Author: WKNC Admin

Categories
Miscellaneous

Lesser known music genres to check out from Every Noise at Once

Music genres are expanding every single day. New horizons and soundscapes are available in a very organized, visually pleasing and mind blowing way on Every Noise at Once. On their website their algorithm exhibits about 1000 different music genres and sub-genres. It’s super easy to fall into a rabbit hole here and discover good music especially because they offer Spotify playlists for most genres. Here’s a few of my favorite lesser known genres and some artists.

Scandinavian Pop – Little Dragon, Cloud, Boom Clap Bachelors

Math Rock – Chinese Football, tricot

Deep Funk House – Homero Espinosa, way too many artists to count

Chill Hop – The Deli, CoryaYo, Jinsang

From everynoise.com

-cellar door xxx

Categories
Music Education

Let’s talk music : Garage band vs other DAWs

 

I’m no expert in music production, but I am trying to learn and I’ve realized that one of the most important things to decide when you’re learning to make music is what DAW you’re going to use. A DAW is a digital audio workstation where you record, mix and master music.

I have a macbook. so naturally the most available thing to me was to use garageband. But for some reason I heard a lot of criticism people have for the software. So I decided to try it out for myself and see what all the fuss was about. I did make my first ever song in garageband and I have to say, it’s not quite as ‘easy’ as some people make it out to be. I guess if you’re an expert you might disagree but as a total newbie I was still really confused during the whole process. I have used other DAWS like Abelton and Reaper, from what I can see I’d say that garageband really is a unique platform so I can see why it might turn people off. It did take me a minute to get used to it, and i’m still not that familiar with it, but it can get the job done. I wouldn’t bash it because I think different ideas need different ways to execute them, and I’d definitely see where garageband could have its place, but I’d understand why people aren’t too fond of the software. That being said I do think it has its place, I mean it totally works so it probably is right for some and not for others. DAWs can sometimes be hard to learn and I think some people will definitely prefer the look and feel of garageband.

Personally I have to say Reaper and Ableton are my top choices. So what do you think? Is garageband for you or do you prefer something else?

– DJ Psyched

Categories
DJ Highlights

My Favorite Women Rappers Right Now and my Favorite Albums from Them!

Young M.A.

Brooklyn, NY

Album: Herstory

Leikeli47

Brooklyn, NY

Album: Wash & Set

Rico Nasty

Washington D.C.

Album: Nasty

Princess Nokia

Harlem, NY

Album: 1995

Tierra Whack

Philadelphia, PA

Album: Whack World

cupcakKe

Chicago, IL

Album: Ephorize

Kari Faux

Little Rock, AR

Album: Primary

-cellar door xxxx

Categories
Miscellaneous

What is “Indie?”

 

I’ve been a Daytime DJ at WKNC for over a year now and I still have the hardest time answering when people ask me, “What exactly is indie’. Recently one of my co-workers asked me this and my mind went completely blank. So I decided I should probably think about that question. 

The reason it’s so hard to define ‘indie’ is because it has so many subgenres and those subgenres can be ambiguous and sound a lot like other kinds of music. What’s the difference between indie rock and rock? What about folk indie and folk music? Is there a difference or is it just a title? Is there some stylistic differences between the two? How does something qualify as ‘indie’? I mean I really don’t know but I do play/ listen to a lot of indie music so I guess in some indescribable and undefinable way I do know what ‘indie’ music is. 

As far as what I like to call ‘indie’ music I sometimes say that if it doesn’t fit somewhere else it probably fits into indie and if the band is smaller it’s even more indie. But that doesn’t apply to all cases so that’s not even close to a good definition. Maybe indie is a style? I definitely see indie as a bit of a style, the album artwork and the way people in indie tend to dress can really be described as just weird enough and a little effortless looking. 

Indie is one of those things that you can spend ages explaining and not making sense (much like this article) or you could just listen and look to identify it. Basically, what I’m saying is the only real way to know what indie is to listen to the music and look at the style. So I’ve linked my ultimate indie playlist (it’s something I’ve been working on for ages and still work on regularly) so if you’re curious about this ‘indie’ thing be sure to check it out. 

Playlist // https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uhiwdTwdvRDzIgo6EXmWf?si=9hm6LUSvTOCr7o7UY4oN5g

– DJ Psych

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Leslie Bear – Means To Me

Means to Me by Leslie Bear album cover

BEST TRACKS: Sweetheart, Empty Bottle, Snow Globe

FCC clean

Leslie Bear’s second album as Long Beard, Means To Me, is a silky dream pop album about her suburban New Jersey hometown and how the people and places in it have changed or disappeared over the years since her 2015 debut Sleepwalker. In this album, Bear confronts her feelings of nostalgia and instability of the universe migrating around her while she seems to be staying still. To me, the most nostalgic and lonesome song on this album is track number four Sweetheart in which Bear sings about her first kiss long ago on a rainy day outside of the local CVS pharmacy. Everyone who has ever lived in an American suburb can probably reminisce back to what it was like being inside their local CVS while it was pouring outside.

Means To Me features heavy filters, reverberation, jangly guitars, and yearnful vocals. Overall, I would describe this album as dream pop in its purest form. The beat, melody, and vocals all merge together like gently flowing water.

At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of this album because I usually prefer songs with either a bit more intensity or gut-wrenching sadness, but I listened to this album on repeat while I was studying for a biochemistry test and I have never been so focused. This is my perfect type of studying music because I can’t understand the words over the heavy vocal filters, so I don’t get distracted by them. Picking the best tracks for this album was hard because most of the songs on this album all sounded the same to me. I picked the best tracks based on the catchiness of the guitar riffs. This album is great if you’re looking for some uninterrupted background music though!

Recommended that you listen if you like Jay Som, Hatchie, or Japanese Breakfast!

-Safia Rizwan

Categories
Podcasts

The Local Beat: Strange Wonders

Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime 10/22

Artist Record Label
1 CHASTITY BELT Chastity Belt Hardly Art
2 KATE TEAGUE Kate Teague [EP] Muscle Beach
3 LALA LALA Sleepyhead (Reissue) Hardly Art
4 OH ROSE While My Father Sleeps Park The Van
5 (SANDY) ALEX G House Of Sugar Domino
6 PEACH PYRAMID Bright Blue Oscar St
7 ROYAL CANOE Waver Paper Bag
8 KOOLEY HIGH Monogamy Mass Appeal
9 OH SEES Face Stabber Castle Face
10 YOUNG MAMMALS Lost In Lima Wallflower
11 ROYAL TRUX Pink Stuff [EP] Fat Possum
12 COACH PHILLIPS Never Is Enough Den Tapes
13 CEREMONY In The Spirit World Now Relapse
14 PIP BLOM Boat Heavenly/PIAS
15 TACOCAT This Mess Is A Place Sub Pop
16 FLORIST Emily Alone Double Double Whammy
17 HATCHIE Keepsake Double Double Whammy
18 SACRED PAWS Run Around The Sun Merge
19 KIM GRAY Plastic Memory Buzz
20 DUMB Club Nites Mint
21 SLOW PULP Big Day [EP] Self-Released
22 PALEHOUND Black Friday Polyvinyl
23 LAL Dark Beings Coax
24 STEF CHURA Midnight Saddle Creek
25 BODYWASH Comforter Luminelle
26 NOTS 3 (Three) Goner
27 GRINGO STAR Controlled Burn Baby Robot
28 WILD NOTHING Live From Brooklyn Steel Captured Tracks
29 TY SEGALL Deforming Lobes Drag City
30 JULIA SHAPIRO Perfect Version Hardly Art

TOP ADDS
1 CAMP HOWARD Canon Self-Released
2 CHRIS FARREN Born Hot Polyvinyl
3 BARRIE Happy To Be Here (Ext) [EP] Winspear
4 DOMINIC SEN Visitor Roll Call
5 PHIL AND THE OSOPHERS From The Rise Of Fall Self-Released
6 WALRUS Cool To Who Outside
7 HOVVDY Heavy Lifter Double Double Whammy
8 STRAIGHT WHITE TEETH Charming Pet GIFs Self-Released

Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground 10/22

Artist Record Label
1 FANTOMPOWER Summertime and the Living’s Easier inner ocean
2 DENZEL CURRY Zuu Loma Vista/Concord
3 AMINE OnePointFive Republic
4 TIERRA WHACK “Wasteland” [Single] Self-Released
5 INJURY RESERVE Injury Reserve Loma Vista/Concord
6 RICO NASTY “Sandy” [Single] Self-Released
7 PRINCESS NOKIA Metallic Butterfly (Remastered) Rough Trade
8 MALIBU KEN Malibu Ken Rhymesayers
9 LIZZO Cuz I Love You Nice Life/Atlantic
10 SK, THE NOVELIST Baggage Self-Released

Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 10/22

Artist Record Label
1 VARIALS In Darkness Fearless
2 CATTLE DECAPITATION “Bring Back The Plague” [Single] Metal Blade
3 KUBLAI KHAN Absolute Rise
4 KNOCKED LOOSE A Different Shade Of Blue Pure Noise
5 VALLEYS Fearless Tragic Hero
6 INVOKE Invoking Chaos [EP] Arduous Path
7 GIDEON Out of Control Equal Vision
8 OBITUARY “A Dying World” [Single] Relapse
9 FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY “Shepherd” [Single] Human Warfare
10 AFTER THE BURIAL Evergreen Sumerian

Categories
New Album Review

Album Review: Case Sensitive – Twins

Case Sensitive - Twins

Ugh. How refreshing is it to have high hopes for a local band and then have them be awesome? Thank you, Case Sensitive, for being freaking good. I’m thoroughly impressed and I’ll tell you why. 

Let’s appreciate the simplicity of Twins, starting with first impressions. Perfect album cover. It’s representative of the album in that it depicts two human beings could maybe be twins. We see two figures, we know the album is called Twins, and it all makes sense. The art is well done and not too flashy. The cover looks great and does what it needs to do without trying too hard – it’s perfect!

Now, if we’re talking simplicity and local bands we usually can’t talk about their sound. There is something about the local scene that just makes (mostly) everyone produce a pile of sound that gets pushed into set of mics and trying to make a loud entrance. Sometimes this works out and we get our yelled at in a beautiful way (Pie Face Girls for example, duh) but sometimes local bands need to relax. Take a beat, please. I’m tired. I want something smooth that sounds organic – enter Twins. Wowie! Sierra? Mary? Those vocals? Is that you I’m bopping to in the car? I guess it is. Kelnan? On guitar? Please and thank you.

The thing about this killer trio is that they work well together. The flow is seamless and they just seem to exist together in the most organic way. Making music is hard, but the best tunes come from groups who make it seem easy, like Case Sensitive in Twins. 

 xoxo

your trusty music librarian