Category: New Album Review

The newest albums, EPs and singles on the air at WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2

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New Album Review

Album Review: JGM by Lemaitre

Album: JGM by Lemaitre

Best Tracks: Wondering If I’ll Ever Come Down, Eyes Wide Open, Stop Me Fast

FCC Violations: Eyes Wide Open, Stop Me Fast

Lemaitre is an electronic duo comprised of Norwegian artists, Ulrik Denizou Lund and Ketil Jansen. Their newest release, JGM, reflects on life’s ups and downs and the celebration of life. The electronic group switched things up in this EP, adopting an indie-pop style and an extensive use of organic instruments. JGM is inspired by Johannes “Joe” Greve Muskat, Lemaitre’s “third” member who passed in 2019. Even though the EP is based in sadness, all four songs in the collection celebrate life in a perfect way to pay homage to Muskat.

“Wondering If I’ll Ever Come Down” is the lead single and my personal favorite track. It has a more indie Grouplove vibe to me that reminds you to love the life you’re living, which is inspiring. “Eyes Wide Open” and “Stop Me Fast” also maintain an upbeat mood while talking about overcoming loss and their struggles with grief. The use of organic instruments and electronic elements, like guitars and drums mixed with soft synths add an extra layer of emotion that indie songs normally possess, which makes this EP that much more special.

“Joe” is a special song that talks about Muskat specifically and tells the story of him as the third member of the group. I think this track ties together the whole EP and produces a sense of empathy and celebration from listeners.

I think this EP is a powerful message to listeners to enjoy the life they have and to celebrate the people in our lives, whether here or not, because they “never really go away.”

I recommend JGM for fans of Rex Orange County, Grouplove, and Tame Impala.

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New Album Review

ALBUM PLAY BY PLAY: SEBii – VVV

ALBUM PLAY BY PLAY: SEBii – VVV

BEST TRACKS: Racing, MeMe, Data Looting

FCC Dirty

Arguably, the most notable element separating SEBii from his contemporaries is the pitch of his voice, which he addresses in the first song on this album, Bingo. SEBii claims that despite what people think, his vocals aren’t pitch-bended and that it comes from practice. I appreciate that these bars are self-aware, original, and personal. I think he sounds better singing with a thinner, lower, strained pitch. When he sings quieter, his voice gets really soft, losing any grit and intonation, and everything he sings blends into an unappetizing mush.

Track two is MeMe. SEBii does a good job varying his pitch between soft and gritty in this song, which keeps it interesting. I love the way he says “I be looking super clean”.  I love the raspy whisper of the outro, yet another pitch change. The bars, the flow and the beat is all here. This track is my second favorite on the album.

Moving on to the next track, Winter. Despite it being one of SEBii’s most popular songs I was underwhelmed. It has a solid beat, but this song has no notable lyrics, and sebii maintains a very soft pitch throughout the entire song, which gets monotonous and melds everything into a bland mass. This song is lacking intensity.

The next track is BahBahBah. Even the mystic strings couldn’t save this track. Again, the vocals are monotonous, lacking intonation and inflection.

Racing is the top track for me on the album. The intro has impeccable buildup, leading to a satisfying beat drop. We get to hear both the deeper, rougher side as well as the soft side of SEBii’s unique voice on this song, the variation of which keeps the listener invested. As far as instrumental goes, the sparking piano trills are charming.

Data Looting: This one is pretty catchy. Despite it sounding slightly repetitive, I’m not mad at it. At times though, the lyrics sound rushed and crammed into the bars.

The last track VVV is a cute outro.  I can’t get past the soft, high pitched voice though, it sounds like there’s a mosquito in my ear it gets on my nerves.

I respect that SEBii is unapologetically himself, unashamedly making anime and pokemon references, and owning his unique voice. I wonder what he sounds like when he’s just having a normal conversation.

Safia

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Hollywood Park – The Airborne Toxic Event

ALBUM REVIEW: Hollywood Park – The Airborne Toxic Event

BEST TRACKS: All The Children, Everything I Love Is Broken, Come On Out

FCC violations: Brother, Everything I Love Is Broken, The Common Touch, Carry Me

Here’s something you don’t hear about every band: the lead singer of The Airborne Toxic Event, Mikel Jollett, was born into a cult. Along with this album, Jollett released a memoir of the same name in which he relates his experiences growing up in, and later escaping into poverty, the infamously dangerous cult Synanon. Jollett’s harsh life experiences, which taught him about family, loss, and resilience find their way into the lyrics of his songs to make for a truly grounding and profound listening experience. However, this Los Angeles band isn’t just notable for their frontman’s shocking history. I was enchanted by the sense of intimacy, jangly acoustic guitar, and superior melodies on Hollywood Park long before I ever found out about any of the cult stuff.

Hollywood Park exhibits several lively, electric and acoustic riffs and satisfying melodies. Songs on this album range from flourishingly cinematic to minimalistically acoustic. My favorite track on the album, ‘All The Children’ has an exciting buildup that erupts into a cathartic, folksy chorus. A sparking piano and a cinematic violin make an appearance on track 9, ‘The Place Where We Meet A Thousand Feet Beneath The Racetrack’. Jollett effectively uses a country-folk drawling vocal approach at times, coupled with garage rock shouting, to create a unique dynamic.  These songs have the brutal honesty of an Iron & Wine song and the infectious rhythm of a Killers song.

This album feels like something you would hear sitting around the bonfire in the fleeting summer nights after highschool. It inhabits a world of sunsets, dusty roads, and big blue lakes. Hollywood Park truly captures the ever-tenacious all American spirit. Spin this record this upcoming Fourth of July. I highly recommend this album to fans of The Killers, Bruce Springsteen,The Wallflowers, The National, or My Morning Jacket.

Safia

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New Album Review

ALBUM: Silver Silver by Kid Froopy

ALBUM: Silver Silver by Kid Froopy

BEST TRACKS: Some Nights I Feel Like Crying, RNR, New In Town, Meet Me in the Garden

FCC Violations: Meet Me in the Garden, RNR, LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT…

Kid Froopy is on the rise as a new artist and his newest release, Silver Silver, delivers his electronic style in an emotional package. Kid Froopy, an Iowa-based producer began releasing music in high school, but gained attention in 2015 with his remix of Robokid’s “Helix.” Now, Kid Froopy is known for his electronic-pop songs which typically delve into the woes of online communication and social media. Kid Froopy has this interesting alternative sound that is distinctly electronic with sweet sounding synth melodies and a certain glitchy aspect to it that does not overlap the high-pitched vocals. His chill, electronic-pop vibe is perfect for listening in the car or lounging around with friends.

Many of his tracks have a great contrast between the sorrowful lyrics of lost communication and his upbeat pop-y sound. There is even more contrast between tracks such as Hairy which are slow and somber while Meet Me in the Garden feels much more exciting.

Kid Froopy has a great all around sound that borders many different genres while done tastefully and I predict that he will get even popular as time goes on. I recommend Kid Froopy to fans of Jai Wolf, pluko and Ekali.

-Tegan

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: The Transonics – Lost In Time

ALBUM REVIEW: The Transonics – Lost In Time

BEST TRACKS: Lost In Time, Love and a Blue Light, You’re So Pretty

FCC Clean

This 6-piece band from Columbia very aptly named their debut album, Lost In Time, as it sounds like a blast from the past, belonging to the early 80s but by some heavenly fluke was born in the year 2020 instead. The Transonics are a severely underrated band, with less than 1,000 listens on any given song on spotify. However, when fantastic yet obscure bands are in need of a spotlight, that’s when college radio really shines. With the release of Lost In Time, the transonics are starting to take college radios across the country by storm. This eleven song album soars from beginning to end. What really excites me about this album is that the Transonics are a female-fronted band and strong feminine energy courses through every song in both the vocals and the writing.

The Transonics sound like a mix of the fun and infectious powerpop of No Doubt and the grungy rock and roll of Foo Fighters, with a twinge of early 80s psychedelica. The thing that stood out to me most was that lead vocalist Patti Davis has an electrifying voice that sounds uncannily similar to Gwen Stefani. After a short, 30 second intro, Lost In Time opens with the dreamy title track ‘Lost In Time’ which contains glittering hooks and spacy lyrics about wishes and daydreams.

Lost In Time is reminiscent of simpler times, when the grilled cheese Uncrustables were still a part of school lunches. This album caught my attention because of the album cover, which looks like it came straight out of a Lisa Frank coloring book, and it kept me listening, enchanted, with its exhilarating energy and irresistible riffs. I recommend this album if you want something sweet and lively to boost your mood after a gloomy session of browsing social media, or if you’ve ever been obsessed with the Bratz movies.

Safia

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New Album Review

Album Review: Currents – The Way It Ends (2020)

This is Currents’ fifth release and second studio album, and all I can say is WOW! What a record! This style of metalcore has always been my favorite. This album has a great combination of growls and screams along with clean vocals. There are some songs on this album (A Flag to Wave and Poverty of Self) that are extremely heavy. The riffs in these songs are awesome. You also have songs like “Better Days” that has both screams and cleans in them. This song balances out both vocal techniques beautifully and the harmonies along with the music creates a beautiful song.

This album has more boasting lyrical content along with some beefy riffs. Currents style somewhat reminds me of Architects with their transitions. They have a very electric sound that they combined with technical progressive elements. The into track, “It Was Never There” builds incredible suspense. This was a great first taste of what the album has to offer. They then pick up the pace with “A Flag to Wave” and “Poverty of Self.” The choruses in their songs are really catchy and easily get you to bang your head. Tracks like “Monster” bring that crunchy heavy sound with bellowing vocals and screeching riffs. “Kill the Ache” is the poster child song for metalcore. It is a feel-good track that takes you on a journey. “Let Me Leave” is a more soft and melodic song that highlights Wile’s clean vocals. I love bands who have both a great growl and cleans.  

You can easily see that Currents was having fun with this record and you can also tell that they put a lot of thought in their songs and how they would make the listener feel. I love albums like this because you can easily tell that the band has put in a lot of time, effort, and dedication for this record. Everything is 100% authentic and it helped create an amazing record.

Favorite songs:

The Way It Ends

Poverty of Self

A Flag to Wave

Rating:

8/10

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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New Album Review

Alfedo Album Review

My favorites:  Scottie Beam, Something to Rap About, Skinny Suge 

Listen if you like: Danny Brown, Vince Staples, Earl Sweatshirt

The Alchemist and Freddie Gibbs’ album, Alfredo, was released at the end of May. On Alfredo, the duo combines the proven production talent of The Alchemist and the gruff voice of underground rapper Gibbs. Daniel Alan Maman, stage name The Alchemist, is a producer and songwriter famous for creating soulful and rhythmic beats for rappers and his own instrumental albums. He’s created many collaborative projects, and Alfredo is his most recent success. Gibbs is most well-known for his 2000’s mixtapes and recent highly-rated albums; his rough voice and smooth lyricism makes him an iconic musician. 

The album mainly reflects on the dealings of the Mafia and criminal activity. It features artists Tyler, the Creator, Benny the Butcher, and Rick Ross. The rhythms laid down by The Alchemist and paired with Gibbs’ fearless lyrics create a perfect complement. The album opens with 1985, a track full of references to pop culture including nods to Italian crime movies and the famous “Tiger King,” Joe Exotic. The song sets the stage for the rest of the album, filled with intricate beats and gritty rhyming. The album progresses, following a narrative of drug deals, guns, and women. Scottie Beam is a song that has so much relevance especially within the Black Lives Matter movement. He raps about the continuous violence faced by black Americans at the hands of police. “Yeah, the revolution is the genocide/Look, your execution will be televised.” This iconic line made it onto Gibbs’ merchandise, he sells shirts asserting “my execution might be televised,” with 100% of proceeds benefiting protest-related causes. Much of the album continues to hit on the experience of black Americans, the oppression at the hands of cops, Freddie’s childhood, drugs, and religion. Hw masters the art of romanticizing his own experiences, making them appeal to any listener. The album is one of Gibbs’ most successful yet, hitting the fourth on Billboard Charts’ top-selling albums of the week and the tracks from it becoming favorites among fans instantly. 

– Miranda

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: CLIFFFS – Panic Attack

ALBUM REVIEW: CLIFFFS – Panic Attack

BEST TRACKS: You Are Freaking Out, Panic Attack, Tilt

FCC Clean

CLIFFFS is a lively three-piece band from Dallas, Texas that brings an unparalleled sense of purity to the scene, taking garage punk back to its roots. I love three-piece bands for their simplicity. A guitar, a bass, and drums are all anyone really needs to make an astounding punk album. Four years ago, CLIFFFS released Bill, You’re Only Human, an album about which there is very little to complain about, to say the least, except that it lacked the element of passion and fury I seek in a punk album. What CLIFFFS’ debut album lacked, their sophomore album, Panic Attack, has in abundance. Panic attack shows the immense growth of the band over 4 years and leaves me eagerly awaiting to see what CLIFFFS has in store next.

Panic Attack exhibits fast, slightly surf rock-esque guitar riffs and solid, grounding baselines. The fourth track, ‘You Are Freaking Out’ is my favorite, sounding dark and urgent. The rises and falls of intensity in this song are masterful, starting out with a nervous, anticipatory riff that then gets propelled into a cathartic climax by thrashing drums and elevated vocals. Other tracks, such as ‘Tilt’ and ‘Life’ are less dark, having brighter melodies, and are truer to the legacies of the OG garage punk gods like Descendants and All. Punk albums have a bad habit of sounding messy and unpolished. Panic Attack is a punk album that is very cleanly put together and puts a focus on melody, making the music sound passionate, powerful, and beautiful- not just loud and noisy.

A common theme throughout this album is anxiety, as the album title might suggest. True to this theme, Panic Attack fills me up with nervous energy (in only the best way). This short, 13 track, 24 minute album makes me want to get out of the house and shred some asphalt- the sign of a truly excellent punk album.

I recommend CLIFFFS if you like bands like Descendants, All, the Frights, and the Orwells.

-Safia

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Distant Minds by Prismo

ALBUM: Distant Minds by Prismo

BEST TRACKS: Coexist, Shame, Dreams (Eliminate Remix)

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Zach Burgett, aka Prismo, is a music producer, DJ and songwriter from Houston, TX who decided to produce his own music after he was unsuccessful in creating his own band. After reading a short biography about Prismo, I have to say I admire his tenacity to create his own career after being unable to find a group to produce with. At 19, he has already made a name for himself and earned the reputation as a versatile artist with tracks ranging from EDM bangers to more melodic, slower songs.

Distant Minds is Prismo’s second album release from November 2016 and contains seven tracks, four of which are remixes of the first three tracks in the collection. Prismo’s style is very unique because he delivers a big, glitchy sound with added hip-hop elements which adds variety. The distorted vocal effect that Prismo uses also adds a unique element to Distant Minds. It sounds like the quality of a phone call almost, but also much higher quality so the vocals still sound crisp. Tracks such as Coexist and Dreams (Eliminate Remix) have a good mix between higher energy EDM and melodic breakdowns which contrast nicely. My personal favorite track in this album is Shame because it is one of the first electronic songs I listened to that I really enjoyed. What is even crazier to think is that Prismo released this track at a young age, only three years older than me at the time I listened. Now, at the same age, I still appreciate his music.

I recommend Prismo for anyone who is a fan of San Holo, Monstercat, and Taska Black.

-Tegan

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff Rosenstock – No Dream

ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff Rosenstock – No Dream

BEST TRACKS: State Line, ***BNB, Ohio Tpke

FCC dirty except for: State Line, Leave It In The Sun, Monday at the Beach

Jeff Rosenstock is the punk icon that can do it all. Most notably, he is the past lead singer of Bomb the Music Industry! and a solo artist, but he is also a producer, founder of independent record label Quote Unquote records, and has been a part of many other bands and collaborations. No Dream is Jeff’s fourth full-length album as a solo artist, which he dropped last week with absolutely no promotional buildup. This Summer-y, cathartic album came just in time for June. In accordance with Jeff Rosenstock’s strict DIY ethics, the album has been released for free online via Quote Unquote Records, with all donations going to vegan anti-hunger organization Food Not Bombs.

Jeff Rosenstock is a household name amongst fans of catchy basement punk. Each song on No Dream has potent DIY energy, due to the fact that the album was taped with analog outboard equipment rather than being mixed completely with a digital audio workstation. This album feeds nostalgia with its boisterous, scratchy, half-yelling, half-singing vocals and frantic drums that are starkly reminiscent of late 80s skate punk. In classic early Jeff Rosenstock style, the riffs are hard and fast and the lyrics are even faster.

Jeff’s previous two albums, WORRY and POST, were characterized by bleak sadness and anxiety. In NO DREAM, the anxiety hasn’t vanished, but exists in a more rambunctious, self-assured, let loose light that has been missing since the days of Bomb The Music Industry!. As a result, NO DREAM is heart-wrenching, yet still somewhat optimistic. NO DREAM is about embracing helplessness. Jeff Rosenstock’s songs have always expressed the rawest human emotions of anger, love, and heartbreak in the simplest, most straightforward, most hard hitting way. No Dream is another album for the DIY punk wall of fame. One thing’s for sure, Jeff never misses.

I recommend this album if you’re into bands like Joyce Manor, Deafheaven, PUP, or Antarctigo Vespucci.

-Safia