Categories
Music Education

Music and Storytelling: Concept Albums

A concept album can be loosely defined as an album that follows a central narrative or theme. I say loosely because there is no strict consensus on what qualifies as a concept album, but generally the criteria are based on an album’s ability to uniformly achieve its narrative. In a concept album, the album as a whole often means something different than the individual songs. The album is made to work together and the songs build on one another, adding context or closure to problems brought up in previous songs. 

The first concept album is widely cited to be “Dust Bowl Ballads” by Woody Guthrie. The album chronicles the Dust Bowl era of The Great Depression. Some of the songs are Guthrie embodying a character, while others are him reporting on the situation from outside. The central story throughout is of the mass migration of people from the region affected by the Dust Bowl to California. 

Since the release of this album in 1940, the concept album has grown and changed a lot. 

Categories
Music Education

Defining Genre: Electronic Body Music

In 1980s Germany, in dark basements and sweaty clubs, a new genre was being developed. This genre was a patchwork of musical influences. It was the constructed child of industrial and dance music, with many other genres claiming paternity from the funky rhythms of disco to the experimental instrumentation of synthpop. This Frankenstein’s monster was called Electronic Body Music. EBM combines heavy basslines and repetitive drum machines with distorted vocals and experimental synths. Some bands included samples from war movies or science fiction movies with dark themes, using the voice clips to create an oppressive feeling and to give the idea that the music was something that could control you. 

EBM found its origin in Germany, where the electronic music scene was constantly evolving. One of the German bands that helped to start the genre was Deutsch Americanische Freundschaft (stylized as DAF). DAF used EBM to explore themes of power, violence and sexuality, which would turn out to be enduring themes of the genre. Despite controversies faced by the band for their heavy use of militaristic aesthetics and the dark lyrical contents of their songs, this danceable industrial music quickly grew to dominate the club scene internationally. Soon after DAF appeared on the scene, bands began to pop up in other European countries. Notable examples include Front 242 in Belgium and Nitzer Ebb in England. In North America there was the hugely influential Canadian band Skinny Puppy. 

The aesthetics of the scene surrounding EBM were leather twists on the uniforms of factory workers and the military. The fashion took cues from the punk scene of the 70s and eventually would develop alongside the goth scene, which resulted in a meshing of subcultures. Many later EBM bands fully embraced a much more goth look. The outfits of the bands that pioneered the genre were purposefully provocative. The genre often involved topics of hyperviolence and machismo, with a sardonic twist on both. The twist was the idea that machismo taken to its fullest extent would be realized as violence, while also satirizing this elevated masculinity into an almost homoerotic affair by many of the bands involved. 

The scene would continue to grow and influence music, spawning numerous offshoots and subgenres. Examples of the subgenres that grew from EBM include aggrotech and futurepop. Along with creating new genres, EBM strongly influenced the direction of existing ones. Industrial music and EBM had an open exchange of ideas, and as a result EBM massively influenced the industrial bands of the late 80s and early 90s such as Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. 

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Concert Preview

Locals Only! July Preview

It’s July, and it’s time for a new Locals Only!, WKNC’s FREE monthly live local music event in partnership with Neptunes! Join us on Thursday, July 10 for some good sounds and cool bands! Let’s see who’s playing.

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Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 7/1/25

Chainsaw Charts

ArtistRecordLabel
1COFFIN CURSEThe Continuous NothingMemento Mori
2DECEASEDChildren of the MorgueHells Headbangers
3GIGANAnomalous Abstractigate InfinitessimusWillowtip
4ORANSSI PAZUZUMuuntautujaNuclear Blast
5SMIQRARgyaġdźé!Self-Released
6VILDHJARTADar Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens GranarCentury Media
7CALLOUS DAOBOYS, THEI Don’t Want To See You In HeavenMNRK Heavy
8BLIND GIRLSAn Exit ExistsPersistent Vision
9SCIMITARScimitarium ICrypt of the Wizard
10TOWERLet There Be DarkCruz Del Sur

Chainsaw Adds

ArtistRecordLabel
1BAANNeumannSelf-Released
2LIFEMy Heart the Dreaming MemorySelf-Released
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 7/1/25

ArtistRecordLabel
1ALIA LAINis this the pulse of mechanical ruinsSelf-Released
2IO-NULL (.DRN)µnerves [EP]Self-Released
3NAMISOUPFern [EP]Pyramid Blood
4DANIBREAKSNXIETY [EP]Self-Released
5DREXGODself rehabilitationSelf-Released
6MARUMARIHidden Tracks And Rarities 2001-2005Carpark
7ALIGHTEDWillow’s Apothecary [EP]Wandering Astray
8MARC MELIAPieces MonophoniquesVLEK
9WAVETAPPERStardustSVPACYBERIA
10MISO EXTRAEarcandyTransgressive/PIAS

Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 7/1/25

Underground Charts

ArtistRecordLabel
1MXNXSTXR AND DESTRUCTO“What You Need” feat. Thundercat & Channel Tres [Single]All My Friends
2AESOP ROCKBlack Hole SuperetteRhymesayers
3AJ TRACEYDon’t Die Before You’re DeadRevenge
4BAMBIIInfinity Club II [EP]Because
59LIVES“UP FREESTYLE” feat. Odetari [Single]Pulse/Concord
6CHEW“Horseheads” feat. Day Tripper [Single]CorpoRAT
7BUTCHER BROWNLetters From The AtlanticConcord Jazz
8BOLDY JAMES AND REAL BAD MANConversation PiecesReal Bad Man
9DUCKWRTHAll American F*ckboyThem Hellas
10BRIAN NASTYAnywhere, But Here With YouBig Dada

Underground Adds

ArtistRecordLabel
1SABA AND NO IDFrom The Private Collection Of Saba & No IDSaba Pivot/The Orchard
2AESOP ROCKBlack Hole SuperetteRhymesayers
3WILLYYNOVATibet AsanteSelf-Released
4AJ TRACEYDon’t Die Before You’re DeadRevenge
5WHEELUPInner LightTru Thoughts
Categories
Weekly Charts

Jazz Charts 7/1/25

ArtistRecordLabel
1HIROMIOUT THERETelarc/Concord Jazz
2CATHERINE RUSSELL AND SEAN MASONMy IdealDot Time
3CARLOS MENACon Personas (With The People)Pinch
4JUAN PEREALightkeeperZoho
5JOE ALTERMAN FEATURING HOUSTON PERSONBrisket For BreakfastSelf-Released
6JAMES ZITOZito’s JumpSelf-Released
7REGINALD CYNTJEMosaicSelf-Released
8RODNEY WHITAKER Mosaic: The Music Of Gregg HillOrigin 
9HARRY SKOLERRed Brick HillSunnyside
10NOAH HAIDUStandards IIIInfinite Distances

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Charts 7/1/25

Top Charts

ArtistRecordLabel
1FRANKIE COSMOSDifferent TalkingSub Pop
2DAUGHTER OF SWORDSAlexPsychic Hotline
3DISCUSTo Relate ToSun-Rom
4GRAHAM HUNTTimeless World ForeverRun For Cover
5MEI SEMONESAnimaruBayonet
6PANCHIKOGinkgoNettwerk
7PHOEBE RINGSAseuraiCarpark
8SAMANTHA CRAINGumshoeReal Kind
9SASAMIBlood On The Silver ScreenDomino
10SUBSONIC EYESingapore DreamingTopshelf
11BUG CRUSHSomehow I Go In Circles All The Time [EP]Self-Released
12CLEOPATRICKFake MoonNowhere Special/Thirty Tigers
13FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE“This Is Real” [Single]Saddle Creek
14JADE BIRD“Dreams” [Single]Glassnote
15JADE THE MOON“Dirty John Type” [Single]Self-Released
16JAPANESE BREAKFASTFor Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)Dead Oceans
17MAE MARTINI’m A TVCasablanca/Republic
18SCOWLScowl On Audiotree Live [EP]Self-Released
19SEA LEMONDiving For A PrizeLuminelle
20SUNBATHEMyself To YouTime Release
21APRIL MARCH“Surfing Castafiore” [Single]Bong Load
22CUTOUTSSnakeskinSelf-Released
23DEFEATED SANITY“Accelerating The Rot” [Single]Season Of Mist
24DJ BEETLEBITCHAcidtape2024 [EP]Dirtbag
25DOUBLE WISHDeeper Ecstasy [EP]Hit The North
26DUSQKGaia/RAESelf-Released
27ENTREZ VOUSAntenna Legs Hear EverythingSelf-Released
28FIND MY FRIENDSFind My Friends [EP]Bloody Knuckles
29FLORRYSounds LikeDear Life
30FOXWARREN2 (Two)Anti-

Top Adds

ArtistRecordLabel
1GRAHAM HUNTTimeless World ForeverRun For Cover
2MIDNIGHT MORNINGFaded Colors [EP]Interstate
3NIGHT SCHOOLFor Keeps [EP]Graveface
4SUBSONIC EYESingapore DreamingTopshelf
Categories
Playlists

DJ Dragonfly’s June Favorites

In a world where taste changes all the time, even day to day, I think it’s pretty cool to document the current favorites every now and then.  Looking back at these old favorites can make us see the growth we have had as people.  Another upside to these records is we might rediscover some gems that we might have forgotten about.  

I am someone who loves to share and exchange music.  I love discovering new artists and seeing who my friends like to listen to.  Everyone’s music taste is different, I would find it difficult to believe that there could be two people with the exact same taste.  

I love to expose people to new music and to my favorites and so I have made a playlist of my current favorite songs.  I have to say there is some variety and I like to think that my music is fairly well-rounded but that is up to my readers to decide.  Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.  

Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 6/24/25

ArtistRecordLabel
1HIGH ON FIRECometh the StormMNRK Heavy
2IOTUNNKinshipMetal Blade
3DECEASEDChildren of the MorgueHells Headbangers
4DEAFHEAVENLonely People With PowerRoadrunner
5DEFEATED SANITYChronicles of LunacySeason of Mist
6GAEREAComaSeason Of Mist
7GIGANAnomalous Abstractigate InfinitessimusWillowtip
8SCIMITARScimitarium ICrypt of the Wizard
9VESPERALLa mort de l’âmeSelf-Released
10CALLOUS DAOBOYS, THEI Don’t Want To See You In HeavenMNRK Heavy