In the music spotlight: Imperial Sound

Chicago mainstays Rick Mosher and Kenn Goodman return with their sharpest effort to date, and a new gathering of local musical heroes known collectively as the Imperial Sound. The group trades the underground rock of the Service and lunatic fun of New Duncan Imperials’ high-octane “trash-rock” for a comparably sophisticated but equally vibrant blend of Memphis Soul and classic pop songcraft.

The band’s new release from Chicago’s Pravda Records called “The New AM” collects a dozen crafty delights, but local fans should treat the album as a calling card. These are the kind of songs built to thrive in small rooms with sweaty walls and the buzzing energy of an actively engaged crowd. The Imperial Sound launches a run of local dates next Thursday at Montrose Saloon, followed by stops at Green Mill, Martyrs, and FitzGerald’s.

“Back on Your Table” sweetens a snarling guitar lick with Stax-styled horns. Mosher appends its jazzy chorus with “fa-fa-fa’s” cribbed from Kinks classic “David Watts.” The song vents about a bad relationship that refuses to die. The rambunctious “Six to a Room” is a cheeky celebration of Mosher and Goodman’s history of bringing music to “crowds of any size, for any amount of money” on shoestring budgets with their older bands.

“Tracing the Lines” begins like Badfinger’s “No Matter What” before elevating beyond pure power-pop with rafter-raising gospel organ. “Get Along!” features Goodman’s shimmering keyboards and borrows the New Wave snarl of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up.”

In addition to four steady bandmates, the principals’ status in the Chicago independent music is supported by collaborations with other local fixtures. Flat Five singers and in-demand session artists Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor are both featured, alongside Peter Himmelman and longtime associate/Poi Dog Pondering veteran Dag Juhlin. Poi Dog vocalist and local stage favorite Robert Cornelius sings the bristling anthem to fraternal friendship “A Man Like You,” with a hook recalling driving Sam & Dave classic “Hold On, I’m Coming.”

The Imperial Sound’s bio concludes with an apt summary stating, “This may be a band with a past, but it’s also a band with a future.” Anyone who enjoyed the chaotic abandon of NDI or savvy songwriting of the Service will find much to love about Mosher and Goodman’s current formation, but the Imperial Sound deploys its experience and maturity in subversive ways. Newcomers, pop savants, punks, rockers and soul devotees can all meet in the same room to thrill to “The New AM.”

* The Imperial Sound, with Marina and Steve Karras, 8 p.m. Oct. 25, Montrose Saloon, 2933 W. Montrose. Free admission (ages 21+); montrosesaloon.com. The Imperial Sound, with Nikki Hill, 9 p.m., Nov. 3, FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn, $15 (ages 21+); ticketweb.com.

Jeff Elbel is a local freelance writer. Email: elbel.jeff@gmail.com