WKNC 88.1 FMGWAR is coming to the House of Blues at Myrtle Beach on 12/13. We here at Chainsaw Rock have 5 tickets to give away and you can be one if you listen to the metal starting 12/4 going to 12-5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWRKlNlRsgI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtiTZ2WS3Fg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jQzzaiP9l4
-Noobhammer
New album ‘Heart On’ lacks electricity
Kyle Robb
General Manager, WKNC 88.1 FM
Hailing from Palm Springs, Calif., Eagles of Death Metal is masterminded by high school friends Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Though Homme’s other band, Queens of the Stone Age, had already achieved widespread success prior to Eagles’ debut release of Peace, Love, and Death Metal in 2004, he has maintained a musical partnership with Hughes since 1998.
First and foremost: Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Perhaps best summarized as garage rock, Homme once described the band’s sound as “bluegrass slide guitar mixed with stripper drum beats and Canned Heat vocals.”
Their debut received favorable reviews and several tracks were featured on commercial spots and in the movie Thank You For Smoking. Their follow-up, Death by Sexy, was released in 2006 and featured contributions from Jack Black, Liam Lynch and Dave Grohl among others.
Heart On opens with the rhythmic clapping of “Anything ‘cept the Truth,” which quickly descends into the treble drenched riffs of Hughes’ guitar. In addition to the opener, Eagles are at their high powered rocking best with upbeat tracks like “Wannabe in LA,” “High Voltage,” and “Secret Plans.”
Of course, as with any other Eagles of Death Metal album, the release is latent with hilarious quips on the nuances of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Tracks like ‘(I Used to Couldn’t Dance) Tight Pants’ and ‘Cheap Thrills’ highlight the band’s authentic brand of rock humor, but neither compare to the majestic ode to self abuse that is ‘Solo Flights.’
Ultimately, the album makes for a fun listen and contains solid tracks from top to bottom, but if you’re looking for that infectious toe-tapping crunchy rock anthem that stays in your head for days, then look elsewhere. There is not a single track on the album that can be identified as a weakened link to the album’s fluidity, but conversely, there is not a single track which differentiates itself as spectacular. This lack of electricity is what ultimately places Heart On behind its predecessors.
88.1 WKNC DJ Pick of the Week is published in every Tuesday print edition of the Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.
Cynic has been around for many, many years. Fifteen years to be exact, and they have not lost a single ounce of musicianship with their aging. They are still as technical as their early nineties counterparts, Death and Atheist, yet they somehow found a way to break out of that death metal mold and become something quite unique. Their second cd, Traced In Air, has turned alot of heads due to its departure from Focus in terms of brutality. Yet what they have dropped in brutality, they more than make up for with melodic and amazingly brilliant song-writing. The songs have so many layers to them, that you cannot wish to comprehend them with only one listen. With this release, Cynic have shown the world what it truly means to be a progressive metal band. All the songs on the album pick you up off your feet and carry you where you can be lost in the music, only to thrown into a tornado of organized chaos which leaves you breathless just set you back down on your feet a few moments later. This sensation may sound displeasing, but it will have you wanting to go back and listen to it over and over again. It is a short cd, which is very agonizing due to nature of the songs which just leave you wanting more. Cynic is truly a one-of-a-kind band and you should definitely pick this cd up just so it will never leave your iPod, cd player, or whatever music player you use. It is that brilliant of an album, and I hope they don’t wait another fifteen years to release another cd.
Cd Score:
[rating:5/5]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fhVLykF3nU
-Noobhammer
Popular local act, Future Kings of Nowhere has just announced their plans to go on hiatus for the first couple months of 2009. According to the Future Kings of Nowhere’s myspace page, the band is taking time off due to the constant stress and workload that their touring required and to get their creative processes back in order. Below is taken from their myspace blog:
After our last 4 shows in December, The Future Kings of Nowhere will be going on hiatus. We have played a ton of shows over the past few years and have had a ton of fun, but I’m frankly a bit worn out. I’m stunned when I look back at all of my life goals that I’ve already accomplished in this band; playing at CBGBs, getting reviewed in magazines, opening for one of my musical heroes (twice!), getting radio play all over the country, being able to use the band to help promote some good causes, going on some long tours. Not to mention the incredible thrill of connecting with an audience while you all sing along with our songs. On the flipside, we’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time and money pursuing this, and I’ve let that pursuit do some real damage to some important friendships. Somewhere in the last year or so, this whole thing turned from fun into serious work. Everything has become opportunity cost and promotion. I know that anything good takes effort, and I’m not scared of putting my back into my music, but I never wanted to be a businessman. I got into this because I loved playing music and when I sang these songs it felt like it was going to save my life. I feel like there is something that I’ve lost about what it means to really truly love what you’re doing, and I need to take a little while to figure out what I forgot.
We’ll still be around though. I’ll still be playing drums with Resist Not, Mike will be playing washboard with Midtown Dickens, and Jon will still be playing the coffee machine at 3 Cups. Thank you all…from the bottom of our hearts…for buying our albums and coming to our shows and singing along and telling your friends and giving us couches to sleep on and meals to eat while we were on the road. And hopefully, in a few months we’ll be rested and ready to go again.
xoxo,
Shayne, Mike and Jon
Hopfully, this break is only a temporary one, and FKoN comes back even stronger than before. In the meantime, their last four shows for 2008 might be the last for awhile, so be sure to check them out:
Having some Avett Brothers withdrawal this time of the year? Here is a nice remedy to curb that unwanted emptiness:
Scott Avett’s artwork is now on display in an ongoing presentation at the Envoy Gallery in NYC. The presentation is called “Sketches from the road, from home and from the life of a transient artist.” Click to see these beautiful drawings here.
“While traveling constantly and moving as often as I do, I have learned that to occupy my time with learning and or creating is crucial to my well-being as an artist. It is important, like all things, that a balance is enforced and that I don’t shut myself off entirely from my surroundings for there is so much to see around us. Never-the-less there are times where there is no way to turn but inward as well as there are times that the only way to grow or complete a task is to disappear and work. The drawings available through envoy gallery are products of that time disappearing. Each come from one of three scenarios, which are all, linked to my time with The Avett Brothers and our creative journey. One is self-portrait, my most loyal and accessible subject matter, second is the observational drawing which is a drawing of a person place or thing around me used as practice or just to kill time, and three are preliminary drawings that serve as research for the visual side of The Avett Brothers.” -Scott Avett
And I must add, Scott Avett can certainly draw an excellent pair of testicles.
Winston-Salem has proven to be the relative breeding ground of emo bands in North Carolina throughout the 2000’s. And though this strange, somehow popular, and in most cases annoying musical genre that bases much of its sound around the fashion of japanese anime hairdos and post hardcore punk, tries to come off as tough and rugged, it has begun showing its softer side. In this case, popular W-S band Yearling has posted images of the band having a pillow fight (a presumed initiation of their most recent band mate) on their myspace page with the opportunity for their fans to write a humorous caption. The winner gets a free copy of their new album, a t-shirt, and an autographed poster. Needless to say, this contest is turning out more to be entertainment for heterosexual males such as myself, rather than the assumed reactions the band was hoping for. The contest ends December 1st. This should be interesting…
Tonight on the Local Beat DJ Stevo and the Local Beat crew will be joined in studio by Chapel Hill indie group The Butterflies. The Butterflies are set to release their brand new debut album, Nothing’s Personal, off of Chapel Hill based Trekky Records, tonight at the Duke Coffeehouse with Durham band, The Physics of Meaning. As always at the Duke Coffeehouse, doors open at 8:30 and the show starts at 9:30.
Listen in to the Local Beat every Friday from 5-8pm!
A documentary made by former General Manager Alan Watkins which won first place in the Collegiate Crystal Awards.
The fine folks at Goodnight Raleigh sat down with WKNC’s DJ Kyle. Besides his duties as a program host, Kyle is the station’s fearless leader (aka general manager) and regularly contributes to our 88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week feature in the Technician.
The best way to visualize the Dance Dance Revolution (Sundays at 8:00 P.M.) is to use an analogy Kyle mentioned when describing his show:
If indie rock were fire and electro were ice, DDR would be the lukewarm water between the two…
Read more at Goodnight Raleigh.
‘Dear Science’ another triumph for TV On The Radio
Jon Gomes
DJ, WKNC 88.1 FM
TV On The Radio is a musical force to be reckoned with. Since the release of Young Liars EP in 2003, the experimental Brooklyn-based group has made three highly lauded albums. Their latest effort, Dear Science, follows up on 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain, which topped several critics’ lists. The new album sheds the density of its predecessor in favor of a more flavored, balanced sound.
The music on Dear Science is a confluence of funky synth hooks, visceral Afrobeat rhythms and sexy horns—all presented in a well-produced package. Atop this amalgamation, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe lays down impassioned lyrics, adding swagger to heavier tracks and depth to the slower ones. Falsetto accents and an infectious vocal melody underlie the opener “Halfway Home,” a smoldering surf-rock-inspired number that climaxes into chaos towards the coda. The album quickly shifts gears with the laid-back groove of “Crying,” and again with the frenetic “Dancing Choose.” In the latter, purring synths bolster insistent rap verses and brazen, horn-laden choruses.
Dear Science reverts to a more relaxed sound for the next few tracks. A swaying beat and layered strings lend themselves to the sublime mood of “Stork and Owl.” Rhythms tense up for “Golden Age,” which showcases TV On The Radio’s skill in weaving horns and strings into songs. However, the album’s true highlight lies in the next track, a poignant, string-driven ballad entitled “Family Tree.” Adebimpe’s layered vocals and poetic lyrics add to the song’s beauty—ethereal, but not in the typical ambient post-rock sense.
The warmth quickly melts away with the biting and angular “Red Dress.” Featuring incredibly funky chicken-scratch guitar and syncopated African-flavored beats, it is easily the most aggressive song on the album. The brassy, in-your-face chorus complements the snarled lyrics. Yet another musical transition occurs with the swoopy and airy “Love Dog.” The next song, “Shout Me Out,” is one of the most dynamic tracks on the album. Brooding, guitar-driven verses smolder before erupting into a triumphant, percussive movement halfway into the song.
Smooth and relaxed, “DLZ” stands out for its excellent lyrics. Adebimpe’s talent for writing is evident with lines, such as “This is beginning to feel like the long-winded blues of the never / Barely controlled locomotive consuming the picture and blowing the crows, the smoke.” Dear Science comes to a pleasant close with “Lover’s Day,” a galloping track that epitomizes the group’s composite sound. The song tapers to stripped vocals and horns over a driving drum beat, a contrast from the opening track.
As a whole, Dear Science has the hallmarks of a five-star album. Every track is distinct but consistent in quality. The lyrical work is novel and exploratory. And it simply sounds good—the production by band member Dave Sitek is stellar. The album’s only questionable aspect is flow and the frequent changes in mood between songs. Regardless, there is not a solid reason why Dear Science isn’t worthwhile. To understand the buzz about TV On The Radio, just listen to their latest release.
88.1 WKNC DJ Pick of the Week is published in every Tuesday print edition of the Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.