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Macklemore and Ryan Lewis established their cred as gay allies with their earnest if clunky “Same Love”. But John Grant’s “Glacier” is a vastly superior take on homophobia and its injuries, hidden and otherwise. The closing track on Grant’s much-acclaimed 2013 album Pale Green Ghosts, “Glacier” is a seven-minute-plus, piano-driven ballad sung by Grant in an intimate, direct-address style that is quietly devastating.

This year winter has been one of the coldest and snowiest in Chicago’s not-overly tropical history with the third polar vortex of the season currently camping out over the area through at least the end of February. Fortunately, in the middle of this Chiberian ordeal local sextet the Lemons (not to be confused with the early ‘90s Seattle alt-rockers) dropped a debut album that positively radiates toasty mid-summer happiness.


A rich country-infused, Caribbean-splashed folk-rock track, “Hundreds of Ways” is the first single off Conor Oberst’s forthcoming album Upside Down Mountain, which will drop on May 20. As it moves and breaks, the genre-jumping gem is deeply wordy, yet incredibly driving. In support of the new record, he hits the road in May. According to Oberst’s website, Dawes will open and act as his backing band during the tour. The dates are below.

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