Best Podcast

How to Do Everything howtodoeverything.org During the day, Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag produce NPR’s weekly quiz show Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! In their off-hours, they create a weekly podcast called How to Do Everything. In it, the nasal-voiced hosts ask a variety of experts and famous people pressing how-to questions. Recent episodes … Read more

Best Rapper

Chance the Rapper Download his free mix tape at chanceraps.com Chicago hip-hop is on fire—and Chance exemplifies the best qualities of the city’s DIY rap scene. In his colorful, exuberant mix tape Acid Rap, released in April, he is lyrically dexterous and by turns silly and poignant. Plus, he’s generous with the spotlight—his songs are … Read more

Best New-Music Series

(Un)Familiar Music Series The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., 773-276-3600 Best new: New music, as defined by Spektral Quartet violist Doyle Armbrust, has little in common with anything you might catch on Spotify. It’s more like frenetic performance pieces that range from two men shouting at the audience to the spoken-word monologues interwoven with … Read more