Category: Album Reviews

The BEST Halloween Playlists you have never heard of, until now

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Aquarium Drunkard. Bookmark it. Put it on your daily reads list. Educate yourself on all sorts of awesome music that isn’t on commercial radio (but we play on WDCV!). Their vintage mixtapes are the stuff of legend. Perfectly crafted finds from scratchy records that might have languished in a forgotten box in your neighbors basement but these expert diggers source, curate, and share these gems for all of our benefit.

My favorite ones are the Trick or Treat Mixtapes filled with a focus on 60’s garage and surf rock monster tunes but other vintage gems are peppered in there. You won’t hear Monster Mash but I promise you will hear tunes you wish you heard before today. I can only find volumes 5-9 online and if you can find me 1-4 I will forever be in your debt.

They have 7-9 still posted and 5 and 6 links straight to a sketchy download site.  So, for your trick or treat bag I have downloaded all 5-9 for your enjoyment and also because they keep removing the old ones and I don’t want them to disappear forever. 

If you like these I highly recommend their other holiday mixtapes “Lit up like a Christmas Tree Vol. 1 and 2′ And “Christmas Jambree :: A Vintage Jamaican Yuletide Mixtape”.  Really, just use this link to search any post with the term ‘mixtape’ in it and you are likely to stumble upon the best treasure trove of downloadable vintage jams you never knew were missing from your life until now. 

I’m also a fan of the Bomboclat! Island Soak series.  Really, you can’t go wrong on any of these mixtapes.  Happy listening!

billie eilish Album Review

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Nothing can compare to the excitement I felt when Billie Eilish dropped her first full album on March 29th, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?  It immediately shot to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, making Eilish the first artist born in the 21st century to hit the chart’s peak. The album accumulated many recent singles released and added more diverse sounds and styles.

I have been a huge fan of hers ever since I heard her song “watch” in January of 2018. I instantly fell in love with her unique voice, her pop and indie style, and the creativity in her lyrics. After discovering her, I made sure to tell everyone about her, and I’m sure others did too, as she rose to fame with multiple single drops and collaborations with new artists like Khalid in the song “lovely”.

Her songs cover a variety of subjects: love, culture, self-image, hatred, and everything between. She fantastically combines these lyrics with incredibly chill beats and new technology to give her music an edge.

 

 

Some may say that her recent album is too dark and dismal, but I think it is a true masterpiece. There is a sense of fluidity through her album, as the last three songs are called “listen before i go”, “i love you”, and “goodbye”. There is a great combination of songs to bop to, songs to get you in your bag, and songs to sit back and appreciate musically. My favorite song on the album is called “xanny” where Billie addresses teen culture of using drugs. Other favorites are “wish you were gay” and “when the party’s over”. As her first full album, it is unbelievable how much talent and musicality is pieced into every song.

I very highly suggest you take a listen to Billie’s new album, and all her old songs too. She is truly unique to this generation of music.

 

 

By: Victoria Dionisos ‘22

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Fishing for Fishies | Review

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Album Review- Fishing for Fishies by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

by Jackson Rhodes

 

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, an Australian psychedelic rock band formed in 2010 and fronted by Stu Mackenzie, return after a year-long hiatus with a cohesive and sonically radical new album, Fishing for Fishies. 

The Gizz announced at the beginning of 2017 that they would release five studio albums throughout the course of the year; Mackenzie elaborated that “We had this random batch of songs. It was not a cohesive record at all. So we thought we’d split it up, and split again until it became five.” Flying Microtonal Banana, Murder of the Universe, Sketches of Brunswick East, and Polygondwanaland were released, concluding on December 31, 2017 with the release of Gumboot Soup. Although an exciting idea which produced gems like Flying Microtonal Banana and Polygondwanaland, the rate of album releases surpassing even Brockhampton was bound to birth some half-baked and rushed ideas (looking at you, Sketches of Brunswick East). It’s a credit to the band that quality was retained through the mass of quantity pushed into 2017, validating their hiatus through 2018. With the new release of Fishing for Fishies after just a year and few months from Gumboot Soup, the lack of Gizz content versus 2017’s prolific output makes the hiatus feel more like a decade.  

If there’s one thing in common between Death Grips and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, it’s a hatred of a stagnant instrumental palate. Previous works like Nonagon Infinity boast instruments as strange as the Zurna: Fishing for Fishies laughs at that and uses vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, mellotron, piano, synthesizer, organ, bass, flute, drums, vibraphone, drums, percussion, and a harmonica to create a catchy, irresistible psychedelic blues-rock sound that boogies like nothing has ever boogied before. In a similar kooky charm to Bill Wurtz or hokiness of T. Rex, King Gizzard’s leading harmonica lines and quality drumming throughout the record create an enrapturing boogie. I mean, this thing’s got boogie. There should be a warning on the album cover that, upon starting the album, your body will be paralyzed into the boogie until the final track fades away. If there’s one thing I can’t emphasize enough, it’s that if you listen to this album, the boogie shall be within you.  

Fishing for Fishies is an indication of what the Gizz can do if they allow themselves the time to do it. Songs like “This Thing” and “Acarine” methodically morph throughout their durations, easing transitions through introductions of varied instruments; “This Thing” in particular switches up the beat so much Travis Scott should be punching the air out of jealousy. While I’m talking about it, “Acarine” is an example of the environmental theme throughout the record, bringing to light the acarine disease that mortally handicaps bees’ ability to fly (and makes it psychedelic). “Plastic Boogie”, while instrumentally still an undeniable boogie, spreads the boogie into blunt lyricism, where Stu Mackenzie sings “It’s not fantastic/It’s gonna come and kill us/It’s gonna be massive/It’s gonna be brutal/Death will come from plastic/Death will come from people”.   

Is this record a great album throughout? Absolutely not. “Cyboogie”, despite the boogie still being present, lies too flat in its electronic production, an unnecessary direction for the bluesy record. You could consequently say that “Cyboogie”, despite its annoying qualities, is a welcome point of variance from eight other songs that sound interchangeable in the tracklist. However, you gotta love this thing for what it is. If you need some well-crafted boogie, buddy do I have something to show you.

 

Top 10 Albums of 2018

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Jonah Skeen’s Top Ten Albums of 2018

 

Hey folks welcome to my second annual countdown of the best music of the year. There was a lot of great music this year and, unlike last year, I kept pretty up to date on the hot new albums. Everything on this list is truly worth hearing.

  1. Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune – Swamp Dogg

Autotune is the most deverse current sound in popular music and I love it unabashedly. I especially love when artists who I don’t expect to use it. One of my favorite uses of autotune ever was Bon Iver’s 22 A Million. I was in sheer delight when I found out that the 76 year old R&B singer Swamp Dogg had recorded an album in Bon Iver’s studio and made similar use of autotune. This album is cut from the same cloth as 22 and by is far funkier, funnier, looser and maybe even weirder in the simple fact of it existing. “$$$ Huntin’” updates the talkin’ blues formula for these trap heavy times. The most beautiful moment on the album is the cover of the standard “Stardust”. It sounds like I’m picking up a transmission from space of aliens approximating human music.

  1. Boygenius – Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers

Boygenius is a supergroup made up of Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers. If that sentence doesn’t make you excited then you have some catching up to do. These women have put out a few of the best indie albums in recent memory. And now they have joined forces for a tour and an all too brief EP. Despite their variety of styles (Dacus is more fuzz rock, Bridgers is more folk influenced, Baker somewhat emo leaning), they sound like a natural fit. The highlight of this EP are the harmonies which are tear inducing. This is powerful stuff. If you’ve just gone through a break up or something of that nature, listening to this will be cathartic.

  1. El Mal Querer – Rosalía

I wish I still took Spanish so I could understand the lyrics on this. I hear that they’re great. What I can understand is the music which is groundbreaking. Rosalia uses the sound of revving motorcycles as percussion! There’s a song that does James Blake even better than James Blake does himself! The whole thing is as fun as any pop record you’ll hear this year. It’s equally at home at a house party as it is during the comedown. It’s rare to hear experimental and pop instincts balanced this well.

  1. And Nothing Hurt – Spiritualized

If Jason Pierce is to be believed, this is the last Spiritualized album. Which is sad news but what a way to go out. Unlike their earlier records, this record is not a grand statement. There’s no Elvis samples, 17 minute song about killing cops, orchestras, or gospel choirs. And Nothing Hurt is simply a set of well constructed songs recorded in Pierce’s home studio. The strings and horns come from samples from his record collection. What’s amazing is that Pierce can still write such deeply affecting music this late into his career and how lush this album sounds despite its modest origins. The lead off tracks are my two favorites: “A Perfect Miracle” starts off with ukulele and sounds like a straightforward love song before the narrator shifts from love to ending the relationship over the course of a few verses and the music builds into a beautiful crescendo. “I’m Your Man” is the ideal classic rock. There’s a guitar solo that wouldn’t sound out of place on a late Beatles record and lyrical similarities to the Leonard Cohen classic where it takes its name. This song, like the whole album, positions Pierce in the lineage of classic songwriters. I think it succeeds.

  1. Daytona – Pusha T

Back back way back in december 2015, Pusha released the clunkily titled King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude which was to serve as an appetizer for King Push, his planned magnum opus. King Push never materialized but Push did drop his opus. Daytona is all killer, no filler. Just straight bars. This record barely bothers with hooks, which normally spells disaster but with a rapper as talented as Push, this is a huge plus. And the production! Ho boy! There’s this playlist called Kanye West – Producer of The Year that’s posted on Pusha, Kanye, Teyana, and 070 Shake’s Spotify pages which clearly signals that Kanye is aiming to be nominated for Producer of The Year at the Grammys. He shouldn’t get it, but listening to Daytona made me hope that the Wyoming Session albums would be a return to classic early Kanye. I was wrong, the production on Ye is his least focused ever, but at least I got Daytona out of it.

ALSO DRAKE WAS HIDING A CHILD COME ON

  1. Thresholder – Ian William Craig

This isn’t an album. It’s a compilation of outtakes recorded between 2014 and 2016. This album doesn’t really have songs on it; it mostly has sounds. But what glorious sounds! Ian William Craig is an artist like no other. He builds his music by combining avant garde tape manipulation with his magnificent opera trained singing voice. The end results bring to mind Bon Iver at his most experimental, a more minimal Sigur Ros, and William Basinski’s classic The Disintegration Loops. This is music that is both alien and somehow deeply human. All of Craig’s albums, particularly Centres, are worth checking out but Thresholder showcases what he does best in a comfact runtime.

  1. Sparkle Hard – Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks

My love of this album started with the lead single “Middle America”. It’s a ballad which Malkmus doesn’t do often but when he does it leads to classics like “Gold Soundz”, “Church on White”, “Freeze the Saints”, and “Spit on a Stranger”. I hoped that the rest of the album would be mature and understated. I was wrong. Sparkle Hard is a little of everything Malkmus does best. It has an extended stoner jam (“Kite”), garage rock (“Shiggy”), a country duet with Kim Gordon (the hilarious “Refute”), and a two part electronic experiment that turns into krautrock (“Difficulties – Let Them Eat Vowels”). Even more astonishing is that this isn’t even the album Malkmus planned to release. He made a completely electronic album that he planned to drop before his label told him to put out a more traditional release first. These were the songs that Malkmus just happened to have lying around. I am also extremely biased about this album for two reasons 1. I eternally love Malkmus for his work in Pavement and 2. I saw Malkmus live front row and he played most of Sparkle Hard. The songs are even better live and it felt that I was sitting in on a band practice because I was so close to the band. During the encore, Malkmus sang “Freeze the Saints” directly to me and it was among the greatest moments of my life. So listen to this album but maybe listen to a Pavement classic like Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, or Slanted and Enchanted first.

            3. Knock Knock – DJ Koze

This album will take you on a journey. I know a lot less about dance music than I ought to but I do know that this record is dance music at its best. This record brilliantly uses a plethora of samples, synths, and newly recorded vocals to create a deeply psychedelic listening experience. The track that drew me in was “Bonfire” because it has vocals from Bon Iver and I will listen to anything that Justin Vernon sings over. The whole record is worth listening to straight through but the highlight is “Pick Up” which should’ve been a huge hit.

  1. Some Rap Songs – Earl Sweatshirt

To quote my roommate Jackson, this decade finally has its Madvillainy. Earl has been one of the most adored MCs in the game since way back in ‘10 when he was a wee lad of sixteen. Now he’s 24 and just ended a three year hiatus with his best, and most experimental, record. This year has been a big one for short albums. All of the five Kanye produced Wyoming albums were 7 or 8 songs in under half an hour. Earl one ups Ye. It’s 15 songs in only 25 minutes! And each one is a winner. There is not a wasted second on this record. Every verse is insightful, filled with allusions, and poetic. Earl isn’t rapping with precision; he’s rapping with purpose. He turned from the prodigy of Odd Future to a wizened philosopher. The beats on this thing are just insane. They’re more like soundcollages than traditional rap beats but hit all the pleasure points of classic old beats from someone like Dilla or Madlib. Earl’s father, South African poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, died earlier this year and though much of the album was completed prior, his death hangs over the project. This album is both surreal yet hyper emotional. People will be dissecting the meaning of the lyrics and trying to wrap their heads around these mind-bending beats for years.

 

Before my number one pick I’d like to shout out a few honorable mentions that didn’t make the list:

 

Iridescence – BROCKHAMPTON: BEST BOY BAND SINCE 1D! Also, “San Marcos” may be my absolute favorite song of the year.

Freedom’s Goblin – Ty Segall: a great double album covering everything from hardcore punk to folk to psychedelic rock.

KTSE – Teyana Taylor: Underrated R&B vocalist backed by old school sampled heavy Kanye beats.

Room 25 – Noname: live soul beats with unmatched lyrical wit.

Virtue – The Voidz: Strokes frontman returns with his best record since Room on Fire.

Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves: Psychedelic country recorded in Sheryl Crow’s barn.

The Longshot – The Longshot: Green Day frontman solo album in disguise. If it were a Green Day record, it’d be their best since American Idiot.  

  1. Be The Cowboy – Mitski

The first time I heard this album, it was on the train into Manhattan with two of my friends. We were all listening to it and exchanging excited looks. The second time I heard this album was about two hours later and it was live. Seeing Mitski the day this album came out no doubt influenced my opinion on it. I didn’t care for the single “Nobody” until I saw her singing and dancing and realized it was meant to be sarcastic. Now, it’s among my favorite tracks of the year. This album is Mitski’s huge leap forward. Her last record, Puberty 2, was a great breakout album that cemented her as one of the most popular up-and-coming artists in indie rock. This album loses the grungy guitars, screamed vocals, and most other indie signifiers. It cements Mitski as one of the greatest artists of our time, full stop. Not just indie. Over 14 songs, and only 32 minutes, Mitski breezes through too many genres to name and often forgos standard verse-chorus structure. Sometimes, her lyrics read more like freeform poetry than pop lyrics. Yet this does not feel like an experimental album. It is as catchy and emotional as any of the best pop records. Each song conveys an incredibly detailed story in around two minutes. It is truly hard to pick highlights on a record as great as this, but “Remember My Name” is sung from the perspective of a lonely musician who wants her audience to keep her in their mind after she’s done performing. There is no way I’ll ever forget Mitski’s name after this album.

 

 

Written by Jonah Skeen ’21

Concert Review: Mumford & Sons

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On December 7th, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, Mumford & Sons performed for about two hours of sheer enjoyment. Even from their opening act (Maggie Rogers, a ridiculously talented emerging artist in the indie music scene reviewed by another DJ– read about her here!), I knew this was going to be an unforgettable experience.

Even though my love for this group has fluctuated over the years as they release each new album (it takes me a while to adjust to the changes in style), I’ve been a pretty big fan from the get-go. Honestly, my fondness for their usage of the banjo knows no bounds, and its absence in their later work hit me pretty hard. The titular album of this particular tour, Delta, also took a bit of getting used to. The banjo was still lacking, but the chill, sweeping orchestral nature of the tracks won me over.

They did a fantastic job of mixing high-energy jams with slower-tempo tunes, and the combination of their new music with fan favorites helped me understand why the mood of their newest album was made to feel so different. It’s calmer and flowing, and songs like “Picture You” and “The Wild” were a perfect fit among staples like “I Will Wait” and “Little Lion Man”. Regardless, the rhythm and soul behind each and every song was infectious, and any audience member could clearly see the group’s joy and energy throughout the entire performance. They were just enjoying themselves, and that made it all the better to watch. Even though I was up in the nosebleeds, I felt connected to the action below.

 

They gave it all they had and came across as so humble. The crowd around me was extremely responsive too, and we managed to make them laugh through some lyrics a couple of times. It kind of reminds you that they’re human, not just celebrities.

 

I was already a fan of the group before this concert, but I have an entirely new appreciation for all of the hard work that goes into their performances, and their genuine talent amazed me. Each band member played multiple instruments throughout the show, with lead singer Marcus Mumford actually playing the drums at one point while he was singing (an impressive feat).

 

 

I can’t stop listening to their albums now, and each song brings back the wonderful memories of that night. Everything sounds different, but in a good way, and I find myself smiling after almost every track. Seeing them perform these songs live has brought a new dimension to them that I hadn’t heard before.

 

But the best part? Getting to see someone absolutely shredding on a banjo.

 

By Nina Spoelker ’21

Album Review: Odyssey by The Accidentals

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Album Review: Odyssey by The Accidentals 

By Erica Wells 

 

The Accidental’s album, Odyssey was one of the heavy rotations featured artists last school year. I really enjoyed the couple of songs I heard in the station and played on my show, “Porch Culture” and explored more of The Accidental’s music afterwards.  The Accidentals are an American band formed in Traverse City, Michigan in 2012.  As a three-person band, their music is characterized as indie rock and indie folk.  While the band’s tune gives off folk vibes, there’s definitely an incorporation of pop and alternative accents, as well.  Odyssey is an alternative mix of slower and fast-paced songs that feels like very down-to earth and authentic music.  Some of the song highlights on the album are “Odyssey”, “Arizona Stars”, and “Crow’s Feet.”  “Odyssey” has a bit faster of a tempo, whereas the other two songs are slower, featuring strong instrumentals in the background.  “Crow’s Feet” is the longest song on the album clocking in at around six minutes, and has melodic tune.  It would be perfect for a deep scene in a romantic movie (my favorite!).  However, I have to say that “Arizona Stars” is the best song on the album, as it starts with some folk vibes that carry through the song, and features some real catchy lyrics.  Check out The Accidentals and their album Odyssey – you won’t regret it!

 

 

Thom Yorke – Suspiria

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Singer, producer, frontman of Radiohead Thom Yorke, exhibits his known vocal beauty while also revealing extraordinary compositional production on Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film).

 

 

Radiohead’s talent is difficult to analyze, mostly because it all comes in the same package. Even though Philip Selway doesn’t sing, does he ever add anything to Yorke’s lyrics? Because Yorke is always the one singing, does he help with any production work? What does Ed O’Brien do? Unless there are solo works by members of the band, any sense of individual talent in the band could go unrecognized. The Beatles are a pretty obvious example of this; only after they split up was it proven that George was a way better songwriter than Paul (it’s true and you know it). Jonny Greenwood, an accomplished composer and orchestral writer, has scored every Paul Thomas Anderson movie since There Will Be Blood, and was recently given an Oscar nomination for his score of Phantom Thread. Now, Yorke’s decided to showcase his own style in the direction of a horror classic for the upcoming reboot of Suspiria.

 

As a listening experience, Suspiria is best with big noise-cancelling headphones and all the lights off. It’s supposed to be for scary movies, which it easily accomplishes; Yorke understands the power of ambience and noise to illicit pressure and fear. But what really makes this record stand out from a standard score is its diversity in texture. “A Choir of One”, a 14-minute experience, is in the same album as the one-minute “The Inevitable Pull”, a dense synthetic track that sounds like something bad is happening in the basement and you know somebody’s gotta investigate it. Tracks like these two compose the soundtrack-like-elements of the double-album, and while they are enjoyable in their own right, what keeps me coming back are the Thom-like-elements that feature Yorke’s vocals. “Suspirium”, one of the lead singles to the album, is a piano ballad that has Yorke floating with that golden falsetto of his over the instrumentation. Suspiria, a movie about a dance academy being run by a witches coven, finds its place in Yorke’s lyricism, as he says on the track, “This is a waltz, thinking about our bodies, and what they mean, for our salvation.” Moments like these are similar to Radiohead’s most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool, although without any drums, guitars or heavy electronics behind him, Yorke’s vocals remain isolated, exposed for everybody to be confused about the true meaning of them.

Until the newest version of Suspiria hits theaters or streaming services, the greatest effect of Yorke’s effort is impossible to analyze. But, as a standalone ambient double-album, Thom Yorke has shown his beautiful artistry beyond just his gorgeous voice. Layered synths, experimental ten-plus-minute tracks, and spotlight appearances of Yorke lyrically create a fully realized world of tension and elegance that seems to make up Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria.

 

Article written by Jackson Rhodes ’21

Pinegrove & I: A review of Skylight

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Pinegove & I: A review of Skylight

By Jonah Skeen (his show, Playing It by Ear, is on Wednesdays from 10-11pm)

 

Pinegrove and I are both from Montclair, New Jersey. There is no avoiding Pinegrove as an indie music fan in Montclair. For a while, that was a blessing. Evan Stephens Hall, the lead singer and mastermind behind Pinegrove, worked at the local bookstore. I grew up playing the same venues with my old punk band that Pinegrove had played when they first started out. I first heard them in 2012, back when they were solely a local treasure. I first saw them live February 12th, 2016, the day Cardinal, their sophomore album and breakthrough came out. After the show, I bought it on vinyl from Evan’s parents and he signed it and we talked for a little. They had generated buzz before Cardinal was released but when it was re-released in June, they really blew up. They opened for Into It. Over It. which at the time was a big break for them, but then they became way bigger than Into It. Over It. (Julien Baker, the other opener of that tour has also gone on to become pretty huge) They played to huge crowds at Panorama, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Primavera Sound and pretty much every other major music festival in summer 2017. I saw them three times on the touring behind Cardinal including the release show. The second time was also in Montclair and I took a picture with Evan and Adan, the bassist, afterwards. The third time, they sold out the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. In Montclair, you expect everyone to know the lyrics and sing along but it was surreal seeing a band I grew up with become huge nationally.

Over the summer 2017, they recorded their third album Skylight, which this is ostensibly a review of, and in November, released the first single “Intrepid”. They seemed poised to release a hugely successful indie album. Then, sexual coercion allegations surfaced against Evan. I recommend reading this piece from Pitchfork to learn the full story. Essentially, Evan made a confusing statement regarding the situation and the band went on hiatus. I remember getting ready to head home for thanksgiving break, hearing the news, and walking around a nearly empty Dickinson campus in a haze. How could someone I grew up singing along to and identifying with do something so horrible to another human being? Many Pinegrove fans felt similarly betrayed and shocked. Over the next year, the Pinegrove story was all anyone in the indie scene in Montclair talked about. I know people who know members of the band so I heard information here and there: the album was done but it wasn’t coming out, Evan was in therapy in Montclair, Nandi, the keyboardist and other vocalist and Evan’s foil, had quit to pursue a solo career as Half Waif. Many, myself included, declared Pinegrove “cancelled”. I didn’t listen to their music, as much as it meant to me, for a year until I could hear the full story. On Wednesday, I heard the full story via the Pitchfork piece. What had happened was that Evan verbally coerced someone who was in a relationship to sleep with him. There were not multiple allegations and the victim did not want their story to be public. They merely wanted Evan to go to therapy to address his issues and for Pinegrove to refrain from touring for a year. Pinegrove decided that this was the right course of action and were planning on keeping the situation private via the victim’s wishes. But the organization Punk Talks mishandled the situation and insinuated that there were multiple allegations against Evan and the situation went public leading to Evan’s confusing statement. Buried deep within the article, Evan revealed that they had parted ways with Run For Cover, their label, and were self released their third album, Skylight, on September 28th. I thought long and hard about Pinegrove’s place in my life and if I could morally listen to their album. Since the victim approved of them releasing it and all profits from the album are going to the charities Musicares, the American Foundation for Suicide PRevention, and the Voting Rights Project, I decided that I could listen to Pinegrove again.

The album was released a little over an hour ago on Pinegrove’s bandcamp page without any posts to their social media. I’m listening to it for the third time. No one tasked me with writing this and I don’t know how many will read it but it is important for me to write. The album was completed prior to the allegations being made public but some of the lyrics eerily foreshadow Evan’s period of intense therapy, reflection, and rehabilitation. The first line of the album is “I draw a line in my life/ singing this is the new way I behave now/ and actually live by the shape of that sound.” Some of these songs have been in my life for a while. “Angelina” is a re-recorded version of a song they originally released in 2015 and the higher fidelity and more forceful drums do not even come close to majesty of the live version of their Audiotree session. “Paterson + Leo” had been a live stape of the entire Cardinal tour and the new version is vastly superior to the live acoustic version that was included on the European version of Cardinal. I saw them played “Easy Enough” and “Thanksgiving” live and watched a live video of “Darkness” on youtube dozens of times. “Easy Enough” and “Darkness” both make for perfect movie montage road trip songs. “Thanksgiving” loses some of its charm in the sober album rendition.

 

Revamping old songs is not new territory for Pinegrove: Cardinal included a new version of “Size of the Moon” one of their oldest songs and Meridian, their underrated 2012 debut album, included a re-recording of what I still say is their best song “The Metronome”. Speaking of best songs, my favorite new song “No Drugs” is not on Skylight. As much as I love Cardinal, Pinegrove are best live. Though guitarist Sam Skinner is a talented mixer and producer, (his father Steve Skinner is a profession producer and worked on the hugely successful broadway show Rent. I used to be pretty close to Sam’s sister and have talked to Steve a lot and he even gave me his pocket Constitution.) Cardinal had a messy lo fi sound that I assume is intention homage to their 90s alt country and mid aughts Saddle Creek influences. Skylight is similarly lo fi, though the drums are much cleaner than on Cardinal and hints of keyboard and dreamy guitar effects creep into songs as opposed to the banjo and slide guitar of Cardinal. My biggest problem with Skylight is how similar it is to Cardinal. Obviously, the four years between their first and second albums gave Pinegrove more time to change their sound than the year and a half between Cardinal’s released and the recording of Skylight but half of the songs on Skylight sounds like they could be outtakes from Cardinal. Early single “Intrepid” is one exception, utilizing a proggier sound with less emphasis on Evan’s vocals. The title track introduces prominent acoustic guitar into the mix alongside swells of guitar feedback and brushed, muted drums and as a result is one of the highlights of Skylight. “Amulets” clocks in at a minute and uses quiet deep synth with slide guitar. It doesn’t have much of a tune though and ends before the song can build up any momentum. “Light On” embraces Pinegrove’s country and classic sixties pop influences in a way unheard on their studio albums. Evan’s father Doug contributes piano and vocals and though the piano is poorly recorded, it gives the track a bar closing vibe. I think if I came to Skylight without the moral burden of Evan’s actions and without the year long crisis of fandom that came with it, I would be much more likely to slather praise onto Skylight. It is a very good album to my ears, but seeing them debut the songs from it live like how I heard Cardinal would have made me love it. Knowing what I know now about Evan, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to connect with his music in the same way. In the year since I stopped listening to Pinegrove, I moved away from listening to the indie music that I grew up with and moved more toward hip hop, experimental, and electronic music. After diving deep into stuff like MF Doom, My Bloody Valentine, and Daft Punk, Pinegrove sound quaint by comparison. I recommend listening if you like stuff like Mitski, Hop Along, Front Bottoms, AJJ or any other emo band. Tune in next week for my thoughts on the new Kanye West album YANHDI and in a few months for the second edition of my top ten albums of the year roundup.

Shakey Graves ‘Can’t Wake Up’

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Shakey Graves 2018 World Tour

Shakey Graves’ new album Can’t Wake Up (March 2018)

Last Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Shakey Graves performed at the Fillmore, accompanied by the Wild Reeds. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, an Austin-born native who renamed himself Shakey Graves in 2007, released his most recent album, Can’t Wake Up, in early 2018. In December of 2017, Shakey Graves posted on twitter “Next album. New sound. Sell your Suspenders.” Diverging from his traditional sound of folksy guitar and suitcase drum, Shakey Graves has explored a more risky, eccentric sound that molds his past with new experimental harmonies, themes, and colors. This 13-track album includes similar on-going themes by Rose-Garcia, such as the difficulty of love, fighting the contradictions of everyday life, and, most importantly according to him, blaming problems on other people.

The Wild Reeds at the Fillmore 

At the Fillmore on Tuesday, Rose-Garcia gracefully melded songs together to create a seamless performance. The mixing of songs old and new brought out the true fans in the crowd, who sang every word along with the 4-piece band. Not only was the sound perfectly thought-out and exciting, Rose-Garcia’s presence on stage magnified the eccentricity of the show. Shakey Graves’ songs have such character, and this is made obviously when one finally sees the Rose-Garcia perform. His facial expressions, movement on stage, and individual edits and reforms he makes to each song to better match his and the audience’s mood reflect his sense of self on stage. These small acts make the show that much better.

Shakey Graves at the Fillmore

 

Shakey Graves’ new album consists of popular hits such as Kids These Days, Counting Sheep, Mansion Door, and Excuses. His notable songs from Shakey Graves and the Horse He Rode In On (2017) are Nobody’s Fool, War Horn, Pay the Road, and If Not for You.    

Notable songs from And Then the War Came (2014) are Family & Genus, Perfect Parts, Only Son, Dearly Departed and Hardwired.

 

 

 

Shakey’s world tour continues throughout the year with the Wild Reeds. His music can be found on Spotify and his website shakeygraves.com, and his instagram handle is @shakeygraves. His music will shake you from beyond the grave!

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Julia Ormond (’19). Listen to my show, Tall & Small, Thursdays at 7pm where I play Shakey Graves and music like his!

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First things first: I didn’t spend enough time with the Kendrick album or the Lorde album this year to justify their inclusion. In most polls I’ve seen this year they’re the clear front runners and both will deservedly face off next year in the Grammys.  So no Kung Fu Kenny but what did make the most prestigious best of list of the year?

 

  X: Stranger in the Alps by Phoebe Bridgers

The title may be a Big Lebowski reference but unfortunately, this isn’t a stoner rock album about bowling.  Ms. Bridgers rights great music for staring out of car windows on a rainy day which is basically my favorite time to listen to music.  Check out “Motion Sickness” which throws heavy shade at her ex Ryan Adams (catch him later on this list). 

 

  IX: Colors by Beck

Beck original planned to release this around the same time as his 2014 Grammy winning folk snoozefest Morning Phase but the hype around the latter album convinced him to hunker down and work harder on the follow up.  Over the next three years, Beck dropped numerous singles, blew threw three release dates, and opened for U2 on their Joshua Tree tour before finally delivering an album.  Colors is his most optimistic and Pop-iest album yet.  In 2014, aka the year of “Happy”, this would’ve fit right in but in 2017 the album is jarringly escapist.  “Wow” was originally supposed to feature Chance the Rapper but it still bumps heavily.  

 

 VIII: Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator

AKA Blonde part 2.  If you liked Frank Ocean’s loosie singles this year like “Chanel” than you’ll love Flower Boy and not just the song Frank is on. It doubles as a coming out statement from one of rap’s most terrifying and often problematic voices.  Besides the previously mentioned Ocean featuring “911/Lonely Boy”, “Boredom” is a great song to start with.

 

 VII: The World’s Best American Band by White Reaper

That title is honestly not far off. If you like garage rock or power pop or whatever suburb kids make in their basements with distortion pedals then you’ll love White Reaper.

 

 VI: reputation by Taylor Swift

Is this a great album? No. Is it her worst album? Ehhhh maybe. It’s extremely entertaining and only like three of the songs are complete train-wrecks.  The more traditional second half of the album work is the best. “Getaway Car” sounds like a 1989 b-side which is a compliment coming from me.

 V. Harry Styles by Harry Styles

Who knew that Harry Styles would be this year’s’ most convincing 70s style rockstar?  Probably anyone paying attention to One Direction’s late career Fleetwood Mac fetish but back then I was too busy listening to Sun Kil Moon to bother.  Lo and behold, I barely made it through one of the new Sun Kil Moon albums this year but Harry’s solo debut has been a steady presence in my Spotify recently played. 

 IV. A Crow Looked At Me by Mount Eerie

This album is the sound of Phil Elverum grieving. It was recorded following his wife’s death from cancer, in the room she died in, on her instruments, Crow is among the most realistically sad albums you’re likely to hear.

 

 III. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty

His press antics always threaten to overshadow his music but his lyrics are still at least as interesting as his interviews, so I’ll keep listening.  The last one’s theme was marriage and sounded like upbeat NPR folk rock.  This one covers everything from religion to politics to something far scarier: Josh Tillman’s own thoughts.  Sure, it’s a 74 minute slog but the 70s soft rock production makes it a very pretty slog and the lyrics make it an extremely funny slog.

 II. Prisoner by Ryan Adams

His solo debut was entitled “Heartbreaker”, but after a divorce with actress Mandy Moore, Adams is now the one who’s heartbroken.  Following his full album cover of Taylor Swift’s 1989, Prisoner is Adams’s first album openly about his divorce with Moore and it sure shows.  Heartbreak has always been RyRy’s strong suit and Prisoner does not disappoint. By my ears, it’s his best album in over a decade. 

 

 I. Dark Matter by Randy Newman

Arriving nine years after Newman’s last album of newly written songs, Dark Matter is an absolute masterclass in songwriting. “The Great Debate”, “Putin”, and “It’s a Jungle Out There” are razor sharp satire.  “Lost Without You” and “Wandering Boy” are tear inducing. “Brothers” is an imagined conversation between Jack and Bobby Kennedy debating the merits of the Bay of Pigs.  The music sticks to Newman’s classic piano man leading a big band template, but rocks as hard as any punk record I’ve heard this year at times.

 

Written By Jonah Skeen