Artist: Down Time
Album: Hurts Being Alive
Genre: Indie
Hometown: Denver, CO
Track Listing (* – recommended tracks):
Songs with profanity: #1, #5, #7
Recommended if you like: Frankie Cosmos, Snail Mail, Lomelda
Label: Self-released
Reviewed by: Lil Macchiato
Artist: King Krule
Album: Man Alive!
Genre: Alternative, Lofi
Hometown: London, England
Track Listing (* – recommended tracks):
Songs with profanity: #2, #3
Recommended if you like: Cosmo Pyke, Ariel Pink, Blood Orange, Homeshake
Label: Matador Records
Reviewed by: Lil Macchiato
On Friday April 5th, Philly-based hip-hop group Hardwork Movement took the stage in Allison Community Room. Founded by two Dickinson alumni Dwight Dunston ’10 and Jeremy Keys ’11, this concert was a celebrated homecoming. With four rappers, a flutist, pianist, bassist, drummer, and trumpeter, the band’s energy immediately infected the crowd. Audience members leaned against the stage as Keys, Dunston, and the rest of the group bounced and danced through their set. Keys had a specialty for leaning up into the audience, zoning in on listener, and speaking his verses to an individual. When the music would build, the band would crouch with the tension. When the beat finally dropped, they’d all splash around the stage, infectiously dancing and singing. Dunston had multiple costume changes, sporting a denim onesie, socks and sandals, and of course Dickinson merchandise. The crowd’s favorite of course was when he grabbed our over-sized WDCV canvas poster and wrapped it around himself like a cape. Whoever sang the next verse had the honor of wrapping the sign around themselves, all the while grooving with the upbeat music. Throughout the one hour set, Hardwork Movement presented the crowd with their best songs, including freestyles in spoken verse and instrumentals.
When the set finally wrapped up, every audience member went home with an extra bump in their step. Hardwork Movement brought to Dickinson light and energy, passion and power. WDCV thanks the band for coming through, and the audience members who made it such a fun experience!
Find Hardwork Movement on spotify!
Written by Julia Ormond ’19
Last Saturday, Sidney Gish engaged a large crowd of Dickinsonians and Carlisle residents. With a set list written on her forearm, Gish played many of her most popular songs, with audience members dancing and singing along with her. Songs such as “Persephone” and “Not But For You, Bunny” drew cheers after the first couple seconds. She riffed off her own recorded songs, such as “Sophisticated Space,” adding new jazzy twists to her typical rhythm. 
Check out a snippet of her concert below!
The crowd loved her, evidenced by her massive merch line. The concert was a huge success, and WDCV loved having Sidney on campus!
WDCV’s next concert will be March 1st at 5:30pm with Alice Kristiansen! Join us in the Allison Community Room!
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!
Last Tuesday night, July 11th, the attendees of the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg waited excitedly for 7:30 to finally roll around. The theater was packed; even those sitting in the farthest seats, like me, were surrounded by enthusiastic fans. Much of this excitement filling the theater flowed into the air when finally the lights dimmed and people walked onto the stage. Instruments were tuned, throats were cleared, and as the show lights lit the faces of the band Lawrence, the upbeat music began.
Lawrence, a pop-jazz sibling duo from New York, set the scene for the bigger act to come. Gracie, the amazing vocalist with an extremely wide range, bopped around the stage, dancing with the saxophonists and trumpeter, while her brother wailed away on the keyboard. Though their sound compares similarly to pop music of today, their R&B and jazzy twist created an exciting and upbeat atmosphere that got the whole crowd cheering. Though they only played a couple of songs, their force and stage presence stuck with the audience, even once they were off the stage.
Lawrence brought the audience to their feet, but the band we were all waiting for, Lake Street Dive, drove us to dancing in the aisles. The moment Rachel Price and her three other insanely talented band members took the stage, the excitement in the Majestic Theater was through the roof. They sound like they belong at outdoor festivals, where the audience dances along, barefoot in the grass, to their rhythmic 
beats and relaxed tone. Even when playing their slower, more melodic tunes, the members of Lake Street Dive possessed a cheery, passionate aura that inspired others to continue their dancing and swaying. Last year, Lake Street Dive came out with a new album, Side Pony, and they played many tracks from it, such as “I Don’t Care About You,” “How Good It Feels,” “Call Off Your Dogs,” and of course the namesake, “Side Pony.” Sprinkled in throughout the set were some of their classics off their older album, such as “Bad Self Portraits,” “Seventeen,” and “Better Than,” and they ended the night with one of my favorites, “You Go Down Smooth.” Throughout the concert, audience members were bopping along to the music, and some more enthusiastic fans were swinging their arms around to their favorite songs. But it wasn’t until the second to last song, “Call Off Your Dogs,” that people started dancing in the aisles. Only a couple at first felt the urge to get up, but once an older gentleman stood up from the middle of the audience and motioned the rest of the crowd to join him did we all dance along to the upright bass, the jazzy guitar, and the incredible strength of Rachel’s voice. The audience demanded an encore, and the whole crowd sang along to “You Go Down Smooth.”
It was an incredible performance by both Lawrence and Lake Street Dive; there wasn’t a dull moment throughout both sets. Both bands will continue their tour throughout America, staying a couple more nights on the East Coast until they venture towards the mid-West. If you ever get the chance to see them, you should take it! 
If you are interested in hearing more from Lake Street Dive, check out this NPR Tiny Desk Concert! Also check out their website for more cool info!
As for Lawrence, here is their website and how to listen to them for free!
If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!
This week, the WDCV music directors added a few featured artists, and we’ve decided to shine a light on one of the newest bands.
The Polychromatics are an indie rock band based in Philadelphia, and their EP is a perfect depiction of the versatility of their talents. They’re refreshingly open to experimenting with their sound. John McKenna, the guitarist of the band and featured vocalist on two songs off the EP, describes each song on the EP as an island, but I disagree. While the songs sound sonically different – in four songs they manage to play everything from folk, to garage jam band, to psychedelic – the lyrics convey a claustrophobia and existential anxiety that feels genuine and relatable to anyone in transition.
According to the guitarist, the band’s influences go hand in hand with their favorite music, such as Pink Floyd, Ty Segall, King Crimson, Gandalf, and The Doors (some of my favorites as well). McKenna specifically said that the song that is most prominent from his youth is The End by the Doors, which led him to pursue music. He says, “When I first heard Robby Krieger’s skill on that song, I made the decision to become a guitarist.” (He also recommends we listen to the psychedelic band Wand.)
If you’re interested in listening to them, they’ll be circulating through our automation, and they’re also on Soundcloud. When I asked how they felt about how the internet affects the music business, a controversial issue, they said, “It’s giving our band the ability to reach an audience quickly [which] we might not have had the chance to do if we took the old school method…I can’t help but see the benefits of instantaneous communication on a free platform for unknown bands like ourselves.”
If you have any questions for the band about their work, or event opportunities, you can contact them at their email, the.polychromatics@gmail.com, on twitter or on facebook.
If you have questions for the author of this article, please email logiurab@dickinson.edu or post on her facebook page.
Big Mess
Grouplove
September 9th, 2016
Grouplove’s third studio album, Big Mess, brings this exciting band back to the front stage of indie rock. It is unlike any of their albums in the past because Big Mess is much more eclectic in sound. It plays more into the realm of pop than it does to the realm of alternative music, a change that was happily accepted by the band’s huge fan base. The songs are much more excited and upbeat, expanding upon the group’s extraordinary colorfulness. This album is inspired partly by two new additions to the Grouplove family: a new bassist, and the two lead singers’ newborn daughter. Their music has developed to reflect this new monumental change in their lives. Songs like “Goodmorning” and “Standing in the Sun” highlight their upbeat rhythms and catchy, repetitive lyrics, which in a way differs from their traditional individualism represented in their earlier songs. While tracks like “Traumatized” stay true to their initial sound, this new album marks a new direction for Grouplove. Although this album has redefined their sound, their old and new music alike still has a place in all of our hearts.
By Aurora Wetherill of LightsOn w/ Aurora, Thursdays at 10pm.
Last Thursday, 11/20/14, a darling friend of mine took me to see the New Pornographers in Philadelphia at Union Transfer, a show at the end of their “Brill Bruisers” tour. It was fantastic. Herein lies the account of my experience.
First off, I’ve got a bone to pick with Philadelphia. I’m from Philly, and I love the place dearly, but god these people do not understand concert conduct. At a Philadelphia show, you either encounter a bunch of drunk under 21 year-olds being generally raucous and disrespectful, or you end up with a bunch of sullen hipsters who refuse to demonstrate their joy. There is almost no crowd action in Philly and it’s been like this my whole concert-going career. I went with an older friend and he says it wasn’t always like this. My friend, half way through the show, said to me “jesus christ, Aurora these people should be jumping up and down in unison, this place should reek of sweat and everyone should be so excited to be here. This show is amazing, what is wrong with these people?!” You can never tell if a Philly crowd is into the show until you hear their applause. I think they liked the show. They definitely should have liked the show. But we’ll never know. Moving on.
A poor quality photo of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
So the intro band was great. They were The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and they kicked ass. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have accompanied the New Pornographers on their tour, and have received acclaim from such outlets as Pitchfork and the New York Times. They were so energetic, utilizing the male high tenor vocals I miss from the “scene” era of my teenage years, the gorgeous harmonies that only a pitch perfect mixed gender vocal duo can deliver, and a unique and vivacious indie-pop style all their own. (By the way, I should mention that I deplore the label “indie.” Does that simply refer to independent labels? Is it a genre of music that all shares a common theme or style? No, it’s neither of those, damn it. Fun’s music is definitively indie, but they’re popular and currently signed to Fueled By Ramen, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, a decidedly major label. What I’m saying is that indie is a meaningless term and we should stop using it.) They were loud, talented, and adorable; I felt like I could have gone to school with them. The highlight of their set was their penultimate song, Eurydice (link here.) I’ll be interviewing them soon so, stay tuned, folks.
The author and Kip Berman, lead singer and guitarist; bros.
I guess I’ll finally talk about the New Pornographers. That sounded morose; I do not feel morose about this band. They are amazing. (The photograph at the top is the only one I could snap of the NPs before the bouncer shut me down; “no photos allowed” meant a much more engaging experience, on the whole, anyway.) The New Pornographers are a Canadian band hailing from British Columbia, formed in 1999, and interestingly they are one of our featured artists this semester! If you know anything about this band, you know that it’s full of amazing, talented performers and songwriters, all driven to create great albums; you probably also know that their individual careers have on many occasions absconded with them. This show, however, included all of the the elusive contributors, including Neko Case, Carl Newman, and Dan Bejar, who have rarely performed all together since 2005. It was so exciting! They also played 26 songs. 21 of the songs were their regular set, and then they did a three song encore, and then they did a two song encore. The played for two hours! That is insane. The really neat thing about the New Pornographers’ music is that every song features one or two heavily repeated lines, allowing even new listeners to sing along with pride. There were plenty of Neko songs, Carl songs, and Dan songs, and we even got a song by their lovely keyboardist Kathryn Calder, who is, as it turns out, Carl Newman’s niece. Their show was marked by the constant flow of performers onto and off of the stage. Newman stayed on pretty much the whole time, but Neko Case and Dan Bejar ran on and off, to either recover or drink beer. About half way through the show, Bejar brought Newman a beer, and Newman took the opportunity to mention something along the lines of: “ah yes, Canadians are weird, but we are American…yes we are American.” They are silly. Musical highlights from the show were the introductory song, the titular “Brill Bruisers,” and also off their new album, “Marching Orders.” Their two encores were also brilliant, although I found the length of the whole show rather exhausting. But that’s probably because I was the only person dancing. After the second encore, the ever-bizarre Neko Case left us with this: “take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.” Thanks, Neko.
twitter: @rortortle
Hello WDVC-ites.
The Music Directors had a few new featured artists that we’d like to share with you this week, so look out for these awesome bandz!
DOROTHY (picture from Skullcandy.com)
Dorothy – Dorothy EP
Currently obsessed with her wicked vocals and hard-hitting sound, Dorothy is reckless and cool. You can download the band’s EP off of this Skullcandy.com page, but also catch them on air! (especially if you like the idea of Kurt Cobain paired with Janis Joplin)
The Liberty Underground (picture from their website)
The Liberty Underground – Three Feet from Gold
Loving considered grunge by one of our music directors, this band will rock your socks off, and you can even get a free download of one of their songs off of their website!
The Liberty Underground is a high energy American Hard Rock band based in Arlington, TX by way of Scranton, PA. The core tenets of the band are freedom, personal responsibility, hard work, and the belief in the power of the human mind.
(Pictured above) Jess Reimer – The Nightjar and the Garden
From her artist page:
With a voice that combines the grittiness of Lucinda Williams with the pure power of Neko Case, it’s hardly a surprise that Jess attracted the attention of legendary Blue Rodeo founding keyboardist (and Manitoba native) Bob Wiseman, who produced The Nightjar and The Garden. Wiseman’s fondness of vintage sounds and a live approach in the studio emphasizes the raw beauty of Jess’ vocals, as well as the wide range of emotions in her songwriting, from the hard twang of “Maggie The Retriever (Bang Bang)” to the gospel-infused “I Want To Believe.”
