early ’70s Ohio punk anthem chugs like a train with romance as the conductor.”

2) Mirrors - “Hate Reaction” (from A Green Dream) – “Scorching guitar riff by contemporary left-coast guitar god Greg Ashley also from Gris Gris.”

3) The Twinkeyz - ”Sweet Nothing” (from Cartoon Land) – “Enjoy this psychedelic slow dance from the band known for ‘Aliens in our Midst’ like it’s live from outer space.” (Ed. note: Thanks to Tage Savage for sending the song.)

4) The Myelin Sheaths - ”Myelin Twist” – “Lo-fi, hand-clapping, bubbly-smart girls singing an instant party classic. From Canada!” (Ed. note: Couldn’t find “Myelin Twist,” but enjoy “Do The Mental Twist.”)

5) The Ponys - “Double Vision” (from Turn the Lights Out) – “This is the kind of bass-line that moves mountains. Best enjoyed on infinite repeat.”

White Mystery – MySpace