by Stephen Seigel
Good Reputation
Though we didn't think it was possible, Elizabeth Elmore just keeps getting better.
With her former band, Sarge, and her current one, Chicago-based The Reputation, singer/guitarist/songwriter Elmore has always writen about prickly affairs of the heart, couchd in the tenets of vintage, guitar-driven indie rock, replete with hook after delectable hook. The band, newly singed to lLookout!, recently released their second album, "To Force a Fate," and though we didn't receive a review copy, we did take in The Rep's showcase at SXSW in Austin last month, which demostrated a band that has reached a newfound maturity in the best possible sense. These days, it seems, they're taking a few more risks, varying impressively from song to song: a groovy little bssline here, a lot more piano there, all without losing the combination of edginess and melodiousness that made us fall for them in the first place..."