WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
Artist Record Label
1 TORO Y MOI Outer Peace Carpark
2 LONE “Abraxas” [Single] Ancient Astronauts
3 KAYTRANADA Nothin Like U/Chances [EP] RCA
4 TOURIST Everyday Monday
5 GEORGE CLANTON Slide 100% Electronica
6 DORIAN CONCEPT The Nature Of Imitation Brainfeeder
7 KEDR LIVANSKIY Your Need 2MR
8 CHANNEL TRES Black Moses [EP] Godmode
9 LAURENCE GUY Making Music Is Bad For Your Self Esteeem [EP] Studio Barnhus
10 HOUSE OF FEELINGS New Lows Joyful Noise
A Different Shade of Blue is the second full length album that Knocked Loose has put out and god damn, its heavy. This hardcore/metalcore or whatever genre you want to put them in, I don’t care. Either way, it’s dark and heavy, just the way I like it.
When Knocked Loose first hit the scene with their debut album, Laugh Tracks, I knew they would leave their mark on the metal community. Their sound is nothing out of the ordinary: nasty riffs, badass breakdowns, and 2-stepable riffs that will make you move your feet.
Their latest release, A Different Shade of Blue, was a highly anticipated album from the band. After releasing …And Still I Wander South and Mistakes Like Fractures, I was SO ready to see what else Knocked Loose had up their sleeves. When their newest album first came out, and when I heard the opening track Belleville, it made me wanna punch things. The brute force that the opening track came out with set the tone for the rest of the record.
The beatings continue the more you listen to this record. A Serpent’s Touch features Emma Boster (a queen), vocalist for Dying Wish!! When I heard her come on, I started freaking out because I was not expecting a collaboration. There are more riffs, more breakdowns, and groovy parts as each song progresses and I guarantee that you won’t be standing still while listening. Your neck will be hurting from all the headbanging that is in your future.
Guided by the Moon is probably one of my favorite songs just because of the nasty 2-step riff that follows after Bryan Garris yells, “this is a different shade of blue.” This song has a dark, eerie, feel to it. It also has some chants in the song that I can already see people yelling back at Garris live. You should also check out Forget Your Name. The face crushing riff in the beginning is awesome and if they play this song live… let’s just say chaos will consume us.
Unlike Laugh Tracks, there are no barking noises (like Counting Worms), but this record is a lot darker, heavier, and more metal. When watching an interview with Garris, they didn’t mean for this record to be as dark. It just “turned out” that way. WELL THANK GOD IT DID!!!
A Different Shade of Blue is definitely a big contender for album of the year. The combination of everything on this record is simply amazing and it has been on repeat since it was released. It’s as if you can feel the band’s energy oozing off of this record. Their energy is strong, either just on a record or live. You have this constant feeling that the band is all up in your grill, demanding your attention. That is what I love about this band. They immediately put out this intense energy and we so easily feed off of it. Well done, Knocked Loose.
Overall, this is one of my favorite releases of 2019 and I can’t wait to see them in October. My body is ready.
Favorite song(s): Forget Your Name, A Serpent’s Touch, and Guided by the Moon
Rating: 9/10
What is your favorite song off of A Different Shade of Blue?
Stay Metal,
THE SAW
Lincoln Theatre is an old movie theater converted into a music venue. It is located at 126 E Cabarrus Street which is only one block away from Fayetteville Street, making it a prime venue for Hopscotch! With a capacity of 1,225, it’s the perfect place to take your friends and go dance; it can be cozy at times but usually, there is enough space to move around. On Thursday night of Hopscotch, you can expect the music to be centered around hip hop and rap with artists such as Ric Wilson, Injury Reserve, Joey Purp, and Earth Gang. Friday night will be very indie-rock heavy with artists such as Black Surfer, Truth Club, Yowler, Caroline Rose, and Deerhunter. Saturday night will be centered around folk and Americana with Blue Cactus, Kelsey Walden, Mike and The Moon Pies, and Sarah Shook and The Disarmers. No matter what kind of music you’re into, Lincoln Theater has got your back at Hopscotch.
The venue is all general admission with standing in the room closest to the stage, a seated area with barstool towards the back, and a balcony overlooking the stage. Lincoln Theatre has always been one of my favorite venues for this reason. You can dance in the standing room then take a seat when you get tired, and then eventually make your way up to the balcony to watch everyone else dance. Since the venue was once a movie theater, the bar is located in the lobby. Overall, the staff is super friendly and helpful. Every time I have been to Lincoln Theatre I’ve had a positive experience and I can always count on them to have a good time.
-DJ Short Strides
BEST TRACKS: Crystal Ball, Hologram
FCC violation: Grains of Salt
Tacocat is a guitar-based pop punk group out of Seattle. However, Tacocat’s most recent album, This Mess is a Place, leans significantly more towards bubblegum pop than some of their previous albums. Tacocat rose to success as a band in the early 2010’s, at a time where everyone wore rainbow loom bracelets and nyan cat ruled the internet. Though Tacocat sharpened and refined their sound over the decade, the early 2010’s influence is still prevalent in their pastel music videos and peppy songs.
A word of caution to crust punks, metalheads, and people who love to suffer: this album is SWEET- have too much and you might find yourself with a cavity. Songs on this album feature velvety background choruses and saccharine guitar. You could say this album sounds similar to Chris Farren’s Can’t Die, or Remember Sports’ All of Nothing but with way less grit. Overall, This Place is a Mess is light and breezy, easy listening. I enjoyed listening to it in the mornings while I was in the shower to get pumped for the start of a new day.
Despite having underlying existential themes, this album refuses to wallow in misery. This Mess is a Place is about finding hope and light despite the bleak state of the world. The first track, Hologram, reminds you to take a step back and enjoy life’s simple moments, with immersive imagery of beaded curtains in the purple dark. The third and most popular track on the album, Grains of Salt, is about living for yourself and dropping the weight of other peoples’ judgements from your shoulders. Major props to Tacocat – say what you will about them, but their cup is undeniably overflowing with mettle.
If you like sunshine, you’ll probably like this album. Just don’t forget to brush your teeth!
-Safia Rizwan
As of September 1, 2019 my radio show, 2k Indie, will be a 1 year old show. To commemorate the special occasion I thought I’d look back at what has been played on the show and share some of my favorite tracks, some of the ones that really stood out most to me. My music library has grown immensely since I started DJing at WKNC so without dragging this out too much here is The Best of 2k Indie (So Far)…
Natural Supersoul by Superfood
This song has been one of my absolute favorites since I first heard it. The chorus ‘You’re a natural supersoul, find yourself and lose control’ is so uplifting and followed by ‘Someday you’ll see there’s nothing to be but you’, this song really leaves the listener feeling confident, uplifted and in good spirits. The music is so smooth it makes you just want to lay out in the grass as you focus on the lyrics. As often as I go back to this track it still hasn’t lost its spark. Especially at the end when the lady’s voice chimes in, adding in that extra something that makes the song flow even more smoothly.
Art School Wannabe by Sorority Noise
This song has a lot more ‘classic indie’ vibe and really takes me back in time, since it was my anthem freshman year. The chorus really makes me feel like my young more grunge and emo self again, but the music is more indie rock themed. The guitars really hold this track together, especially with the guitar solo that comes in perfectly near the end. It makes it just upbeat enough to put a little bop in your head as you’re walking to class.
My Good Grades by Cecil Frena
This track holds a very special meaning to me since Cecil Frena’s album ‘The Gridlock’ was the first album I ever reviewed for WKNC. The album quickly became a favorite of mine, but this track in particular has always stood out to me. There’s a story here that is told so well it has always stuck with me. The music is also insanely catchy and the guitars here really stand out. I absolutely love how the music in the intro mimics the lyrics and makes you start to sing along before the vocals even come in. The chorus starts with ‘so watch me now, I’m not ashamed, look what I did with my good grades…’ and when he starts to repeat ‘you will know who I am’ you really start to get a sense of how badly the artist wants to get his message across. We’re all told going to school, doing your work and being a good student will take us far but the artist disagrees. He mocks this ‘ideal scenario’ that people claim to be the reason some people don’t end up the same way in life economically, and he does it in such an elegant way.
The rest of the songs I picked for my ‘best of’ set are in the playlist below. But before I end this I want to give some special shouts (although every song on that playlist is definitely worth a listen, in my opinion, and I do love everything I play on air). These songs have just really stuck with me through time. it rains in nyc by dalynn // Echo Parade by Modern Diet // Disappear Daily by Ollie MN // Get to You by The Honeysticks // Not the Noise by J.P. Plains
– DJ Psyched
Full Playlist Link // https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bCHuhlW4yttAy5ccRB76B?si=0HGY9ewARPOSyz1QALp0JA
Best tracks (in my opinion): Tenderness, Superbike, Devotion
“Anak Ko” is the sophomore album from Melina Duterte who wrote, produced and mixed this piece and her last, “Everybody Works.” (Side note: I found an “Everybody Works” album cover poster at the Scrap Exchange a few weeks ago and now it lives on my hallway wall, what a good find!)
“Anak Ko” means my child in Tagalog. Duterte drew inspiration from the album’s name from a text message her mother sent. The album itself is only 9 sweet tracks that run for about 36 minutes. In it, Jay Som takes us on a soothing, cutesy, though upbeat, ride through the clouds. Colors that come to mind can be found on the album’s cover; sunset oranges, pinks and reds. This album, full of Jay Som’s hushed crooning, features sounds of dream pop, indie rock and, dare I say, a bit of country guitar (listen to Superbike, Devotion or Get Well.) In the song Peace Out I was very much reminded of Mitski’s voice and lyrics (“won’t you try to be anyone else?”) and with this I think Jay Som makes it obvious that she’s reaching into a lot of different bags here.
“Anak Ko” feels like we’re right in Jay Som’s bedroom with her while she sits next to us playing a few songs she just wrote. The sounds and lyrics are very intimate and personal, not to mention the album’s name which offers an introduction into who Melina Duterte really is. Adding more personality, she sings about wanting to change in Devotion and shoplifting from Whole Foods in Nighttime Drive. Sonically, this album is a smooth ride alongside the catchy guitar riffs and Jay Som’s paper thin yet captivating vocals.
And though it is just Jay Som rocking out with us on this album, she invited a few friends to play instruments and sing some vocals. With this and her constant changes in tempo, soundscape and hooks, she manages to keep the songs diverse and multi-faceted. I know what I’ll be listening to during my next sunset drive home.
by Makayla Mack
So I flipped the dial. I did it. I am, or was, at that moment completely overtaken by a fever of lethargy. It had crept between the discs in my spine for days, or months, or weeks, or years, or months, and I had, at this moment, surrendered my action to it. Hindsight is, obviously, sufficient to make any historian a genius. You in your comfort, or myself in my narrow-minded approach to my own identity, which existed before me and only then, can easily chastise this decision. But the fever. Values are luxuries. Without material well being, I cannot even retain enough consistent consciousness to formulate meaningful conclusions from my surroundings. And so, in the undetermined and unimportant length of time preceding my decision, I was broken down into something which was not me or otherness or really anything. If there was no one around and my mind was relegated to ponder why it was so hot and heavy, then there would honestly be nothing left.
I can recall a day where it was particularly bad. Though clear comparisons between this instance and the one which ultimately led me to turn on 102.9 are impossible due to the incredible abundance of factors which contributed to their tangible assets, I imagine that it was generally less severe simply because it did not lead to an apocalyptic action. Additionally, analysing every piece of the scenario which facilitated my dial-turning would be too difficult, at least now, because it has been fantastically muddled within my memory, and would subsequently be even more muddled in my articulation.
One morning, at around 2:30 PM, I was laying on my couch. My eyes sloppily traced the ceiling. I was dressed but not particularly; I had to anticipate any lazy stomach pains. But then, out of nowhere, or perhaps maturing slowly, or perhaps as a result of some forgotten force, my head began knockings into itself. The stinking mass of nerves and tissue sleeping in my noggin began to boil, belching and excreting against the back of my eyes. It was a monolith: absolutely inescapable and coupling into every piece which could call itself me. And so I laid there. What else could be done? I let it throb until it subsided or maybe it didn’t and it only happened to get even worse later. Operationally, the results were the same.
It was therefore in a desperate ploy for relief that I changed to 102.9. I had become obsessed with whatever state of flux could relax the aching pieces rattling within me. And in this flux I began to listen. And in this flux I began to tap my foot.
– Cliff Jenkins