What sound does a WASU make?

My Favorite Songs of 2010, and the Albums From Whence They Came

2011-01-10T16:22:00.013-05:00

by Clint Frost(WASU DJ/Contributor)

-Sprawl II-Arcade Fire-The Suburbs-

The best song from Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs is sung not by Win Butler, but by the underappreciated Regine Chassagne. It is an amazing analysis of the prevalent contradiction that is embodied by the sudden discouragement of doing what matters to one when they reach adulthood, after, during the entirety of one’s youth, they are encouraged to be themselves and not care what others think, and to do those things that are important to them. Suddenly, nonconformity is debilitating financially, so conformity and work that means nothing to one rehabilitates their finances, but sacrifices their soul, and produces all sorts of anxieties that wouldn’t be there if they were proud of their work, were happy with it, not only happy with the monetary compensation they receive.

The opening verse show that Chassagne is sympathetic to this sentiment: “They heard me singing and they told me to stop/Quit these pretentious things, and just punch in the clock.” She ends the chorus on a sad note, sighing “we can never get away from the Sprawl.” The” Sprawl” seems to be the omniscience that conformity and sameness are steadily moving towards occupying, not just in the shopping malls that Chassagne describes, but in such sacred, seemingly nonmarketable things as, for example, the outdoors. The band pounds out an anthemic but uncharacteristically electro-pop backing for Chassagne, featuring an ominously catchy synthesizer riff that is ironic in its electronic “perfection” is exactly what Arcade Fire is railing against on not just this piece of pop brilliance, but the entirety of The Suburbs.

-To Old Friends and New-Titus Andronicus-The Monitor-One of the many high points on the Glen Rock, New Jersey rockers 2010 album, “To Old Friends and New” is one of the rare multi-faceted long songs from concept albums in which the every part meshes perfectly with the other. It is also one of the most impassioned rock performances I’ve ever heard on record, in every aspect of the recording. The male/female duet sang at the beginning of the song over a perfectly dramatic chord progression, played on a piano, far more than adequately sets the stage for the theatrical climax that is the middle of the song, a musical explosion in almost every way possible. The guitars crank up and distort to a preposterous level, yet retain the ability to sound beautiful due to both complex and yearning 7^th chords they are blasting. The lead singer’s vocal chords sound as they are going to be torn apart as he screams what are some of the most gorgeously melodramatic lyrics in recent memory: “Reasons for living are seldom and few/When you see one you better stick to it like glue.”

I’ve Seen it Go Away-Merle Haggard-I Am What I Am

-The Merle Haggard of these days is less interested in making great musical statements (like eschewing the notion that country music had to merely rehash the past in order to stay “traditional” in the ‘80’s) than he is calmly making his observations about the current state of the world while being backed by a band adhering firmly to straightforward traditional Bakersfield country/western swing. There is nothing innovative or new about the arrangement of “I’ve Seen it Go Away,” and even his trademark croon is slowly fading. But Merle is still recording and making his opinions felt, not in an effort necessarily to impress the listener with his art or song craft, but because he as something to say, and in a way that brings back similarities to the purity of folk songs, he doesn’t want the music to distract the listener from what he is saying. And what he is saying is that he has experienced firsthand the mixed feelings and results caused by industrialization and consumerism; those feelings being excitement and wonder at the bright lights of the city and the opportunity for adventure it carries with, and sadness upon realization that such a lifestyle was not able to be sustained. On the surface, “I’ve Seen it Go Away” may seem like a nostalgic yearn for the past, especially considering the somewhat lackadaisical shuffle that the music is, but it is more a search for the answers, a search for why we couldn’t sustain that way of life, and in questioning, he offers up one of the reasons: “I’ve seen our greatest heroes, break their people’s hearts.” No one in country music history is as good as Merle Haggard, period.

Crown on the Ground-Sleigh Bells-Treats

-Yeah, they were overhyped, but it’d be all but impossible to adequately give a reason for denying this songs’ genius. The combination of heavy guitar, cheerleader-esque girl vocals, and crunk beats, all at their highest possible level of obnoxiousness and cacophony, somehow results in a tune that is wholly original and melodious, featuring one of the catchiest verse hooks in recent memory.

Worm Tamer-Grinderman-Grinderman 2

-Nick Cave’s garage blue -esque group Grinderman’s “Worm Tamer” is not pretty music. The guitar riff is perverted and tortured Bo Diddley beat, the lyrics consist of distasteful serpent/male appendage double entendre (“you know they call my girl the serpent wrangler…”), and, heck, Nick Cave himself is ugly. But just because it’s not pretty, doesn’t mean it’s not good.

The Weekenders-The Hold Steady-Heaven is Whenever

-The best song on the Minneapolis rocker’s 2010 album Heaven is Whenver, “The Weekenders” finds lead vocalist/songwriter Craig Finn actually singing as opposed to melodically rambling. The results are mixed on the rest of the album, but this song is sheer, hooky pop/rock brilliance. It also shows that Finn’s trademark knack for clever wordplay is still soundly in-tact, containing lyrics like “the theme of this party’s the Industrial Age; you came in dressed like a train wreck.”

Helicopter-Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest

-2010’s Halcyon Digest marked the first time I listened to Deerhunter, and it was a rewarding listen, tosay the least. “Helicopter” is the standout track, mixing ugliness and beauty to a point where they are all but indistinguishable. The lyrics follows a story by Dennis Cooper about a teen being smothered by sex slavery and the mafia, and her plight is sympathetic, obviously, but also realistic, which actually enhances the sympathy. For example, singer Bradford Cox sings the line “No one cares for me,” which, this line: “They don’t pay like they used to pay; I used to make it day-to-day.” This disillusioned acceptance of being paid for sex being somewhat acceptable as long as the pay is good makes the story that much more depressing. The music too, has a degree of ugliness to it, despite beginning with some of the most melodious, sugary-sweet opening sounds ever put to record. As the story/song progresses though, these delectable sounds are overpowered by discord in the form of ambient noise. This urges the song to hint at a theme that is larger than the sad tale of the Russian teen, but the story certainly is an example of the theme; the most decadent and on-the-surface beautiful things are often aggravated by an undercurrent of ugliness, and this ugliness gains momentum and often has more power to transcend than the beauty does.

-The Wild Hunt-Tallest Man on Earth-The Wild Hunt-The Bob Dylan comparisons aren’t undeserved by any means, but they don’t in any way do him justice. What he may lack in lyrical prowess (specifically in directness, in some songs), The Tallest Man on Earth makes up for with a much more pop-oriented approach to guitar-playing than Dylan ever had, and his voice; though raw, it is more charming and earnest than Dylan’s ever was.

Written In Reverse-Spoon-Transference

-Austin, Texas Indie pop/rock band Spoon have been making great pop music for about 2 decades now, and with this year’s Transference they continue that trend. “Written in Reverse” is one of the best songs of their career, featuring some of lead singer Britt Daniel’s best vocal-chord shredding howls on record.

You Got Another-Drive-By Truckers-The Big To-Do

-One could easily make the argument that the high point of DBT’s 2010 release was Patterson Hood’s extremely relevant “This Fucking Job,” or Mike Cooley’s “Birthday Boy.” I, however, feel that the high point comes in the form of new bassist Shonna Tucker’s piano ballad, “You Got Another.”

The song sows classic country weeper ground, though never have I ever heard a line sang with such seemingly honest heartbreak as when Tucker sings “Baby, this ain’t funny, we got a lot of love.”

Black and Blue-The White Buffalo-Prepare for Black and Blue

-A startlingly raw and heartfelt song that depicts just how much a man is crippled by his lover walking out on him, in every aspect of his life. Accompanied by a sparse perfection that is a simple arpeggiated, acoustic chord progression and occasional piano twinkles, The White Buffalo shows that there is always fertile new soil to be unearthed in a hurtin’ song, as long as it is emotionally honest, direct, and genuine. With the segue from the straightforward description of drinking to more easily bask in “her” memory, to “I’m fucking it up…for you…” and suddenly howling “It’s all for you…” for a haunting 20 seconds, The White Buffalo reveals he is nothing if not genuine.

-Dark Trance-Free Energy-Stuck On Nothing

-Free Energy is a super catchy power pop group, music that you don’t hate having in your head all day. So catchy in fact that you don’t even mind such questionable lyrics as “well come on, just be my sis…one last kiss (yeah, extremely questionable, I know…and creepily suggestive).” The build up at the end is incredibly sweet, with such great twee popish sounding lyrics as “Do you love her? Do you want her? Have you ever had enough?” sung in the most appealingly innocent voice ever that fits the music and lyrics perfectly, and the song finally climaxes into a sugary explosion of guitars that is absolutely delectable.

Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)-Old 97’s-The Grand Theatre, Vol. 1

-There is a big difference between “old” Old 97’s, “middle” Old 97’s, and “new” Old 97’s. The old, or early Old 97’s were a twangy, catchy group so caught up in redneck-country irony that it was hard to tell where they really stood, musically, and hard to take them too seriously. The middle of their career found them in a confused state, with leadsinger Rhett Miller suddenly losing the veil of his mock-redneck accent and becoming an emotionally straightforward singer, with the rest of the band suddenly churning out what didn’t differentiate much from mainstream emo-pop. They seem to have finally come into their own with their 2010 release The Grand Theatre, Vol. 1. The song “Every Night is Friday Night (Without You) is a great example of their new sound; it rocks every bit as hard and raw as the Replacements, without the self-deprecation, and at the same time, embraces the self-pitying (self-absorbed?) honesty of Hank Williams and Gram Parsons with Miller’s vocals and lyrics, instead of mocking it. This results in a song that is refreshing, revitalizing, and impulsive, proving that the best rock and roll isn’t always or even usually, holier-than-thou “indie” rock; it still is more often that impulsive, amateur, relatable, and just outright rockin’, are more amiable attributes.

Bruce Springsteen-Because the Night-The Promise

-The dramatic pop/rock song Springsteen wrote for Patti Smith back in ’78 finally gets an official recording/release by The Boss himself(It was supposedly recorded during the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions, but it sounds more like the vocal inflections Bruce has been using on recent recordings, than how his voice sounded on Darkness). His “Because the Night” makes the listener all but forget the original Patti Smith Group recording, which often is not the case when the original songwriter releases their version of their song that another artist made popular. But Bruce and the E Street Band prove that this is their song. Although it wouldn’t necessarily fit in on any one Springsteen album that I can think of, it is classic Springsteen through and through, complete with one of Clarence Clemmons’ tried and true straight-melody sax solos.

-Chelsea Hotel-Leonard Cohen-Songs from the Road

-Leonard Cohen’s recordings have always seemed as if he knows something the average human doesn’t; his somber baritone combined with exquisite lyricism rightly gives him an air of being an extremely wise man. As his voice has aged, Cohen (now 76) just seems all the more wise, which makes this live version of “Chelsea Hotel” possibly the definitive version of the song.

Conversation 16-The National-High Violet

-The National stick with their trademark brand of intellectual, sad-sack rock music, without yet sounding tired or repetitive, with 2010’s High Violet being, arguably, their strongest record yet. “Conversation 16” is yet another classic National tune, with lyrics that are mumbled by a narrator that is socially anxious/inept to the point of madness (a common motif in National songs, featured in “Abel,” from 2005’s Alligator, and “Slow Show,” from 2007’s Boxer, to name a couple). The band is tight as ever, but they slightly abandon immediate accessibility in favor of a denser, more rewarding listen, one that demands repeated listens to understand the full breadth of the brilliance of the music. On “Conversation 16,” lead singer Matt Berninger’s lyrics continue to focus on, and expose, what’s underneath a sometimes false mask of domestic tranquility: “We try to hold it together, ‘til our friends are all gone.” That time, when their “friends are all gone,” is the chorus of the song, when Berninger croons “I was afraid…I’d eat your brains…cause I’m evil.” He is one of the few who could sing such lines and the choice verb describing the vocals is still “croon.”

Fuck You-Cee Lo Green-Lady Killer-

-One of the funkiest kiss off songs ever recorded, Cee Lo’s smash “Fuck You” is also simply one of the catchiest songs in recent memory. Everything about the recording is over-the-top, from the call-response backup vocals (“ain’t that some shit?”) to the overwrought emotion of the bridge towards the end, where Green stoops to the level of a toddler throwing a tantrum (the only difference being that this toddler is singing about losing his woman and is graced with a surprisingly soulful singing voice).

Down By the Water-The Decemberists-The King is Dead (pre-release)

-After receiving much flak from critics pertaining to their last album, the rock opera The Hazards of Love, the Decemberists appear to have taken a more straightforward approach with their new material. The influence of REM is more obvious than usual on this single, even featuring REM guitarist Peter Buck contributing some of his classic Rickenbacker jangle. This all adds up to equal the most accessible track in the Decemberists’ discography thus far, and one of their strongest.

Tighten Up-The Black Keys-Brothers

-The only Danger Mouse produced song on 2010’s Brothers (He produced the group’s 2008 release Attack and Release), the tune benefits from his studio wizardry more so than any song the last album did. Cliché blues references still abound, yet the Keys manage to tap into something more poppy with this song than they have frequently done in the past, with the exception of Rubber Factory’s “10 AM Automatic.” Though that song may have rocked slightly harder, it didn’t propel them to the ubiquitous level this song has, garnering them enough mainstream attention to confuse them for the Black Eyed Peas.

All of the Lights (featuring Rihanna) -Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

-Probably the song with the most Top 40 potential on Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it forms the obvious question in the listener’s mind from the get-go: what’s with Rihanna being featured in all these songs with references to domestic abuse in 2010? But that question is soon pushed to the wayside, when the listener realizes this song easily beats the others. Kanye covers a wide variety of subject matter in his lyrics here, but what arguably stands out the most are the ones concerning his reputation as a, for lack of a better word, douche.

Honorable Mentions-

Heaven Can Wait-Charlotte Gainsbourg feat. Beck-IRM

Experience the Jewel-Wintersleep-New Inheritors

The Difference Between Us-The Dead Weather-Sea of Cowards

Five Small Words-Elvis Costello-National Ransom

Adultery-Extra Lens-Undercard

American Slang-Gaslight Anthem-American Slang

Scott Mescudi vs. the World-Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon Part II

Drunk Girls-LCD Soundsystem-This is Happening

Congratulations, Flash Delerium-MGMT-Congratulations

You Are Not Alone-Mavis Staples

Cousins-Vampire Weekend-Contra

Love and War, Hitchhiker-Neil Young-Le Noise

Runaway, Gorgeous-Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

We Don’t Want Your Body-Stars-The Five Ghosts

King of the Beach-Wavves-King of the Beach

Hahahaha Jk-Das Racist-Sit Down, Man

Kill Your Idols-Ten Million Lights-Ten Million Lights

Thank Me Someday-Buddy Guy-Living Proof

King of Spain-Tallest Man on Earth-The Wild Hunt

Bloodbuzz Ohio-The National-High Violet

Month of May, We Used to Wait-Arcade Fire-The Suburbs

You Must Have Been Out of Your Mind-The Magnetic Fields-Realism

The Battle of Hampton Roads-Titus Andronicus-The Monitor

Love the Way You Lie-Eminem-Recovery

I’m Not a Star-Rick Ross-Teflon Don

When I’m With You-Best Coast-Crazy For You

Sweet Part of the City, We Can Get Together-The Hold Steady-Heaven Is Whenever

Remember Last Time-Avi Buffalo-Avi Buffalo

We Want War-These New Puritans

The Gaudy Side of Town-Gayngs-

Year’s Not Long-Male Bonding-

Digging For Something-Superchunk-Majesty Shredding

Album Review: Maximum Balloon "Maximum Balloon"

2010-10-04T12:55:00.002-04:00

by: Maggie Luckadoo

With names like Karen O, David Byrne, and Katrina Ford on the track listing for Maximum Balloon’s debut self-titled release, it’s difficult to set the bar low for the album. And, after listening to said tracks, Maximum Balloon did not fail to meet my expectations. Best known for his role in TV On the Radio, Maximum Balloon is a side project of David Andrew Sitek.

It is clear from the beginning that this project is a complete departure from TV On the Radio’s sound for Sitek. The opening track, “Groove Me,” featuring Thelophilus London, is heavy on synth and sets off the rhythmic, dance-like tone which flows throughout the entire album. With Katrina Ford’s vocals on “Young Love,” the dance club feel continues and doesn’t stop until TV On the Radio Kyp Malone lends his voice to the track “Shakedown,” which has a slower, jazzier tempo. But even when Sitek reunited with Malone on Maximum Balloon, the end product sounded nothing like tracks on TV On the Radio’s albums. Also standing apart from Maximum Balloon’s dance tracks are “The Lesson” featuring Holly Miranda and “Pink Bricks” featuring Ambrosia Nicole Parsley, which have more sultry vocals. Karen O’s contribution to the album, “Communion,” was not reminiscent of anything she’s produced with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but is pleasantly surprising and one of Maximum Balloon’s strongest tracks.

Despite the wide range of vocals and sounds on each track, which vary with each contributor to the album, Maximum Balloon achieves a certain level of consistency. Those expecting to hear an album similar to TV On the Radio’s most recent releases, Return to Cookie Mountain and Dear Science, will be disappointed by Maximum Balloon. However, Sitek’s first solo venture can definitely be considered a success. Unique and upbeat, this album is full of solid dance tracks and unique rhythms. Hopefully, this will not be Sitek’s only release of this kind. 7/10

Album Picks: "If You Return," Communion," "Young Love"

Album Review: Street Dogs "Street Dogs"

2010-10-04T12:45:00.002-04:00

by: Ashley Burdette

Boston-based Street Dogs (fronted by former Dropkick Murphys singer, Mike McColgan) released their fifth album at the end of August, which has been a great soundtrack for the beginning of the school year. It will draw you in from the very first riff and shrill of the bagpipes, making you want to drink green beer, slap on some Mardi Gras beads and have a Boondock Saints marathon in your dorm room. Following the traditional punk format, none of the tracks are longer than three minutes and roll right into each other with perfection. They’re the kind of songs on your iPod that make you walk, or tap your hand on the steering wheel, a bit faster to keep in time with the music.

There is a balance though, if you want to listen to something a bit slower and more ‘ballad-y’, check out “Bobby Powers”, “10 Wood Rd.”, or “Poor, Poor Jimmy”— as opposed to “Punk Rock and Roll”, “Ghosts”, or “Portland”, which will definitely wake you up in the morning and get you going. Interwoven between the rather catchy beats and raw energy are political messages about the economy, something we all hate to talk about but deal with every day, making the members of Street Dogs seem like guys you could see yourself hanging out with in a garage somewhere on Route 421, not ‘rockstars’. This album could easily become a staple in every punks’ music collection, especially if you’re into Flogging Molly, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, or (dare I say it?) ... Good Charlotte. So, I raise a toast to Street Dogs: may the next album be even more awesome, sláinte. 8.9/10

Album Picks: "Yesterday," "Harpo," "Ten Wood Rd."

Album Review: Grinderman "Grinderman 2"

2010-10-01T12:58:00.002-04:00

by: Clint Frost

Say what you will about Nick Cave; you can’t say that he conforms to any popular music trends. Cave (Lead singer of Grinderman,‘80’s-to-now indie stalwart, of Bad Seeds fame), interestingly enough, is probably furthest away from conforming to the general mindset of today’s top “indie/alternative” music-by which I mean, high pitched vocals and lyrics that either induce sympathy from the listener or act as some sort of rallying cry to a legitimized cause (i.e., The Shins, Arcade Fire, respectively)- with Grinderman.

Cave’s deep, preacher-at-the-Church-of-Satan- voice croaks lyrics that create dark stories about characters who far from inspire sympathy. Take for example the crazed siblings in the opening track “Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man;” who are most likely holding a woman against her will and defiling her as the cops arrive at the door. Or the man in “Worm Tamer” who bluntly justifies running around on his wife by saying he “just loved her too long.”

The music on Grinderman 2 is blues indebted rock and roll in its most raw and primitive form, except with tastefully precise modern studio touches. The band gives fresh new life to the archetypal Bo Diddly blues beat employed by “Worm Tamer” just by playing the hell out of it on what sounds like a cheap Wal-Mart guitar and amp, and by placing bits of snake charmer-esque synth noises in just the right places. So the music is just as brutal and relentless as the stories the lyrics tell, with their careless embrace of vilest depths of human desire. However, there are times on the album, though rare, where the smoke clears and the narrators feel a tingling of self-awareness and regret, such as on the heart-breaking “What I Know.” In this ragged acoustic number, Cave steps away from the pulpit, breaks down, and all but sobs about the cruelty of human nature’s inability to be sexually content.

In the end, Grinderman 2 is a great album, though what casual listeners may find hard to digest is the fact that the album’s merits are in the raw beauty in which it exposes the dark, animal impulses that are bottled-up deep in the core of most humans, and what happens when those impulses gain control over all else. 8.1/10

Album Picks: "Worm Tamer," "What I Know," "Palaces of Montezuma"

Dave's Tasting Notes

2010-09-14T14:39:00.004-04:00

by: David Edscorn

A look at what's new here at WASU.

Black Mountain “The Hair Song”- Take some acoustic jangle, some 70’s rock muscle, and some nice male/female harmonies, and you’ve got this gem from Canada’s Black Mountain.

Blonde Redhead “Here Sometimes”- Indie pioneers Blonde Redhead return with this slow-burner, lots of terrific electronics and haunting vocals to be found here.

Crocodiles “Hearts of Love”- Classic noise-rock with a soaring chorus and infectious melodies. A bit of a surf-rock vibe inhabits this song from the San Diego band, making it perfect for late-summer/early-fall drives.

Fake Problems “5678”- Florida’s alt-punk sons Fake Problems kick some tail on this banger, complete with vocal distortion, a sing-along chorus, and hand-claps.

Grinderman “Worm Tamer”- Masters of a special brand of weird blues-rock, Grinderman return with this killer of a track. Lead singer Nick Cave (yes, THAT Nick Cave, normally found with The Bad Seeds) belts out every word like he’s Moses handing out some kind of twisted, vaguely evil version of the Ten Commandments.

Lazerbeak “Dream Team”- You might know Lazerbeak as an important member of the Doomtree hip-hop collective, but this track is pure indie-rock. Piano, acoustic guitar, and actual singing make it an interesting highlight in this rap producers already impressive repertoire.

Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s “New York City Hotel Blues”- The Indianapolis band’s newest features the impressive vocals you expect, with some new guitar chops and out-front percussion.

Album Reviews- Summer 2010 Part 1

2010-08-13T14:41:00.004-04:00

by: David Edscorn

Music-wise, it’s been a huge summer. Tons of high-profile indie releases (remember the time when that phrase would have been considered a contradiction?) and another ton of unexpected pleasant surprises have kept my ears happy and my wallet empty since May. Here’s what I’ve been listening to this summer (I’m defining “summer” as Appalachian’s summer vacation, not the actual season), with a few notes on each. Also, check out the player at the bottom, with one of the "Standouts" from each album. Enjoy!

The New Pornographers Together 7.5 (out of ten)- Great upbeat rock with a little class (most songs feature well-done string arrangements). Copious amounts of sunlight (read as: windows should be open, whether at home or in your car) recommended for maximum effect. Standouts: “Moves,” “Crash Years,” “We End Up Together”

The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever 6.5- Not the finest offering from the Twin Cities’ favorite bar band, but worth a listen for fans. If you’re not familiar with the Steady, do yourself a favor and check out their other albums first (I suggest Boys And Girls In America and Separation Sunday). Standouts: “Sweet Part of the City” “Weekenders,” “Slight Discomfort”

LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening- No score for this one. Not usually my style of music, I don’t feel comfortable rating it. However, for whatever reason, I keep coming back to certain songs on this album. If you enjoy electronic/dance music (and you’re not afraid of five-minute-plus songs), it’s worth a few spins. Standouts: “Dance Yrself Clean,” “All I Want” “I Can Change”

Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record 7.5- Worth it just for the redemptive title, the music is great as well. Big, soaring songs with plenty of tempo-changeups to keep things interesting and some killer solos abound. Standouts: “World Sick,” “Forced To Love” “Sentimental X’s”

The Black Keys Brothers 7.9- For Black Keys fans (such as myself) that enjoyed the branching out of 2008’s Attack and Release but missed the raw blues of the band’s earlier work, Brothers will be sure to please. Despite a plethora of muscle and soul, the Keys manage to remain lighthearted and seem to just have fun with this record (just look at that album cover). Standouts: “Next Girl,” “Tighten Up” “Sinister Kid”

The National High Violet 8.5- Kings of the slowburn, sultans of the late-night jam, The National return with another killer. Mature, calculated, and masterfully crafted, this is an extremely rewarding listen. Depressing, maybe, but in an almost triumphant way (that’s only a contradiction if you’ve never listened to these guys). Standouts: “Terrible Love” “Afraid of Everyone” “Runaway”

Gogol Bordello Trans-Continental Hustle 7.0- Here it is, my fascination with Eastern European music. Gogol Bordello have always been known (or not known, whatever) for wild ethnic parties of albums. With uber-producer Rick Ruben (no other name raises my hackles quite as much) at the helm, things are a little more controlled and calculated on the gypsy-punks’ latest. However, it’s still worth a spin simply to hear singer Eugene Hutz ramble shout in a mixture of wonderfully-broken English and Ukranian over a crazed violin-riff. Standouts: “Pala Tute,” “My Companjera” “In The Meantime In Pernambuco”

Band of Horses Infinite Arms 6.5- For whatever reason, this album just never clicked with me. I wanted it to, believe me. Perhaps it was just bland next to the other stellar releases of the summer, or maybe it’s just flat-out bland. It’s not horrible, just not as good as the band’s previous offerings. Standouts: “Compliments” “Laredo” “Northwest Apartment”

Sleigh Bells Treats 9.0- This album is scored high for two reasons. 1) It’s different. The elements are familiar (the crunk beats, the indie-sweet vocals, the chunky chords, the otherworldly synths), they’ve just never been mashed together in such a way before. 2) It’s an extremely well-done album. While many of the songs stand great on their own, listening to the whole thing through (cranked to the max, of course) is a seminal pleasure. Standouts: “Tell ‘Em” “Rill Rill” “Crown On The Ground"

Tokyo Police Club Champ 7.0- TPC seem to be known for second-rate indie music that usually collapses into emo-pop, but on Champ they seem to rise above the meager expectations and deliver something quite listenable. It’s not challenging music, but it’s fun and great for the summer. Standouts “Breakneck Speed” “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” “Bambi”

Dr. Dre's Telescope

2010-08-04T22:54:00.002-04:00

By: David Edscorn

For the first post -summer post, let us focus on the inane and potentially stupid, just for fun (we'll get to the actually important news soon, I promise). Dr. Dre, who has been working for seven years on his new album Detox (let's call it his Chinese Democracy), has announced that he has other plans in the works. Big, epic plans of celestial proportions. Called The Planets, it’s an instrumental record based on, you guessed it, the solar system. Dre says “I’ve been studying the planets and learning the personalities of each planet. I’ve been doing this for about two years now just in my spare time so to speak.” Dre can speak to planets? Weird. Part of me wants to be inside this man’s skull, and part of me wishes this man really was locked in Eminem’s basement. Even crazier, this project, songs based on each planet’s personalities, has been done before! Gustav Holst did an orchestral suite in 1916 called The Planets, based on each planet’s influence on the psyche. Sorry Dre, some guy named Gustav beat you to it, and his concept sounds cooler anyway. However, Dr. Dre does say that he wants to do it in surround sound, cause Saturn would sound best in surround sound. Kinda makes you wonder...

Via Vibe

WASU PLAYLIST: BASEBALL 2010

2010-05-20T21:48:00.004-04:00

by Alex Mayfield

It is that time of the year. The seats are filled, the lights are on, and it is baseball season. Though some might not be the biggest fans of the sport, it still has great songs tied to it. Certain songs remind us of the times we had watching baseball movies, enjoying games, playing catch, and we here at WASU want to honor America’s Pastime with a great baseball playlist.

Baseball Playlist:

Pre Game - Jimi Hendrix – “The Star Spangled banner”: How can we not start off a great game without “The Star Spangled Banner?” It is the song that starts off each and every ballgame and I figure that a playlist should start off the same way. However, we cannot just choose any version. The version has to be one that represents WASU. So who better to play it than Hendrix?

1^st Inning – AC/DC – “Hell’s Bells”: Once the game starts, only one song really comes to mind. Starting off with the bells that ASU students know so well and getting this playlist into gear. “Hell’s Bells” really pumps one up for any game.

2^nd Inning – John Fogerty – “Centerfield”: This song is a given. I find it hard to not put this song on a baseball playlist, mainly due to its phenomenal use in a music montage in the film Little Big League. Even if it had not been used in that movie, the song is clearly meant for the baseball season. I dedicate this song to all the fans who wish they were on the field.

3^rd Inning – Thin Lizzy – “The Boys are back in Town”: This song is for all those who are excited to see a home game after your team has been on the road for a week or two. Well Thin Lizzy’s classic song is perfect for celebrating this special occasion. It helps that the song is fun to listen to.

4^th Inning – The Clash – “Should I Stay or Should I Go”: The most asked question to the third-base coach by the runner on first. The Clash is simply asking whether or not they should steal second. Though the reasoning might be flawed, for some reason, when this song plays, baseball comes to mind.

5^th Inning- Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Fortunate Son”: Since Baseball is simply American, we needed a song that matched the level of patriotic power. Creedence Clearwater Revival reminds us of the sun, summertime, and the diamond. This is why it makes a great addition to our list of songs.

6^th Inning – George Thorogood and the Destroyers – “Bad to The Bone”: This song doesn’t really have much to do with baseball, but what is more “Bad” then jacking a homerun over the leftfield wall. It just seems to be that piece of the puzzle that fits. And who doesn’t like George Thorogood and the Destroyers?

7^th Inning – The Hold Steady – “Take me out to the Ball game” : “Take Me out to the Ball Game” is always played during the 7^th inning stretch and this is another song that we needed a cover version of and let’s face it, The Hold Steady do this song justice.

8^th Inning – Neil Diamond – “Sweet Caroline”: For whatever reason, when this song comes on, it takes every ounce of strength not to start chanting with the song. This holds especially true when inside a ballpark. This song just screams October and had to be placed on this wonderful set of songs.

9^th Inning – Dropkick Murphys – “Tessie”: Whether you are a Boston fan or not, this playlist needed the a song made for champions, and since this song was created to celebrate the Red Sox World Series win, it seems rather fitting to make it the final chapter.

Hopefully you all are ready to start your road trip to the nearest stadium and enjoy some peanuts and cracker jacks. Since you are now properly equipped, WASU wants you to go enjoy 9 Innings of pure bliss this summer!

Artist You Should Know NOW!!! - Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves

2010-05-12T00:33:00.003-04:00

by Alex Mayfield

The first time I discovered Eli “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves I was at a Say Anything concert in early 2008. When listening to Say Anything, an alternative band known for doing exactly what their name implies, you really do not expect to hear Soul/R&B at the same show. However, once the True Loves came on stage, the crowd was immediately won over, as they should have been because the True Loves put on quite the show. Their sound blends doo-wop with horns and throws in some wailing vocals. Eli “Paperboy” Reed shows a lot of emotion while he sings and though the lyrics make for simple songs about love and heartbreak, it doesn’t matter because each track from this guy is a blast. Reed’s modern take on the 60’s soul genre provides a gateway to the past and is simply pleasing. With the blaring horns, up-tempo percussion, and swinging vocals, “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves guarantee a great time.

Album to Download: Roll With You (2008)

Songs to Download: “(Doin’ the) Boom Boom”, “Am I Wasting My Time”, “Stake Your Claim”

Roll With You LP (2008)

Photos From : Eli Paperboy Reed's Official Website

Album Review: The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

2010-05-12T00:04:00.009-04:00

by Alex Mayfield

Sea of Cowards is the second album from The Dead Weather, Jack White and Allison Mosshart’s side project. The Dead Weather certainly has a more experimental sound than The White Stripes and Raconteurs but proves that Jack White rarely does anything poorly. Though filled with more effects and ambient noises, Sea of Cowards brings forth a sound that is gritty and powerful. Mosshart and White’s vocals are dark and mysterious but blend together insanely well (“Die by the Drop”, “Blue Blood Blues”). On top of the vocals, Dean Fertita (Guitar) produces rhythmic fills and solid solos which create a down and dirty sound that really comes off sounding great (“Gasoline”, “I Can’t Hear You”). What makes this album even better is that it is continuously moving and flows incredibly well. Each song seems as if it was tied to the next with a deliberative purpose to create a cohesiveness that spans across the entire album. When the filthy guitar and these intermingled vocals come together, they produce a great album and though it might be an acquired taste, it is fantastic.

8.5 out of 10

Songs to Download: “Gasoline”, “Blue Blood Blues”, “Die By The Drop”

TheDeadWeather.com

WASU PLAYLIST: START OF SUMMER 2010

2010-05-05T19:32:00.006-04:00

by Alex Mayfield

So WASU is starting a new blog segment called WASU PLAYLIST! This is simply to put up a nice playlist that we feel fits the moment. So what better way to end the school year with a playlist about starting summer? So for our inaugural playlist, that is exactly what we did. So here it is.

1. "School's Out" - Alice Cooper

2. "Magic Carpet Ride" - Steppenwolf

3. "Where'd You Go" - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

4. "Sagaba" - Blues Scholars

5. "Total Bummer" - NOFX

6. "California Waiting" - Kings of Leon

7. "Soul To Sqeeze" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

8. "Doin' Time" - Sublime

9. "Mellow Mood" - Slightly Stoopid

10. "Hard Sun" - Eddie Vedder

11. "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" - Led Zeppelin

12. "Summertime" - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

13. "All Mixed Up" - 311

14. "Maggie May" - Rod Stewart

15. "Moonsurfin'" - Malachai

16. "Ocean Breathes Salty" - Modest Mouse

17. "Hook" - Blues Traveler

18. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

19. "Soil to the Sun" - Cage the Elephant

20. "Burning Man" - Third Eye Blind

21. "Dry The Rain" - The Beta Band

22. "The Boys of Summer" - Don Henley

23. "Wasting Time (Isle Vista Song)" - Animal Liberation Orchestra

24. "Take On Me" - Reel Big Fish

25. "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John

The best part about our new segment is that we want you guys to get involved with it. If you have a playlist that you want to tell us about, do it. It can be about anything. Road Trip Playlist, Beach Playlist, Workout Playlist, Bedtime Playlist, whatever. Shoot us a post on our Facebook Fan Page and you could find your playlist as the next segment of WASU PLAYLIST!

WASU Top 20 Songs of the Spring 2010 Semester

2010-05-03T21:19:00.027-04:00

We realize that some of you might not of been able to hear the Top 20 Countdown show of the best songs this semester, so we wanted to make sure that you got a chance to catch what you missed. So here they are. The top 20 songs of the Semester based on your request:

20. “A More Perfect Union” by Titus Andronicus

19. “Heaven Can Wait (ft. Beck)” by Charlotte Gainsbourg

18. “The Mighty Sparrow” by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

17. “Die by the Drop” by The Dead Weather

16. “Sleep When We Are Dead” by The Organ Beats

15. “Hurricane J” by The Hold Steady

14. "She's Got You" by Cosmo Jarvis

13. "Hide It Away" by Retribution Gospel Choir

12. "Beat the Devil's Tattoo" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

11. "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons

10. "Flash Delirium" by MGMT

9. "In the Sun" by She and Him

8. "Rhinestone Eyes" by Gorillaz

7. "Here We Are Juggernaut" by Coheed and Cambria

6. "American Slang" by Gaslight Anthem

5. "Mountains" by Biffy Clyro

4. "Romance is Boring" by Los Campesinos!

3. "Bang Pop" by Free Energy

2. "Run" by Vampire Weekend

1. "Snowflake" by Malachai

Those are your Top 20 songs of Spring 2010. We had a number of songs that just barely missed the cut. We felt that it was appropriate to give these songs a little recognition. Your Honorable Mentions are:

"Burning the Bowery" by Jesse Malin & the St. Marks Social

"I Lied" by Gobotron

"Triskaidekaphobia" by Shooter Jennings and Heirophant

"You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse Cover)" by Wanda Jackson

"All My People" by Portugal. The Man

And Just in case you wanted to hear some of the music on the Top 20, we decided to put a couple of the songs up so you could listen. Aren't we just the greatest?

Artist You Should Know NOW!!! - Kevin Devine

2010-04-27T01:09:00.006-04:00

By Alex Mayfield

If you don’t know Kevin Devine (which you probably don’t), a good enough reason to check him out is because he is such good friends with the guys from Brand New and Manchester Orchestra. Now I know that just because you are a friend of two fantastic bands doesn’t make you good. However, if you do not listen to Mr. Devine then you are missing out on a real treat. The reason his music works is that it is simple and easy to listen to. His voice is hypnotic, pleasant and for some reason you don’t want to stop listening. He is compelling off stage and on and is simply an entertaining individual. If you want some music to check out you have plenty of options. He has a total of five studio albums, three live albums, and five EPs. There is plenty of Kevin Devine to go around. I highly recommend checking out all of his albums, specifically Brother’s Blood because it is really well crafted and one of my favorite albums of 2009. You should probably try to see him live with his “Goddamn Band” (that is their actual title). Why would you want to pass them up? You wouldn’t. Kevin Devine is a must have for your iTunes library. Trust me, you will not regret it.

Album to download: Brother’s Blood (2009)

Songs to Download: “Fever Moon”, “Brooklyn Boy”, “I Could Be With Anyone”, “Cotton Crush”

Brother's Blood LP (2009)

Photos from Myspace.com/KevinDevine

Album Review: Minus The Bear - Omni

2010-04-27T01:03:00.003-04:00

By Alex Mayfield

Minus the Bear is an electric indie rock band out of Seattle that follows up their successful album, Planet of Ice, with their fourth LP Omni. Minus the Bear has a lot of good things going on, especially when it comes the musicality of the entire band. MTB shows that they are instrumentally very talented. A good example of this is the musicianship of percussionist Erin Tate, who shows a mass amount of technicality in his drumming. However, I have some issues with this album. The vocals are incredibly generic (“Hold Me Down”) and the times the album shines are during its instrumentals (2:40 into “Excuses”). Another problem with this album is the lack of diversity. The majority of the songs sound exactly the same as the one before. With as much talent as the band has, I would like to hear more variety and less singing. Luckily the instrumentals alone are reason to at least listen to a little bit of this album.

6.0/10

Songs to Download: “Dayglow Vista Road”, “Into the Mirror”, “Excuses”

Official Minus the Bear Website

Album Review: Kate Nash - My Best Friend is You

2010-04-20T17:34:00.007-04:00

by Alex Mayfield

Three years after her debut LP, indie girl out of London, Kate Nash, releases her second album entitled My Best Friend Is You. Nash has a voice that works well, especially with the speedy style of music that she plays so much of. The album starts off strong with the up-tempo “Paris” and continues the same style until the investigational “I Just Love You More.” She took a risk by leaving her comfort zone and to me the risk wasn’t worth the reward. It just doesn’t fit. She has different styles on this album which are speedy Brit-Pop, experimental, and calm ballads. The ballads and the pop songs work. The experimental songs (“I Just Love You More”, “I’ve got a Secret”, “Mansion Song”) never really come together for me and take away from what she does well. The other issue with this album is that the stuff she does well blends together and becomes a little forgettable. I give her credit for trying something new, but it just didn’t work for me. I enjoyed some of the songs but the album as a whole is just decent. Maybe it will grow on me.

6.5 / 10

Songs to Download: “Do-Wah-Do”, “Kiss That Grrl”, “Later On”

Official Kate Nash Website

WASU Top Ten & Adds 4/20/10

2010-04-20T13:24:00.002-04:00

Top Ten

1. Coheed And Cambria "Here We Are Juggernaut"
2. The Whigs- "Black Lotus"
3. Shooter Jennings- "Triskaidekaphobia"
4. Hurricane Bells- "Winters In New York"
5. Love Is All- "Repetition"
6. Dustin Edge- "Human or Machine"
7. The Gaslight Anthem- "American Slang"
8. MGMT- "Flash Delirium"
9. Minus The Bear- "My Time"
10. Slow Club- "It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful"

Recent Adds

The Hold Steady- "Hurricane J"
Jesse Malin- "Burning The Bowery"
The Black Keys- "Tighten Up"
River City Extension- "Adrianne"
The Dead Weather- "Die By The Drop"
Dr. Dog- "Stranger"
Kate Nash- "Paris"
The Henry Clay People- "Working Part Time"
Nada Surf- "Enjoy The Silence"
The Lions- "Roam"
Two Door Cinema Club- "Come Back Home"
Unkle- "Natural Selection"

IT'S A SHAME... (when bands end before their time) - BAUMER

2010-04-19T16:12:00.018-04:00

By Alex Mayfield

Most have never heard of this Columbia, SC native band and it is a shame that most never will. Baumer, a band that started in 2003, showed a lot of talent in studio and on stage. Baumer brought forth an electronic style and merged it with smooth vocals and melodic guitars. Their last album, Were It Not for You, shows that pop music doesn’t have to be generic and filled with auto-tune. Songs like Lucky Strike and Make Way for the King, combine electronics with gritty guitars to create a unique experience different than anything heard before. This indie electro pop rock band ended way before it’s time after only releasing two studio albums with Eyeball Records. Other bands that were once on Eyeball include Murder by Death, The Gaslight Anthem, and My Chemical Romance. In November of 2008, Baumer disbanded and few know the reasons why. Though it most likely will not happen, maybe one day Baumer will return. But until then, It's a Shame.

Albums to Download: Come On, Feel It (2006) Were It Not for You (2008)

Songs to Download: “Were It Not for You”, “Take What’s Mine”, “Money Tornado”

Were It Not For You LP (2008)

Photos from: Myspace.com/Baumer

Artist You Should Know NOW!!! - The Features

2010-04-13T11:35:00.014-04:00

By Alex Mayfield

The Features, though you probably have never heard of them, have been around for a while. Their first EP was self titled and released in 1997. However, the reason you should know these guys is not based on how long they have been around. It is based off their ability to play and how good they truly are. Their latest album, Some Kind of Salvation, shows an array of musical ability that is catchy while intricate, which they intertwine together quite well. This group of guys not only sounds amazing on this LP but they put on a live show that is entrancing. If you still don’t want to listen to them, just know that when Kings of Leon were able to choose a band for their record label, The Features were the very first band that they signed. These guys put together gang vocals, southern guitar riffs, catchy (yet not annoying) synthesizer, funky bass, and fast paced percussion to provide a story telling experience of a lifetime. Do not go another day not knowing these guys because they will become one of your favorite bands in your iTunes library.

Album to Download: “Some Kind of Salvation” (2009)

Songs to download: “Temporary Blues”, “The Gates of Hell”, “Blow It Out”, “Lions”, “The Drawing Board”…….Just download all of them.

Photos from

Thefeatures.ning.com

Some Kind of Salvation LP (2009)

Concert Review - Manchester Orchestra w/ The Features, O' Brother, and Eric Skelton

2010-04-13T11:05:00.010-04:00

Columbia, SC - Jillian’s – April 9, 2010

By Alex Mayfield The weather seemed perfect for what I was hoping to be a great show. The original ticket was supposed to be Manchester Orchestra w/ the Features, O’ Brother, and Biffy Clyro who had to cancel for some reason. So Eric Skelton (one of the brothers behind the band Marry a Thief) filled in as the fourth band. Skelton started the show with an acoustic guitar and soft spoken lyrics. The highlight of his show had to be his cover of Coldplay’s Yellow, which was quite good.

Next came O’ Brother. O’ Brother is another band off of the Favorite Gentlemen label really delivers, but sadly not many people know about. They shared with the crowd their excitement of playing for such a large audience. If people didn’t know of O’ Brother, they do now. As many others that are apart of Favorite Gentlemen, O’ Brother throws together high energy with powerful lyrics and even more powerful showmanship. These guys are entertaining to say the least and put on a show that forces you to listen.

Following O’ Brother, came the band from Nashville, TN. The Features is a band that is hard to put into any category. If you had to classify this group of guys, I guess you would call them “Gypsy Indie Hipster Alternative Rock”? Where you would classify them doesn’t really matter because they are downright fantastic. You cannot take your eyes off of these Southern boys when they play. Each song was fun to listen to as well as to watch and they seemed to be having a great time, as did everyone watching them.

Finally it was time for Manchester Orchestra to take the stage. All I can say is that Andy Hull (front man) and the rest of the guys from MO put on a show that is unforgettable. Every song is played from the heart and they play as if each song might be the last song they ever performed. What puts MO above a lot of other bands out these days is their ability to make you feel exactly what they want you to feel, making their songs flow through the blood of everyone in the audience. Hull has an uncanny ability to connect with the audience on a personal level so that every single person feels like that song was written for them. If you ever have the chance to see Manchester Orchestra, I highly recommend that you do not miss that show. And for the Features and O’ Brother, it would be good for you to not miss those shows either. It was a phenomenal concert!

Photos from:

Themanchesterorchestra.com

Thefeatures.ning.com

Myspace.com/obrothermusic

Album Review: Coheed and Cambria - Year of the Black Rainbow

2010-04-12T18:23:00.007-04:00

by Alex Mayfield

Once again, CO and CA add another chapter to their confusing space epic known as the Amory Wars. YOTBR is supposed to be a prequel to the other chapters, taking place before Coheed’s first album Second Stage Turbine Blade. Though the story is filled with murder, deceit, and 72 planets, you will never be able to understand the plot by just listening to the albums. However, the story really doesn’t matter for this review because the music is still quite good. It will be very hard for Coheed to make a better album than In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3, but they still make some good music. With intricate guitars and heavy riffs, the album starts off with a little bit of chaos that, to me, doesn’t really work. However, once the album hits the anthem-like Here We are Juggernaut, the album starts to rise to a more likeable status. This album seems almost identical to No World For Tomorrow (their previous album released in 2007). When it comes down to it, the intricate guitars and powerhouse vocals present something that Coheed fans will enjoy. If you like No World For Tomorrow, you will enjoy this. If you were hoping for another In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3, I have a hard time believing you will find it here. Where does this fall in with the other Coheed albums? I’m so glad you asked. In my opinion...

1. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003) – 9/10

2. Second Stage: Turbine Blade (2002) – 8/10

3. No World For Tomorrow (2007) – 7/10

4. Year of the Black Rainbow (2010) – 7/10

5. Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV (2005) – 6.5/10

To wrap up this review, the album is quite good with is use of crowd chants, good percussion, heavy guitar and is sure to please. Coheed is an acquired taste so for those who don't listen to Coheed, be weary trying to go into this album without starting with some more listenable tracks. Songs you might want to start with would be, “A Favor House Atlantic” (IKSOSE3), “Feathers” (NWFT), and “Welcome Home” (GAIBS4). So for Coheed fans, give it a listen. Others who aren’t as brave might want to stay away.

7 out of 10

Download tracks – “Here We Are Juggernaut”, “Made Out of Nothing”, “Pearl of the Stars”

Coheedandcambria.com

Track Reviews (The Black Keys, The Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem)

2010-03-25T13:18:00.004-04:00

by: David Edscorn

This spring/early summer is going to be a powerhouse season for new music. Among others , The Gaslight Anthem, The Hold Steady, and The Black Keys will all be releasing albums then, and all three debuted singles this past week. Here’s some thoughts on and a link to each:

The Black Keys “Tighten Up” (Brothers, May 18)- This track finds the Akron duo teaming up with Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley) again to do production (he produced all of 2008's Attack and Release, but only this song on Brothers). It’s a strong track, with plenty of Dan Aurbach’s sinewy guitar lines and soulful vocals (the lyrics are typical blues futile-love fare, but good) and Patrick Carney’s relentless drumming. Danger Mouse adds in some whistling at the beginning, soulful organ stings, and his characteristic bright production. The result sounds like it could have belonged on Attack and Release, which I have to say disappoints me slightly. I like that album alright, but I really prefer the stripped down rough edges of the band’s previous works. We’ll see how it fits in with the rest of the album.

Listen at: www.myspace.com/theblackkeys

The Hold Steady “Hurricane J” (Heaven Is Whenever, May 4)- The Midwestern bar-rockers have said that their new album will be “less anathematic,” but it’s hard to see this from the new single, which features an extremely catchy chorus and the most anathematic bridge I’ve heard in a while. There are of course the familiar themes and self-references (“I see the crowd you’re hanging with and those kids don’t seem positive) and a new character, Jesse, that might actually be an old, previously unnamed character (the references to bars and harbors seems to point towards the girl in “Certain Songs” from Almost Killed Me). Besides having definite appeal to longtime fans, this might also be the most accessible THS song yet. Craig Finn manages to sing most of the song (his voice is also a big clearer and his vocal chords seem to be missing a little of their normal whiskey coating), the rhyme scheme actually makes sense, and there’s a recognizable song structure. The best Hold Steady song ever? Maybe not, but it sure is fun to sing along to.

Listen at: www.myspace.com/theholdsteady

The Gaslight Anthem “American Slang” (American Slang, June 15)- These blue-collar Jersey boys have only been together for less than five years, but they’ve already managed to put out two excellent albums and a strong EP, and now their third is on the way. The lead single and title track shows the group embracing a sound that’s a bit more of their own (and a little less tied down to their influences) in a way that’s both familiar and excitingly fresh. There’s another sing-along chorus, and a return of the church bells heard on “’59 Sound.” Also intriguing is the cover art, which features black and white photos of locations around NYC and New Jersey, as well as some vintage recording equipment, a straight razor, a root-beer float, and an image of brass knuckles. It’s all at once nostalgic and a little sinister, and reminds me (along with the “American Slang” lyrics such as “they cut me to ribbons and taught me to drive” and “here’s where the angels and devils meet”) a little of “The Navesink Banks” off Sink or Swim where the singer “carried faith and a switchblade tucked beneath my coat” and “ran with dirty angels.”

Listen at: www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem

Concert Review - All Get Out w/ Weatherbox and Junior Astronomers

2010-03-15T20:56:00.010-04:00

Tremont Music Hall - March 10,2010

Charlotte, NC

By: Alex Mayfield

What does it take to make a fantastic show? In my opinion, there are certain aspects to a performance that can make it better than the rest. I really enjoy seeing high energy shows. I like when bands take time during the set to mingle with the crowd. I love when the band seems like they would rather be playing that show than be anywhere else in the world. When you take these three bands (that most of you probably haven’t heard of) that is exactly what you get.

The crowd on this Wednesday night in Charlotte seemed a little small (50-60 maximum), but for some reason that didn’t seem to matter at all. A lot of bands have a hard time feeding off such a small crowd, but this was no problem for opening act Junior Astronomers. These Charlotte locals seemed like they would be excited to play no matter how small the crowd. They showed their ability to be loud and in your face and they were excellent. With somewhat intricate guitars, a hyper bassist and a lead singer who leaves everything he has on stage, Junior Astronomers proved that they will be something to be reckoned with. As the finished up their set, Weatherbox took to the stage to follow up Junior Astronomer’s fantastic performance.

Weatherbox, a band out of San Diego (which I’m pretty sure translates into “A Whale’s Vagina) started off the show with a solo performance by front man Brian Warren. As the set started as haunting and captivating, the band joins in to bring a slightly more reserved feel to the show. Though not as hyper as Junior Astronomers, Weatherbox put together a show that was incredibly entertaining. Though the songs are powerful, the highlight of the night happened to be when Weatherbox stopped in the middle of their final song to crack some jokes. The main reason Weatherbox is entertaining is because they are engaging to those that watch them and it works in their favor. As they finished up their set, it was time for All Get Out to step on stage.

All Get Out has a style that is loud and gritty and the songs that they write are in your face, demand for your attention. I challenge every one of you to find a band that puts more energy and effort into every song that they play. I have never seen a band more engaging in my life. Whether it is drummer Gordon Keiter walking on top of his set, Guitarist Mel Washington flying around the stage, Bassist Mike Rogers moving with every note, or lead singer/guitarist Nathan Hussey screaming his lungs out, there is always something to be impressed by. Which brings me to their finale, a combo-finish of songs Let Me Go and Your Girl My Gun Her Ghost proves to be one of the most moving, powerful songs I have ever heard live. All Get Out is incredible and they put on shows that should not be missed. I highly recommend seeing anyone of these three bands when they come anywhere near you. You will not be disappointed.

Photos From:

Myspace.com/Juniorastronomers

Myspace.com/Weatherbox

Myspace.com/Allgetout

Concert Review - Cage the Elephant w/ As Tall As Lions and Morning Teleportation

2010-02-23T14:01:00.007-05:00

February 19, 2010
The Orange Peel
Asheville, NC

By: Alex Mayfield

Most people at the show on Friday were ready to hear “that one song” from Cage the Elephant. Not too many were worried about the other bands on the ticket. However, as the show started, band number one kicked off the concert in a surprisingly good way. Morning Teleportation is a funk-tastic, trippy, Modest Mouse like band, that wasn’t bad at all. Though the band doesn’t have a lot to spend on merchandise, (Their albums were burned onto computer disk and sold in paper covers) they played a show that astonished everyone. Unlike most bands that start off a show, Morning Teleportation burned their trippy funk into our minds for an experience that was (for lack of a better word) fun. And they sure beat the hell out of the following band.

As Tall as Lions came up pretty short. The biggest flaw of ATAL is that their show is flat out annoying. The lead singer was whiney, the bass player made love to the microphone while saying he wanted some “buddy to buy me beer, and some LADIES,” (Yes I referenced Demetri Martin) and the drummer posed for an Abercrombie advertisement with every drum hit. The band acted as if they were deeper and better than they really were. I hope they know that the only reason anyone clapped for them is because we all kept thinking they were done so we could see Cage the Elephant, but NOOOOOO. They had to continue playing way longer than anyone should have let them. (Is it bad to want to get refunded for free tickets?) The only achievement that ATAL had all night was that they arguably had the cooler looking t-shirts. Congrats to them. As ATAL finished up the crowd got ready to hear the band they came for.

Cage the Elephant finally comes out to the new fans they have acquired and start the show. Cage the Elephant had way more energy than anyone else at the show. By playing majority of the album, one new song, and a couple covers, they kept the show going at a decent length. The fans cheered and some left once they finally heard “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” such as the group of girls right next to me. It’s a shame that they missed quite the finale where Lead Singer Matt Schultz crowd surfed all the way to the exit out the back of the venue. Cage the Elephant put on a pretty decent show, which is lucky because Matt Schultz seemed way more hammered than he should have been, falling over several times Dewey Cox Style. (I make references in my reviews, please keep up.) But the show didn’t suffer and at the end of the night, I felt that I saw a pretty decent show. Cage the Elephant delivered and Morning Teleportation surprised everybody. You can skip As Tall as Lions next time they play a show near you.

Concert Review: of Montreal: February 5, 2010

2010-02-12T11:43:00.002-05:00

Venue: The Orange Peel,

by: Nick Todaro

Using the term “freak-fest” to describe anything may carry a negative connotation. For the indie quintet of Montreal, this is taken as a compliment in the most outlandish of aspects. Touring in support of their 2008 release, Skeletal Lampings, the band treated their fans to a zany visual spectacle that was sound tracked by a comprehensive live performance that could be billed as one of the best around.

Entering The Orange Peel, it was obvious that as much as the band likes to dress for the occasion, the fans do even more. At one of these shows, the normal dress attire includes glitter, cross dressing, and psychedelic make up. The opening act, of Montreal’s drummer James Higgins acting as his musical alter-ego James Husband, played an intriguingly arcane style of indie pop. His band included two other oM members; keyboardist Dottie Alexander and bassist Davey Pierce on the drums. At one point, Pierce took a break and let oM front man Kevin Barnes try his hand at the sticks.

After James Husband, the crowd became feverish as a group of performers with pig masks on took to the stage and pumped even more elation into them. Led by a tiger in a white ring leader suit, the animals banged on oM’s set up until the band came on stage, kicked them off, and went into a blistering version of The Sunlandic Twins favorite, “Requiem For O.M.M.2”.

Weaving through a heavy majority of songs from Skeletal Lampings, oM threw in a couple of rarities—“Lysergic Bliss”, “Du Og Meg”—and played a new song. Before playing it, Barnes mentioned, “We have a new album coming out around September”, and introduced—I kid you not—“Teenage Unicorn Fisting”. The song began with a heavy James Brown influence and quickly morphed into a dark disco rock song with the catchy chorus, “Don’t treat me like a tourist, let’s stay high on a negative wave”.

Throughout the show, actors dashed on stage to complement the already hallucinogenic feeling of the projectors behind the band. Priests touching boys, masked shadows handling a feather spraying device, and a torture cross all graced the stage to add to the chromatic cavalcade. This extra smidgen of kookiness accompanied oM’s impressive live sound quite well, and continued to provide as a hype factor to an already ecstatic audience.

By doing away with their usual usage of programmed drum loops, oM accomplished a much tighter performance. Compared to prior live experiences, the ensemble seemed much more relaxed and unrestricted by this detail. This also gave guitarist Bryan Poole a chance to slice through the grooving atmosphere with some wicked sounding guitar work on “Cato As A Pun” and “She’s A Rejector”. After playing the popular “Wrath Pinned…” as the first encore, oM busted out a soulful rendition of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” to close out the anomalous evening.

Setlist: Requiem For O.M.M.2, Id Engager, For Our Elegant Caste, Lysergic Bliss, Beware Our Nubile Miscreants, Du Og Meg, Cat As A Pun, Suffer For Fashion, Mingusings, Teenage Unicorn Fisting, And I’ve Seen A Bloody Shadow, Plastis Wafers, St. Exquisite’s Confessions, Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse, Oslo In The Summertime, A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger, E1: Wrath Pinned To The Mist and Other Games, She’s A Rejector, E2: “Friends Sing-A-Long”, I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)

WASU Top Ten & Adds 2/2/26

2010-02-03T13:58:00.002-05:00

Top Ten

1. Blakroc- "Ain't Nothing Like You"

2. Heligoats- "Watertowers on Fire"

3. Robert Francis- "Keep on Running"

4. We All Have Hooks For Hands- "Howling and Bellowing"

5. McGowan- "Go Down Fighting"

6. Stellastarr- "Graffiti Eyes"

7. Retribution Gospel Choir- "Hide It Away"

8. Vampire Weekend- "Run"

9. Hush Now- "Contrails"

10. We Were Pirates- "Long Year"

Adds

Charlotte Gainsburg- "Heaven Can Wait (ft. Beck)"

Bear Hands- "What a Drag"

Malachai- "Snowflake"

Yeasayer- "Ambling Alp"

Drive Like Maria- "I'm On a Train"

Cold War Kids- "Coffee Spoon"

Really Grammys? Can We Try and Stay Up to Date Please?

2010-02-02T16:20:00.005-05:00

By Alex Mayfield

Let us face the fact that I am not what most would call a fan of the Grammy Awards. I feel that it perpetuates a lack of musicality while ignoring the musicians who really deserve to be awarded. The musicians that start off their career with the only goal of winning a Grammy are tainting music and what it should be. Music is an art form that allows people to express themselves and inspire others…sorry for the cliché. We look back at music from the past and enjoy it. Zeppelin, Count Basie, Beatles, Elton John, etc… this is music we still listen to that reminds us how great the past was. I have a hard time believing that the future is going to look back at 2009 and look at Lady GaGa and say, “That is the greatest music of all time.” Even besides that, I have other issues with the Grammy Awards. I know, what else could there be? Well, I will tell you.
Now, I am not going to talk about who won and who should of won, because we already know that 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day is a piece of trash anyways. (Rock album of the year, my ass!) Disregarding that, my issue lies in the eligibility of what can be awarded. For example, Kings of Leon released their latest album, Only by the Night, in August of 2008 (Which is not nearly as good as Because of the Times, but received much more consideration for awards). "Use Somebody," a track from Only by the Night, received several nominations and awards for the year 2009. Really now? At least the Oscars can get movies that were actually released in the year they are giving awards in. After researching the criteria for eligibility, I found that a song has to only be popular in the year, disregarding the year released. Am I the only one that has an issue with that? Slumdog Millionaire won best motion picture soundtrack of 2009. The album was released in November of 2008. And there are plenty others that fall into this same category. Now, I really dislike the Grammy Awards even more so than before. So, if someone wins an oscar, congratulations to them because they most likely deserve it. However, when you win a Grammy, you have been awarded nothing meaningful.
If you want real music, go to the $5 shows at local venues and watch people play music who get nothing for it. Go see the street musicians who play because they love playing. Go see 4 best friends who look like they would rather play a concert every night for little money as long as they can afford to get to the next venue. Listen to everything and form your own opinion. I am not telling you who to listen to or who to buy, what I am saying is that in my experience of going to concerts and listening to music, the best concerts that I have ever attended are played by the bands who get nothing, the bands who don’t get awards, the bands who play music because they love to play.
By not limiting the criteria, you skip all the bands that really did have great albums this year. You pass over the bands that don’t do it for the awards but would still enjoy getting some form of recognition. People are going to look back at this decade and realize that the Grammy Awards are worthless.

WASU Top Ten & Adds 1/26/10

2010-01-27T10:12:00.002-05:00

Top Ten
1. Robert Francis- "Keep on Running"
2. Imagine Dragons- "I Need a Minute"
3. Systems Officer- "East"
4. Art Decade- "Royalty"
5. Wolfmother- "White Feathers"
6. We All Have Hooks For Hands- "Howling and Bellowing"
7. Norah Jones- "Chasing Pirates"
8. Nerami- "Uninspired"
9. Them Crooked Vultures- "New Fang"
10. Blakroc- "Ain't Nothing Like You"

Recent Adds
1. Spoon- "Trouble Comes Running"
2. Los Campesinos!- "Romance Is Boring"
3. The Eels- "Gone Man"
4. OK G0- "This Too Shall Pass"
5. Cosmo Jarvis- "She's Got You"

Album Review- Gobotron "On Your Mark, Get Set..."

2010-01-25T19:36:00.002-05:00

by: Alex Mayfield

When discussing Gobotron you have to look at where it came from. This side project from Manchester Orchestra’s guitarist, Robert McDowell, brings a certain unique familiarity that is easy to enjoy. What I mean by that is that Gobotron delivers a sound that is catchy and different, but at the same time the sound of the album rings similar to the ever so great Manchester Orchestra, mainly due to the guitars (duh!) and that fact that both vocals share similar tones, but it isn’t Manchester. Gobotron makes sure that its own being, though it sounds similar, you can tell the difference. Songs drive and pulse in ways that create a feeling that most bands don’t capture. It is nice to hear something that is not another MGMT knock off. If you are expecting a masterpiece like Means Everything To Nothing, this isn’t it, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Expect great things from Gobotron because On Your Mark, Get Set… is quite good. 7.1 out of 10

Download: “Cobbler”, “I Lied”, “Never Turn Around”

WASU Top Ten & Adds 1/9/10

2010-01-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

Top Ten

1. Asteroids Galaxy Tour- "The Golden Age"
2. Relient K- "Sahara"
3. Parlour Steps- "As The World Turned Out"
4. Tegan & Sara- "Hell"
5. Robert Francis- "Keep On Running"
6. Imagine Dragons- "I Need A Minute"
7. We All Have Hooks For Hands- "Howling And Bellowing"
8. Systems Officer- "East"
9. Los Campesinos!- "There Are Listed Buildings"
10. Norah Jones- "Chasing Pirates"

Recent Adds

Animal Kingdom- "Two By Two"
Retribution Gospel Choir- "Hide It Away"
Italian Japanese- "Le Pony"
The Films- "Amateur Hour"
The Soft Pack- "Answer To Yourself"
Gobotron- "I Lied"
Vampire Weekend- "Run"
Dawn Landes- "Young Girl"
Blue Eyed Shark Experiment- "Goodbye My Little Friend"

Album Review- We Were Pirates "Cutting Ties"

2009-12-07T13:15:00.003-05:00

by: Alex Mayfield

We Were Pirates is composed of Mike Boggs, who self recorded this entire debut album. I was very surprised when I felt that Boggs created something that is definitely enjoyable. The balance between the instrumentation and the vocals provides a state of relaxation with an upbeat feel. Each track is a little bit different from the others. Some songs have a dark somewhat angry tone, but not really angry because how angry can you really sound with a synthesizer playing a cute melody behind it (“Little Monsters”), while other tracks directly remind me of the Beach Boys (“Rich Girl”). I do not know why most bands these days love the synthesizer, but most people need to stop. That being said, We Were Pirates presents it in a way that is very bearable. Keep a look out for We Were Pirates because a debut album that is this good means that a future album will be on the verge of masterpiece. By the way, he recorded this entire album on his iBook. 8.0 out of 10

Download: “Little Monsters”, “Cutting Ties”, “Settle Down”

WASU Top Ten & Adds: 11/10/09

2009-11-11T12:56:00.002-05:00

WASU Top 10

1. Frank Turner- "Live Fast, Die Old"
2. The Dodos- "Fables"
3. Two Hours Traffic- "Territory"
4. No Age- "You're A Target"
5. Thrice- "All the World Is Mad"
6. Brand New- "At the Bottom
7. Built to Spill- "Aisle 13"
8. State Radio- "Knights of Bostonia"
9. Electric Tickle Machine- "Part of Me"
10. Jamie T- "Hocus Pocus"

WASU Recent Adds

Delta Saints- "Train Song"
Robert Francis- "Keep on Running"
Systems Officer- "East"
We All Have Hooks For Hands- "Howling and Bellowing"
Weezer- "The Girl Got Hot"
Art Decade- "Royalty"
Imagine Dragons- "I Need A Minute"
Say Anything- "Do Better"
Tegan And Sara- "Hell"
Wolfmother- "White Feathers"

Concert Review: Brand New/Thrice/Crime in Stereo : Nov 9, 2009

2009-11-11T12:29:00.005-05:00

Venue: The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC

by: Alex Mayfield

The crowd rolled into the newly erected Fillmore in Charlotte on Monday night. As people waited the stage was already set for what was hopefully going to be an amazing show. As 7 pm rolled around, the lights dimmed and Long Island’s Crime in Stereo took the stage. Musically the band was alright, with heavy riffs and your average drum beats. The vocalist, Kristian Hallbert, brought high energy but overall the band lacked something brilliant, they were missing a crowd that was into their show. Without the crowd feeding off the band, the band could not feed off the crowd, and Crime In Stereo was slowly forgotten as they left the stage.

As the crowd waited, the lights drop down once again and the crowd rushes forward as Thrice enters. Though playing Beggars, one of the most excellent albums of the year, the biggest hit for Thrice seemed to be their creative take on The Beatle’s "Helter Skelter." Though clearly not the first time covered, it had to be one of the most blood pulsing, crowd thriving songs of the night. Though the rest of the set list was filled with "The Weight" and "All the World is Mad" (both songs were incredible), they ended the set with "Beggars." This is where Thrice truly showed how much passion was put into the music they were making. With such a great set, it was a shame that they had to be followed by Brand New, which made me almost forgot they had played.

Brand New opened the set with "Welcome to Bangkok" off of The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me and to my surprise a wonderful guest appeared on stage with Brand New. The wonderful and very enthusiastic, Kevin Devine decided to grace us with his presence, which was even a surprise to Jesse Lacey, front man of Brand New. After, they continued playing "Sink," "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows," "Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades," and several others that made the crowd scream their hearts out. Jesse Lacey slowed it down for a moment as he played one of the band’s most powerful songs (and one of the most powerful of the set) by himself. ("Limousine MS Rebridge") As the band joined him again they continue playing most of Devil and God… and their new album, Daisy. Then, Lacey walks off stage for about 15 seconds, he walks back out and says “Pretend, if you will, that we just left and you chanted for us for hours and hours.” They immediately jump into "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" and end the show on the very high energy "Shower Scene." In the end if you ask me was a 4 hour round trip on a Monday night worth seeing these guys plays live, my answer would clearly be, “Without a doubt!” Thrice and Brand New came together to create an amazing experience and one of my favorite shows of all time.

Album Review- The Almost "Monster Monster"

2009-11-05T09:09:00.002-05:00

by: Alex Mayfield

The Almost are back with their sophomore album, Monster Monster. It is no surprise that UnderOath drummer/singer and Almost front man, Aaron Gillespie, produces an album with heavy, intricate percussion and a just as heavy religious influence. For those who have never heard The Almost, do not expect the heaviness of UnderOath but do expect some great music. The album thrives on some very high energy tracks ("Monster Monster," "Get Through") and the occasional calm down ("Hand Grenade"). There is a bit more of a southern feel on several tracks, where a noticeable blues/country sway exists. The Almost created a good album this time around, but I do not feel that it holds up to their first record, Southern Weather. Musically, the sound and style is almost identical over the two records. Not a great deal of diversity over the album, but the tracks all differ slightly. It is a good album; I just feel like the band re-released Southern Weather and gave it a new cover. 7.5 out of 10

Download: “Monster,” “Books & Books,” “Monster Monster”

Album Review- Jookabox "Dead Zone Boys"

2009-11-02T22:15:00.002-05:00

by: Alex Mayfield

Jookabox definitely does a unique job of experimenting with sounds and vocals which creates an interesting experience when listening to the album. Dead Zone Boys brings forth some suprisingly pleasant tracks where the (for lack of a better word) weird vocals join with tribe-like beats to produce something that is unique and uplifting. For example, "Don’t Go Phantom" has vocals that make it seem like Alvin and the Chipmunks found some illegal substances. However, the track pumps and thrives in a way that only Jookabox could pull off. But with its great tracks, Dead Zone Boys has it tracks that suffer. Though just as weird, some tracks produce a noise that is somewhat unlistenable. Mixing, weird disonant vocals and a chaos of instruments that keep some of these tracks from being really good (Xxxiawn Shell). Though there are some very poor tracks, there are a lot of high-quality songs that bring this album to an enjoyable level. 7.0 out of 10

Download: “Zombie Tear Drops,” “Don’t Go Phantom,” “You Cried Me”

Album Review- Say Anything "Say Anything"

2009-11-02T21:38:00.003-05:00

by: Alex Mayfield

Max Bemis, frontman for Say Anything, is back once again with another installation of his life. “Say Anything” fits this band in the most honest way possible. They are back with their self-titled, fourth studio album where Bemis, who is a little bit calmer, puts everything out into the open once again. I say he is calmer even as he spouts off his hate for everything imaginable (Hate Everyone). Bemis is someone who is very willing to tell you the world as he sees it, and the album (and the band) is better for it. My one problem with past Say Anything albums, such as …Is a Real Boy and In Defense of the Genre is the fact that they try to shove so much onto one album that they add a lot of fillers. I was pleasently surprised that this album wasn’t a 25 track album and that SA decided to lose the songs that take up space.

Since the beginning, Bemis has thrown his entire life into his records, with songs on past albums about his break down on his tour bus, drugs, and medical issues. He depicts his life and soul through out this album and he shows he is in a place of acceptance of what he does. Such as his thoughts on Kings of Leon (Mara and Me), the way he beckons the love of his life into a back room to sleep with her (She Won’t Follow You), and how he knows all women are objects (Property). The fact of the matter is that Bemis’s twisted world and lyrics, backed by catchy but not generic guitar riffs, harmonistic vocals, a tad bit of a doo-wop 50’s feel, and a use of synthesizer that does make me want to destroy anything with keys (Death For My Birthday), leads Say Anything to be a really good album and one worth listening to. Old SA fans will enjoy it due to its similarity to older albums(in music style) and new fans will enjoy the stories of Max Bemis and his ability to make his horrible actions so likable. Break-up songs have never been so good. 7.9 out of 10

Download: “Ahhh…Men,” “She Won’t Follow You,” “Property”

WASU Top Ten & Adds: October 26

2009-10-26T21:51:00.002-04:00

WASU Top Ten:
1. Wild Beasts- "All the King's Men"
2. We Were Promised Jetpacks- "Quiet Little Voices"
3. Drummer- "Mature Fantasy"
4. Port O'Brien- "Leap Year"
5. Sea Wolf- "O Maria!"
6. The Ettes- "No Home"
7. Muse- "Uprising"
8. Frank Turner- "Live Fast Die Old"
9. Mason Jennings- "Ain't No Friend of Mine"
10. Monsters of Folk- "Say Please"

WASU New Adds
1. Asteroids Galaxy Tour- "Golden Age"
2. Bang Bang Eche- "Dirt in the Water"
3. Big Pink- "Dominos"
4. Hurricane Bells- "Monsters"
5. Parlour Steps- "As the World Turned Out"
6. Relient K- "Sahara"

Concert Review: U2 w. Muse 10/03/09

2009-10-22T18:33:00.004-04:00

by: Nick Todaro

Venue/Date: Carter Finley Stadium/November 3, 2009

What happens when the band deemed by Spin Magazine as “the biggest band America doesn’t know anything about” opens up for the biggest band in the world? The answer is the most grandiose spectacle North Carolina, and possibly anywhere else in the world, has ever seen.
Saturday afternoons on the premises of Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium is usually used to hosting thousands of Wolfpack fans drooling over the prospect of adding a W to their team’s record sheet. Having been to a number of State games, walking towards the stadium to catch Muse warm-up U2’s 360 Tour seemed normal. Loud music, tailgating, and even games of corn hole gave the impression that this evening was a normal day at the ball field. Once within eyesight of the field, however, that initial assessment changed drastically.

Referred to by U2 and their crew as “The Claw”, which is a giant spaceship-looking structure, dominated the majority of the field. Even the top of the massive structure could be viewed from way out into the roads leading up to the stadium and hovered over the top deck bleachers. Adding to the already momentous occasion was the fact that this structure is the largest stage ever built for a concert.

While trying to find the proper gate to enter into for our group’s field access, the beautiful lights implemented by dusk began to be filled with the sound of a polyphonic symphony resulting from what sounded like a digital meltdown. By the time we reached the inside of the stadium, Muse had just begun warming up the crowd with their new track, “Uprising”. Although I think their new album, The Resistance, is their weakest, the songs live had incredible momentum. With the aid of U2’s impressive sound system, the band hit the ground running with a relentless set list comprising of key tracks off of Absolution and Black Holes & Revelations. “Map Of The Problematique” into “Supermassive Black Hole” resulted in the group’s signature thickly layered, post-apocalyptic groove. Along with other staple songs “Starlight”, “Time Is Running Out” and an insanely flawless “Hysteria”, Muse made heads explode with their cosmic guitar solos and out of this world energy. By the end of their 45-minute set, the masses were begging for another hour.

Sticking to the concept of “out of this world”, U2 came on right after David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” echoed over the PA. Never a band to be upstaged, the Irish natives took a hold of the crowd and never let loose. The show was by far the most visually stunning spectacle I have ever witnessed. Alien-esque lighting, humongous sound elements, and a separating 360-degree HD vortex screen made Bono and company appear to have been birthed on another planet. These elements certainly helped move along the band’s newer songs from their No Line On The Horizon album, although U2 classics “New Years Day”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, and “With Or Without You” will never need such elements to appear resplendent.

Album Review- Swell Season "Strict Joy"

2009-10-22T09:34:00.002-04:00

by: Johnathan Mayfield

I first discovered the Swell Season while watching the motion picture ONCE, a beautiful tale of two street musicians who create an album together before going the separate ways. The two musicians are played by the front runners of the Swell Season, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Throughout the entire film you can feel the chemistry between the two through their performance and the music. This is something that the academy also recognized when the two received an Oscar for best Original Song in a Motion Picture ("Falling Slowly") in 2007.

The Swell Season releases its third studio album with Strict Joy, a somber but entrancing album that shows that these people really know what creates great music. The album takes the very soft spoken Irglova, and the very passionate Hansard, and places them together again for something that is beautiful and mesmerizing. Throughout the entire album, the harmonies created by the two musicians produce feelings of splendor and serenity. Some tracks pulse and drive in subtle way that is like a fast paced soporific ("Feeling the Pull," "High Horses"), while other tracks produce a somber magnificence that you cannot help to listen to ("In These Arms, Back Broken").

I have to say one of my favorite parts of Swell Season has to be the vocals of Market Irglova. Her voice seems to be the embodiment of some divine being and could very well bring tears to the masses. She produces this delicate majesty through the gift of her tone and song, which produces a feeling that everything in this messed up world could be solved through her voice("Fantasy Man"). I was amazed with the album and pleased with the Swell Season. 8.4 of 10

Download: “In These Arms”, “Fantasy Man”, “Feeling the Pull”

Album Review: The Disciplines "Smoking Kills"

2009-10-21T13:44:00.002-04:00

by: Johnathan Mayfield

The Disciplines are an alternative group out of Oslo, Norway that brings an interesting sound to the table, with the release of their album Smoking Kills. Now, something that seems to be very trendy is this washed out guitar vocal sound, and The Disciplines do a great job of capturing that sound. The use of melody that intermingles amid the vocals and guitar lead to a pleasantly bar-rock sound that is easy to enjoy. The vocalist, KS, presents some very fascinating and vigorous vocals, which is very alluring. My only setback with this album is the lack of diversity from track to track. The first three songs are excellent, but the more I listened the more every song sounded exactly the same, the more bored I became. If I wanted one song, I would get a single, not an entire album. The lack of variety is what keeps this album from being really good. By the time I got to the track I Got Tired, I was tired of listening to the album and just wanted to stop. As a whole, they have a good sound and show a lot of promise, just very little variety. 6.9 of 10

Download: “Best Mistake”, “Get It Right”, “Yours for the Taking”

WASU Top Ten & Adds: October 20

2009-10-21T13:13:00.002-04:00

WASU Top Ten
1. Jupiter One- "Volcano"
2. Yo La Tengo- "Here to Fall"
3. Hockey- "Too Fake"
4. Wild Beasts- "All the Kings Men"
5. We Were Promised Jetpacks- "Quiet Little Voices"
6. Drummer- "Mature Fantasy"
7. Port O'Brien- "Leap Year"
8. David Bazan- "When We Fell"
9. Sea Wolf- "O Maria!"
10. The Ettes- "No Home"

WASU Recent Adds
Paper Zoo- "Laughing Legba"
Flaming Lips- "See the Leaves"
Middle Distance Runner- "The Sun & Moon"
Old Canes- "Little Bird Courage"
Kurt Vile- "Childish Prodigy"
The Literary Greats- "That Mountain Yonder"
Imaad Wasif- "Priestess"
The Swimmers- "Shelter"
The Temper Trap- "Fader"
Animal Kingdom- "Tin Man"

Concert Review: Dr. Dog w. Those Darlins 9/28/09

2009-10-01T12:29:00.009-04:00

by: Nick Todaro

Venue/Date: Orange Peel / Sept. 28, 2009

Third time may be a charm, but when it came to my third time seeing Philadelphia quintet Dr. D og, it was more epic than charming. These guys are rapidly growing into one of America’s premier live acts to catch, both in the departments of dynamics and fan base.

Not only was it my first time visiting Asheville’s stunning hometown venue, The Orange Peel, but Dr. Dog’s as well. On my way into the venue, I ran into vocalist/lead guitarist Scott McMicken. Having mentioned I’d only seen them play a couple small bars in my hometown of the Triangle, Scott summed up the group’s enthusiasm for the current tour: “This may be one of the biggest venues we’ve played so far. That’s kind of what this whole tour’s about: seeing if we can bring in larger crowds.” Once walking into the venue’s show room, I could clearly see the band would have no problem of accomplishing said goal.

As I reached the bar to grab a pre-Dog brew, openers Those Darlins were busy warming up the crowd with their unique brand of Tennessean country-punk. For anyone who has ever wished there was an all female equivalent to The Black Lips, here ya’ go. The group was a bit of a one trick pony, but was awfully energetic. Some memorable lyrics included a hilariously catchy chorus during their tune “Dui or Die” and the hunger-inducing “The Whole Damn Thing”, which contains the line “I got drunk and I ate chicken/ I ate a chicken I found in my kitchen.”

Once the Darlins wrapped up their hootenanny stint, it was finally time for the Dog. Many in attendance were first time show-goers and their eagerness for the group showed up the atmosphere of any of my previous experiences seeing the Dog. Soon, the lights dimmed and the band hit the stage runnin’ with a tremendous rendition of the We All Belong track “Worst Trip”. Admittedly, heads were bouncing, mouths were singing, and all in attendance began having a fantastic time. The next song, “The Way The Lazy Do” demonstrated the band’s unmatchable live capabilities. Soaring guitar solos and an airtight three-part vocal harmony allowed fans to receive their first impressions of the live act.

Throughout the night, the band nailed various tracks from their current album, Fate, as well as past favorites, “Oh No”, “Fools Life”, and the beautifully stripped down version of “California”. Dr. Dog certainly delivered a set that made two hours feel as if it had been ten minutes. Already, I’m in need of another house call from Dr. Dog.

Setlist: Worst Trip / The Way The Lazy Do / Army of Ancients / The Breeze / Hang On / Aint It Strange / Die, Die, Die / Oh No / Fools Life / Keep A Friend / 100 Years / The Ark / From / The Beach / Rabbit, Bat, & Reindeer / Encore: California / F- It

WASU Top Ten & Adds: September 29

2009-10-01T12:13:00.002-04:00

WASU Top Ten

1. Son Volt- "Down to the Wire"
2. Asteroids Galaxy Tour- "The Sun Ain't Shinin' No More"
3. James Morrison- "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You"
4. Florence & The Machine- "Rabbit Heart"
5. Howling Bells- "Cities Burning Down"
6. Modest Mouse- "Satellite Skin"
7. Dead Weather- "Treat Me Like Your Mother"
8. Weezer- "I Want Y0u To"
9. Arctic Monkeys- "Crying Lightning"
10. MuteMath- "Backfire"

New This Week

No Age- "You're a Target"
Rain Machine-"Give Blood"
State Radio- "Knights of Bostonia"
Stars Of Track & Field- "Breaking of Waves"
Electric Tickle Machine- "Part of Me"
Thrice- "All the World is Mad"

Local:
Avett Brothers- "Tin Man"

Album Review- The Melismatics "Acid Test"

2009-10-01T12:03:00.002-04:00

by: Alex Mayfield

The Melismatics is a New Wave/Post Punk band out of Minneapolis, Minnesota that dive into their third studio album, The Acid Test, with interesting vocals and catchy new age guitars. The Acid Test has its times that suffer and more times of promise. The band has a unique sound that comes off as annoying in some parts and pretty appealing at others.

The vocals are presented as a duel Male/Female mix which brings some very cool duel harmonies on different tracks (Modern Machine, Useless Generation) and at times the choruses are so frustratingly likable. The vocals are at times, very enthralling. However, at other times the vocals bring down certain tracks with shallow lyrics (Soul Sucker, It’s a Drag). I was pleasantly surprised by some of the guitar solos on certain tracks. I feel had they done more with the talent they had, the album would have been better for it. I was on the fence for the entire album but the final track (Speaking in Tongues) won me over. The raw guitar, commanding drums, and a cult like vocal lead it to be the best track on the album by far. Had the rest of the album been this way, it could have very well been an amazing album. Overall the music had points that I liked that could have been a lot better. The album was saved with some really interesting music style and catchy tunes. 6.8 out of 10

Download: “Speaking in Tongues”, “Modern Machine”, “The Stranger”

Local Album Review- The Avett Brothers "I and Love and You"

2009-09-29T14:40:00.004-04:00

by: Jordan Muse

Ah, the Avett Brothers, such a great band. What beautiful (predominantly) acoustic, banjo-laden music they craft, or used to. With their latest release, I and Love and You, they shed most of the banjo and any other folk instruments and adopt a more usual rock set up. They get poppy. Guess what though, it’s not bad, not by any means. It could very well be one of their best albums, but obviously that’s just personal opinion. All their albums provided quite a noticeable change in sound, but just because they made more changes this time around (maybe too many for some) it certainly doesn’t make it bad. Lyrics are strong and emotional just like always, only with a more radio-friendly vibe for a majority of the album.

The album’s title track and opener is a heartfelt ballad, and while it may linger for a little too long, it packs quite the punch. “January Wedding” is a bit more in tune with their roots, re-plucking that banjo to aid with the lovely proposal the song details. “Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise” evokes Emotionalism, and for most I shouldn’t need to say much more. One stipulation though: it sounds like they threw it through a Hollywood orchestra. “And it Spread” is certainly a poppy number, but it still retains the usual emotional intensity, with a great breakdown about halfway through. “The Perfect Space” is a piano-driven piece about loneliness, with swirling strings. It’s quite beautiful. “Ten Thousand Words” is on the folk side, enough said. “Kick Drum Heart” is way poppy, incredibly upbeat, with minimal lyrics. It’s definitely a hit-or-miss track. “Laundry Room” is almost too slow, but obviously its still an emotional song.

“I’ll With Want” is haunting, the instrumentation, vocal delivery, lyrics, all piled up to make one intriguing song. “Tin Man” has an upbeat feel, but deep down it’s a terribly depressing song, yet wonderful. “Slight Figure of Speech” was issued on 7” vinyl, and there’s a reason: it’s happy, catchy, but not lyrically or musically lacking. “It Goes On and On” does not do what the title suggests, it’s just a good old fashioned love song. Finally, “Incomplete and Insecure” speaks on a pretty sad-willed character, with the perfect instrumental backing, definitely a rocking stand-out track. It’s catchy too.

Overall the album is phenomenal, despite the notion of them abandoning their roots. They sound great, especially playing these songs live. It would blow your mind. A few listens are recommended, for the die-hard and casual listeners, and after that it ought to be greatly appreciated. 9 out of 10

Download: “Kick Drum Heart,” “Slight Figure of Speech,” “January Wedding.”

WASU Top Ten & Adds: September 22

2009-09-22T00:59:00.002-04:00

WASU Top Ten

1. Owl City- "Hello Seattle"

2. Grizzly Bear- "Two Weeks"

3. 311- "It's Alright"

4. Pearl Jam- "The Fixer"

5. Son Volt- "Down to the Wire"

6. Asteroids Galaxy Tour- "The Sun Ain't Shining No More"

7. James Morrison- "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You"

8. Florence and the Machine- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)"

9. Howling Bells- "Cities Burning Down"

10. Modest Mouse- "Satellite Skin"

Adds

Brand New- "At the Bottom"

The Dodos- "Fables

Girls- "Laura"

Monsters of Folk- "Say Please"

Muse- "Uprising"

Two Hours Traffic- "Territory"

Album Review- Brand New "Daisy"

2009-09-22T00:46:00.002-04:00

by: Alex Mayfield

Brand New returns with their next studio album, released almost 3 years after their masterpiece, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. Daisy, their most recent album, continues with songs depicting the struggle between life and religion. Brand New’s Devil and God…, was one of my favorite albums of the decade and there is no way that such greatness was an accident.

Track one; entitled “Vices” starts with a clip from the song “One Life’s Highway” written by Bertrand Brown. It starts slow and brings this hymnal feel and suddenly……..HITS YOU WITH A TON OF BRICKS! Jesse Lacey proclaims for the need for “Vices” as pulsing drums and distorted guitar rings in the background. It kicks of the album in an interesting way. It immediately drops to a more somber tone with the second track, "Bed," which drives on while Jesse Lacey’s lyrics discuss uncertainty and his voice sings discontent. Brand New continues their solemn journey through the track "At The Bottom" which falls into similar style used on Devil and God… The track itself bleeds a mysterious power while Lacey’s vocals provide an ominous, but still gripping, atmosphere while he goes on yelling, “Well I carry this box to its proper place, and when I lower it down, I let you fade away.” The pace gets faster with the track “Gasoline” as Lacey screams for understanding.

The next track on the album, "You Stole," could very well be one of Brand New’s most powerful tracks ever. It drives with an unstoppable force that creates a sense of pure beauty. It pushes forward, demanding for your attention. "Be Gone" follows Brand New’s precedent of placing unique and weird things into their songs right before blasting into the high energy "Sink." The energy doesn’t lessen through the track "Bought a Bride," where powerful vocals and an intense arrangement, keep you engaged. The tempo takes break but the energy doesn’t on the title track. With this song being the title track you would expect for it to be superb, and it doesn’t disappoint. The backing guitar and the forceful drums create for a grave but powerful experience.

It’s a good thing when the weakest song on an album is a good song. "In A Jar" lacks some of the pure emotion that the rest of the album seems to have an abundance of, but the emotion returns in the final breath with the song "Noro." The song screams out and bleeds a dark feeling that finishes the album on a high as vocals proclaims, “I’m on my way to Hell.”

In my opinion, it will be almost impossible for Brand New to create an album that is better than Devil and God… However, Brand New comes very close. I challenge you to find a band that puts as much pure energy and emotion into every note they play. “Some Men die under the mountain just looking for gold” and Brand New found it! 8.5 out of 10.

Download: "You Stole," "Daisy," "At the Bottom"

Album Review- Sea Wolf "White Water, White Bloom"

2009-09-21T22:56:00.005-04:00

by: Jordan Muse

Sea Wolf captivated me with the song “You’re A Wolf.” The mellow, autumnal feel of the song hooked me into the band. With their latest release, White Water, White Bloom, they eschew that mellowness.

The album’s opener, “Wicked Blood,” is proportionally heavy for the band, with a mildly more poppy edge. One contention of the song is that it will get stuck in your head, thankfully I do enjoy it. Medieval sounds flutter about in the next track, “Dew in the Grass.” It features a heavy chorus that seamlessly bleeds back into the medieval setting. Another notable feature is the scratchy guitar solo, making it one grand track. “Orion & Dog” is a children’s story-esque tune laden with lush strings, bringing back those beloved autumnal feelings just for a bit.

Darkness arises in the next song, “Turn the Dirt Over,” but light shines down throughout. Interesting plucked arrangements twirl around throughout it, and more of those strings as well; it’s pretty unique. “O Maria!” contains some serious distortion, and wonderful shouted vocals. It calls to mind the imagination of a child…having a nightmare. It’s definitely worth a listen.
The title track has a slight Norwegian feel to it, with sounds seemingly emitting from a cold forest. The chorus is certainly very catchy in this track, and I don’t mean that as a dissention. The wind chimes are also another great feature. “Spirit Horse” has a twanging, sliding, pop-and-go set-up, backed by the perfectly aligned vocals that sound like they sung in a cave. “The Orchard” is a tad haunting. The instrumentation in the beginning is very minimalistic, though it picks up after about a minute, moving somewhat in a rush.

“The Traitor” is really poppy. The lyrics and obviously vocals aren’t bad, but the instrumentation, fueled by way too many strings and claps or clicks or whatever, is way too obnoxious. This song just drives me bonkers. The albums closer, “Winter’s Heir” is pretty chill. It’ll bring to mind images of a snowed in cabin, sitting by a fire place. It serves as an astounding ending to a predominantly well-crafted album. 8 out of 10.

Download: “Dew in the Grass,” “O Maria!” and “Spirit Horse.”

Hip-Hop Album Review: Kid Cudi "Man on the Moon: The End of Day"

2009-09-17T17:41:00.005-04:00

by: Jordan Muse

Kid Cudi’s debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day was much awaited by me after the two massively entertaining singles of “Day’n’Nite” and “Make Her Say,” the latter beautifully sampling a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

The wait almost seemed not worth it after the opener, “In My Dreams,” played, but persevering through it got me to a highlight of the album: “Soundtrack 2 My Life.” This track hits hard, with intense flow, swirling synthesizers, and deep meaning that continues throughout the rest of the album. “Simple As…” is pretty crazy; a fun listen though not a very meaningful track in comparison to the many stronger ones. “Solo Dolo” has this mighty funky, yet subtle, island feel to it, but sadly the lyrics seem to fall into the sea. “Heart of a Lion” starts with Cudi spitting pretty rapidly, then swiftly transfers to anthem territory; it’s a solid track. “My World” has a mild Oriental feel to it, particularly in the intro, which is nice, but the flows a little too tame, and the chorus is just agitating. “Sky Might Fall” is tragically wonderfully; it almost makes you feel bad enjoying such a depressing song, but I guess Cudi’s optimism makes it alright. “Enter Galactic” is a love story about tripping out, with an impressively catchy hook and danceable beat; the song’s just fantastic.

“Alive” is one of two tracks featuring Ratatat, certainly making it one of the highest points. It sounds like a blend of Daft Punk’s funkiness with Ratatat’s trademark swirls turned into a trance-inducing mantra. “CuDi Zone” is rushed and happy, yet the lyrics are conversely stark and dark. “Pursuit of Happiness” is phenomenal. It features MGMT and Ratatat wonderfully aiding Cudi’s accounts of his night terrors and his methods of coping with angelic vocals and beats. “Hyyer” is easily the weakest track, despite evoking Chicago House music. Lastly, “Up, Up, and Away,” is a joyful anthem that serves as a great track to close the album on.

Overall, the album is pretty stellar. I thoroughly enjoy it, playing it on repeat through all this stormy weather. However, non hip-hop fans may want to shy away from the album as a whole and just stick to the Ratatat tracks, and maybe “Enter Galactic.” That said, I still recommend it to anyone interested in spacey hip-hop. 8 out of 10.

Download: “Pursuit of Happiness,” “Enter Galactic,” “Soundtrack 2 My Life”

Album Review: The Calamity: "Songs From the Gold Coast"

2009-09-14T13:41:00.004-04:00

By: Alex Mayfield

Style of music seems to fit a pop/country station better. Though it seems to have its roots into alternative, it comes off as pop and sometimes even sounds a bit country, mostly due to the poor vocals. Though some songs start out with promise, it doesn't last. Waiting for July starts off upbeat and enjoyable till the vocals pop in with lack of depth in lyrics and a wanna-be Rascal Flatts feel. Whisky Sour seems like it is going to bring something interesting up to the table but the chorus brings the band back to its comfort zone of poor guitar riffs and bad harmonies in the vocals. Overall the album would work for a pop/country station listened to by 13 year old girls who like simplistic beats and simplistic vocals. 3.5 out of 10

Download: Whisky Sour, Island, 45

Fall '09: Back With a Vengeance

2009-08-25T18:56:00.005-04:00

So yes, the blog has been rather dead this summer, as you've probably well noticed. The music department itself was somewhat dead too. Not to worry, WASU Music is back in full force. New music is on its way, and there's some good stuff on the horizon.

A little about myself, my name is David Edscorn and I'll be taking over the position of music director for this year. I'm a junior Outdoor Education major, and I've been with the station for my entire college career. I've got a passion for all kinds of music, as well as keeping the station sounding as good as possible. Don't be afraid to let me know what you think, shoot me an email at wasumusic@gmail.com.

For any current (or future...but more on that at the upcoming new DJ meeting) WASU air-talent interested in music, we need all the help that we can get listening to albums and writing reviews. Send me an email if you want to help, and I'll let you know when to come by (I'll also have my office hours updated on the website soon).

You probably also noticed the Twitter feed at the top of the page. Reluctant as I was to get involved, I'll admit that it is an interesting way to keep people updating on music going-ons. However, I think I'm still too verbose to get all my thoughts out in 140 characters, so keep checking the blog for the juicy stuff. I see Twitter posts (yes, I still refuse to use the actual temr) as the nice sautéed mushrooms on top of a good medium-rare blog steak. Just right, not too dry and chewy.

Speaking of reviews, those are on the way as well. Keep checking here for information on everything you ever wanted to know about WASU's music.

-Dave Edscorn

WASU Top 10 & Adds: April 21-28

2009-04-22T13:47:00.002-04:00

WASU Top 10
1. Telekinesis - "Coast of Carolina"
2. Pearl Jam - "Brother"
3. Silversun Pickups - "Panic Switch"
4. Handsome Furs - "Evangeline"
5. Say Hi- "One, Two...One"
6. White Lies - "Farewell to the Fairgrounds"
7. Metric - "Sick Muse"
8. The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song"
9. Cursive - "From the Hips"
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Shame and Fortune"

ADDS
King Khan and the Shrines - "No Regrets"
Manchester Orchestra - "I've Got Friends"
Doves - "Jetstream"
Immaculate Machine - "Sound the Alarms"
Band of Skulls - "I Know What I Am"
White Rabbits - "Percussion Gun"
The Veils - "The Letter"
Camera Obscura - "French Navy"
Eulogies - "Eyes on the Prize"
Harlem Shakes - "Sunlight"
The Evening Rig - "The Hilltop Pines"
Paper Route - "Carousel"
Screaming Females - "Skull"

(Locals)
Junior Astronomers - "Cavalcade"
The Poles - "We Dine In White"

WASU Top 10 & Adds: April 7 - 13

2009-04-07T13:28:00.002-04:00

WASU TOP 10
1. Spoon - "Well Alright"
2. Beck - "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"
3. Bonne 'Prince' Billy - "Beware Your Only Friend"
4. Morrissey - "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell"
5. Pearl Jam - "Brother"
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Dull Life"
7. Metric - "Help I'm Alive"
8. Silversun Pickups - "Panic Switch"
9. Handsome Furs - "Evangeline"
10. Neko Case - "This Tornado Love You"

ADDS
Peter Bjorn and John - "It Don't Move Me"
Bat For Lashes - "Daniel"
Phoenix - "1901"
Mastodon - "Oblivion"
PJ Harvey & John Parish - "Black Hearted Love"
Black Joe Lewis - "Boogie"
The Boy Least Likely To - "A Balloon On A Broken String"
Blue October - "Should Be Loved"

(Locals)
Hammer No More the Fingers - "Nobody Knows"

To Download or Not to Download: Music Piracy

2009-04-01T12:41:00.002-04:00

by: Daniel Earney

Music piracy first came to prominence in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s with the rise and fall of Napster. Nearly a decade after Napster’s demise at the hands of the Recording Industry Association of America, illegal downloading of music is still widely popular. Napster’s lead spawned numerous other downloading sites like BitTorrent, Grokster, and LimeWire. Action against downloaders, uploaders, and hosters has been sparse, overly harsh, and ineffective overall.

Apple’s iTunes and other legal downloading sites have offered some relief from illegal downloading’s cut into record sales. According to NielsenSoundscan, album sales dropped 20 percent in 2007 and 14 percent in 2008. Digital album sales have grown 83 percent over the past two years, and digital single sales rose 27 percent and 47 percent in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Still, the increase in legal downloads has not made up for the industry’s total loss of revenue.

So, should you feel guilty for illegally downloading that new Bruce Springsteen album? If you ask Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, no, you shouldn’t. In July of 2000, Radiohead’s album, Kid A, hit number one on the Billboard Charts, something they had yet to accomplish. Yorke attributed the success to the album’s proliferation on sites like Napster. This shows one of the benefits of file sharing: artists and songs that wouldn’t normally be played on radio and MTV can find an audience. The only caveat is that people who download albums and songs would then have to go out and buy what they had already downloaded. Now Myspace , Last.fm, lala, and other sites allow you to preview an entire album before you head to the store, so Yorke's enthusiasm for file sharing is not as relevant today.

Another argument made by illegal downloaders is that music is supposed to be free. After all, music is culture and who could put a price on culture? You have to remember, however, that this is America and anything is for sale.

Perhaps people make a big deal about illegal downloading because it’s easy to believe that bands make most of their money through record sales. People who download music illegally, have claimed that they “make up for it” by going to the artists’ concerts and buying their merchandise. Fair enough, but there is quite a difference between buying an album and paying $10 to see three bands play. And how do you keep up with and make time to go to concerts for every artist whose album you’ve illegally downloaded?

Where illegal downloading really irks me is when albums leak to download sites weeks or even months before the album's official release. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs recently had a leak problem when their album, It’s Blitz!, hit download sites a full month before its official release. Interscope tried to curb sales losses by putting the album on iTunes ahead of schedule, but there’s no telling how poorly the album will sell because of the leak. One of the most anticipated albums of 2009, Grizzlybear’s Veckatimest, hit download sites in early March but the album is not due for an official release until May 26th.

To me, downloading music illegally just doesn’t seem fair. I don’t have time to go out to all my favorite bands’ concerts, and you can only own so many band t-shirts. Plus, I’m a collector. Nothing beats having a solid, physical copy of an album. I don’t even like using iTunes.

So, downloading music illegally is both good and bad. If you do get an artist’s album for free, make sure you help them out in some other way. Go to their concert, order a t-shirt, if you like the album, snag the Deluxe Edition. If artists can’t make money, they can’t make music.

WASU Top 10 & Adds: March 31 - April 6

2009-04-01T11:46:00.002-04:00

WASU TOP 10
1. Spoon - "Well Alright"
2. The Love Language - "Sparxxx"
3. Black Lips - "Short Fuse"
4. Beck - "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"
5. Audrye Sessions - "Julianna"
6. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "Beware Your Only Friend"
7. Morrissey - "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell"
8. Pearl Jam - "Brother"
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Dull Life"
10. Silversun Pickups - "Panic Switch"

ADDS
Telekinesis - "Coast of Carolina"
The Soft Pack - "Call It A Day"
Crystal Antlers - "Andrew"
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - "Around the Bend"
Cage the Elephant - "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"

Locals
Us - "What Moves Us Along"
Lonnie Walker - "Summertime"

WASU Top 10 & Adds: March 17-23

2009-03-18T12:22:00.002-04:00

WASU Top 10
1. Von Bondies - "This is Our Perfect Crime"
2. Two Tongues - "Back Against the Wall"
3. Dan Auerbach - "Street Walkin'"
4. Franz Ferdinand - "No You Girls"
5. M. Ward - "Never Had Nobody Like You"
6. Sam Roberts - "Them Kids"
7. Spoon - "Well Alright"
8. Love Language - "Sparxxx"
9. Black Lips - "Short Fuse"
10. Beck - "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"

Adds
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Dull Life"
Silversun Pickups - "Panic Switch"
Cursive - "Mama, I'm Swollen"
Taxpayer - "Night Vision"
Say Hi - "One, Two...One"
White Lies - "Goodbye to the Fairground"
Wild Light - "My Father Was a Horse"
An Horse - "Horizons"
East Hundred - "Plus Minus"
Mastadon - "Just Got Paid"
Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles - "Do It For Free"
Bishop Allen - "Dirt On Your New Shoes"
Beast - "Mr. Hurricane"
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - "Anchors Dropped"

(Locals)
The Old Ceremony - "Same Difference"

WASU Top 10 & Adds: Mar 3rd - Mar 10th

2009-03-04T11:47:00.002-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. Andrew Bird - "Fitz and Dizzyspells"
2. A.C. Newman - "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer"
3. Los Campesinos! - "Ways to Make It Through the Wall"
4. Cotton Jones - "Little Ashtray in the Sun"
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Everything With You"
6. Cut Off Your Hands - "Happy As Can Be"
7. Von Bondies - "This Is Our Perfect Crime"
8. Two Tongues - "Back Against the Wall"
9. Dan Auerbach - "Street Walkin'"
10. M. Ward - "Never Had Nobody Like You"

Adds
Neko Case - "This Tornado Loves You"
Bell X1 - "The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "Beware Your Only Friend"
Handsome Furs - "Evangeline"
Pearl Jam - "Brother"
Malajube - "333"

(locals)
Do It to Julia - "Y.F.G.O.T."
WAUMISS - "Clapping Yer Hands"
Western Civ - "Capital Steps"

WASU Top 10 & Adds: Feb 24th - Mar 2nd

2009-02-25T12:38:00.002-05:00

WASU TOP 10
1. Nickel Eye - "Brandy of the Damned"
2. Fires of Rome - "I'll Take You Down"
3. Andrew Bird - "Fitz and Dizzy Spells"
4. Matt & Kim - "Daylight"
5. Cotton Jones - "Little Ashtray in the Sun"
6. Los Campesinos - "Ways to Make It Through the Wall"
7. A.C. Newman - "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer"
8. Cut Off Your Hands - "Happy As Can Be"
9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Everything With You"
10. The Von Bondies - "This Is Our Perfect Crime"

Adds
Vetiver - "More of This"
The Vines - "Braindead"
Metric - "Help I'm Alive"
U2 - "Get On Your Boots"
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - "Fields of Coal"
K'Naan - "If Rap Gets Jealous"
Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 - "Up to Our Nex"
Nico Vega - "So So Fresh"

WASU Top 10 & Adds - February 10th-16th

2009-02-13T11:48:00.002-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. Tom Gabel - "Anna Is A Stool Pigeon"
2. Kings of Leon - "Closer"
3. BPA ft. Iggy Pop - "He's Frank"
4. J. Roddy Walston & the Business - "Stop Rip and Roll"
5. Nickel Eye - "Brandy of the Damned"
6. Fires of Rome - "I'll Take You Down"
7. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - "Arm Yourself"
8. Kaiser Chiefs - "Never Miss A Beat"
9. Oh No Not Stereo - "Can't Trust Anyone"
10. Andrew Bird - "Fitz and Dizzyspells"

ADDS
Yves Klein Blue - "Silence Is Distance"
Dan Auerbach - "Street Walkin'"
Sam Roberts - "Them Kids"
Iran - "I Can See The Future"
Elusive Parallelograms - "Benzedrine"
The Naked Hearts - "Only For You"

Auto-Tune: The Imperfection of Perfection

2009-02-09T22:56:00.006-05:00

By: Dave Edscorn

It’s not often that I get too upset about new trends in pop or hip-hop. In my opinion, both of them are too far gone to waste too much time complaining about, but I feel that the time has come to rant a bit about the monstrosity that is the pitch-correction program Auto-Tune.

My first conscious experience with Auto-Tune was listening to T-Pain’s guest spot on “The Good Life” off Kanye West’s Graduation album. I didn’t think much of it at the time, my reaction was most likely akin to “Who is this man and why does he sound like a robot?”

Since then, I feel like I hear Auto-Tune everywhere in hip-hop. T-Pain may have invented the technique of using the program to distort his vocals, but it didn’t stop there. Last November it went from fad to full-blown movement with Kanye’s album 808’s and Heartbreak, where West sings every song through Auto-Tune. He uses the technique to provide a cold and emotionless effect, which is exactly what makes it inaccessible to me. What is music when you take emotion out of it?

Even more disturbing is when the program is used as its creator, Andy Hildebrand, intended. As a pitch-correction program, Auto-Tune allows notes to be bumped to a perfect pitch, ensuring that any singer can release a song that is perfectly in-tune.

According to a recent article in Time Magazine (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1877372,00.html?iid=digg_share, check it out, it’s very informative), this is done more often than most people realize. Most pop songs these days have been run through Auto-Tune, making the vocals far more perfect than most artists can achieve on their own. The side effects? Singers may be getting lazy, assuming that they can get by with a few lousy takes and still produce a great-sounding track. As consumers, we may be getting lazy as well. We expect every song coming out to be a little pitch-perfect gem, making it difficult for dedicated artists that actually try to sing well on their own to get proper recognition.

Personally, I prefer a little grit in my music (the day that Lucero or the Hold Steady start using Auto-Tune is my last), and don’t have much time for musicians that see digital alteration as perfection. However, what about my kids? Are they going to dig through my records and complain that Pete Townshend is out of tune and Mick Jagger is a little pitchy? Auto-Tune may be taking the emotion out of hip-hop, but it’s also taking the soul out of everything else.

Review: Naked Gods - Welcome Home

2009-02-05T23:41:00.005-05:00

Every time I hear the guitar solo in "Stranded/Poor", the eighth track on the Naked Gods' debut full length Welcome Home, I feel like the that melody is the most important thing happening in the world. I hum it for days. Welcome Home is full of moments like that, and the record almost comes close to the live energy exuded by Naked Gods.

The first time I saw the band, and consequently downloaded their EP It Ain't Just Cold Outside from their website, I was hooked. Short and sweet. The full-length is not as immediately catchy, but after spending several days listening, the songs don't leave your head. Naked Gods play rock and roll to put it simply. There are country and folk influences and touches of The Band and The Boss. Live comparisons to Akron/Family are less present on the recording, and the punk rock energy of former bands is manifested more in a small room with live instruments than on the small plastic disc, but it makes for two different experiences.

"Mothersun" and "Blah Blah Blah" have both morphed from early sing-along stompers to a beautiful sparse arrangement and soulful Rhodes- and bass-led tune, respectively, which makes the record flow smoothly. "Slow Dogs" and "Mountain Smashing Song of Joy" are standouts, but nothing beats "Stranded/Poor". It has the quickest tempo of the collection and plays itself off as a simple major key pop song until it slows into the simple and effective guitar solo and wordless group backup vocals. Welcome Home is an exciting, and even cathartic, rock and roll record from Boone's best band, and I'm excited to see where they go from here, they could do big things if they wanted to.

WASU Top 10 & Adds - Week of February 1st

2009-02-04T12:49:00.002-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. Tom Gabel - "Anna Is A Stool Pigeon"
2. The Killers - "A Dustland Fairytale"
3. Kings of Leon - "Closer"
4. Foreign Orange - "Another Suggestion"
5. The BPA ft. Iggy Pop - "He's Frank"
6. J. Roddy Walston and the Business - "Stop Rip and Roll"
7. Nickel Eye - "Brandy of the Damned"
8. Kaiser Chiefs - "Never Miss A Beat"
9. Fires of Rome - "I'll Take You Down"
10. Oh No Not Stereo - "Can't Trust Anyone"

WASU Adds
Franz Ferdinand - "No You Girls"
Ladyfinger (ne) - "Little Things"
Black Lips - "Short Fuse"
Audrye Sessions - "Julianna"
Ida Maria - "Louie"
Broken Spindles - "I've Never Been This Afraid"
Umphreys McGee - "Red Tape"
Spiral Beach - "Made of Stone"
Loney, Dear - "Airport Surroundings"
The Love Language - "Sparxxx"
Bruce Springsteen - "Working On A Dream"

WASU Top 10 & Adds - Week of January 25th

2009-01-28T12:02:00.003-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. Franz Ferdinand - "Ulysses"
2. Tom Gabel - "Anna Is A Stool Pigeon"
3. The Killers - "A Dustland Fairytale"
4. Kings of Leon - "Closer"
5. Shiny Toy Guns - "When Did This Storm Begin?"
6. Longwave - "Shining Hours"
7. Snow Patrol - "If There's A Rocket Tie Me To It"
8. Foreign Orange - "Another Suggestion"
9. The Deep Vibration - "Oklahoma City Woman Blues"
10. The B.P.A. - "He's Frank"

Adds
Vulture Whale - "Tote It To Cleveland, Al"
Howlies - "Sea Level"
The Priddle Concern - "Make It Go Away"
Los Campesinos! - "Ways To Make It Through The Wall"
Cut Off Your Hands - "Happy As Can Be"
Two Tongues - "Back Against The Wall"

(locals)
Death to the Details - "Lessons In Animation"
Sleepsound - "The Lead"
Union County - "Who Am I"
Betting 4 Benson - "Remembering Amy"

Album Review: Animal Collective - "Merriweather Post Pavillion"

2009-01-21T22:43:00.011-05:00

by: Daniel Earney

Is this the album of the year? Widely read music blog, Stereogum.com, has posed this same question. Five days into 2009, Pitchfork Media gave Merriweather a 9.6 out of 10 rating. Pitchfork never gives ratings that high. Metacritic.com, which compiles reviews from sources across all forms of media, has the album sitting at 91 out of 100 on their scale. Uncut magazine has proclaimed, "It feels like one of the landmark American albums of the century so far." The question still remains: Is it really?

It's hard to compare any band as unique and striking as Animal Collective to any other band; that leaves, as a comparison, the band itself. As someone who has listened to every Animal Collective album and EP, Merriweather Post Pavilion seems like both an expected progression and somewhat of a let down -- possibly even a commercial/critical cop-out. Again, using Pitchfork.com as a reference, the Collective's 2007 album Strawberry Jam received an astounding 9.3. Reviewer Mark Richardson hailed "the album and its transcendent centerpiece, 'Bros,' [as] deservedly being widely considered among the year's best." Yet, the album that Pitchfork proclaimed as album of the year was Animal Collective member Noah "Panda Bear" Lennox's solo album, Person Pitch. The difference between Panda Bear and Animal Collective -- it's safer, it's slower, and it's easier on the ears.

Where, on Person Pitch, Noah Lennox's soft, endearing voice floats gently upon synthetic beats and atmospheric tones, Avey Tare's impassioned shrieks and unorthodox vocals on Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam attack the listener head-on. It's also what seems to annoy people most about Animal Collective. On MPP, Animal Collective take heed of Avey's obtrusive vocal tendencies, restricting his outbursts to the simple "Whoo"s on the album's first single, "My Girls." I have to say, I'm saddened by this. Nowhere in music could you hear a sound like Animal Collective, vocally, musically, or otherwise. Merriweather takes every notion of what Animal Collective once was (in the sense of every album prior to MPP), puts it on a leash, and ties it up in front of Rolling Stone headquarters.

Another thing I noticed: Pitchfork's Best Songs of 2008 is heavily laden with electronic and dance music (Hercules and Love Affair, Santogold, Hot Chip, Cut/Copy, Air France, Portishead, and Estelle ft. Kanye West all making the top 10.). Even a cursory listen of MPP is sure to get your feet moving, and I dare say there's hardly a guitar to be found on the whole album. I guess what I'm saying is that this feels like a changing of the guard. Where Avey Tare once dictated the Animal Collective sound, the band now seems to follow Panda Bear's lead.

The good news is that this is not entirely a bad thing. Geologist's exquisitely layered electronic textures, sounds, and rhythms will beckon endless listens. The harmonies and interplay between Panda and Avey are gorgeous and sophisticated. As far as content, it's easy to tell that the members have grown up (after all they attended college in the late 1990's). "My Girls" isn't the budding club song that the title might imply, but rather an homage to familial love ("I just want four walls and adobe slats for my girls.) and anti-materialism. My favorite track, "Summertime Clothes" is a swirling array of liquid synthesized riffs with an irresistible chorus that makes me long for warm days of August. The tinkling and atmospheric "Bluish" is utterly hypnotic, echoic the sentiment of "I'm getting lost in your curls." The Collective sounds a bit Australian (or perhaps "White Fang"-ish) on "Guys Eyes." Yet from there, the album seems to take a temporal dive until the album's closer, "Brother Sport."

In all, Merriweather Post Pavilion is more cohesive, which is perhaps why it is receiving so much praise. However, I'm not sure if I'm ready to see a shift in the American music psyche (as Uncut magazine points toward) this far in the electronic direction. Yet, if the results are as intriguing and satisfying as Animal Collective show us it can be, I may have to change my mind. 8.5 out of 10.

Download: "Summertime Clothes," "My Girls," "Bluish," and "Brother Sport."

WASU's Top Ten Albums of 2008

2008-12-23T13:05:00.022-05:00

It's that time of year when everyone in the whole entire world puts together lists of their favorite stuff of the year. Why should WASU be any different? These lists always cause a ton of controversy. So, this is the list of albums we here at WASU either played the heck out of, wished we could play more of, or we were just really digging. Without further ado:

10. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

The '59 Sound didn't catch my attention right away. I think it was one of those days in the office where every five minutes something was distracting me. Nevertheless, I knew it was good. When it came time decide whether to put Gaslight into rotation, we thought the title track was irresistible. A week or so later, our own David Edscorn decided the album was good enough to write a review of it for this blog. He describes their sound better than I'll ever be able to. Not only did we like the Gaslight Anthem, so did you, our listeners. We got dozens of requests for The Gaslight Anthem, even long after The '59 Sound was out of rotation.

9. The Dodos - Visiter

It seems like every time we played "Fools" from this awesome second LP by the Dodos, someone called in wanting to know who the song was by. Meric Long plays an acoustic guitar with more ferocity (just give "Jodi" a listen) than anyone I've ever heard. Matched with Logan Kroeber's thudding and snare-rim laden drums, this duo makes some of the most sincere and passionate music today. David Escorn also gave us a review of Visiter.

8. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

With the release of Dear Science, TV on the Radio have catapulted to the forefront of America's musical consciousness so much so that Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Spin, Consequence of Sound, and the Pitchfork reader's poll named Dear Science the best album of 2008. The sounds on this album range so greatly that it's hard to pin this as solely an indie, rock, hip-hop, r&b, or funk record (yes, funk). It's hard to ever say that a band is completely and utterly unique, but TVotR is. Not since Radiohead blew everyone's minds in the 90's has there been a band this creative and original.

7. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

Consolers of the Lonely, the second LP from The Raconteurs, was purposely snuck into the marketplace before critics could review it before the release -- a bold move on the band's part. With only a week's notice before its release, Consolers has still managed to match, if not better, the success of The Raconteurs' debut (and rightfully so). From the opening title track to the eerie closer, "Carolina Drama," White and Benson showcase their ability to make rock music that their influences (The Who, Led Zeppelin, Badfinger, etc.) would be proud of. Forget The White Stripes, Consolers of the Lonely establishes The Raconteurs as Jack White's band.

6. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Before anyone had even heard the record, Radiohead was setting trends with In Rainbows. Their "pay whatever you want" release led Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails among others to follow suit. There's even an entire record label based on the precedent set by Radiohead, called Quote Unquote Records. As for the actual music on the album, it's classic Radiohead, though a few famous musicians feel it's a bit gray around the edges. Still, Radiohead was everywhere this year: consistently #1 on Last.fm, a high-profile world tour, a few Grammy nominations. Gray or not, people like Radiohead.

5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

For a lot of people Vampire Weekend is a guilty pleasure. I can see it, with their clean-cut Ivy League backgrounds, comparisons to Paul Simon, and their videos premiering on FNMTV. If have to say though, once you see Ezra Koenig rocking some hardcore punk songs with Fucked Up, you gain a lot of respect for him and his band. Besides, Vampire Weekend make some fun, happy, chill songs about some pretty random stuff. What's not to like about pairing distaste for the Oxford comma with cocaine use?

4. Dr. Dog - Fate

I've always thought of Dr. Dog as Boone's band. When I listen to Dr. Dog and when I walk through town, I get the same feeling. Sometimes I'll hear some Dog when I'm in restaurants or in record stores, and people on campus will ask me if I've ever heard of them. Sometimes, too, I hear them in Naked Gods and The Major Sevens cited them as a big influence. Boone and Dr. Dog just seem to go together. When Juston from the band called up the station to thank us for playing Fate he said he had heard about Boone and the station manager encouraged him to play a show here sometime. Fate is filled with great songs that harken back to the past when things were simpler while remaining musically complex and interesting.

3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

The Hold Steady's Craig Finn doesn't write songs, he writes stories. No lie, this semester one of my English professors broke out lyric sheets to one of their songs, and we spent half the class analyzing it like a short story. Musically they've garnered comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, but The Hold Steady are much darker than Springsteen ever was. Their songs are about drunken nights, parties, murder, and idealism. Craig Finn has said this album is about aging gracefully and holding true to the ideals of your youth. With their fourth album, The Hold Steady have certainly aged gracefully. The first five songs on Stay Positive could easily be the top five songs on anyone's list this year.

2. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night

Only By the Night was under attack from the get-go. Pitchfork and PopMatters gave the Kings scathing reviews. But, of course, Pitchfork has always held some kind of grudge against the Followills. The band has only had mild success in the U.S., but they're kings in Britain. With Only By the Night, Kings of Leon bring that success home. They've brought a more polished feel to their southern-twinged garage rock sound, and their mega-hit "Sex On Fire" is a guilty pleasure like no other. The first six songs on this album have been a mainstay on the air and around offices of WASU.

1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

What is there to say about MGMT that hasn't already been said this year? They've gone from "college-dorm experiment" to one of the hippest bands in the world in less than twelve months. Instead of just singing songs about living lives of stardom, drugs, and models, now they can live the fast life for themselves (but hopefully not die young). Their psychedelic videos for "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel" and stage attire have even influenced the designer fashion world. The opening synth riff of "Kids" is as infectious as they come, and Andrew VanWyngarden's vocals seem almost otherworldly and chilling. Each song on Oracular Spectacular is as memorable as the next, each an essential part of an overarching metaphysical experience. These will be the anthems of our lives for years to come.

Local Albums

Here are some of our favorite albums from North Carolinians and North Carolina natives:

The Rosebuds - Life Like

Naked Gods - Welcome Home

Annuals - Such Fun

Do It To Julia - Archie Carrol

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology

Sugar Glyder - We Cracked the Sky

The Sammies - Sandwich

Ben Folds - Way to Normal

The Avett Brothers - The Gleam II

The Groves - Simply Put EP

EP's

Manchester Orchestra - Let My Pride Be What's Left Behind

Wintergreen - Forest St

Tom Gabel - Heart Burns

The King Left - New York Nothing

Annuals/Sunfold - Wet Zoo

Mason Proper - Short Hand

Blue Giant - Target Heart

Bang!Bang!Eche! - Bang! Bang! Eche!

Foreign Orange - Foreign Orange

Audrye Sessions - Audrye Sessions

Other Lives - Other Lives

Past Lives - Strange Symmetry

Be Your Own Pet - Get Damaged

White Lies - Death

Music Department Picks

Daniel

1. Why? - Alopecia

2. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

3. Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball

4. Foals - Antidotes

5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

6. Dodos - Visiter

7. Dr. Dog - Fate

8. Deerhunter - Microcastles

9. Tim Fite - Fair Ain't Fair

10. Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free

David

1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

2. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

3. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

5. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

6. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The Cross of My Calling

7. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

8. Dodos - Visiter

9. No Age - Nouns

10. Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball

Christian

1. Young Widows - Old Wounds

2. Paint It Black - New Lexicon

3. Torche - Meanderthal

4. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life

5. Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind of Cadwallader

6. Bridge & Tunnel - East/West

7. Harvey Milk - Life...The Best Game In Town

8. Naked Gods - Welcome Home

9. Murs & 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord

10.???

Best Places to Find Free MP3's

2008-11-21T14:02:00.003-05:00

With the RIAA cracking down more and more, illegally downloading music can be quite a sketchy endeavor. As an avid music fan and broke college student, how can you check out the newest and best music without blowing all your hard earned cash? Today, a number of blogs post free MP3's of bands' music for you to download. The idea of these free MP3's is that they will entice you to buy the band's album. But, between you and me, with so many blogs posting songs from the same bands, you can usually find half of an album on the web (sometimes even before it hits stores), and the best part is that you won't get hit with a hefty fine from the RIAA.

Here are some of the blogs who offer lots of free MP3's for your consumption.

Pitchforkmedia.com - Check out the "Forkcast" section for videos, streams, and (more often than not) MP3's of the newest material from all walks of music.

Stereogum.com - Almost daily, the guys at Stereogum post MP3's for your enjoyment. Check out the player or the "MP3's and Streams" tab for their entire MP3 archive. For some reason they really like cover songs.

My Old Kentucky Blog - MOKB is chocked full of free MP3's for your delight. Scroll through the posts to find out all kinds of wonderful info about bands, and more than likely a few MP3's about mentioned artists. The "Listening Party" posts are especially fruitful.

Paste - Besides being one of the best print publications I've ever seen, Paste magazine has turned itself into a multimedia online experience. In their "Paste Station" player, is a link to downloads, exclusive videos, album streams, and artists to watch. Be sure to check both the downloads and recently added tabs to get the full benefit.

Chromewaves - This one is new to me, but a quick glance shows a wealth of promisingly free digital music goodness.

So, these are just a few of the many places on the web to find free legal music. If you know of any more places, please leave a comment. Let us in on the secret. With so many free and legal places to find music on the internet, who needs to risk a fine?

Posted By: Daniel

WASU Top 10 & Adds - Week of November 17th

2008-11-21T13:45:00.002-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. Oasis - "The Shock of the Lightning"
2. TV on the Radio - "Shout Me Out"
3. Kings of Leon - "Crawl"
4. Anthony Green - "Dear Child"
5. Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - "Pages Written on a Wall"
6. Department of Eagles - "No One Does It"
7. The Subways - "I Won't Let You Down"
8. Ryan Adams - "Fix It"
9. Manchester Orchestra - "I Was a Lid"
10. The Rosebuds - "Another Way In"

What's New This Week
Blackmarket - "Night In Question"
J. Roddy Walston and the Business - "Used to Did"
Vampire Weekend - "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance"
Wintersleep - "Drunk on Aluminum"
The Deep Vibrations - "Oklahoma City Woman Blues"
The Soft Hands - "Lot to Know"
The Loom - "Song for the Winter Sun"
Naked Gods - "Mountain Smashing Song of Joy"
The Groves - "Dive Down"

WASU Top 10 & Adds - Week of November 11th

2008-11-11T17:43:00.005-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. TV on the Radio - "Shout Me Out"
2. Oasis - "The Shock of the Lightning"
3. Sleeping In The Aviary - "Write On"
4. Cold War Kids - "I've Seen Enough"
5. Kings of Leon - "Crawl"
6. Anthony Green - "Dear Child (I've Been Trying to Reach You)"
7. Margot and the Nucler So & So's - "Pages Written on a Wall"
8. Department of Eagles - "No One Does It"
9. Ryan Adams - "Fix It"
10. The Subways - "I Won't Let You Down"

What's New This Week
Japanese Motors - "Crooked Gun"
Whitley - "All Is Whole"
Gringo Star - "Transmission"
Audrye Sessions - "Turn Me Off"
Little Joy - "Keep Me In Mind"
Snow Patrol - "Disaster Button"
The King Left - "The Storm in a Teacup"
Bang! Bang! Eche! - "4 to the Floor"
Woodward - "Take It Back"

WASU Top 10 and Adds - Week of November 3rd

2008-11-04T16:33:00.005-05:00

WASU Top 10
1. Jenny Lewis - "See Fernando"
2. Snow Patrol - "Take Back the City"
3. Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts - "Sunrise Dolls"
4. TV on the Radio - "Shout Me Out"
5.Oasis - "The Shock of the Lightning"
6. Cold War Kids - "I've Seen Enough"
7. Sleeping In The Aviary - "Write On"
8. Kings of Leon - "Crawl"
9. Anthony Green - "Dear Child"
10. Margot and the Nuclear So & So's - "Pages Written On a Wall"

What's New This Week
Kaiser Chiefs - "Half the Truth"
Longwave - "Eyes Like Headlights"
The (International) Noise Conspiracy - "Trashbins of History"
Past Lives - "Strange Symmetry"
Crystal Stilts - "Crystal Stilts"
Tom Gabel - "Conceptual Paths"
The Dead Trees - "Killer In Me"
Shiny Toy Guns - "Ghost Town"
The Decemberists - "Valerie Plume"
The Knux - "Roxxanne"

EP Review: Tom Gabel - "Heart Burns"

2008-11-04T16:12:00.007-05:00

By David Edscorn

Against Me! is one of those bands that refuses to stop evolving. Starting as an anarchist folk-punk band from Florida that played sweaty acoustic anthems in crowded dingy basements, the band has changed slightly every album. This gradual change culminated in 2007’s New Wave, a highly-polished rock record with nary an acoustic song in sight. The critics raved about what they saw as progress, and die-hard fans raged about what they saw as selling out.

Personally, I prefer the raucous energy of the band’s early albums, but I also accept their new stuff as having moments of brilliance. Therefore, I was very interested to see what front-man Tom Gabel would turn out with his new long EP, Heart Burns. These seven songs are split between more sonic experimentation as well as a few songs that represent a step back to the band’s earlier sound.

Initially, I was disappointed with the first four songs. On these songs, Gabel experiments with different styles, and it doesn’t always work. The lead track, “Random Hearts,” is an almost new-wave (the style, not the album) sounding rock song. It’s interesting, but doesn’t really go anywhere. This seems to be a common problem on this part of the album. The songs have intriguing concepts, but Gabel fails to execute them to their full potential. “Conceptual Paths” attempts to mix acoustic guitar with electronic beats, and once again it doesn’t quite work. Lyrically, the concept behind “Cowards Sing at Night” (Senator McCain still fighting the Vietnam War in his head) is great, but I wish Gabel had taken us farther into this lost warrior’s psyche. These aren’t bad songs, they just could have been done much better.

Thankfully, Gabel pulls off the last three songs with the unplugged passion and energy that I’ve come to love. “Anna is a Stool Pigeon” is an engrossing tale of an activist that falls in love with an FBI informant and winds up in prison for his trouble. It’s almost Dylanesque in it’s delivery, helped by the harmonica between verses. “Harsh Realms” is a haunting song about the stress of life in the 21^st century. The album finishes with the bluntly-titled “100 Years of War,” which debates the future of our country over jangling guitars and an infectious chorus.

All in all, this isn’t a bad album. The first four songs don’t quite work the way they could, but the last three more than make up for that. Personally, I would like to see Tom Gabel release a full album of all acoustic material. He’s at his best when he’s railing against the system without fancy gimmicks to distract the message. 7 out of 10

Download: “Anna is a Stool Pigeon,” “Harsh Realms,” “100 Years of War”

Caught Off Guard: Get Help's "The End of the New Country"

2008-11-02T19:34:00.007-05:00

By: Daniel

Every once in a while -- a very long while -- I'm caught off guard by how good an album is. As is the case with The End of the New Country by Boston's Get Help. I had never heard of the band, its record label, or any of its members. The record wasn't sent to WASU by one of the many promoters who supply us with CDs. A one-sheet listing the tracks, giving a little background on the band, and imprinted with a, dare I say, unflattering picture of the two primary members was all that accompanied the CD. What cause did I have to expect great things from Get Help? How was I supposed to know The End of the New Country would be chocked full of beautifully dark post-punk goodness that brings to mind such masterful bands as Joy Division, The Pixies, and especially R.E.M.?

I would take the time to write a detailed description of the album, but why do what NPR has already done so well?

A self-proclaimed "supergroup of unknown musicians," Get Help makes gloomy but thoughtful

guitar-rock that would fit comfortably in the post-punk era of the late '70s and early '80s. Get Help's two primary members, Tony Skalicky and Mike Ingenthron, were in elementary school when bands like Joy Division were making music. But on their new CD, The End of the New Country, the duo cribs from post-punk with enough honesty and talent to keep from sounding like a cheap knock-off.

Skalicky and Ingenthron, who write and record in New York, take turns on lead vocals. Skalicky unabashedly channels Joy Division's Ian Curtis (or Interpol's Paul Banks), and for some listeners, that might be too much of a turnoff to get through the whole album. But Skalicky's time at the mic fuels the album's most compelling and memorable moments.

The End of the New Country opens on a somber note with "Traveler's Shave Kit." Plaintive guitar strums, gentle rhythms, a little slide guitar and mellotron set an appropriate tone for an album that scarcely cracks a smile over the course of 15 tracks.

The album's title cut, like much of the CD, is full of resignation, as Skalicky sings about a world on the brink of collapse, with mobbed streets lined by burning buildings. "I think we've reached the end of the new country," he sings. "And I think we know the rest of its history." It's grim, to be sure.

But it could also signal a new beginning: By the end of the album, with the dramatic squalls of feedback on the closer "Growing Circles," the band seems to say that everything is going to be all right. "I am searching in growing circles," Skalicky sings. "And I will find you, I am certain."

Despite its darkness, The End of the New Country isn't a downer, though it's undeniably brooding and introspective. But there's enough inspired beauty in the lyrics — and consistently impressive guitar work — to make the music uplifting at times.

When not working as Get Help, Skalicky is the singer and guitarist for the Boston-based group The Beatings, while Ingenthron is in the New York group Strikes Again. The two collaborated on the songs for The End of the New Country over the Internet, with help from Rob Machold, William Scales, Daniel Parlin, Dennis Grabowski and Gene DiAvolio.

--- Robin Hilton, NPR

http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/

Speed Reviews By Daniel

2008-10-29T10:32:00.007-04:00

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cardinology

Ryan Adams, a North Carolina native, and the Cardinals put forth a commendable effort on Cardinology. Alt-country is a genre I haven't much explored, and thus my knowledge of Adams' work is also limited. I get that Adams is going for the whole rehabilitation/rebirth/finding the light thing, and that the music is graceful and sweet for that reason. Yet, at times the songwriting feels a little hokey, and I kept hoping the band would show a little bit more energy. Some tracks -- "Fix It," "Go Easy, " "Magick," and "Sink Ships" -- do show signs of life, but overall, the album is set on cruise control. Cardinology may be a faster pace for Adam's, but it's still too slow for my taste. 6.7 out of 10

Rise Against - Appeal to Reason

I may have at one point in recent history described Rise Against as one of the few good modern punk bands. That was before I heard Appeal to Reason. Don't fret; Appeal is still a progressively minded, humanitarian, stick-it-to-the-man power chord punk fest. Besides reasoning behind the lack of variety, all I want to know is why there isn't a law regulating the number of times you can work pick scrapes into an album? I'm not sure of the official count, but they're in 90% of the songs on this album. Stand outs on Appeal to Reason for me are (of course) "Re-Education (Through Labor)," "Collapse (Post-Amerika)," "Audience of One," and "Entertainment." 7.5 out of 10.

WASU Top 10 and Adds

2008-10-29T10:10:00.005-04:00

WASU Top 10 Songs
1. Blitzen Trapper - "Gold for Bread"
2. Kings of Leon - "Revelry"
3. Dead Confederate - "Start Me Laughing"
4. Stereophonics - "Lady Luck"
5. Toadies - "Hell in High Water"
6. Jenny Lewis - "See Fernando"
7. Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts - "Sunrise Dolls"
8. Snow Patrol - "Take Back the City"
9. TV on the Radio - "Shout Me Out"
10. Oasis - "The Shock of the Lightning"

What's New this Week
Eagles of Death Metal - "(I Used to Couldn't Dance) Tight Pants"
Ray LaMontagne - "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)"
Astronautalis - "Two Years Before the Mast"
The Dears - "Berlin Heart"
Pretenders - "Boots of Chinese Plastic"
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band - "Time is Now"

EP Review: White Lies “Death E.P.”

2008-10-14T20:01:00.003-04:00

By: David Edscorn

The alternative-indie scene has gotten a little crowded lately. Bands that sound a lot like the Killers and Hot Hot Heat seem to be popping up everywhere. White Lies is one of those groups, but in this case, that may not be such a bad thing. Their brand new “Death E.P.” doesn’t necessarily do anything completely original, but it still manages to sound fresh and exciting. The lead track “Death” is an excellently driving anthem. With plenty of crunching guitar, sweeping vocals, and swirling synthesizers, the band shows a lot of promise. "Black Song" isn’t quite as good a track as “Death,” but it’s not bad. The album closes with two remixes of “Death.” Both of them are decent, especially the second one done by The Haunts, which keeps the feeling of the original while adding a little something fresh to the mix. The first remix is done by the Crystal Castles who are making plenty of waves of their own but only put forth a passable effort here. White Lies may not be the band to change the genre, but they’re certainly worth keeping an eye on. 7 out of 10.

Download: “Death”

http://www.whitelies.com/

Review: Old Crow Medicine Show - "Tennessee Pusher"

2008-10-02T15:56:00.005-04:00

By: David Edscorn

Old Crow Medicine Show’s lineup is about as unique as they come. In the tradition of old-time string bands, the band consists (most of the time) of an acoustic guitarist, two banjo players, an upright bassist, and front man Ketch Secor (who alternates between singing, fiddling, and playing a wicked harmonica). Discovered by bluegrass legend Doc Watson while busking outside of Boone Drug, the band has gained popularity for playing music that successfully crosses the boundaries of the past and present.

With their newest album, Tennessee Pusher, Old Crow stick to their formula of hard-driving old-time music with all the energy of a modern rock band. While the music is still as expertly crafted as ever, this is a much darker Medicine Show than found in previous albums. Bouquets of dogwood flowers have been replaced with the heartbreak of “Next Go ‘Round” and the lonesome roads of “Highway Halo.” Both songs are engaging ballads, but weigh rather heavily in the emotional department.

Pusher does have its share of upbeat tunes. The album kicks off with “Alabama High-Test,” a rollicking yet cautionary tale of “down-home Dixie-fried home-grown.” Other foot-stompers include “Humdinger” and the sweet “Caroline.” These tracks, and the aforementioned ballads, are joined with several gritty downers, giving the whole album a sinister edge. “Methamphetamine” is a harsh tale of the dangers of the titular drug and its trafficking. The title track and “Hotel in Memphis” are both dark murder stories, the latter an anthem in the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tennessee Pusher is a sprawling, impressive album, but it is a defiantly different direction for the band. The music is as captivating as always, but the lyrics carry more emotional baggage that may turn off listeners simply looking for a Southern-fried good time. 7 out of 10.

Download: “Alabama High-Test,” “Highway Halo,” “Caroline”

Review: The Gaslight Anthem - "The '59 Sound"

2008-09-22T22:59:00.011-04:00

By: David Edscorn

I’ve always been a fan of classic rock and oldies, but generally find myself proceeding with caution when I find out that a modern band roots its sound in those genres. The result sometimes turns out to work perfectly and make me fall in love with it, but just as frequently crashes and burns in a conflagration of tired AC/DC or Righteous Brothers stereotypes. Fortunately, The Gaslight Anthem’s newest album, The ’59 Sound, falls firmly in the first category. The New Jersey band manages to perfectly toe the line between modern punk and old time rock and roll without sounding clichéd or boring.

The album begins with “Great Expectations,” a hard hitting track that starts with a needle dropping onto a record before kicking into powerful drumming from Benny Horowitz and just as powerful vocals from Brian Fallon. A chorus with just the right amount of catchiness and guitars that would fit in fine on London Calling round out the solid opener.

The title track is an infectious nostalgia-filled first single about death and what comes after. Bleak as that may sound, the band manages to carry it out in an upbeat and hopeful manner. Nostalgia is a common theme on the album, even though the young men in Gaslight and their target audience aren’t old enough to remember much of what they sing about. Nonetheless, the tracks manage to create time long gone in such a way that you feel like you know exactly what they’re singing about. Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen are obvious influences (Petty’s name and one of his songs get dropped on several songs), as well as fellow Jersey act The Bouncing Souls and punk band Against Me!

The album is crammed full of good tracks, but standouts include the gritty “Film Noir,” rockabilly-infused “Casanova, Baby” and the anthematic closer “The Backseat.” At first listen the album seems rather repetitive, but repeated play shows that this is not the case. Each track has its own sound and its own story. Although The Gaslight Anthem have only been around for a couple of years, they have managed to produce an outstanding album. 8.5 out of 10

Download: “The ’59 Sound,” “Film Noir,” “The Backseat”

Review: Dead Confederate - "Wrecking Ball"

2008-09-18T01:11:00.010-04:00

By: Daniel Earney

With a name like Dead Confederate, you have to expect something at least somewhat Southern from this band. On their debut LP, Wrecking Ball, Dead Confederate take Southern rock, turn it on its head and cover it in thick, heavy mud. But that's a good thing.

Previously named The Redbelly Band, kicking around the Augusta club scene, and playing a Phishy jamband style of rock, the guys of Dead Confederate graduated from college and decided it was time for a change. They moved to the big city (Atlanta), changed their name, and adopted an entirely new sound. The band is already drawing comparisons to Sonic Youth, Band of Horses, and (what really caught my eye) Nirvana. Sonic Youth, for both bands' use of highly distorted atmospheric noise, I can see; Band of Horses, not so much; and Nirvana, though I had to make sure Tulsa’s Carter Tanton didn’t have a side project, at times, and not too often, the vocals are spot-on Cobain. If it weren’t for the sometimes weeping, sometimes screaming slide guitar, I’d place DC among Seattle’s elite.

I was scared at first that Dead Confederate would let me down: “Heavy Petting” starts abruptly and awkwardly enough with Hardy Morris belting out the song’s title, a pinch of Southern drawl showing through. Slow, soaring guitar permeates the first half of the track. Then the song erupts halfway through with an ominously fierce guitar solo mixing with Jason Scarboro’s heavily crashing drums. All the while, Hardy’s voice scratches and cracks in true Cobain fashion. Walker Howle’s guitar takes off a few more times before the song fades.

On the Album’s first single, “The Rat,” Morris continues the screechy wail as it becomes clear that the dark, war-torn lyrics are a common theme. Dead Confederate’s live performances, so far, have drawn positive reviews, and seeing the band perform “The Rat” on KEXP’s website made me, for the first time in a long time, intensely miss going to concerts.

At times Wrecking Ball can be slow, but the payoffs for being patient are immense. 2:50 into “It Was a Rose,” Howle’s slide is at once eloquent and overwhelming; later in the song, it’s simply insane. “Yer Circus,” “All the Angels,” “The News Underneath,” and the 12-minute “Flesh Colored Canvas” showcase DC’s slower, more melodic and elegant capabilities, but are not without their powerful punctuations. “Start Me Laughing” is a pure gem worthy of Nirvana’s songbook. The album finishes out with the title track, in all its destructive glory. The album, however, is not without its flaws; you have to listen too closely to make out John Watkins’ keys (when they’re present), and Brantley Senn’s bass is often buried beneath drums and guitars.

Wrecking Ball begins with a furor nothing short of Sherman tear-assing his way through Georgia circa 1864. (Luckily Sherman wasn't a Confederate.) Yet, instead of glorifying war, Dead Confederate show us that war indeed is hell; it’s loud, it’s painful, and it’s sad. A man can toil endlessly only to find that he has brought about nothing but death and destruction – a wrecking ball. 8.7 out of 10.