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

“Dust lane” Crescendos into Chaos

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week 10/15, written by Mason Morris, WKNC Operations Manager

If you have seen the French film Amélie, you perhaps recall its vivid colors, quirky dialog, touching plot and most certainly its soundtrack. The violin, accordion, piccolo, xylophone and tambourine just begin to comprise its emotional tsunami of sound. It floats spirits, it drowns souls and it moves the viewer with sound as much as the cinematography does with sight. From the highs of “Les Jours Tristes” to the devastating crash of “La Valse D’Amélie,” each piece from the soundtrack pulls the strings of the listener’s heart. Fans of the Amélie soundtrack should be delighted to learn that the composer Yann Tiersen’s masterpieces did not start, and have not dropped off with his premier film score. Tiersen’s most recent studio release is titled Dust Lane, and it serves as his formal American debut. After my first listen through, I can only attempt to fathom why he did not appear sooner. The notes on the cover of the album share it’s dedication to the artist’s mother and Dédé Lafleur, both whom were dear to him and died at the time of writing and recording. These close sentiments are reflected throughout the pieces in an imaginative expression of love and dedication. The album begins with “Amy,” a song peppered with beeps and blips as a vessel lost in the stream of life searches for guidance and some solidarity.

This murky start clears as a glimpse of hope, rare to the album, crescendos into further chaos. “Sinking, sinking,” Tiersen laments. An end, presumably death, has been revealed to the man, as his music transitions to a drearier tone. The listener is led through a cloud of deeply personal confusion from here to the album’s conclusion. Dust Lane ostracizes Yann Tiersen’s previously known musical style with a mélange of synthesizers and heavy guitar riffs. The change is both genius and welcome.

“Palestine,” a politically charged, yet emotional, song from the album, puts Tiersen and colleagues spelling the state’s name repeatedly behind a haze of melody that dissolves as all structure falls. From Tiersen’s label, ANTI-, comes his description of the track. “I ended my last tour in Gaza City, and realized that even in the most unfair situation there is hope. It is when surrounded by mess and dust that everything comes to life again,” Tiersen said. Percussion and interference set a background as vocals intensify, eventually misspelling and entirely collapsing the idea – Palestine.

Tiersen succeeds in delivering his message to audiences with grace and beauty that is sure to cause chills. Yann Tiersen’s album does not end on an entirely negative note. “Till The End” is its penultimate track, and it is haunted by gorgeous ethereal singing, spiraling screeches, piano solos and a gleaming resolution. Perhaps all will be okay. Perhaps one can only move on. The piece transitions into the finale, “F*** Me,” where the album’s climax rests. “Love me, love me, and make me love again,” Tiersen begs in a major key. The end is not nigh for all. In an unmistakably complex way, the musical artist finds solace in the comfort of his partner and sings to her. Good music is listened to, but great music is experienced. Tiersen succeeds at this on all fronts in a brilliant album that must be listened to by all.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

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New Album Review

Superchunk stuns after 9-year hiatus from the music scene

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week 10/15, written by DJ Ones, WKNC deejay


It’s hard to believe that it has been nine years since Superchunks’s last full-length album. Aside from recording a track here and there, Majesty Shredding comes as the Chapel Hill band’s storming entry back into the forefront of the local music scene. Although the legacy of Superchunk will most likely spur talk about the history of Merge Records and the earlier punk scene of Chapel Hill, it is increasingly difficult to fail to acknowledge their arsenal of great music.

Almost a decade has gone by and Superchunk has not missed a beat. Starting from the first track, “Digging for Something,” the album channels that same heart and drive prominent throughout their career. Upbeat, anthemic, and full of great guitar riffs, Superchunk proves they are still hyper enough. The high-paced tracks keep coming. “My Gap Feels Weird” punctuates a more mature, higher-quality production that never loses sight of their distinct sound. Subtly layering the vocal styling of lead singer Mac McCaughan, the track progresses and builds toward a strong ending—the likes of which do not disappoint. However, the band does show they can perfect slow-paced pop tracks. “Rosemarie” offers a great transition out of the upbeat into the relaxed, and is still able to deliver the distinct Superchunk kick. Tracks like “Hot Tubes” and “Fractures in Plastic” are sprinkled throughout to give the listener a general break, and they are a necessary breather for an otherwise fast album. They also show how Superchunk has strengthened so many areas of their overall sound over the decades.

Nevertheless, prepare to strap yourself down for this album. Barely skipping a beat, Superchunk delivers epic guitar riffs that penetrate almost every song and are timed masterfully within the tracks. Where other bands may attempt to write songs that are similar in nature, very few are able to execute them on the same level as a band as experienced as Superchunk. Majesty Shredding ends on one of the highest notes any album for the year has. “Everything at Once” starts with the simple background vocals of the band and builds with the introduction of McCaughan’s high-registering vocals. The track builds a sense of anticipation released with a face-melting guitar solo. With every member firing on all levels, it is hard to deny that fans of Superchunk, or the power-punk sound that signified the band’s career, will be disappointed with their latest release. The wait has been well worth it as Superchunk has crafted another album that not only will reignite the interest of old fans, but will also fit nicely as one of their most complete albums to date.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

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New Album Review

Arcade Fire brings mature, new sound

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week 9/24, written by May F. Chung, WKNC deejay

Listening to Arcade Fire is like listening to an opera. There’s a certain element of grandeur of popping in The Suburbs into the CD drive, an anticipation of knowing that whatever fills your ears for the next 63 minutes is something of high caliber. What do you expect from Arcade Fire, the band that has produced the beautifully wistful Funeral in 2004, and three years later, another genre-defying album entitled Neon Bible but tinged with notes of political intensity? You can hear the sweat of their performance. Win Butler, who has possibly the greatest name in indie rock, and his beloved, Régine Chassagne, both of whom form the backbone of the band, explore some of the themes that pervade most of the album, including its namesake.

Being a kid and growing up in the suburbs, then leaving and accomplishing great things before returning and discovering that everything you left behind—all the memories of innocence and heartbreak—has remained, patiently waiting, and as stoic as ever. The reverent nostalgia is evident in the lyric, “Now our lives are changing fast/Hope that something pure can last,” from “We Used to Wait.” Arcade Fire reflects on the neighborhood you grew up in (literally, as the new video for the song invites you to enter the address where you grew up and personalizes the video to your own childhood memories). The Suburbs is, in fact, a maturation of their last two albums. As the group comes to terms with adulthood, they still cannot help but wonder longingly over the days of kids when they used to dance under police disco lights (a reference to Funeral’s “Laika”). “In my dreams we’re still screamin’ and runnin’ through the yard,” croons Butler in the title’s opener. And yet, there’s a sense of cynicism against the new youth raging for an art form they do not understand. In “Rococo,” the group sings, “Let’s go downtown and talk to the modern kids/They will eat right out of your hand using great big words that they don’t understand.” There is no inspiration in experimentation anymore. Everything is contrived, art is vapid and self-emulating. Butler continues to chant “Rococo” as the chorus and mutters, “Oh, my dear God, what is that horrible song?” But the statement itself invokes irony.

“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” is easily the best song of the album and neatly ties The Surburbs together. Everything we view as kids is gargantuan, including “Dead shopping malls [that] rise like mountains beyond mountains.” If there’s any showcase of Chassagne’s beautifully hypnotizing voice, it is this song. “Sprawl II” is a component of “Sprawl I (Flatlands),” but both reflect on the same memory of the sprawl, or the home communities of the surburbs where all the houses that line up look the same. For Chassagne, it is a mountain, a childhood reserved for riding bikes and playing in parks. For Butler in “Sprawl I,” it is a flatland, a miserable suffocation of civilized society. Is this the same band that used to crowd all their instruments (including a double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy) into the elevator as a delightful experiment? Apparently so. Instead of relying on the success of formula, Arcade Fire strives for a new, vibrant sound on The Suburbs, which serves, if nothing else, as a testament to their own greatness.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.
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New Album Review

“Libraries” by The Love Language

88.1 WKNC’s Pick of the Week, written by Drew St. Claire a.k.a. DJ SWITCH


When I was just a newborn, my mom would sit in this old rocking chair and cradle me while she sang her favorite Beatles songs, instead of the traditional lullabies. I’m guessing my dad’s renditions of Led Zeppelin didn’t quite make for good bedtime music. So, while I was listening to The Love Language’s newest release, Libraries, I couldn’t help but see a similar scene playing out in my mind—some trendy Triangle couple crooning this local band’s latest release to their little bundle of joy. It’s just got that same kind of simple beauty to it.

A couple of years ago, the Love Language’s frontman, Stuart McLamb, was more likely to be found lying in a Raleigh back alley than rocking the big stage at the Hopscotch Music Festival. After a turbulent series of personal events, McLamb created a new band (The Love Language) and put out a self-titled album about his struggles. Libraries comes out just a year after that debut self-titled album and is a very solid follow-up. If the Love Language hasn’t proven themselves to be heavy hitters in Raleigh’s thriving indie rock scene yet, this album will certainly solidify them as such. The first track, “Pedals,” starts out with a quiet piano intro but then crashes into this rich melody with all sorts of layers to it. Those are going to be the keywords for Libraries: “rich” and “layers.” “A season for the both of us, a reason that rose off the coffin”—those are the first bold words from Stuart McLamb, the lead singer and guitarist. He has a bit of Morrissey (from the Smiths) in his voice, and it works well echoing out over the rich ebb and flow of the music. With those symphonic-like buildups and crashes from the instrumentation, I also got a pretty definite Arcade Fire vibe as well. That lovely riff running throughout “Pedals” sounds just like the outro from “Intervention,” but with a beautiful tragedy that is all its own. Another quick standout for me was certainly “Horrorphones.” This was The Love Language track WKNC included on the Hear Here compilation, which was reviewed by yours truly a few issues back. I still stand by what I said about this song back then—a melodic headtrip that’s equal parts I’m From Barcelona and the Beach Boys. Tracks like “This Blood Is Our Own” and “Anthophobia” give off an almost beach-vibe with their bending and sliding guitar solos. This underlying feeling became so pervasive to me that I checked out the band’s website and, sure enough, I see crashing waves and faded photos of wholesome girls in one piece bathing suits. Songs like these, and ones like “Blue Angel,” put me in what I think a 1950’s prom would have been like, but with a much more hip twist to it (and none of the embarrassment). The album closes out with “Wilmont,” which I assume is an allusion to the historic apartment building just down Hillsborough Street. Like the building it references, the song has plenty of heart and soul, made manifest by an acoustic intro and McLamb’s sincere lyrics, “I want you to be with me, ‘cause I’ve got a big heart to feed.” With songs like that, maybe it’s not too far-fetched for Libraries to become lasting lullaby material. Maybe one of those little babies will even grow up to write CD reviews of The Love Language’s next release.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.comwknc.org. and

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New Album Review

Citizens of the Empire self-released debut politically charged

88.1 WKNC’s Pick of the Week 9/10

written by Sarah Hager, WKNC DJ

As I opened Citizen of the Empire’s self-titled and self-released debut, the CD insert caught my attention. Where the copyright information should be, I read, “No Rights Reserved.”

“We prefer to make our lives a work of art as opposed to ‘making a living’ from our art. Reproduce and distribute in any form by any means. Share with your friends and enemies alike.” I will say, after listening, I’ll be sure to do just that. The seven-track album starts off with a slow, ethereal guitar riff with subtle crash symbols. This track, entitled “Insurrection is Our only Weapon against the Machine of Alienation,” is a perfect way to get the listener ready for the remainder of the album. Citizens of the Empire seems to be a very politically-oriented band, giving links to Zeitgeist, among other online movies, as well as titling the tracks according to their views. I immediately realized I would get a fuller experience if I turned the music up and let it replace all other things I was thinking of. Closing my eyes, it was easy to lose myself in the music. The fourth track, “Power is not to Be Conquered, It is to Be Destroyed” is by far the strongest. It’s immediately up-tempo and forceful. Continuous riffs throughout make it fun and interesting for the duration of its six-minute length. “Everything We Possess will in turn Possess Us” is another example of exciting riffs, but this time sprinkled over the seven-minute track contributes to such a full-sounding post-rock song. The ending song, “We Pay for Our Lives with Our Deaths,” is a strong finish to the album. Its intricate guitar is weaved into enough vice that when the song finishes, all you want is more. I was surprised to learn Citizens only consists of three members—Andrew Carson playing drums, Patrick Seawell on bass, and Jacob West shredding guitar. This three-piece is from Minneapolis, MN. Citizens fits in perfectly with bands such as Mogwai, God is an Astronaut and Explosions in the Sky. While your mind won’t be blown to pieces, it will be fully satisfied by the instrumental rock laid out for listening pleasure.

“88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org/blog.”

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New Album Review

My Morning Jacket guitarist’s solo debut a perfect record for fall

88.1 WKNC’s Pick of the Week 9/3
By Charlie Burnett, WKNC DJ

Side projects by members of great bands tend to go one of two ways. Either they’re just as great as the actual band, like Wilco-offshoot Loose Fur, or bland and forgettable, like Mick Jagger’s entire solo output. Guitarist for country-rockers My Morning Jacket Carl Broemel’s debut solo record, All Birds Say, falls into the former category.

When performing with My Morning Jacket, Broemel can often be found flailing around the stage during up-tempo barn-burners, or adding texture to one of the band’s hazy ballads. For Broemel’s solo record, however, he trades in his electric guitar for an acoustic set of lilting country-folk numbers perfect for the segue into fall.

With a warm voice similar to My Morning Jacket lead-man Jim James, Broemel effortlessly works his way through breezy, relatively simple songs that, generally put, fall into the folk-rock genre.

The instrumental title track, “All Birds Say,” proves an apt starting point for the record. A sunny, classical, guitar melody eases up to a piano-bass-drums combo that gently fades into second track “Life Leftover,” a laid-back folk song about not taking for granted the short time we are given on earth.

Tucked into a dreamy country number called “Carried Away,” a subtly moaning lap steel guitar matches the weary chorus: “Don’t get carried away in the past, it’s not there/Don’t get carried away in the past, it’s not fair.” These lyrics are merely one example of the subtly poignant style of Broemel’s songwriting.

Elsewhere on All Birds Say, simple truths such as “Seems impossible to get ahead/When you are only making just enough,” from “Enough,” and the close detail of the gentle shuffling “On The Case,” with its descriptions of dusty, unfinished books and weeds “growing in beds by the water,” display Broemel’s lyrical prowess.

All Birds Say may disappoint some My Morning Jacket fans looking for another record of balls-to-the-wall, country-rock anthems and psychedelic balladry. Those willing to accept the fact that All Birds Say is a slower, more easy-going affair, however, will find a perfect fall record full of lilting, country-folk songs focused on the simple truths and nuances of everyday life.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

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New Album Review

Best Coast album features mix of romantic vocals and cynicism

88.1 WKNC’s Pick of the Week 8/27
By Michael Jones, WKNC DJ

Every once in a while you stumble across a band that perfectly defines a specific type of music, and with Best Coast’s debut Crazy For You, they prove that they are one of those bands.

Best Coast has debuted with a stellar entry into a surfer rock genre that has seemed to dominate much of the indie rock music scene over the past year. The band has gone so far to describe their sound as a girl lying on the beach in the 1990s wearing a bathing suit from the 50s.

Best Coast is the musical collaboration between vocalist Bethany Cosentino, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno and their touring drummer Ali Koehler. Coming out of Los Angeles, California, Best Coast has produced immense hype, recently being named the best new band of 2010 by the British publication NME, and are also set to play at this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh this September.

The band kicks off their album just as you might expect. The starry-eyed, love-longing vocals of Cosentino come out in their best fashion with the track Boyfriend. Cosentino emphasizes her desire for a man and her contempt for another woman vying for his attention. “If I could only get her out of the picture / Then he would know how much I want him,” demonstrates her love for this guy she desires to return her love. Finally, toward the end of the fantastic track, Cosentino dives into some of the more dreamy elements of Best Coast when she thinks up a series of romantic and beautiful activities they would share.

The entire album is not compiled solely of sweet, romantic songs. The title track Crazy For You demonstrates Cosentino’s push-pull tendencies toward her significant other when she delivers the lyrics, “I want to hit you then I kiss you / Want to kill you then I miss you.” Bordering on sentiments that reflect both insecurity and defiance, she is consistently second-guessing herself.

Best Coast is able to capitalize on their marijuana-influenced, beach pop tunes with their track The End. This slick entry into the album shows the appearance of being laid-back – yet somehow worried – about the relationships that Cosentino describes throughout the album.

Each track appears to be a unique entry into a specific feeling that the Best Coast is getting across in a way that creates diversity and breeds excellence. Songs like Goodbye demonstrate the band’s ability to dip into the harshest areas of cynicism, while Bratty B shows that she can change in order to be with her loved one once again.

As the album comes to a close, Best Coast delivers track after track that show Cosentino second-guessing and coming to frustrating conclusions about wanting to be with this mystery man. However, she seems to acknowledge forces outside of her control are preventing them from being together.

At the end of the day, Best Coast’s Crazy For You provides a stand-out entry into a surfer rock genre that may seem oversaturated to some, and if hitting the top 40 for an independent band’s debut record proves anything, it is that they have the potential to be one of the next big names in pop.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

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New Album Review

Noobhammer’s Round Table: Universal Coat of Angels Conspiracy

Hello, The Noobhammer here to give you his weekly thoughts of metal, be it new reviews, startling news, or just whatever is on his mind. This is the first post of my round table, and many of you are probably thinking, “Hey Noobhammer, this seems awfully similar to ’Cannibal’s Corner.’” Well, it is, but it isn’t. Yes, this is an opinion blog, and we both may discuss what the other has said or written, by mine has a completely different feel to it. While Cannibal Cory’s may seem like a trip down to the basement with your good old friend Sweettooth, the homicidal clown that you love, mine is more of a gathering around a round table where we discuss magic…and dragons….yeah….

ANYWAYS! My first topic is a counterpoint to Cannibal Cory’s idea about Borknagar’s latest album, Universal.

First off, I have to disagree with my good friend Cannibal Cory. While he says that this album does not deliver the punch, I have to disagree. While the guitars may not be as intense as other black metal bands, Borknagar is not your typical black metal band. I have been listening to this band since Quintessence, and the mix of clean vocals with the harsh vocals is what really gives this band their edge. It has been four years since their acoustic album and six years since their last album proper, and this latest album is a return to form of sorts for the band. It flows very similar to their classic album Empiricism. Their music flows along the same lines as Emperor’s later work, and, as such, mixes brutality and beauty, which is what makes this album bloody fantastic. Yes, I do enjoy some of the heavier tracks, but sometimes, just like Swallow The Sun and Katatonia, the slower songs can be heavier and more brutal than the faster songs. So while this album may not appeal to everyone, fans of Emperor’s last album as well as black metal fans who love a little bit of clean vocals will love this album.

Let us continue onward with some album reviews for albums that came out this past month. Starting with Sabaton’s Coat of Arms:

Sabaton return with another album chock full of inspiring music about various battles throughout history. First off, let me say that when you first listen to this album, you will have trouble putting it down for a few days. The songs are very catchy, and the choruses just make you want to raise your fist in the air and charge along the battlefield with the soldiers who fight in the song. By far, though, the opening track is the strongest song on the album. “Coat of Arms” opens up with a synth playing softly before the drums and guitars kick in and instantly make your head bang and foot tap. There are some songs, though sad in nature, will still make you feel powerful, like “Final Solution,” which describes prisoners’ feelings as they are walking through the gates of Aushwitz. It’s hard to say how long these guys will be around for though, because there are only so many battles you can sing about, and a lot of their songs vary little. Despite this fact, they can still write catchy songs that have us hooked.

Rhapsody of Fire return with their first album in four years, and it is a return for glory for the band. After being forced to change their name due to a lawsuit, their previous album, Triumph of Agony, was a big disappointment for me, especially because I am a HUGE Rhapsody fan. This latest album showcases the guitars more than the symphony. Some may see it as a response to the big hit of Dragonforce; I see it as a return to their glory days of the emerald sword. Few bands can compose and move us as well as  Rhapsody of Fire can. From the moment you here Christopher Lee (Yes, the Christopher Lee who played Sauraman in The Lord of The Rings movies) give his introduction to “the mighty, immortal warriors, RHAPSODY!” you will have a grin on your face and horns raised in the air. I won’t lie to you, I’ve had this album on repeat since  I got it. It makes me want to get on the back of my epic gold dragon, unsheathe my broadsword, and ride into battle with my comrades by my side as we search for the crystal of power. It is a truly epic album, and one that all power metal fans should get. LONG LIVE RHAPSODY!!

FINALLY! The new Nevermore album, The Obsidian Conspiracy, has finally been released. It has taken them five years, and, Odin, it was rough, I almost gave up on them. However, the band surprised me by releasing, not only a new album, but one hell of a new album. Seriously, this album is nearly flawless. The guitars have taken a backseat to Warrel Dane’s vocals, but that does not mean that the guitar shredding we love from this band is gone. No, rather it means that we get a great balance of both. For the first time since Dead Heart In A Dead World, I have been able to sing along with every song on the album. The songs are short but catchy, and their hooks just sink into you, and you will be humming the choruses to the songs all day.  It’s hard to explain in words how this album is, but I will say this: it is now a close contender for my album of the year, and Aealo by Rotting Christ is one hell of an album to top.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Keep tunin’ in to Chainsaw Rock on WKNC 88.1, and be sure to prepare for the Newrockalypse this week as I will be playing songs from all the albums mentioned here. Keep the horns rising brothers and sisters.

-Noobhammer

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New Album Review

Now Playing 4/30

The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt

This is one of my favorite releases so far this year, a folk record of warm, intimate intensity and raw, earnest emotion.  You’ll positively get lost in this record. It’s impossible to talk about this record without referencing Bob Dylan, both in Kristian Matsson’s effortless, poetic wordplay and his ragged, commanding voice.

[youtube width=“425” height=“25”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qdM8WdTfH4

Nada Surf- If I Had a Hi-Fi

In this album of covers, Nada Surf is able to execute on almost every level imaginable. They are able to take great songs and add their own high energy sound to each one in a way that respects the original and brings it a whole new life.

[youtube width=“425” height=“25”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7npwari81xQ

Walter Schreifels- An Open Letter to the Scene

Simple lyrics with one guy harmonies that create a sweet rock album from a guy who wouldn’t normally be associated with sweet rock. Heartfelt ballads that will appeal to people looking for a good laid back album with some kick to it.

[youtube width=“425” height=“25”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vioMLy9MoZ8

Medications-Completely Removed

Pop/rock that isn’t overly compelling but keeps the pace up enough to keep one interested. It’s the kind of music that people enjoy could enjoy because it’s easy to listen to but the kind that critics tear apart as well.

First Aid Kit- The Big Black & the Blue

Imagine Swedish female Fleet Foxes No lie that’s what this sounds like and it’s totally awesome. These girls emphasize long lost love and it’s heart wrenching to get through the entire album.

[youtube width=“425” height=“25”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uap_-wP4lfw

Avi Buffalo- Avi Buffalo

With vocals that seem lonely on top of romantic lyrics, Avi Buffalo present sweet harmonies on top of the dysfunction between vocals and lyrics. Guitars punctuate and compliment vocal heavy songs and add elaborate elements to the tracks.

[youtube width=“425” height=“25”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNaSEQERGz0

The Kissaway Trail- Sleep Mountain

Bombastic, almost dreamy pop (ie Pains of being Pure at Heart) that creates rather large sounds. Although there isn’t much here distinctively unique, the formula they stick with works for the most part.

[youtube width=“425” height=“25”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLSUY1zagck

Male Bonding- Nothing Hurts

Psychedelic laced west coast punk rock similar to Vivian Girls. Heavy 80s sounds with fuzzy vocals and heavy drums that carry a fast pace.

The Sadies- Dark Circles

Traditional rock and roll with a bit of a southern twist. Slower burning songs get topped off nicely with guitar solos and generally have darker undertones. The faster stuff sounds like something from the 70s.

The Hold Steady- Heaven is Whenever

Nostalgic storytelling that stick alongside anthemic choruses standard rock sounds. However, they do make attempts at diversifying the soundscape and this adds another layer to the album’s tone, but it’s still pretty similar in terms of sound of past Hold Steady albums.

Annuals- Sweet Sister EP

Annuals experiment with a wide variety of non traditional rock percussion to add a whole new level to their sound. They bring a quirky pop mentality that justifies these upbeat, sun-soaked tunes that are easy and fun to listen to. Good warm weather album.

Sugar & Gold- Get Wet

Think flamboyant 80’s new wave mixed with a little bit of disco. These boys know how to get you moving with feel-good tunes that will make you want sashay all the way home.

Frog Eyes- Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph

Gritty, fuzzy, full of depth and bombastic rock that seriously tugs at all of your emotions. Signature howls echoes throught the whole album. This shit is amazing. Play if you enjoy Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Tapes ‘N Tapes.

Living Sisters- Love to Live

This band combines the female singers from The Bird and the Bee and Lavander Diamond to create another great retro 60’s girl group. Mixing together a little bit of doo-woop, country, and pop, this will bring joy to your life.

Fol Chen- In Ruins

Reminds me of a more experimental old-skool Madonna with lots of synth beats in the background. This EP  includes a bunch of great remixes of this song that can be played to spice any radio show.

Flugente- 2

Lo-fi Bob Dylan. I mean, this is pretty good.

The Consulate General- Person Number

Remember Postal Service and Her Space Holiday? Well, this guy is pretty much like that BUT BETTER. Multi-instrumentalists guy blends all forms of music to make a dreamy electronic soundscape. Enjoy

Blunt Mechanic-World Record

The guy from Kind of Like Spitting comes out with his debut solo album. Sounds like 70’s sunshine pop mixed with 90’s grunge rock. Super addicting and catchy.

Lali Puna- Our Inventions

Absolutely beautiful electronic album from members of The Notwist and other notable electronic bands. Mixing laptop beats with real instruments creates an atmospheric circle jerk for the masses. I am really into this album.

Caribou- Swim

IF you didn’t already realize it now that we have the new Caribou, well know you know for sure. This album is probably in my top 3 greatest albums of the year. Absolutely amazing experimental rock/electronic music.

The Knew- Pulperia

Looking at these guys I would have passed on this album immediately. However, the music was pretty catchy and decent. It is a perfect blend of grungy garage rock and southern rock.

Lou Rhodes- One Good Thing

The singer from the band Lamb comes out with a folk inspired album. Pretty much a replication of Joni Mitchel, Joanna Newsom, and Nico. Still pretty decent.

Horse Feathers- Thisled Spring

Gorgeous folk arrangement from this Portland band. If you like Iron and Wine or Andrew Bird you are totally going to dig this!

Dosh-Tommy

Dosh is absolutely amazing. Chaotic, intense, and charming electronic fused post-rock sort of deal.

Unnatural Helpers- Cracked Love & Other Drugs

Pretty much another garage rock band with half shouting, half singing/welping vocals and a bass that drives most of the songs.

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New Album Review

Cannibal’s Corner III: Borknagar and Amon Amarth

The heavyweight band is back with their latest album, and I won’t try to sweeten any of what I have to say about Borknagar’s latest. There are times when it really does take a knife to the intestines and lets out that nice fine ooze, but I felt that for much of the album I had to repeatedly dive headfirst into any bricks I came across. And if you didn’t know, there’s a mighty ton of bricks here at N.C. State.

I’m sure my colleague and fellow metalhead-in-crime Noobhammer wouldn’t object to calling this piece of work “progressive” in some way, but I’m not a man of labels. I just know that past Havoc and Reason, the guitars aren’t grinding my elbows to dust. Once I even took a flier from those folks on campus gathering attention for their cause by handing out dead tree pulp just so I could papercut my tongue with a pentagram

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate how they give those cuddly-type of music people their teddy bears and skin-moisturizing lotion, and I thoroughly enjoy black metal artists, but by the end I feel like this is a softer “Aealo” from Rotting Christ. Rotting Christ delivers the rot, Borknagar does not.

Now the Amon Amarth concert this past Tuesday was quite disembowling– or satisfying in layman’s terms. The first band to play was Pandah, and they did a good job getting the crowd worked up on chewing through their own cheeks. They were a refreshing mix of deathly speed and blackened keyboard gore. Next to play was Holy Grail, remnants of 80’s speed metal both in sound and the singer’s tight pants. His shrill was fierce, and we all enjoyed the feeling of leeches feasting from within our ear canal.

Both bands’ styles, however, stood at a contrast to Týr and Amon Amarth. Their songs, based upon Nordic mythology and Scandinavian tales of viking warriors led some in the crowd to produce hammers and bash people’s skulls inside out. Many wound up with a Hammer Smashed Face.

Týr did not disappoint, playing beloveds such as By The Sword In My Hand, Hail To The Hammer, and By The Light Of The Northern Star. Their stage presence was a nice menacing beast through which many lost pints of blood, fluids, and bile. By the time Amon Amarth arrived, the concrete floor was coated with a nice slippery mix of stomach acid, disfigured severed limbs, and organs. Nothing like free food.

Amon Amarth brought quite a light show with them, causing peoples’ eyes to become hyperactive and either explode or pop out and dangle by that stretchy optic nerve. They opened with Twilight Of The Thunder God, where fans immediately lost all sense of self and began destroying each other in a mosh pit of flying gore. Johan, the singer, kept repeating between songs about how rockin’ the people of Raleigh were. If only he could see the floor, where half the crowd was scattered about.

They wound up playing many bloody songs such as Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags, The Fate Of Norns, Down The Slopes Of Death, Cry Of The Black Birds, Under The Northern Star, Live For The Kill, and Guardians Of Asgaard to just name a few. Their destructive power, the packed venue, and the madness-inducing lights created an environment where it was impossible to not headbang and give Johan the horns. I could keep on describing the concert, but instead have a look (that is, if you’ve got eyes to spare at the moment) at the concert pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, but these blurry pictures are worth the wading through pools of excrement and gore.